When it comes to anime, you have likely noticed a certain trend with the medium in the last decade or so. The industry has enjoyed a major boost as fans worldwide has begun embracing manga more so than ever before. And now, a new report suggests that anime is very well known with one of the United States’ most valued demographics.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The information comes from Crunchyroll’s head of global partnerships and content strategy. Alden Budill shared the big news with fans during A-JAPAN showcase, and the data spoke for itself. It was there the research exec revealed that a recent survey concluded only 6% of respondents in Gen Z had never heard of anime.
Obviously, that number is impressive. This means a whopping 96% of Gen Z respondents did know about anime, but the word is out on whether they are active fans. This stat is wild to see, and you can appreciate it better in context. After all, Budill stressed that the general population of respondents did not fare as well. According to the poll, 27% of those who participated did not know about anime.
With these figures in mind, Budill was the first to say that this majority interest paves an interesting road for anime’s spread globally as Gen Z ages. “It encompasses almost the entirety of the media landscape within a singular artform,” she shared. “People use anime beyond the screen to signpost things about their own personalities. The youngsters know what we’re doing, and they’re into it.”
Clearly, Budill is on the right track with their predictions. Crunchyroll has been dedicated to anime since day one, so it nice to see this success follow after it. But for other brands, their investigation of anime has just begun. Netflix has become an aggressive licensor of anime in the United States, and that is not all. With HBO Max entering the ring now, there are more ways to watch anime than ever before, and Gen Z could help the medium explode stateside at last!
What do you think of this poll’s turnout? Have you noticed firsthand how popular anime has become in the last decade overseas? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
