Has Anime Gotten “Too” Popular?

I’ve been an anime fan for a long, long time, ever since I first discovered Speed Racer and Kimba the White Lion, as well as monster shows like Godzilla, as a boy. There was a time when being an anime fan meant living on the cutting edge and being a trendsetter. But these days, it seems anime really has gone mainstream. Has anime gotten “too” popular?

When Did Anime Stop Being “Underground?”

I remember seeing the latest Shinkai Makoto film in an IMAX theater in Shinjuku and thinking later, “Wow, anime isn’t really a ‘subculture’ anymore.” Back in high school, I joined the local San Diego anime club, and we’d gather in one of the classrooms at SDSU and watch anime all day long once a month. There were no subtitles because this was 1985, but one of the club members who knew a little Japanese had written up short blurbs of what was happening in each episode so we could follow along.

Anime exploded in popularity in the 1990s thanks to Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball and Evangelion. But it was still kind of “edgy” to be an anime fan in those days. Going out of your way to accumulate knowledge about TV shows from the other side of the world must have appeared strange to our friends and family but felt very natural to most of us.

The anime industry has exploded in size over the years. After the “anime licensing bubble” burst in 2006, which resulted in the bankruptcy of Music Land, Sun Coast Video, and Newtype USA (*sob*), the industry slowly got back on track. Streaming became a big boon for anime studios as large platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix opened their vaults to provide funding for new shows. The industry is projected to double from here, reaching $60 billion by 2030. It’s no wonder Sony moved their PlayStation headquarters from Japan to the US and went all in on becoming a top player in the anime industry.

Has Anime Become Too Popular? Let’s Ask J-List Customers!

I love Twitter/X because I can ask questions and quickly hear from hundreds of fans about a topic. Here’s what J-List customers had to say about whether anime has become too popular!

Anime is definitely mainstream. You can find manga, anime DVDs and even Pocky at Walmart.

I probably wouldn’t say I like “anime,” as that’s a medium, not a genre.

I remember getting beat up and made fun of in middle/high school for liking anime. A kid threw my copy of GetBackers into the toilet. The other day my nephew was telling me how kids in his class were making fun of him because he wasn’t up to date with the current anime season.

I was picked on relentlessly in school for watching anime. Now I work at a high school, and the anime you watch is the bar for coolness.

I really hate how all the tourists have invaded anime now that nerd culture as a whole has gone mainstream, making anime borderline mainstream… So yes, I honestly don’t like how popular anime has become lately.

I’m ‘ban these sick cartoons’ years old. These days anime is so common and cool that it’s no longer cool. Just turn on Netflix, and it’s like oh yeah anime…

I’m not sure if would say anime’s too popular right now. Rather, it’s the only thing that’s legitimately good. Not that there are only bad shows in the West, in fact, I’d say it’s gotten better recently. But it’s still largely the case that Japan has all the good stuff.

There, I fixed it for you.

It’s gotten too popular to the point that Hollywood took notice and now wants to destroy it with horrible IRL adaptations.

Everyone I know who watches anime does so because they like it, not for any other reason. That said, the harshest and most devastating criticism an anime fan can get can only come from another anime fan.

What’s the worst thing that can happen to your favorite anime? Read this blog post!

I find the entire situation hilarious these days. As more and more people I talk to start watching anime, all of a sudden I’ve become the guy they go to for 20 years of recommendations. This is the kind of popular I always wanted to be, haha.

It’s too popular. Mainstream attention is damaging anime as a medium, as well as making it a target for the culture war.

I wouldn’t say too popular, but just enough non-fans are giving it more of a chance when someone offers a recommendation. Of course, there are probably some folks watching anime to gain street cred. But that can be said for anything we enjoy.

It’s gone mainstream enough that normies and casuals are paying attention. I’ve seen this before, and it doesn’t end well.

Been watching anime since the early ’90s. The landscape has certainly changed since those days, sure, but…who cares what other people do? Just enjoy the pretty colors and fan service!

Thanks for reading this blog post about whether anime has these days become too popular. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below!

Also, be sure to follow J-List on these platforms!

• Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you
• Facebook, where we share memes and discuss anime
• Instagram, where you can look at sterilized anime memes because it’s Instagram
• Discord, if you want to chat with other J-List customers of culture
• Finally, check out J-List’s short video blogs on YouTube or TikTok!

Every year at the end of the year, J-List has our world-famous Fukubukuro grab bags in “H” and all-ages versions. This year, we’ve got four more for you to choose from, specially created by Tamatoys. Browse all our lucky boxes before they sell out!