Since I was a little girl I’ve always watched anime. It’s been a part of my life for so long that it became a part of who I am. But within the last three years I suddenly hear more and more fans claim that anime isn’t good anymore and that it needs to be saved.
When I first started to even hear such a comment, I was out right surprised. “Anime needs to be saved?” I only thought ‘it needs to be saved from what?’ Eventually the more I heard it from people, the more it got to me. Does anime really need to be saved or are fans saying this because there could be a season where no show appeals to them?
This fall season it’s Kill la Kill that was going to “save” anime. Even though it’s just premiered and only one episode has been 
aired there are already so many high expectations on a show, I feel uneasy about it. I find that going into an anime you should try to watch it for either something new or because you know you might enjoy it.
This falls into “does anime need to be saved?” To be quite honest, no. Since anime was created back in the 1950s with Tezuka’s Astro Boy, anime was always different and had its own style and plots that appeals to people but not to everyone. As anime continued on through the years and developed not only in plots but various genres and subgenres, the community of those who like anime increased. So this leads to this, if there are over 1000s of anime out there, why do fans say “it needs to be saved?”
What hurts nonetheless is there are fans who don’t like anime that have an older style. While I respect a persons choice, I feel the need to say this, “Why not at least give it a bit of a try?” With One Piece to be an example, the art is so disproportionate with what real bodies look like it tears anime fans away. But beyond that the show has some of the best plot, character development, and humor balance I have ever seen in a long-running shonen show.
Every season I take a look at shows that interest me. As the shows continue I read anime news, and go on tumblr to see what shows are gathering the most attention.
While I watch a good majority of the shows that come out each season, I like to predict which shows might be the hidden gem, a show that people ignored or looked-away but turned out to be fantastic. In the last summer season of anime I would have to say that show was Sunday Without God. In the beginning the show felt very slow and I didn’t think much of it. But after episode three the show almost reset itself which as a viewer, caught me off guard. As I continued to watch the show guided me to only a tiny part of a huge open world.
In the end to anime fans who say “anime needs to be saved,” all I can respond to it is, no it doesn’t.