I could say that anime/manga is generally superior to the other genres you mention, but that would be opinion and not fact.
While I'm mentioning opinions, it seems your problem is that anime/manga is gaining in popularity and is apparently more profitable for retailers. If your retailer is eliminating what you consider to be more palatable entertainment, talk to your retailer, change retailers, embrace anime, or produce your own content.
The shift in attitude of anime/manga fans is due to the expanding fan base. It's no longer a niche hobby enjoyed predominantly by a subset of the 17-30 year old male demographic. It has gone mainstream.:
- Disney has licensed and is releasing anime movies.
- For years some music videos have featured clips from anime shows. TV characters have been spotted wearing anime T-shirts. It has invaded pop culture.
- At least 4 TV networks consistently have an anime programming block (ABC Family runs kids stuff while Cartoon Network, the Action Channel, and G4TechTV run somewhat more mature titles).
- There's even an
Anime Network PPV/On Demand channel.
- My local AMC multiplex runs 2 or 3 anime movies (not Pokemon stuff; more mature titles like Ghost in the Shell 2) a year.
- Manga is available at Suncoast and is the 2nd largest book section at my local WaldenBooks (behind, I think, romance novels).
- American anime distributors are now directly financing some of the new anime being produced in Japan.
- Movies like The Matrix would never have occurred without anime as an influence.
Frankly, as an anime fan for something more than a decade, I'm not entirely comfortable with the shift in popularity either. While I'm happy about the ever-expanding amount of material available, the exclusivity
is gone. But I'm in it for the content and not the badge of honor, so as long as I can get content that better than DragonBall and the kids stuff like Pokemon, Beyblade, etc. I'm pleased.
I actually find myself buying more manga than anime. I used to buy a little bit of untranslated manga at
Mitsuwa (formerly Yaohan Plaza), but now I pick up translated stuff. I order through Previews so my local comic distributor is actually profiting more than before. I still buy anime but I find it's easier to find time to read than watch. I think that's an off-shoot of being married.
Regarding other geeky hobbies, one close friend (best man at my wedding) probably does gaming (mostly d20) more than he reads manga or watches anime. Understand that in the past we had marathon anime weekends that would run from Friday to Sunday with practically no sleep and as many as 14 VCRs duping off fansubs. That same friend GMs the campaign I play in. I still read SF, but I haven't been eager to expand my author list and stay caught up mostly with just those few. Neither of us are much into American comics. I never was; he was but doesn't get many any more. We both see SF films if they sound decent (many don't, unfortunately).
Which sort of brings me back to my opening remark. Perhaps the anime/manga titles being released really are superior to some of the comics & SF novels being released.
Saikano, for instance, is a masterpiece in both art & story. Looking at the pics in Previews alone turns me away from the majority of domestic comics.
Anyway, right now anime is still rising in popularity. I imagine at some point it will peak and then decline some before hitting a relative steady-state like most genres. The ability for SF, comics, and RPG gaming to remain viable will depend on the material they produce. There will need to be mass-market appeal of some titles in order to finance others, much like Marvel has achieved with Spiderman. The artwork needs to appeal or be appropriate to the story, and above all, stories need to told. Things need to happen, characters need to progress. Otherwise any appeal a series might have slips away over time. I think the Japanese generally understand this. They aren't afraid to end a series. While I would have loved for there to be more
Kimagure Orange Road TV episodes as I thoroughly enjoyed the series, adding more would have really only provided filler and would not have enhanced the story. The producers understood that.