Statistics show that up to 72 percent of people in the United States watch anime, but it hasn’t always been this way. Despite its current popularity, anime has had a troubled history regarding viewership.
Typically, most people tend to steer away from things considered different or unusual. In the United States, anime tends to have the reputation of being intended for outcasts. With its lively visuals, scripts, and voice acting, it easily defies the more realistic tendencies of Western cartoons.
The spirited nature of the medium often strikes unfamiliarity, unlike its appeal in Japan, where this form of entertainment originated.
A major turning point in this consensus occurred at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“
“Everybody has been watching it more because they were bored during quarantine.”
— Chase Lentz, 11
.sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 { display: flex; float: left; margin: 30px 30px 30px 0; width: 50%; border-color: #888888; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; background-color: #dddddd; } .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 p.quotespeaker { color: #000000 !important; } .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-66e1fea1cb186 .quotebody { width: unset; }During quarantine, there was an intense increase in media consumption.
Statista writes, “More than 40 percent of U.S. respondents reported spending more time watching shows and films on streaming services, and 25 percent were reading books or listening to audiobooks more than usual.
This popularity increase set off a mass exploration of the internet in search of entertainment, with the number of global internet users increasing from 4.39 billion to 5.35 billion between 2019 and 2024. This is when anime rose to fame. Some of the top anime at the time were “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Attack on Titan,” “Ouron High School Host Club,” and “Demon Slayer.”
In 2024, anime popularity catapulted anime merchandise sales which then made its way into mainstream stores like Walmart and Five Below.
Because of its popularization, people have less of a reason to hide their interest in anime. It’s easy to shy away from less popular mediums, but the rise of anime in the west is a perfect example of what happens when you take a chance on new things.