You know, there was always this question in the back of my mind over if ultimately manga and anime have taken over Western comics.
Nothing further from reality as Western comics still have the largest demand in the world and Manga style comics are a genre/niche that is growing as we speak, but it's still far from being mainstream.
The day we see a manga published in the United States by either DC or Marvel, that'd be the day we can say that manga is mainstream.
That being said, what is Marvel's interest in making X-Men, Blade and Iron Man anime series?
The answer can be in the fact that Marvel is looking to get the younger audiences or younger generations that are wayyy more interested in manga/anime than they ever will in Western comics.
Or they just want to experiment what could be the result of a crossover between these two radically different styles and approaches for diverse audiences.
Or even a simple wish to join creative forces for the sake of going beyond, such as Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei in their series Karakuridoji Ultimo, which is serialized in Jump SQ magazine and is being sold as a graphic novel on Amazon.
Western comics are all about realism and being anatomically correct as possible, yet at the same time with a certain degree of styling of forms and figures, but manga is expressionistic and relies more in characters, but that doesn't mean that the story can't be equally complex. You can say that manga is realistic in its own way because of the expression it conveys in each panel.
Right now, a crossover of these two styles of visual storytelling (and cultural approaches to life, actually) have either proved to be succesful or simply a failure, as in the case of the Wolverine anime, so it is still an ambigous land.
And DC is doing nothing?
DC is just not being as vocal, but series like 'Young Justice' and 'Teen Titans' show a certain shift towards anime style, without necessarilly abandoning the traditional animation style of 'Superman: TAS', or 'Justice League Unlimited'. They want to cater to younger audiences without compromising too much of themselves.
And don't forget about the 'Batman: Gotham Knight' animated shorts, that was already a mild insinuation towards anime style in 2005, with studios Madhouse, Studio 4 °C and Production IG working with David Goyer, Brian Azzarello and Greg Rucka.
As for the upcoming comics relaunch on September and the new character design? It may be only me but I'm already seeing mecha influences in Superman's new suit.
Who's not to say that with the upcoming Superman movie in 2012, directed by Zack Snyder, and assessed by the Nolans, we may get anime shorts of Superman?
The answers are still in the open for open minds.
After a one year break, author Yoshihiro Togashi will resume his manga, according to an announcement in the 30th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, more details will be provided later!
And don't forget about the 'Batman: Gotham Knight' animated shorts, that was already a mild insinuation towards anime style in 2005, with studios Madhouse, Studio 4 °C and Production IG working with David Goyer, Brian Azzarello and Greg Rucka.
Toei Animation reported earlier this month that its operating income from overseas copyright licensing is increasing 66% or about 500 million yen (about US$6 million) during the fiscal year ending in March of 2012, compared to the previous year. In particular, sales of character goods are growing in China and Europe.
