Anime Producers Are "Pissed Off" Hollywood Wants Everything Turned Into Anime Because They Consider It "Cheap" — GeekTyrant
Anime's global popularity is at an all-time high, but not everyone in the industry is thrilled with how Hollywood is jumping on the bandwagon, especially when anime is seen less as an artform and more as a budget-friendly content hack.
At a recent Machi Asobi event in Japan, CoMixWave Films founder Noritaka Kawaguchi, known for producing several of Makoto Shinkai's films, and Mie Onishi, the studio's head of overseas business, opened up about their frustrations with Western studios trying to turn everything into anime. Kawaguchi said:
'There are a little too many works to check out. I have to watch Japanese anime and I also have to read [Shonen] Jump.'
Between the ever-growing catalog of homegrown anime and a flood of adaptations from major franchises like Star Wars , Scott Pilgrim , and The Lord of the Rings , even seasoned producers are feeling overwhelmed.
Onishi added:
'That's right… That's why it's not a good idea to animate everything. Anime is just one method, not a genre. In fact, what I hate these days is that when I talk to people in Hollywood, they ask me, 'Can't you make this as an anime?' What lies behind this is something like, 'It's cheap if it's an anime,' which really pisses me off.'
Onishi shared a real exchange with a Hollywood exec: 'It would cost 20 billion yen to make a live-action movie, so can't you make it an anime?'
She mocked the request. The assumption that anime is just a cheaper, faster alternative completely ignores the artistry, labor, and cultural context that go into producing even a single frame.
Hollywood's recent anime obsession isn't without precedent. Star Wars: Visions on Disney+ was a high-profile attempt to give the galaxy far, far away an anime twist. WB's The War of the Rohirrim , set in Middle-earth, did the same for The Lord of the Rings .
These projects are just the beginning, with Western studios eager to replicate the mainstream success of hits like Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan .
But while some collaborations have been respectful and creatively exciting, others feel more like a shortcut or a content farm approach to a medium that deserves better. And the people who actually make anime? They're starting to push back.
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