Anime seems to be just about everywhere these days: film, music videos, the NFL and big streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

“Anime is colossal. In terms of raw revenue, anime and the NLF are tied at about $20 billion in [annual global] revenue,” said Chris Plante, editor in chief and co-founder of Polygon at Vox Media. “When you think of anime, it can be seen as niche, but the reality is that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

On the show today, Plante explains anime economics, what’s behind the rise of anime in the United States and some of the problematic aspects of the medium.

Later, we’ll discuss how climate change is impacting cherry blossom season and why the commercial real estate crisis could be a big problem for regional banks.

Later, one listener calls in on a landline about landlines. And, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from a digital illustrator based in Long Beach, California.

Here’s everything we talked about today:




“Who watches anime? Polygon surveyed more than 4,000 people to find out” from Polygon







“Anime Market to Reach USD 62.7 Billion by 2032” from Yahoo Finance







“Anime Is Booming. So Why Are Animators Living in Poverty?” from The New York Times







“Sony Jacks Up Prices for Crunchyroll and Kills Funimation” from Gizmodo







“From Niche To Mainstream: The Unstoppable Global Popularity Of Anime And How It Happened” from BuzzFeed







“Streaming and covid-19 have entrenched anime’s global popularity” from The Economist







“Naruto Movie in the Works With Destin Daniel Cretton” from The Hollywood Reporter







“Cherry blossom forecast: We predict peak bloom in D.C. around March 21” from The Washington Post







“Early jacaranda bloom sparks debate about climate change in Mexico” from Reuters







“Commercial Real Estate Market Plunge Has Lenders Facing a Brutal Reality” from Bloomberg







“Comic: Tienes economic anxiety? Artist Julio Salgado reflects on changes in creative industries” from the Los Angeles Times





Are you a fan of anime? Tell us about your favorite anime series! Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.