I mean, other than everybody but Angela.
I know this piece is coming every year, and yet I keep rolling into December unprepared. Add an extra naughty for me, as is custom.
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1. COVID Hits the Industry Hard
The anime industry was not spared from the resulting lockdowns and stay at home orders due to COVID-19. In late March the anime convention cancellations began. Some cons were outright cancelled while others took their events virtual, especially the larger venues. As for anime production itself, while a lot of animators could work from home this didn’t stop a large number of series from being delayed. Spring anime shows were pushed further back into the spring. A large number of summer and fall shows were pushed back by a season. Delays included heavy hitters such as Pokémon, One Piece, Digimon Adventure, Boruto, Re: Zero, and oh so many more. The upside is that the winter season will see a slate of strong series since many of them were supposed to air in the fall.
2. The Potential Sale of Crunchyroll to Sony
Crunchyroll’s sale to AT&T two years ago was alarming as the communications company grew larger with the purchase. Fast forward to August of this year and Sony’s talks with AT&T to purchase the streaming giant. It seemed as if the deal fell through with an asking price of $1.5 billion. Then in October it was announced that Sony would be finalizing a deal to buy CR for $957 million. This makes my naughty list because Sony bought Funimation in 2017 and it already owned Aniplex before that. The amount of media consolidation is just frightening as media conglomerates seem to grow larger and larger. Fans may love the idea of having all, or most of their anime favorites under one roof, but this runs the risk of less innovation and the possibility of anti-consumer practices. Also, if this sale happens will Funimation and Crunchyroll remain as separate brands? Also, what happens to VRV? Don’t be surprised if I bring up this issue again in my 2021 Naughty and Nice list.
3. The End of ANNCast
2020 has been a year full of heartbreak, but one of my most personal blows was learning about the death of Anime News Network’s Executive Editor, Zac Bertschy in May. One of his major projects was the weekly podcast, ANNCast. He had various co-hosts throughout the years including founder and former Editor-in-Chief Justin Sevakis, former Associate Editor Jacob Chapman, and Reviews Editor (now Executive Editor) Lynzee Loveridge. The show had been running since 2009 and featured a mix of interviews with industry heavyweights, staff banter, and even provided a unique take on video games and movies. I enjoyed episodes centered around the airing of new seasons of anime, E3, movie exchanges between the hosts, and when the hosts of the Anime World Order podcast appeared as guests. My Fridays haven’t been the same and the anime industry feels a little worse off without Zac and ANNCast.
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1. Demon Slayer Dominates the Japanese Box Office
Demon Slayer was an enjoyable show to watch in 2019. The story was good, the characters were better, the animation was fantastic, and the show had an expy of Micheal Jackson. So it was unsurprising that the theatrical film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train would do well. What was surprising is just how well the movie has done. In just two months it has broken numerous box office records in Japan and has even made news in western outlets that don’t specialize in anime coverage. It took record spots from Frozen, Titanic and is expected to overtake Spirited Away. As of this writing, the movie has brought in a total of $276 million and it has yet to release in other markets. Mind you season two of Demon Slayer is also expected to air this year which will probably help further buoy ticket sales in North America.
2. A Good Year for Furry Anime Fans
This one’s personal as my favorite hobbies have collided in furry and anime in a big way in 2020. The year started off strong with the release of Beastars on Netflix in March. The show actually aired from October to December of 2019 in Japan, but was released months later by Netflix in North America. It was a fantastic entry into the series and made waves outside of the furry community because of its strong story and characters. At times I still find it hard to be that original manga creator Paru Itagaki is the daughter of Baki the Grappler author Keisuki Itagaki. Moving on, we then had the release of Trigger’s newest anime, BNA: Brand New Animal at the end of June. The character designs and animation were great, but the execution could have been stronger. Finally, at the end of August we had the release of season three of Aggretsuko. The third season which didn’t fail in its mix of cute Sanrio character designs and adult issues that hit way too close to home. While there’s no world on if BNA will receive a new season, we can look forward to more Beastars and possibly more Aggretsuko in 2021.
3. A Strong Year for TV Series
Despite the delays, 2020 was actually a good year for anime releases in general. The year started off strong with the theatrical film, Weathering With You, Haikyuu!! returned in January and shows like Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken and Somali and the Forest Spirit were great ways to kick off the year. As I just mentioned, Beastars talk dominated when that series dropped in North America. We also saw the second season of the Fruits Basket remake. Things were bumpy with COVID delays, but still got more Re:Zero, another season of Fire Force, more Golden Kamuy and the breakout hits The God of High School and The Great Pretender. We’re finishing the year out with the final season of Attack on Titan which will lead us into 2021. Is everyone ready for season two of the Promised Neverland, Beastars, Dr. Stone, Cells at Work, and seasons three of Log Horizon and Re:Zero? I know I am!
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