What do a 24-year-old child detective, a group of seriously laid-back campers and anthropomorphic blood cells have in common? 2018, that's what.
"Anime is a medium, not a genre" is a common refrain, and in a field as diverse as Japan's animation industry, it can be hard to nail down trends that apply across the board.
But here's one: The industry, as a whole, is making some serious money. The folks at the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA), just released their yearly industry analysis, which showed the total anime market topping ¥2 trillion for the first time last year. It has been growing consistently since 2009.