I love the idea of Noitamina. If you’re unaware of what Noitamina is (animation spelled backwards for one), it started as an anime programming block in 2005 on Fuji TV, one of the major television networks in Japan. Its stated goal was to expand anime’s viewership by producing shows that appealed to audiences outside of the standard anime demographic.
As I stated before, I love this concept. I believe that for anime to thrive, we need to expand the demographic to include more people of different ages and genders. The desire to create shows aimed at different demographics also means that many of their shows are different and distinct from the rest of the anime shows being produced. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Josei show released outside of their programming block.
However, I feel that there are a lot of problems with this project, some recent and some from the very beginning. From the beginning, the programming block has aired early in the morning, typically anywhere between half past midnight to half one. These times are typical of most anime airing in Japan but I feel that this is a major block to accessing the other demographics that they stated are their intended goal.
It also doesn’t help that many of their products remain highly expensive. As mentioned in “The Economics of Anime“, one of the primary sources of income for anime in Japan is DVD and Blu-Ray sales. These are very expensive and a typical example would be around $60 for 3-4 episodes. Noitamina shows are no exception and are sold for those prices (maybe more, if the recently aired and soon to be released Blu-Ray of Psycho Pass 3 is anything to go by).
Since the beginning of the block, we have seen many shows that are atypical in the anime environment such as Josei, horror, surrealist etc. However, we have also seen a fair share of shows that feel pretty typical with some infamous examples being C, Black Rock Shooter, Saekano etc. These shows often feel jarring, simply because these are not the types of shows that people aware of what Noitamina is about have come to expect. Luckily, we still see many distinct shows such as Silver Spoon, Inuyashiki and even an adaptation of Banana Fish.
I only hope that more people become aware of this programming block and the potential of the many shows that are produced. A venture like this should always be supported and it has already presented us with so much excellent content (Bunny Drop and Psycho-Pass being two particular standouts in my mind). Let me know what you think of this programming block, how successful you think it has been etc.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!