On the cinematic front, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car became a critical darling. It won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes and eventually paved the way for its historic Best International Feature Film win at the Oscars, proving Japan’s high-art cinema was as vibrant as ever. The Vtuber Explosion and Digital Idols

Vtubers like Gawr Gura and Houshou Marine began appearing in mainstream advertising and collaborating with major brands. This blurred the lines between digital avatars and traditional celebrities.

In 2021, anime ceased to be a "niche" export and became a cornerstone of global pop culture. This shift was largely fueled by the aggressive expansion of platforms like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.