Anime didn’t just go global—it quietly took over. In this episode, we trace how a once-niche Japanese art form became a worldwide cultural and economic force, with exports rivaling steel and semiconductors and streaming platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll driving its spread. We explore what sets anime apart: its hand-drawn aesthetic, emotionally complex stories, and willingness to reject tidy Hollywood endings in favor of darker, more relatable worlds. From an endless supply of manga source material to its growing influence on global film and TV, anime’s rise reveals why millions now see it not as a genre, but as a dominant way of storytelling.

https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/10/11/why-the-world-is-so-animated-about-anime