For those who think anime is ‘cartoons for kids’ and are happy to relegate it to a corner of their creative / marketing / storytelling sensibilities, it might be worth a few minutes to check out Polygon’s recent survey (link in comments).

🌟 Those ‘Japanese animated show’s you may have heard about, are no longer just about die-hard fans in cosplay- they've busted through into the mainstream like One Punch Man busting… someone.

We know (or should), that anime is a veritable universe of storytelling wonder-  epic battles, emotive dramas, fantastical adventures or just wild weirdness. 🤯Depending on where you are, or where in life you are, it either already is or is fast-becoming a cultural phenomenon.

While the survey is US- centric, Asia of course in many ways is the driver/ enabler and the one to revel most in a global wave.

📝 Some key takeaways:

🔥 Unsurprisingly, Gen Z is spearheading the anime revolution, but are by far not the only ones (great comparison to Gen Z’s NFL following in there too).

🌈 Diversity is anime's middle name- fans come from all walks of life.

🧘🏽 Used as? Comfort food, relief when feeling overwhelmed, angry, or sad- and also to “pump themselves up”.⚡

💖 Almost half of the viewers have had a crush on an anime character– hey there, rom-coms 👋

😎 It's a lifestyle- more than half of Gen Z fans claim it influences everything from their identity & style to how they navigate the social battlefield.

🍿 Needless to say Netflix, Crunchyroll and a few others make an appearance.

⚠️ Bottom line seems to be- get on the anime bandwagon if you have not. An anime invasion is here, and  resistance is futile. 🚀🪖

* Illustration by Christine Lee for Polygon