Where is the anime industry headed in the next 2-4 years?

I'm worried that the anime industry might collapse, between the rise of AI, the decline of Netflix, and all the ongoing shifts in the global entertainment industry. I see it as all interconnected, and anime has been hit hard.<br><br>**The rise of AI:**<br><br>It's undeniable that AI is going to play an increasingly important role in animation, both worldwide and in Japan. Anime has already largely shifted to digital painting, and studios are now starting to integrate AI. And it's only going to increase over the next few years, since AI is improving at a breakneck pace. I don't think AI will replace all human animators, but it will probably significantly augment human animators.<br><br>This will likely lead to a lot of layoffs and studios going under as they struggle to adapt, but it will also lower the barrier of entry for new studios and creators, both in Japan and worldwide.<br><br>**Netflix's decline and the end of the global era:**<br><br>Netflix was largely responsible for creating the global anime era we saw over the last few years, where foreign studios were contracted to produce anime for a global audience. But Netflix is hemorrhaging money, has largely abandoned this strategy, and has been laying off its anime staff both in the US and Japan.<br><br>I think Netflix's decline will probably lead to a decline in the global era. I don't think this is a bad thing, since a lot of the Netflix-era anime was low-quality and overly reliant on pandering to a global audience.<br><br>But I also worry that the collapse of the global era and the rise of AI will lead to a lot of talented creators being out of work. Netflix was hiring a ton of artists, directors, and writers from all over the world, and I don't think they'll be able to find work as easily in the post-Netflix era.<br><br>**The global entertainment industry:**<br><br>I think the global entertainment industry might be in trouble, too. Netflix's decline is just part of a larger shift, where streaming has largely failed to pan out, and the core model of streaming is unsustainable. Online streaming was supposed to disrupt traditional TV and movies, but in reality, it's largely failed to do so, and has just added another layer of choice on top of traditional viewing habits.<br><br>I think there will be a lot of consolidation in the streaming industry, and probably a shift back towards traditional viewing habits, especially as high-speed internet becomes more widespread. This shift will likely have big implications for the global anime industry, which has largely been fueled by streaming money.<br><br>**The Japanese anime industry:**<br><br>I think the Japanese anime industry will probably be fine, since it has a strong domestic market and a growing global market. But the Japanese industry is also struggling to deal with AI, streaming, and the end of the global era. I worry that the Japanese industry is too insular and will struggle to adapt to the changing global entertainment landscape.<br><br>I also worry that Netflix's decline will lead to a decline in international anime collaborations, which I think are valuable for exposing the Japanese industry to new ideas and perspectives. International collaborations can be controversial, but I think they're an important part of the global anime ecosystem.<br><br>**Conclusion:**<br><br>Overall, I think the anime industry is at a crossroads. The rise of AI, the decline of Netflix, and the end of the global era all pose big challenges, but also opportunities. I think the next 2-4 years will be a time of big change and upheaval in the anime industry.<br><br>It's tempting to be pessimistic, since there will likely be layoffs, studios going under, and talented creators being out of work. But I also think that AI and streaming have lowered the barrier of entry for new creators, and are allowing for new forms of storytelling and animation that weren't possible before.<br><br>I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm excited to find out.