The evolution of the fur genre. From genesis to decline. Part two (Topic)

We continue to explore the history of the fur genre and its evolution. Read the first part of our material and continue.

It's time to experiment

In the 90s, the evolution of the fur genre led it to become an anime mixture of new take on classic concepts. The revolutionaries once again proved that they still have many inexhaustible ideas, and Hideaki Anno became the most important innovator in 1995. But more on that later.

If earlier furs dominated only in Japan, then in 1990 the anime "Patlabor" became a pioneer in the West, which aroused interest among the still not experienced audience. In Japan, films such as "The King of Braves Gaogaigar" [1997] and "The Vision of Escaflowne" [1994] rekindled audiences by showing things people didn't expect to see in a robot anime, such as izekai elements. But it was in 1995 that two major works came out that secured furs all over the world. The first - "Mobile Suit Gandam Wings", opened the doors in fur to the whole world, becoming what Western audiences wanted to see. Surprisingly, in Japan itself, his influence was not felt, unlike the second work, which reimagined fur called "Evangelion" by Hideaki Anno.

"Neon Genesis Evangelion" is a work that is hard not to talk about, because it influenced not just the fur, but the anime itself on a global scale and became a stronghold for the entire culture. Thanks to him, anime today is exactly as we know it.

Evangelion showed that you don't need to be a fan of fur to enjoy anime about big robots. Indeed, in fact, "Evangelion" is an anime about large robots, which is absolutely not about them. Its plot is the deconstruction of classic fur tropes, where the genius inventor of the robot was not a mentor, but an evil figure, and instead of an inspired protagonist with a sense of justice, we got a notorious introvert.

Mechas stopped being weekly battles with alien robots, a military-political dystopia, a combination of the first and the second, but "Eve" was all of these at the same time, but much more. Flavored with its quirky psychological themes and religious references, the show has become a cult following.

Forward to the 2000s or the modern age of fur

With behind such a picture as "Evangelion" and world popularity, the genre stepped into the new century with a confident step. Since 2000, there have been no revolutions in anime about large robots, but there have been good pictures. The audience craved cool robots, cool stories, charming characters, and they got it. Ra-Zephon [2001] became the spiritual successor to Eve, Steel Anxiety [2002] mixed school life and robots, and Eureka Seven [2005] added a romantic component to anime furs.

In addition, rebuts and sequels of classic anime furs began to appear: "Rebut Of Evangelion", "A'im from the Top 2! Diebuster" [2004], and "Gandam Generation" was no less popular than the very first anime in this episode.

This continued until 2007, which is considered the final year in the history of the genre. Then two important pictures came out, one of which was the sensational "Gurren Lagann". What then, what is now he is considered the last cool representative of the super-robot subgenre, true to his roots. The second "swan song" was "Code Geass" - a political picture about real robots that pushed "Gandam" from this throne. Code Geass has turned many anime fans into fans of authentic mechs by showing the very best of the genre.

Literally everything that was shown to us before, merged together in the anime of the 2000s. Alas, if every 10 years since its existence, the genre changed and evolved, overcoming another crisis, then after the beginning of 2010 it could not do it.

Decline

Over the past 9 years, not a single impressive fur series has been released and you can understand why. They just don't have the same impact on the industry as they did before. Star Driver [2010] Capitan Earth [2014], Valvrave the liberation [2013] tried to restore the same balance of power, but they failed.

Of course, it is difficult to come up with something new in a genre that is already under sixty years old, but in many ways the decline in its popularity is associated with other moments. As we have already found out, initially the anime mech was created under the influence of war and all the plots of the titles were associated with this. War against invaders or against someone else. Given that we live in a relative peacetime, the topic of war is no longer relevant to us.

But more importantly, the anime itself has changed too. Now is not the time when a fresh title can afford to stretch over 60 episodes in order to fully reveal the lore and characters. The period of tough confrontation of 11-13 series pictures has come. Competition with seasonal anime is tough, and alas, a mech who needs at least 25 episodes and fresh ideas can't handle it.

For the most part, all resources go to OVAs, created for loyal fans. Ordinary otaku can be frightened off by the aesthetic unattractiveness of modern robots made using computer graphics. This can be seen in the merchandising that has accompanied the genre all along. Making fur models is much more difficult than the next best girl of the season. And they also target loyal fans who will buy them.

In other words, fur has left the mass audience, which today is interested in the genres of shonen, moe and everyday life, which bring their creators much more profit. Studio Sunrise is a confirmation of this, because the main revenue is brought not by Gandam, but by Love Live! Sunshine! " about school idols.

So what's the future of fur?

After my acquaintance with the history of the genre and its cyclical nature, it seems to me that the meha now needs another revolutionary who will attract a new fanbase, as did Gandam, Evangelion and Code Geass. The new audience is afraid to approach the immense universe of Gundam, but at the same time last year, Loved in France was released, which, although it was a rather controversial project, became the most popular series of the season. In addition, the Trigger studio itself is going to continue filming anime furs, and on the example of "Franks" we see how they experiment. Also ten years later the sequel "Code Geass" was released. Therefore, you just need a new trend that will bring the genre back into the saddle. This has happened more than once, and I think it will be so again.

And if that doesn't happen, no one will take away from us his legacy, which has had such a strong impact on anime in general. This is how the history of the fur genre ends at the moment.

The Topic of Article: The evolution of the fur genre. From genesis to decline. Part two.
Author: Jake Pinkman