While the decline of Pokemon may mean that over-all sales of anime-related merchandise declined in North America in 2001, anime is reaching more deeply into America pop culture in a variety of ways, and seems stronger than ever.
Among the few sources of numbers on this phenomenon was Diamond, which said in discussing its mid-year numbers that anime was up 35%, toys were up 25% with the Japanese import business an important reason, and graphic novels, where Dark Horse's retro manga repackagings were at the top of the charts all year, were up 39% vs. the first half of 2000 Among other observable indicators of the growth of anime were the number of anime and manga producers that increased production in 2001 and plan to do so again next year, the segmentation of anime and manga into ever narrower audiences (e.g., yaoi), the theatrical releases of anime movies (Akira, Metropolis, Blood: The Last Vampire, Vampire Hunter D, Jin Roh), and the increasing number of anime series on American television that represent powerful new merchandising engines (Yu Gi Oh, Medabots, Zoids).
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