Tokyopop Fall Down, Going Pff.

[robkelk]

Pretty easily - "the next Haruhi Suzimiya" doesn't follow the exact same plot line that all of the "regurgitated crap" does. Granted, neither does "the next Plan 9 from Outer Space", but at least the innovators are trying to come up with something original.

That's a nice idea in theory, but in reality what tends to sell is what is familiar. One Piece is the most popular manga in Japan by a wide margin and its very firmly following the tracks laid out by Dragonball before it, same with Bleach, Naruto and a lot of the other series out there which make a great deal of money.
If it weren't for people following what was already produced we would have never had Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and that would be a shame because that is far more awesome than any GiTS franchise which preceeded it.

We also would never have had Nanoha A's... but we also would never have had El Hazard: The Alternative World, or Tenchi in Tokyo, or Dragonball GT.

It would be nice if the anime production companies would go
back to that approach... but most of them have hung up their shotguns
and are using photocopiers instead. (Note that the majority of the
original anime in any given half-decade come from a minority of
studios.)

When you're throwing enough of it at the wall, and seeing what sticks,
don't be surprised when nothing sticks to the spot where a dozen
previous throws have already been stuck. And if you're aiming at that
spot on purpose, well...

You say that as if this is some unique quality of this time.

Really? I thought saying "in any given half-decade" made it clear this wasn't a recent phenomenon. I need to work on my communications skills...

You can't have it both ways. If you want more quality productions you're going to have to live with the fact that the amount fo shit will increase in direct propotion. If you try to shrink the shit, then the good stuff will shrink in proportion as well.

I never said that this wasn't true. Mind you, I happen to think that the anime market as a whole is glutted - on purpose, because of choices made by the Japanese - and could stand some pruning back.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012