>>9444
>Hate to say it, but I definitely think it has to do with anime going global and thus getting chopped down for "global standards"
It was this and has been this for years now, but the problem is worse and more multi-faceted than just this. This is going to be long so bear with me.
First, almost all anime is now made available on various streaming platforms, as you pointed out. If any of these services are on the production committee for that anime or the committee wants the anime on that platform, they can directly interfere with it. For example, if producers want bilibili to pay for streaming rights for a series, they may demand the show is made with China's draconian censorship standards in mind so the bilibili broadcast version doesn't have to be further censored.
Second, self-censorship by staff themselves is also rampant. Many nowadays don't see any harm or even active good in censoring without being asked, simply to shield themselves from potential issues. Or worse because they have an agenda. I just recently saw an interview with the anime scriptwriter for the Bocchi the Rock adaptation here:
https://kai-you.net/article/93374/page/2 Highlights of what she says include how "sexualization of minors in official work is a problem" and "we decided to eliminate 'noise' such as unnecessary fanservice in order to ensure the anime would be more popular" "whether or not I could show it to my own child is an important standard for me", etc. She bases all these arguments on the idea that because anime is now easily available on streams, it's accessibility demands 'zoning' for audiences as anyone could see it.
Third, there's simply less money entering the industry from enthusiasts. Many otaku have stopped buying anime goods in favor of spending more money on gacha/soshage properties, vtubers, etc. The 'carry an anime on disc sales' model popular in the 2000s is essentially dead. Mostly because of streaming but it's also because the potential consumer base has changed. At the same time, there's far more money entering from both overseas and casual domestic viewers because of widespread availability. I don't need to say any more about the sensibilities of Western audiences, everyone here knows how much of a cancer such people are already.
What all this together means is an "ecchi ghetto" where a small minority of works are allowed to be more extreme while everything else is heavily sanitized. Gone are the days where restrictions were lax just because of shows airing on a night-time slot. This line drawn between works for a wide audience and niche will inevitably given all internal+external factors pressing the industry result in more and more shows trying to stay 'widely appealing' and drain more money and talent from niche projects until eventually there's nothing left. I find it unlikely the anime industry will maintain any idiosyncracies that made it deeply appealing for much longer.