I swear this blog is not dead, I've just been strapped for time recently in terms of both blogging and watching anime in general.
However, expect an Akagi post once I'm done with this AWESOME series.
February 4, 2008
January 19, 2008
Shigofumi - Best Show of Winter 2008?
Two weeks into the Winter 2008 season, and I can easily say that Shigofumi is the current "must-watch" show of the season. Two episodes in, and it has already shown itself to be better than any show from the Fall season, including the ones that are still currently airing.
So what makes this show so great? Several things really. First is its concept - letters from beyond the grave. One of the key themes presented early on in Shigofumi is that these are the "purest" of thoughts, the voices left in our hearts when everything else (our life, body, fortune, and existence, according to the anime) has disappeared. Essentially, it speaks of regret, and at the same time, hope, especially with the letter presented in the second episode. It's almost existential in a way - strip away everything, such that only what you really want to say remains. How these letters differ in subject and tone, from person to person, speaks about those individuals' life experiences, and the circumstances leading up to their deaths. In short, it's a very unique way of looking at human interaction, from the cold and plain statement of Asuna's father, to a letter of love and confession from Shouta, to a letter of hope and the future from Asuna, they all speak matter-of-factly about the way those individuals viewed the world.
The potential for tragedy in this anime is very high, and it's not looking like the bland, cliche'd tragic elements so many anime are relying on in this day and age. In Shigofumi, it's very easy to see where things could have gone differently, to where an unspoken word or undone action could have made all the difference in the world. Hopefully the later episodes continue in the trend of the first two, and the writers don't run out of steam, since so far, we have a helluva show on our hands.So yes, definitely pick this up - a few minor annoyances aside, this can easily be the best show from the season and one of the better shows we'll see in 2008.
January 14, 2008
You Mean It's not an Anime Track?
So I've recently begun listening to L'Arc~en~Ciel's non-anime tracks, and I have to say, I'm fairly impressed. They do a good job of mimicking the sound of Western alternative rock (my "preferred" genre of music), and, especially on KISS, are able to provide a good mix of fast and slow-tempo songs, each with varying degrees of intensity.
I think overall, this venture into Japanese music has worked out a lot better than my former one, when I started listening to Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru during the summer, even though the genres of music that they perform (namely, pop and R&B) are not they type that I usually listen to. However, I do enjoy listening to YUI, since I view her music as a bit less pop-y (although, strictly speaking, it is still very pop rock).
So I'm thinking about branching out in my Japanese music tastes, preferably with a few groups that are alternative-sounding in nature. I'm thinking about listening to some more FLOW, but they also (from what I've heard) are more R&B/dance heavy, rather than alternative. Maybe UVERworld? Nightmare? Last Alliance (I really enjoyed their ending to Ouran High School Host Club). Anyone out here with some suggestions for this, they'd be greatly appreciated.
In the meantime, I'm going to listen to some more "MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM".
I think overall, this venture into Japanese music has worked out a lot better than my former one, when I started listening to Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru during the summer, even though the genres of music that they perform (namely, pop and R&B) are not they type that I usually listen to. However, I do enjoy listening to YUI, since I view her music as a bit less pop-y (although, strictly speaking, it is still very pop rock).
So I'm thinking about branching out in my Japanese music tastes, preferably with a few groups that are alternative-sounding in nature. I'm thinking about listening to some more FLOW, but they also (from what I've heard) are more R&B/dance heavy, rather than alternative. Maybe UVERworld? Nightmare? Last Alliance (I really enjoyed their ending to Ouran High School Host Club). Anyone out here with some suggestions for this, they'd be greatly appreciated.
In the meantime, I'm going to listen to some more "MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM".
January 9, 2008
The Death of Newtype
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-09/newtype-usa-to-cease-publication
Yet another setback to the anime industry in North America, first with the stoppage of distribution for Geneon's anime in North America, and now with the death of Newtype USA. Does this really mean that anime is stagnating in the States? or is it something else? How much of an effect do fansubs and fanscan translations really have on the sales of North American anime and manga? Seeing as how this is the second move by ADV in the last six months to cut down on their investment into the North American market for anime and manga, could it be indicative that free, illegal translations are having an adverse effect on the anime market?
Let's take a quick look at the numbers. A quick search in Google provided the following results:
First, anime DVD sales revenue declined from USD $500 million to USD $400 million between 2003 and 2006, with new releases also declining from 600 titles in 2006 to 500 in 2007 (source: New Report Finds Manga Sales Up; Anime DVDs Down in '07 - 12/7/2007). For the same period of time, U.S. domestic DVD sales dropped by 3.6% (source: U.S. DVD Sales Slip 3.6% in 2007). Given these figures, its fairly obvious that the slowdown in anime DVD sales is faster than the corresponding industry-wide slowdown in DVD sales, although the root cause of this disparity between the anime market and the general market as a whole remains unclear.
The numbers may in fact be more ominous than those presented above. In his letter to the North American anime fan base, Arthur Smith stated that anime sales were off by more than 50% in 2007 from their peak sales year in 2005 (Source: An Open Letter to the American Anime Community). In the same letter, Smith suggested that the corresponding slowdown in movie industry and music industry sales exceeded no more than 15-20%, a stark contrast to the sharp decline seen in the anime industry.
Even more paradoxically, interest in anime is suggested to have increased, rather than decreased, in those years in North America. So people must be getting their anime from somewhere. More ominous is that given an increase in interest, and a decrease in sales, it can be concluded (rather simply, but concluded nonetheless) that not only are the new viewers utilizing alternative (legal and illegal) means of obtaining their anime other than DVDs, but old viewers, who previously were a member of the DVD purchasing audience, have also switched to alternate means. Couple this with the suggested figure of six million anime downloads per week from BitTorrent alone (Source: Six Million Anime Downloads Per Week), and you can get a fair idea of where a lot of the lost potential sales are going.
So while the blossoming fansub market may be good for viewers such as myself and other readers of this blog, is it healthy for the anime industry as a whole, both in North America, as well as its creative and distributive home, Japan? The loss of Geneon, and now of Newtype USA, are both unlikely to really alter the amount of anime or manga available to North American anime fans, especially if the piracy numbers quoted above are truly indicative of the state of the anime fan base here. But what are its ultimate effects? Will anime studios begin to crack down more on fansub groups in an attempt to shut them down at the source? Will distribution be more closely monitored, perhaps resulting in the debacle seen with Comcast sending DMCA notices to American users of its internet service who were noticed downloading fansubbed anime? Overall, will it contribute to declining anime interest in North America if fansub groups do become the target of further attention and scrutiny by Japanese anime studios? As such, will it actually come around full circle and have a tangible effect on the availability, both legal and illegal, of anime in North America and Europe?
As for my opinion, consider myself cautiously pessimistic. I do think that the death of Newtype is indicative of a dying legal industry in North America, and that the slow death it is facing may effect more stringent regulations put out by the anime studios themselves onto fansub groups, and perhaps a decline in fansubbing in the near future. I suppose only time can tell.
Yet another setback to the anime industry in North America, first with the stoppage of distribution for Geneon's anime in North America, and now with the death of Newtype USA. Does this really mean that anime is stagnating in the States? or is it something else? How much of an effect do fansubs and fanscan translations really have on the sales of North American anime and manga? Seeing as how this is the second move by ADV in the last six months to cut down on their investment into the North American market for anime and manga, could it be indicative that free, illegal translations are having an adverse effect on the anime market?
Let's take a quick look at the numbers. A quick search in Google provided the following results:
First, anime DVD sales revenue declined from USD $500 million to USD $400 million between 2003 and 2006, with new releases also declining from 600 titles in 2006 to 500 in 2007 (source: New Report Finds Manga Sales Up; Anime DVDs Down in '07 - 12/7/2007). For the same period of time, U.S. domestic DVD sales dropped by 3.6% (source: U.S. DVD Sales Slip 3.6% in 2007). Given these figures, its fairly obvious that the slowdown in anime DVD sales is faster than the corresponding industry-wide slowdown in DVD sales, although the root cause of this disparity between the anime market and the general market as a whole remains unclear.
The numbers may in fact be more ominous than those presented above. In his letter to the North American anime fan base, Arthur Smith stated that anime sales were off by more than 50% in 2007 from their peak sales year in 2005 (Source: An Open Letter to the American Anime Community). In the same letter, Smith suggested that the corresponding slowdown in movie industry and music industry sales exceeded no more than 15-20%, a stark contrast to the sharp decline seen in the anime industry.
Even more paradoxically, interest in anime is suggested to have increased, rather than decreased, in those years in North America. So people must be getting their anime from somewhere. More ominous is that given an increase in interest, and a decrease in sales, it can be concluded (rather simply, but concluded nonetheless) that not only are the new viewers utilizing alternative (legal and illegal) means of obtaining their anime other than DVDs, but old viewers, who previously were a member of the DVD purchasing audience, have also switched to alternate means. Couple this with the suggested figure of six million anime downloads per week from BitTorrent alone (Source: Six Million Anime Downloads Per Week), and you can get a fair idea of where a lot of the lost potential sales are going.
So while the blossoming fansub market may be good for viewers such as myself and other readers of this blog, is it healthy for the anime industry as a whole, both in North America, as well as its creative and distributive home, Japan? The loss of Geneon, and now of Newtype USA, are both unlikely to really alter the amount of anime or manga available to North American anime fans, especially if the piracy numbers quoted above are truly indicative of the state of the anime fan base here. But what are its ultimate effects? Will anime studios begin to crack down more on fansub groups in an attempt to shut them down at the source? Will distribution be more closely monitored, perhaps resulting in the debacle seen with Comcast sending DMCA notices to American users of its internet service who were noticed downloading fansubbed anime? Overall, will it contribute to declining anime interest in North America if fansub groups do become the target of further attention and scrutiny by Japanese anime studios? As such, will it actually come around full circle and have a tangible effect on the availability, both legal and illegal, of anime in North America and Europe?
As for my opinion, consider myself cautiously pessimistic. I do think that the death of Newtype is indicative of a dying legal industry in North America, and that the slow death it is facing may effect more stringent regulations put out by the anime studios themselves onto fansub groups, and perhaps a decline in fansubbing in the near future. I suppose only time can tell.
December 18, 2007
This is the New Year
The Holidays are upon us, and with that, I must bid adieu. I will be on vacation until after the New Year, so this will most likely be my last post until then, but with it, I wanted to reflect on some of the great things from the past year, as well as look forward to the next one:
So what did 2007 do right?
Epic Pen Battles:
I have to say, I honestly enjoyed the original concept behind Death Note. Take the essential skeleton of a shounen adventure, and adapt it to be an intellectual battle of wits, rather than a physical battle of brawn. I think a lot of other people feel the same way, which is why Death Note continues to garner praise and more and more viewers with each passing day. While its ending did sort of fall flat compared to the brilliance that the series began with, it still transformed our expectations of what a simple good vs. evil duel could become.
Epic Cliffhangers:
2007 also brought along the conclusion of Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch, and with it, one helluva cliffhanger that just leaves us waiting for Season 2 (damn you, Sunrise!) Code Geass manages to succeed marvelously at being a mecha, without trudging along the same roads that previous series (most notably the Gundam franchise) have already explored. It also executes well, and is a fun, if a tad bit shallow, watch all around.
Epic, in general:
And of course, the most epic thing of all from 2007 had to have been Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It's a bit hard to top the extremes of this show, just because it was designed to appeal to the little kid within all of us, while still managing to be a running commentary on the state of the anime industry, the state of society, and the development of human individuals. As with most Gainax anime out there, there is more than meets the eye in TTGL, and the brilliance of it is that a viewer watching it for pure enjoyment can appreciate the bright lights and simple hero's journey presented throughout the series, while someone with a Ph.D in philosophy or literature can still explore the various allusions and symbolisms, not to mention the metaelements of the anime itself and their meaning as applied to a variety of different topics. A lot of people consider this to be overrated, but honestly, I don't think I've ever had more fun from watching an anime, and still be able to discuss it endlessly afterwards.
But what did 2007 do wrong?
Nice Boat!:
Censorship, the bane of artistic creativity since the dawn of, well, artistic creativity. Censorship does have its place, but the overreaction of many Japanese networks in the wake of the murders committed by young individuals with regards to censoring anime that they air may have gone a bit too far. It's one thing to appeal to the sensibilities of those affected, but its another all together to backlash against an entire industry. Hopefully this is just some momentary overreaction without much lingering long-term effects.
Geneon goes bust:
This was really a blow to North American anime fans, when it was heard that one of the larger overseas distributors of anime has decided to close its doors and not sell anymore in the NA market. While this may not affect those of us who only watch fansubs, it does not bode well for the profitability of anime distribution in North America in the future, which could just lead to poorer and poorer quality of imports, and eventually, might lead some other distributors to abandon the market all together.
Still no Juuni Kokuki:
I am seriously going to continue bugging people until they properly conclude this series (both anime and light novels). Come on, you were on a good roll there!
As for the holidays....
I'm finally getting around to finishing off Fullmetal Alchemist, and am watching another classic, Cowboy Bebop, as well. I'll also be watching some shows I missed the first time around, such as Shakugan no Shana and Seirei no Moribito. Hopefully, these holidays will present me with some holiday cheer!
See you next year!~
So what did 2007 do right?
Epic Pen Battles:
I have to say, I honestly enjoyed the original concept behind Death Note. Take the essential skeleton of a shounen adventure, and adapt it to be an intellectual battle of wits, rather than a physical battle of brawn. I think a lot of other people feel the same way, which is why Death Note continues to garner praise and more and more viewers with each passing day. While its ending did sort of fall flat compared to the brilliance that the series began with, it still transformed our expectations of what a simple good vs. evil duel could become.
Epic Cliffhangers:
2007 also brought along the conclusion of Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch, and with it, one helluva cliffhanger that just leaves us waiting for Season 2 (damn you, Sunrise!) Code Geass manages to succeed marvelously at being a mecha, without trudging along the same roads that previous series (most notably the Gundam franchise) have already explored. It also executes well, and is a fun, if a tad bit shallow, watch all around.
Epic, in general:
And of course, the most epic thing of all from 2007 had to have been Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It's a bit hard to top the extremes of this show, just because it was designed to appeal to the little kid within all of us, while still managing to be a running commentary on the state of the anime industry, the state of society, and the development of human individuals. As with most Gainax anime out there, there is more than meets the eye in TTGL, and the brilliance of it is that a viewer watching it for pure enjoyment can appreciate the bright lights and simple hero's journey presented throughout the series, while someone with a Ph.D in philosophy or literature can still explore the various allusions and symbolisms, not to mention the metaelements of the anime itself and their meaning as applied to a variety of different topics. A lot of people consider this to be overrated, but honestly, I don't think I've ever had more fun from watching an anime, and still be able to discuss it endlessly afterwards.
But what did 2007 do wrong?
Nice Boat!:
Censorship, the bane of artistic creativity since the dawn of, well, artistic creativity. Censorship does have its place, but the overreaction of many Japanese networks in the wake of the murders committed by young individuals with regards to censoring anime that they air may have gone a bit too far. It's one thing to appeal to the sensibilities of those affected, but its another all together to backlash against an entire industry. Hopefully this is just some momentary overreaction without much lingering long-term effects.
Geneon goes bust:
This was really a blow to North American anime fans, when it was heard that one of the larger overseas distributors of anime has decided to close its doors and not sell anymore in the NA market. While this may not affect those of us who only watch fansubs, it does not bode well for the profitability of anime distribution in North America in the future, which could just lead to poorer and poorer quality of imports, and eventually, might lead some other distributors to abandon the market all together.
Still no Juuni Kokuki:
I am seriously going to continue bugging people until they properly conclude this series (both anime and light novels). Come on, you were on a good roll there!
As for the holidays....
I'm finally getting around to finishing off Fullmetal Alchemist, and am watching another classic, Cowboy Bebop, as well. I'll also be watching some shows I missed the first time around, such as Shakugan no Shana and Seirei no Moribito. Hopefully, these holidays will present me with some holiday cheer!
See you next year!~
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