I think the biggest problem with the anime industry, is that, like video games, they began really growing in the 70s, flourished in the 80s and 90s, but they haven't really gone anywhere from those roots. Most of what these industries are is steeped in material that's 40 or more years old and hasn't figured out how to get beyond that. Most of what I'm about to discuss is related to Japanese game and anime industries, not necessarily Chinese, Korean, American, or other markets (they've all got their own problems).
Of particular note - there's a new Cutie Honey show this season for anime, 45 years later - and the graphics aren't better - they're different. And the story isn't better, just different (and the music is virtually unchanged). The same thing has been happening lately with games, but it's even worse lately with the explosion of remakes and remasters. And what I imagine is happening in many of those scenarios, due to a much more crowded market, is the same cynical thing Lindsay Ellis recently described in her two-parter on The Hobbit movies:
But it's even worse in the game and anime industry, because of how involved production and costs are now, that you get games that are just filled with crossovers and tie-ins, all to fill a hole that never existed under the assumption that, "these are reliable and will sell well", with even less understanding than the movie industry of what that means. I am fairly certain that if you asked production companies what was important about a game, you'd get both a marketing answer and a "to make money" answer, probably in the same breath, and probably under the assumption that these forms of entertainment will be, and always have been, meaningless. The constant refrain of "it's just a game" and "oh Japan" is a pretense for not discussing bigger, more endemic problems in the game and anime industry (and importantly, that I doubt many of the decisions are regularly influenced by a formal director, and are likely instead the result of marketing research - which doesn't bode well for cultural growth in these industries - meaning that these industries are becoming more like lifestyle products such as Coke or Pepsi). These issues are exacerbated by more competition and a lack of drive to consolidate. If anything, these industries are more fragmented now than they've ever been - and while that leads to more products, the overall quality of those products will take a nosedive and consumers will be far less sure of what to consume. The reason consolidation hasn't happened, is a result of too many cooks (in particular, too many people at senior level positions whose job is essentially directing others, rather than creating content - which is likely what they did before they took up that more managerial role, in spite of unlikely having much of an idea of how to fill that role).
So you've got oversaturation and inability at the top (people becoming managers and producers without formally understanding those roles), too many voices in the middle (marketing making decisions), combined with a lack of broader cultural awareness (sexism and racism still as prevalent and predictable as they were 40 years ago - with new excuses) and an ultra competitive market (60+ anime a season, and tons of games released every month). Under normal circumstances, a market that competitive would normally evoke a need to find new markets, but the anime and game industry have instead, effectively, doubled down on the assumed market they already have - and it has tanked funding as a result. Because investors know those audiences now and know they are severely limited. Seeing that, funding for new ideas has dried up, and instead now focuses on milking the audience they know and presume is the only one they'll ever have (i.e., crowdfunding now becoming necessary rather than an option).
The result is an industry that simply continues to see more extremes (both in terms of money and in terms of design - see XC2 or Uma Musume) and tends to want to be "safe", with the assumption that the product they're selling cannot expand more than a set amount and that there are no other audiences they can bring into the fold (both of which clearly aren't true - but nevertheless remain the standing wisdom).
