Well… Not on all facets of them yet anyway.

Just starting with TV program first.

At least that’s what I understand after reading the blog from AltJapan and LightSabre.

The top chart reads out that males’ top 5 anime preferences are

1. K-On!
2. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
3. Lucky Star
4. Gundam (all series)
5. Saki

Whilst for girls, theirs are

1. Gundam (All series)
2. K-On!
3. Code Geass
4. Macross Frontier
5. Evangelion / Toradora

After reading the above blogs, there’s a somewhat general consensus that we’re seeing a ‘reversing’ trend of male vs female otakudom.  Males are usually(and always will be) attracted to high-tech items, gadgets, toys, male-leading roles in various animes whilst girls are attracted to several romance, gentle characters (both male and female), and teenage-type dramas in several anime.

Couldn’t reach a final comment to say this is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing….

All I can say is that it’s a different kind of the generation for the youth in this modern day.   Tastes have certainly changed (or rather, evolved) and many people within the anime business community will have to be smart enough to follow where the youth market of the future is heading  to (and capitalize on their changing needs).  It’s bold step for them to engage new types of anime business activity for the youth of both sexes.

Perhaps it’s also another way of breaking down the barrier in gender differences for the first time in history and that both sexes don’t have to feel awkward when exchanging tastes between the two?  Perhaps they’re more open-minded now than they were many years back…

Source: AltJapan, LightSabre

After reading this headline from MyAnimelist,  there will be some drastic changes going on with the way anime business is conducted in Japan with the recent announcement of Bandai’s dropped plans to broadcast Unicorn Gundam on TV.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Instead, they  decided to do two things.  One, having its theatrical release,   Two, having its online streaming.  With these approaches, they claim that they can combat with the industry-wide issue of declining DVD sales in the current market, hoping that things will turn around for the anime industry.  One of the arguments also suggests (and supports) past outstanding performances by Kara no Kyoukai would prove to be the solid indicator on how much more other anime firms can benefit from this so-called new-found business model of online media marketing.

Yet, in the forum, people were not wholesomely enthused with Bandai’s ‘enthusiasm’ to conduct such business practices as they believed the reason Kara no Kyoukai fares so much the better just because of its one-hit wonder of success so it would be very hard for Bandai to emulate that level of success.

Read more from the forum.

Source:  MyAnimelist.net