Jared Sindt
ONLINE REPORTER
Anime has existed for years, but the growing use of social media and online reviews seem to be making it more popular than ever.
How we see this growth in popularity and fan bases can be seen through the numerous events hosted in America.
According to an article from Share America: “One way of measuring anime’s popularity is the massive growth in attendance at anime conventions across the country. In its first year in 2002, the organizers of Anime Boston expected 500 attendees and 2,000 turned out. Recent crowds have consistently surpassed 20,000.”
Another way to judge anime’s rising popularity is through some of the show’s audience ratings. “Attack on Titan,” a popular anime, has multiple episodes ranking nearly 10/10 on IMDB and the show overall is ranked 35th on their all-time list.
The season premiere of this show also broke Crunchyroll, a streaming service used for anime in the U.S., two times before it was fixed.
We can also see the influence anime has on social media and the entertainment industry by simply tracking the hashtag “anime.”
Because of social media and new generations wanting to explore new things, anime is growing in popularity.
The stories that anime and manga tell, however, shouldn’t be overlooked. Anime wouldn’t be as popular if they didn’t have great writing.
As an avid fan of the show “Attack on Titan,” I can say that if all anime have as creative writing as this one, it’s no wonder they are so popular. Hopefully, anime creativity will continue to inspire so that Hollywood takes notice and develops fresh new storylines.
After taking so long to reach the popularity they have today, anime shows deserve the spotlight and hopefully will continue to subvert expectations.
