By Janelle Oje
Children of the digital age are familiar with every trope in entertainment, effectively turning every archetype, every plot device and method into a glaring cliché. This, coupled with the fact that the internet and social media was revealed the world to be brazenly amoral, makes it almost impossible to surprise or engage a young audience. However, if the current trends tell us anything, it’s that young audiences still love entertainment, so there’s hope for the industry.
Firstly, I think it’s important to look at our current culture. Broadcasters need to understand the young audience, so let me explain us: we grew up on dystopia. Katniss Everdeen screaming “If we burn, you burn with us” will forever be seared into our brains and we recognise that the world is chaos. Quite frankly, we’re primed and ready for anarchy and sometimes, we will want to see that chaos accurately reflected in our entertainment. But we also grew up on Vine and now have TikTok, so our capacity to enjoy humour and foolishness is as potent as our desire to fix the social order. This duality means that gritty realism and serious topics like mental illness are as desired as comedy and low stakes, “feel-good” drama. Culture isn’t monolithic and neither are experiences, which is why diversity both on and behind the screens is increasingly important. By this I am not just referring to the ethnicity, religion, sexuality; I’m also talking about the medium of a story, the type of story, the message and purpose of the story.
Why don’t traditional broadcasters produce any anime? Sometimes the hyper expressive nature of the medium and the practically limitless freedom to create new worlds is exactly what is needed to accurately reflect a feeling or message. Haikyuu! is an anime about volleyball. Nothing else, just volleyball, and yet it is one of the most exciting shows I have ever watched because the medium creates a sense of urgency and power in a sport that I had never found interesting until I watched the show. Sometimes, there’s no need to explore a grand theme; at its core, Haikyuu! is just a collection of teenagers playing a sport. Or, anime could discuss whether humanity deserve to survive, which is what Attack on Titan does in a wonderfully mind-bending way. The possibilities are endless.
Why don’t broadcasters produce historical dramas based anywhere other than England or North America? Teach me about the Huns, the Mongol Empire. I want to discover the intricacies of the Chinese dynasty or the Russian oligarchs. The world is rich with stories – don’t restrict yourself to the ones that we already know. History is broader than WWI and II.
I think, in summary, the best advice I can give is to widen your creative eye outside of the comfortable and the norm. An exploration of different voices, different faces, mediums, tones, and subjects will undoubtedly attract attention. Ultimately, we still seek TV to feel something. Problem is, we’ve already felt everything you’re offering.