Although it has always thrived as a niche form of entertainment worldwide, anime‘s rapid rise in popularity over the past decade has been astonishing to witness. As recently as 15 years ago, anime fans had to search extensively online for popular shows. Today, even niche titles are accessible on the largest streaming platforms.

However, not everything is positive in the anime industry. The ongoing shortage of animators has persisted for several years, and controversies regarding the treatment of actors and artists frequently come to light. Recently, a veteran producer has voiced concerns about the industry’s tendency to play it safe.

Veteran Anime Producer Taro Maki Critiques Producers and the Need to ‘Play it Safe’

With anime now firmly established as a global mainstream entertainment form, fans can enjoy more of the industry’s biggest shows than ever before. Furthermore, the quality of seasonal anime has reached unprecedented heights. Titles like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, and many others have left audiences amazed in recent years.

However, Taro Maki, producer of several iconic anime titles, including two films by the renowned Satoshi Kon, has expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the industry. In an interview with ITmedia, he pointed to fellow producers and Japanese corporate culture as contributing factors to a trend of ‘playing it safe’. He stated:

“The top priority is to avoid failure, and the concept of taking risks (through adding up points) is non-existent. This is why they end up going for genres that are successful and safe projects.”

These remarks followed Maki’s criticism of the Japanese corporate culture that operates on point systems, where any negative aspect of a production deducts points and leads those managing productions to avoid risk-taking. His sentiments are not entirely unfounded.

Is There a ‘Playing It Safe’ Problem in Anime?

Anime Is More Popular than Ever, But Is It Better?

Even though anime may be larger than ever before, Taro Maki raises an important point regarding the lack of risk-taking. The most popular titles tend to be adaptations of already successful manga or light novels, and the surge of isekai productions with excessively long titles reflects the ‘playing it safe’ culture he describes.

As production costs increase, coupled with a shortage of animators in the industry and numerous other challenges, investors prefer to support projects that are deemed safe rather than take risks on something different. The declining number of anime-original series in recent years could also indicate such a culture. If fans desire something new, significant changes within the industry will be necessary.