If an anime wants to be successful, women must like it

In the depths of Japan's online forums and social media, intense debate has erupted about the crucial role that elements that attract women play in the success of an anime series. According to several users, the absence of these elements could condemn a series to failure or even a complete lack of popularity.

The debate has been stoked by the increasing diversification of anime's consuming audience, which includes a significant proportion of women. According to a survey conducted in Japan in December 2022, 62 percent of male high school students watch anime at least once a week or more, compared to 48 percent of female students.

Netizens point out that while anime has traditionally been considered a medium aimed primarily at young men, this perception is changing rapidly. They cite recent examples of series that have achieved great success thanks to their ability to appeal to both men and women, through emotional plots, complex interpersonal relationships, and well-developed characters that go beyond gender stereotypes.

The consensus among many of the participants in these discussions is that the inclusion of elements that appeal to women not only broadens the scope of a series, but also enriches its overall quality. They argue that stories that address universal and emotional themes are more likely to resonate with a wider audience and maintain long-term interest.

However, not everyone agrees with this perspective. Some argue that forcing the inclusion of female elements can dilute a series' identity and direction, and that attempts to appeal to a wider audience can result in a loss of the authenticity and originality that often characterizes anime.

But let's see what the Japanese had to say about it:

"In the last five years, I can only say that Lycoris Recoil and Bocchi the Rock! They're the only series aimed at men that were successful."
"I think there are more series aimed at women that only reap failures. The industry has to please men and women alike nowadays, I agree with that."
"The days when the success of an anime depended on showing boobs and panties are over."
"Isn't it embarrassing that Lycoris Recoil is considered an anime for men? It really makes me laugh."
"I think women have been an important part of Jujutsu Kaisen's success. After all, beautiful men are always trending on social media."
"In other words, when women find something interesting, they don't stop talking about it on social media. On the other hand, men tend to be more reserved and don't talk about what they like, which dooms the popularity of something."
"I can't help but agree, it's the women who buy most of the crap that anime put out. Keychains, pendants and stuff. The men themselves caused the industry to stop looking only at them, because they don't invest."
"Men spend more money on video games than they do on anime merchandise, but it's the latter that leaves the industry with money."
"Sousou no Frieren, SPY x FAMILY and Kusuriya no Hitorigoto are what they are now because they were liked by both men and women."
"We've already seen it with those hard-ecchi anime that never get a second season, the all-male market is about to disappear."
"Unbelievable that Bocchi the Rock! be considered an anime for men, what have we fallen for?"
"Why do people think that 'anime for men' means 'boobs and asses'? That's precisely why Bocchi the Rock! and Lycoris Recoil were successful with the boys, because they were pretty girls doing things that men like, not walking around naked in every scene."
"Now a lot of women watch anime, nowadays you can break the ice by talking about a popular anime series, because it's safe to say that the girl watched it too."
"The fact that Oshi no Ko is also considered a series for women shows that making anime for a specific sex is no longer a good idea nowadays."
"First of all, making an anime series aimed at only one sex dooms you to failure. If the story isn't interesting and the only thing it has to offer is sex, I assure you that there is another genre in the industry that specializes in that. Jujutsu Kaisen is popular precisely because it appeals to both markets."
"Many of those who say the claim is wrong don't even have contact with women. They are so closed in on their world that their sense of reality is atrophied."
"In fact, now men also watch series that, according to their definition, are aimed at women. In the past it was something you were embarrassed to admit, but today no one cares."
"The perfect combination would be a harem story with a compelling protagonist, but that's never worked out well. It seems that men want the protagonist to be ugly so they can relate to him."