From cult following to mainstream phenomenon: Anime and the artists of Animaga Expo

Why this obsession? Why are we so mesmerised by Japanese culture, and what explains this fascination with anime?

People drawing on the community canvas. (Credit: Patrick Lyne)

It started in the 90s. Anime came to the West with shows such as Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon, with the latter receiving Game Boy localisations before going on to become the most profitable franchise in the world. Other games from Japan with anime stylisation, such as Final Fantasy, also made their way into Western households and set the groundwork for the JRPG genre.

Tuning into anime often made one the first in their clique to be exposed to Japanese culture. However, with this exposure via shows, comics, and games came a stigma from Westerners that anime is for children, and according to anime fans, the few shows that appeared on TV were considered immature and not ‘real’ anime.

The message was clear: Anime’s current presence in the Western media landscape wasn’t respected or taken seriously.

But when the 21st century broke, anime blew up. The West had been exposed to the likes of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion, and, of course, the films of Studio Ghibli.

Hayao Miyazaki was catapulted into fame when his 2001 film Spirited Away won the Academy Award, and Studio Ghibli came to the lips of families around the West. The Award for Best Animated Feature had only just been inducted, and Spirited Away had superseded Shrek on the world stage as the second recipient of the award.

To date, Miyazaki ties with Disney’s Chris Sanders for the most nominations, and has recently won his second Academy Award for his 2023 movie, The Boy and the Heron.

The merit of Miyazaki’s mature storytelling and mastery over hand-drawn animation was hard to deny, even by the animators of the monopolous Disney and Pixar, who are known to cite Miyazaki as an inspiration.

Hayao Miyazaki in Venice, Italy. (Credit: Shutterstock)

Conventions also came into the mix, acting as meeting points for people who wanted to share their passion for anime and otaku culture.

By this point the dam had burst, and mainstream media could no longer ignore it: Anime was here, and people were forced to recognise its growing popularity.

Fast forward to the 2020s. Anime is more popular than ever before, and despite the COVID slowdown of in-person events and exhibitions, local events such as Animaga Expo have regained their presence as a meeting point for enjoyers and enthusiasts.

Obsession with anime is often expressed online through fanart, and for a lot of artists, anime and art are synonymous. This year’s Animaga alone housed close to 400 artists, and every stand was lined with customers looking to buy original and fan artwork.

Animaga attendees drawing manga. (Credit: Patrick Lyne)

Local artist fonzaku has been drawing his whole life and has been a professional artist for six years.

“I grew up with anime,” he says. “I have a lot of cousins, and they all watch anime, so I just kind of got into it. I also loved to draw.”

Western perceptions around anime haven’t always been stellar, however, and it’s not uncommon for people to express concerns over letting other people know that they like anime.

“When I was growing up, there was a lot of social stigma around it. You couldn’t really reveal that you watched it or enjoyed it because you’d be attached to a certain stereotype or stigma, whatever it may be.”

Though anime films were coming to Western cinemas, and though anime was becoming more ‘normal’, its orbiting biases still took a while to dissipate.

“Older films like Akira and Spirited Away were very high quality films”, says local artist Kazurichii.

“They definitely paved the way for anime in Western mainstream. But because of cultural differences, Western audiences did find Japanese anime content to be like culture shock. There was a weird gap that was like, ‘why are you anime fan? That’s so weird.”

So what changed?

According to fonzaku, essentially nothing, and theorises that its niche following was the reason why it became so prominent.

“If it’s so niche but you’re into it, you’re part of an exclusive club. I think that’s probably a big part of it.

“A lot of athletes will say they grew up watching this or I grew up watching that. Or they’ll have anime tattoos. That has softened the impact of what people perceive to be something really out there or something really degenerate, even though it’s not, for the most part.”

Prominent Western influencers Samuel L. Jackson and RZA both helped spearhead the animated adaptation of Takashi Okazuki’s Afro Samurai, and Studio Ghiblio films have their English translations voiced by well-known actors such as Matt Damon, Billy Bob Thornton, and Gillian Anderson.

“If you were into it and you were someone of influence, it became cool. I think that’s probably what it is – exposure.”

fonzaku first felt shocked when he started at conventions, but Melbourne’s love for anime made it easier for him.

“Honestly, it shocked me. I think when I first joined [Animaga], it shocked me because I'd never really been around other people that enjoy anime and pop culture in school. I was shocked that so many people were into it.”

The Animaga Artist Alley. (Credit: Patrick Lyne)

“People in Melbourne are very open, and very expressive,” says Sydney-based artist Tokopron.

“They’re more accepting of different things, and I guess anime was just one of them.”

According to Kazurichii, the pandemic played a big part in why it became so popular – particularly in Melbourne, which faced the harshest restrictions in Australia.

“I think it was because of the pandemic when everyone was just online and had nothing to do, or they were just more exposed to internet content. I feel something definitely happened there.”

Due to global connectivity, it was inevitable that Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki would become some of the most respected filmmakers of all time, but since COVID broke, manga began to outsell Western comics.

Now, the top distributors in the world are Japanese manga publishers and streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu are facilitating anime such as Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and even original anime such as Cyperpunk: Edgerunners.

With skyrocketing projections and ever-increasing popularity, it’s obvious that anime has found a comfortable home here in the West.