I can’t tell you how frustrating it was growing up in the ‘90s as a fan of animation. Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of good out there. Like many of you, I grew up on a steady diet of Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel, but there was a huge asterisk there. If I wanted to see an animated series, chances are it fell into one of three camps. It was likely an animated kid’s show, an animated adult comedy, and Japanese anime. That was pretty much it. In the States, there was no real in-between there.

To make matters worse, serialized TV wasn’t exactly all the rage. For long-form narratives, I had to turn to either novels or anime. Plus, if I wanted stories aimed at teens or the adventure genre, I wouldn’t be able to turn to American animation. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but things have changed drastically in the decades since.

Not only is anime more widespread and prevalent than ever before, but American animation is expanding as well. Yes, we have adult and family comedies like Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers, but we also have a whole host of adventure series like Castlevania aimed toward adults. It’s as if America as a whole is realizing that animation isn’t a genre. Instead, it’s a medium capable of telling countless types of stories.

In a new white paper written by co-founder and former Mondo Media CEO John Evershed, he discusses the change of the animation landscape in North America. He states that adult animation is “finally breaking free of its comedy shackles.”

RELATED – Rick And Morty Director On How Animation Productions Are Adapting To Meet Deadlines Amid COVID-19 Pandemic (Exclusive)

“From dramas to horrors to musicals,” he writes, “the diversity of the upcoming crop of animated TV series for adult audiences is unprecedented. And, the volume of new series in the pipeline is accelerating with more SVODs, linear and digital buyers actively programming adult animation.”

Evershed states that adult audiences are becoming more and more comfortable with accepting different genres of animation. In fact, nearly half of the shows (44%) of the upcoming TV series for adults are in non-comedy genres. While some may think this may mostly be made up of “Western Anime” like Castlevania, that genre only takes up 7% of those titles. 

Of course, this is a great thing, but some may worry that this could lead to a bifercation of the content and ultimately result in less overall viewers. Evershed argues that producing non-comedy series will actually export better overseas. Given that foreign markets are generally uninterested in American comedies, this could open up a whole new market for all these different genres, thereby expanding reach into previously untapped markets.

Honestly, this is a mammoth and insightful breakdown. You can actually check it out for yourself in its entirety HERE. You’ll need to sign up to get it, but the white paper itself is free, but jampacked of goodness. 

Are you happy to see Adult Animation expand beyond comedy? Let us know your thoughts down below!

LRM Online contributor and active Army soldier Kyle Malone needs your help. CLICK HERE to lend a hand to the cause!

—–

Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcast feed yet The LRM Online Podcast Network? This includes our flagship podcast Los Fanboys, our premiere podcast Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, and our morning show LRMornings. Check it out by listening below. It’s also available on all your favorite podcast apps!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts |  Spotify  |  SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play

SOURCE: High Concentrate