The first-ever annual international competition to identify the best in Manga and Anime talent in the world has been launched, with $75,000 (£40,912) worth of prizes to be won.
http://www.skwigly.co.uk/magazine/news/ ... a=353&z=12
Manga & Anime THREAD
Miyazaki Nausicaa, Totoro, & Rosso DVDs delayed again...
ToonZone.net and a couple of other sites report that Buena Vista Home Video has delayed the next wave of Miyazaki animated features yet again.
Originally scheduled for release this fall, the DVDs of Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, and Porco Rosso got pushed back to February 2005.
Supposedly delayed to coincide with the release of Howling's Moving Castle (Miyazaki's latest movie) next year in the US, the DVDs are no longer on the release schedule.
Wire-Fu/Hong Kong action film fans familiar with Miramax home video release tactics can appreciate the situation.
Who knows when Uncle Mikey will let Nausicaa, Totoro, and Porco Rosso be released from the DVD vault to spin their discs in your home theater?
Originally scheduled for release this fall, the DVDs of Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, and Porco Rosso got pushed back to February 2005.
Supposedly delayed to coincide with the release of Howling's Moving Castle (Miyazaki's latest movie) next year in the US, the DVDs are no longer on the release schedule.
Wire-Fu/Hong Kong action film fans familiar with Miramax home video release tactics can appreciate the situation.
Who knows when Uncle Mikey will let Nausicaa, Totoro, and Porco Rosso be released from the DVD vault to spin their discs in your home theater?
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- Contact:
Howl's Moving Castle
Lawrence Lin of Ghiblink dished up a nice trailer.
WARNING: Men, if you have girlfriends/wives/superior others that fall easily for bishonin/bishi(men drawn 'pritty'), DON'T LET THEM SEE IT. Exspecially with one sean...
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.mpg
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.wmv
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.avi
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.mp3
My thoughts? The waltz(I think it is) is, I find, fun and appropriate for the setting. The charactor desighns are pleasing to my eye(though the which will get a while to get used to
). We're getting voices now, and they sound great(is that Moro's voice coming for the which there?).
Overall, I think we'll see another good Ghibli
Please put all Howl news here(I know you were going to say it Beny, so I save you effort).
WARNING: Men, if you have girlfriends/wives/superior others that fall easily for bishonin/bishi(men drawn 'pritty'), DON'T LET THEM SEE IT. Exspecially with one sean...
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.mpg
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.wmv
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.avi
http://www.tzone.org/~llin/clips/Howl_NTV_clip2.mp3
My thoughts? The waltz(I think it is) is, I find, fun and appropriate for the setting. The charactor desighns are pleasing to my eye(though the which will get a while to get used to
). We're getting voices now, and they sound great(is that Moro's voice coming for the which there?). Overall, I think we'll see another good Ghibli
Please put all Howl news here(I know you were going to say it Beny, so I save you effort).
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Anime Network news -- take your pick.
News released 1hr ago...
Anime Network clicks in Seattle-Tacoma
http://www.biganimation.com/magazine/ne ... ?a=393&z=5
Anime network expands into Austin via Time Warner cable’s on demand service
http://www.biganimation.com/magazine/ne ... ?a=394&z=5
Anime Network clicks in Seattle-Tacoma
http://www.biganimation.com/magazine/ne ... ?a=393&z=5
Anime network expands into Austin via Time Warner cable’s on demand service
http://www.biganimation.com/magazine/ne ... ?a=394&z=5
GiTS 2 DVD -- Save your money for the Miyazaki DVDs!
Once in a while,
For some unfathomable reason, every friggin' critic out there praises the heck out of a movie that a bunch of us trusting, naive souls eventually pay to see... and HATE.
This phenomenon happened with Lost in Translation. Great film, well-reviewed by the critics, right? A bunch of people that saw the film after hearing about the critical praise HATED it.
Let me give you the latest exhibit of this trend: Ghost in the Shell 2, Innocence.
It's supposed to be the latest, greatest thing out of Japan, right? WRONG!
Yet trying to find any critical review that says anything about the ACTUAL film beyond the visuals and backstory of the manga, TV series, and previous GiTS feature is like finding a living dodo. You basically won't find an actual review that discusses the movie.
GiTS 2 is a slow-moving, soulless movie that is a triumph of a lackluster director's (Mamuro Oshii) ability to get films made even after boring the heck out of people with previous movies. Seriously, this film is one big talkfest from beginning to end. Oh, there ARE action sequences, but in between them moments are filled with soliloquies and philosophical musings designed to impress the audience with the fact that the director has read a lot of philosophy books and thought REAL hard about philosophy!
Seriously, save your money for the Miyazaki films. At least he knows how to make entertaining films that won't put you to sleep... and may actually make you think without you really noticing.
Oshii and GiTS 2 will either put you to sleep or give you a big headache. Seriously, GiTS 2 is either an exercise in patience (that doesn't pay off) or the surest cure for insomnia that I've seen in the past few months.
I wonder if the people who supposedly reviewed Ghost in the Shell 2 actually saw the same movie that I did. It sure didn't seem like the best anime feature ever made to me.
For some unfathomable reason, every friggin' critic out there praises the heck out of a movie that a bunch of us trusting, naive souls eventually pay to see... and HATE.
This phenomenon happened with Lost in Translation. Great film, well-reviewed by the critics, right? A bunch of people that saw the film after hearing about the critical praise HATED it.
Let me give you the latest exhibit of this trend: Ghost in the Shell 2, Innocence.
It's supposed to be the latest, greatest thing out of Japan, right? WRONG!
Yet trying to find any critical review that says anything about the ACTUAL film beyond the visuals and backstory of the manga, TV series, and previous GiTS feature is like finding a living dodo. You basically won't find an actual review that discusses the movie.
GiTS 2 is a slow-moving, soulless movie that is a triumph of a lackluster director's (Mamuro Oshii) ability to get films made even after boring the heck out of people with previous movies. Seriously, this film is one big talkfest from beginning to end. Oh, there ARE action sequences, but in between them moments are filled with soliloquies and philosophical musings designed to impress the audience with the fact that the director has read a lot of philosophy books and thought REAL hard about philosophy!
Seriously, save your money for the Miyazaki films. At least he knows how to make entertaining films that won't put you to sleep... and may actually make you think without you really noticing.
Oshii and GiTS 2 will either put you to sleep or give you a big headache. Seriously, GiTS 2 is either an exercise in patience (that doesn't pay off) or the surest cure for insomnia that I've seen in the past few months.
I wonder if the people who supposedly reviewed Ghost in the Shell 2 actually saw the same movie that I did. It sure didn't seem like the best anime feature ever made to me.
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- Contact:
Howl/Miyazaki/Ghibli artical
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20041118woa1.htm
It takes a village to make world-class anime
Shogo Hagiwara / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
Animation house Studio Ghibli's fame spans the globe. But its president and producer, Toshio Suzuki--right-hand man of animation titan Hayao Miyazaki--says Ghibli has never made a movie intended for foreign audiences. It's the people living in the studio's neighborhood who they make their movies for, he says.
On the way to our interview with animation producer Toshio Suzuki, we get off at a JR train station in the far western part of Tokyo and walk past farmland. With only a handful of shops to be seen, it seems a relatively tranquil town compared to the bustling metropolis looming on the horizon. As if on cue, a thick darkness falls over the town at the moment of sunset.
Welcome to city of Koganei. This is where Studio Ghibli operates. While the studio has an Oscar and numerous other film awards to its credit, Ghibli's hometown looks anything but glamorous. Approaching the studio's buildings, in a quiet corner of the residential area, one would find it hard to believe they are home to the nation's leading animators.
Suzuki likens his job at the studio to running a small business where Miyazaki is a father figure.
"And I'm an assistant to him," Suzuki says with a laugh in his office. He then recounts an anecdote that he says best describes Miyazaki's personality.
"We have about 180 people working here, with their average age being relatively young. In circumstances like this, you're bound to see some guy falling for some female colleague," Suzuki says with a grin on his face.
"One time, Miya-san summoned a couple who he'd heard were living together. He told them that they should get married, and do so at the studio. But the woman said: 'I respect you, Mr. Miyazaki, and I know you're in charge here. But please don't interfere with our private lives.' Upon hearing that, Miya-san looked down, totally crestfallen!" says Suzuki, who can't keep from laughing as he relates the tale that sheds light on his impression of his staff as an extended family.
But of course, that's not the only side to Miyazaki, with whom Suzuki has been working for more than 25 years.
Another Miyazaki is, of course, Miyazaki the animator. Suzuki says Miyazaki discourages his staff from filing away research materials or making copies of their work. That way, he believes, one can improve one's memory and thus one's imagination.
"If it's a text that you find interesting, Miya-san will say: 'Don't copy it. Memorize it. If you forget it later, that means the text wasn't important in the first place.' The same principle is applied to the images. You have to memorize them, down to the smallest detail," Suzuki says.
"In contrast, Miya-san has little recollection of the past. He doesn't remember things that happen in his daily life. What he remembers is always related to his imagery and creations. It's just amazing."
Before his Ghibli days, Suzuki was the chief editor of the animation magazine Animage. During his tenure there, he got involved in the production of Miyazaki's 1984 movie Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (Japan title: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa), the story of a princess named Nausicaa who sets out to stop warring nations from destroying themselves and also to save their dying planet.
In 1989, he moved to Studio Ghibli, a division of the Tokuma Shoten publishing company, and has produced every Ghibli movie since. Along the way, Miyazaki withdrew from the spotlight to concentrate on his work, and Suzuki became something of a press officer for the studio. When Spirited Away (Japan title: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) won an Oscar for best animated feature in 2003, Suzuki flew to Los Angeles to receive the statuette in Miyazaki's stead.
Now with Ghibli's latest offering, Howl's Moving Castle (Japan title: Howl no Ugoku Shiro), set to open across the nation this weekend, Suzuki's busy dealing with the press--or is he?
"Usually it's super-busy in the days leading up to the release date, because a movie gets finished just a few weeks before that," Suzuki explains. "The moment the movie is done, we need to get it shown to the press and all the parties concerned.
"But we completed Howl's Moving Castle in August, which means we've had more than three months between the completion of the film and its (Japan) release. So I've actually found myself with a lot of time on my hands and with no idea what to do with it."
Howl's Moving Castle premiered in September at the Venice Film Festival, where it failed to win the Golden Bear prize (though many predicted it would) but walked away with the Golden Osella award for animation technology.
Despite missing out on the highest honor, the movie was well received by the audience. One entry posted on the Internet by a woman who saw the movie at the festival reads that she would give the movie six stars on a five-star scale.
"The day after the screening in Venice, I went for a walk in the town. Many locals came up to me and spoke highly of the movie," Suzuki says.
"One night we were having dinner, and a woman came up to our table with a baby in her arms, and said: 'I saw the movie yesterday. It was great!'
"She spoke at length about the movie while we were eating. We felt quite relieved when she left, but then she reappeared with her husband, who was also full of praise for the movie! I told Miya-san this story, and he was so delighted."
Howl's Moving Castle, the first movie Miyazaki has directed in three years, tells the story of an 18-year-old girl named Sophie who is given the outward form of a 90-year-old woman by the evil Witch of the Waste. Despite her terrifying transformation, Sophie falls in love with Howl, a handsome wizard who travels about in a moving castle.
The movie is adapted from British author Diana Wynne Jones' book of the same title. In making it into a movie, Miyazaki took charge of designing the characters--including the castle itself, which he completely transformed from the original in the book version.
But when it comes to how the story should be presented in the movie, everybody at the studio had a say in each decision made in the process.
"Miya-san would table his ideas at an in-house meeting and open the floor to suggestions from young employees," Suzuki says. "He is good at designing characters, so he could do it on his own. But he wasn't sure, for instance, whether it was okay for a popular entertainment movie to have a 90-year-old woman at its center from beginning to end.
"So he would bring it up at a meeting and a female staff member would respond by saying: 'What's wrong with having a grandma as the heroine? I think it's a great idea.' And then another female staffer would say: 'It might be nice to see her back in a girl's body every now and then.' Those exchanges really inspired Miya-san's imagination."
When the topic moved on to Howl's character at one of the meetings, one male staff member said he didn't like the character because he's good-looking, but a bit flirty and too prone to roaming outside the castle at night.
"Then Miya-san said, 'You only think so because you yourself aren't popular with women,'" Suzuki says with a laugh.
Given the buzz surrounding the movie, Howl's Moving Castle will likely be the latest addition to Ghibli's ever increasing list of masterpieces. Suzuki says that the studio is delighted to see its work reach a wider audience, transcending the barriers of language and culture. But gaining recognition overseas or winning awards is a by-product of the process, not Ghibli's true aim.
"We never made and will never make a movie catering to foreign audiences. We operate here in Japan--or in Koganei, to be perfectly precise. It's nice to see our work recognized outside Japan. But we must not forget that we make movies here in Koganei--a town we know as well as the back of our hand--and for the people living in this area," he adds.
--------------------------------
Thx to Lawrence Lin [/url]
It takes a village to make world-class anime
Shogo Hagiwara / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
Animation house Studio Ghibli's fame spans the globe. But its president and producer, Toshio Suzuki--right-hand man of animation titan Hayao Miyazaki--says Ghibli has never made a movie intended for foreign audiences. It's the people living in the studio's neighborhood who they make their movies for, he says.
On the way to our interview with animation producer Toshio Suzuki, we get off at a JR train station in the far western part of Tokyo and walk past farmland. With only a handful of shops to be seen, it seems a relatively tranquil town compared to the bustling metropolis looming on the horizon. As if on cue, a thick darkness falls over the town at the moment of sunset.
Welcome to city of Koganei. This is where Studio Ghibli operates. While the studio has an Oscar and numerous other film awards to its credit, Ghibli's hometown looks anything but glamorous. Approaching the studio's buildings, in a quiet corner of the residential area, one would find it hard to believe they are home to the nation's leading animators.
Suzuki likens his job at the studio to running a small business where Miyazaki is a father figure.
"And I'm an assistant to him," Suzuki says with a laugh in his office. He then recounts an anecdote that he says best describes Miyazaki's personality.
"We have about 180 people working here, with their average age being relatively young. In circumstances like this, you're bound to see some guy falling for some female colleague," Suzuki says with a grin on his face.
"One time, Miya-san summoned a couple who he'd heard were living together. He told them that they should get married, and do so at the studio. But the woman said: 'I respect you, Mr. Miyazaki, and I know you're in charge here. But please don't interfere with our private lives.' Upon hearing that, Miya-san looked down, totally crestfallen!" says Suzuki, who can't keep from laughing as he relates the tale that sheds light on his impression of his staff as an extended family.
But of course, that's not the only side to Miyazaki, with whom Suzuki has been working for more than 25 years.
Another Miyazaki is, of course, Miyazaki the animator. Suzuki says Miyazaki discourages his staff from filing away research materials or making copies of their work. That way, he believes, one can improve one's memory and thus one's imagination.
"If it's a text that you find interesting, Miya-san will say: 'Don't copy it. Memorize it. If you forget it later, that means the text wasn't important in the first place.' The same principle is applied to the images. You have to memorize them, down to the smallest detail," Suzuki says.
"In contrast, Miya-san has little recollection of the past. He doesn't remember things that happen in his daily life. What he remembers is always related to his imagery and creations. It's just amazing."
Before his Ghibli days, Suzuki was the chief editor of the animation magazine Animage. During his tenure there, he got involved in the production of Miyazaki's 1984 movie Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (Japan title: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa), the story of a princess named Nausicaa who sets out to stop warring nations from destroying themselves and also to save their dying planet.
In 1989, he moved to Studio Ghibli, a division of the Tokuma Shoten publishing company, and has produced every Ghibli movie since. Along the way, Miyazaki withdrew from the spotlight to concentrate on his work, and Suzuki became something of a press officer for the studio. When Spirited Away (Japan title: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) won an Oscar for best animated feature in 2003, Suzuki flew to Los Angeles to receive the statuette in Miyazaki's stead.
Now with Ghibli's latest offering, Howl's Moving Castle (Japan title: Howl no Ugoku Shiro), set to open across the nation this weekend, Suzuki's busy dealing with the press--or is he?
"Usually it's super-busy in the days leading up to the release date, because a movie gets finished just a few weeks before that," Suzuki explains. "The moment the movie is done, we need to get it shown to the press and all the parties concerned.
"But we completed Howl's Moving Castle in August, which means we've had more than three months between the completion of the film and its (Japan) release. So I've actually found myself with a lot of time on my hands and with no idea what to do with it."
Howl's Moving Castle premiered in September at the Venice Film Festival, where it failed to win the Golden Bear prize (though many predicted it would) but walked away with the Golden Osella award for animation technology.
Despite missing out on the highest honor, the movie was well received by the audience. One entry posted on the Internet by a woman who saw the movie at the festival reads that she would give the movie six stars on a five-star scale.
"The day after the screening in Venice, I went for a walk in the town. Many locals came up to me and spoke highly of the movie," Suzuki says.
"One night we were having dinner, and a woman came up to our table with a baby in her arms, and said: 'I saw the movie yesterday. It was great!'
"She spoke at length about the movie while we were eating. We felt quite relieved when she left, but then she reappeared with her husband, who was also full of praise for the movie! I told Miya-san this story, and he was so delighted."
Howl's Moving Castle, the first movie Miyazaki has directed in three years, tells the story of an 18-year-old girl named Sophie who is given the outward form of a 90-year-old woman by the evil Witch of the Waste. Despite her terrifying transformation, Sophie falls in love with Howl, a handsome wizard who travels about in a moving castle.
The movie is adapted from British author Diana Wynne Jones' book of the same title. In making it into a movie, Miyazaki took charge of designing the characters--including the castle itself, which he completely transformed from the original in the book version.
But when it comes to how the story should be presented in the movie, everybody at the studio had a say in each decision made in the process.
"Miya-san would table his ideas at an in-house meeting and open the floor to suggestions from young employees," Suzuki says. "He is good at designing characters, so he could do it on his own. But he wasn't sure, for instance, whether it was okay for a popular entertainment movie to have a 90-year-old woman at its center from beginning to end.
"So he would bring it up at a meeting and a female staff member would respond by saying: 'What's wrong with having a grandma as the heroine? I think it's a great idea.' And then another female staffer would say: 'It might be nice to see her back in a girl's body every now and then.' Those exchanges really inspired Miya-san's imagination."
When the topic moved on to Howl's character at one of the meetings, one male staff member said he didn't like the character because he's good-looking, but a bit flirty and too prone to roaming outside the castle at night.
"Then Miya-san said, 'You only think so because you yourself aren't popular with women,'" Suzuki says with a laugh.
Given the buzz surrounding the movie, Howl's Moving Castle will likely be the latest addition to Ghibli's ever increasing list of masterpieces. Suzuki says that the studio is delighted to see its work reach a wider audience, transcending the barriers of language and culture. But gaining recognition overseas or winning awards is a by-product of the process, not Ghibli's true aim.
"We never made and will never make a movie catering to foreign audiences. We operate here in Japan--or in Koganei, to be perfectly precise. It's nice to see our work recognized outside Japan. But we must not forget that we make movies here in Koganei--a town we know as well as the back of our hand--and for the people living in this area," he adds.
--------------------------------
Thx to Lawrence Lin [/url]
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while japan's savoring on a steak, we'll enjoy the McNuggets
Dosen't Lin ever take a break? Our ever active Ghiblink staff member has us another traler.
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/newspr ... ulkhTDGmcs
Translations-
Sophie: Do you need to use the bathroom?
Old lady: I'm fine, thanks.
Sophie: Goodnight.
Old lady: You're in love, aren't you?
Sophie: Hmm?
Old lady: Lately (?) you've been doing nothing but sigh.
Sophie: (sighs)
(print) A film by Miyazaki Hayao
Old lady: Someone you're pining for?
(print) Howl's Moving Castle
(Theme song starts in the background)
(print) The heroine is a 90-year-old girl
(print) Her sweetheart is a cowardly magician
(print) The two of them lived in Howl's Moving Castle
(print) This old lady is pretty energetic!
(print) Miyazaki Hayao has drawn the joy of being alive and the delights of love
(print) Music: Hisaishi Joe (plus the credit for the theme song in tiny print)
(print) Sophie: Baisho Chieko
Sophie: You're saying that Howl doesn't have a heart?!
(print) Howl: Kimura Takuya
(print) Witch of the waste: Miwa Akihiro
Sophie: To be sure, he's selfish, a coward, and I don't understand how he thinks.
(print) Michael: Kamiki Ryuunosuke
Sophie: But he's direct.
Sophie: He just wants to live as he pleases.
(print) Hin: Harada Daijirou
(print) Calcifer: Gashuuin Tatsuya
(print) Sulliman: Kato Haruko
Sulliman: Howl's weakness has been found.
(print) The incredible classic that's drawn the attention of all the world
Howl: Finally, I've found something I must protect.
Howl: It's you.
(FanGirls: AWWWW, you can babysit us to Howlly... WT:OKey, that dosen't happen in the movie, but I could just see one doing this.)
(print) The two of them lived in...
(print) Howl's Moving Castle
(print) Showing nationwide November 20
Few thangs that I just had to say-
My money's on that the woman at the begining of the traler is Mrs. Pentsemmon.
It sounds like Haoyo is making the movie more romanical than the book.
Which Sulliman was a man.
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/newspr ... ulkhTDGmcs
Translations-
Sophie: Do you need to use the bathroom?
Old lady: I'm fine, thanks.
Sophie: Goodnight.
Old lady: You're in love, aren't you?
Sophie: Hmm?
Old lady: Lately (?) you've been doing nothing but sigh.
Sophie: (sighs)
(print) A film by Miyazaki Hayao
Old lady: Someone you're pining for?
(print) Howl's Moving Castle
(Theme song starts in the background)
(print) The heroine is a 90-year-old girl
(print) Her sweetheart is a cowardly magician
(print) The two of them lived in Howl's Moving Castle
(print) This old lady is pretty energetic!
(print) Miyazaki Hayao has drawn the joy of being alive and the delights of love
(print) Music: Hisaishi Joe (plus the credit for the theme song in tiny print)
(print) Sophie: Baisho Chieko
Sophie: You're saying that Howl doesn't have a heart?!
(print) Howl: Kimura Takuya
(print) Witch of the waste: Miwa Akihiro
Sophie: To be sure, he's selfish, a coward, and I don't understand how he thinks.
(print) Michael: Kamiki Ryuunosuke
Sophie: But he's direct.
Sophie: He just wants to live as he pleases.
(print) Hin: Harada Daijirou
(print) Calcifer: Gashuuin Tatsuya
(print) Sulliman: Kato Haruko
Sulliman: Howl's weakness has been found.
(print) The incredible classic that's drawn the attention of all the world
Howl: Finally, I've found something I must protect.
Howl: It's you.
(FanGirls: AWWWW, you can babysit us to Howlly... WT:OKey, that dosen't happen in the movie, but I could just see one doing this.)
(print) The two of them lived in...
(print) Howl's Moving Castle
(print) Showing nationwide November 20
Few thangs that I just had to say-
My money's on that the woman at the begining of the traler is Mrs. Pentsemmon.
It sounds like Haoyo is making the movie more romanical than the book.
Which Sulliman was a man.
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Pete Docter to direct English dub of H'sMC
During a press confrence held by Howl's Moving Castle producer Toshio Suzuki it was annouced that Pete Docter (director of "Monsters, Inc.") will head of production of the English version of "Howl". John Lasseter was the first choice but he is working on "Cars" and unable to handle both films simultaneously.
-------------------
nausicaa.net
-------------------
nausicaa.net
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The Anime Network is in trouble -- Comcast strikes again!
From AnimeNewsNetwork, Toonzone, and other websites -- an ADV Films Press Alert ====>
The Anime Network: Anime Call to Arms
anounced on 2004-12-06 18:24
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anime Fans of America:
You’ve made Anime Network, the only dedicated anime channel in America, a breakout sensation on Video on Demand. Thank you.
But now, Anime Network’s continued operation and expansion is in jeopardy. Despite the overwhelming success of Anime Network on Demand, certain cable executives think they can program any old anime, and that the fans of America won’t know the difference. That’s just not right.
We need every anime fan in America to make their preference for Anime Network heard. Log on to www.theanimenetwork.com, fill out a simple form and send your desire for a 24 hour Anime Network directly to the decision makers at America’s largest cable company. Or call the good folks at Comcast directly at (215) 665-1700 and say, “I’ll switch for Anime Network.” Between now and the end of the year, every fan, every email, every phone call counts.
Remember, while others may claim to have an “anime channel,” there is only one Anime Network. The first and only network built by fans, run by fans, always for fans. For over 13 years, ADV Films has been a leader in bringing anime to North America, but we need your help to continue our effort to bring about the next major anime paradigm shift. Call now. Call often. Send a fax or email directly to the decision makers via www.theanimenetwork.com. Encourage your friends, family and roommates to do the same.
Comcast may doubt the passion and commitment of the Anime fans of America, but we feel underestimating anime fans is a major mistake.
Thank you for your continued support of Anime Network. Go out and make some noise for unadulterated anime on TV. There’s only one true source…Anime Network.
*************************************************
To sum it up, basically what's going on is that ADV is having a conflict with Comcast because Comcast has a deal with another company to show their own Anime Video on Demand service (Anime Selects).
If Comcast did this, they would most likely drop The Anime Network (TAN) altogether. To clarify, TAN offers 2 services: 7-days-a-week 24 hours, or a video-on-demand version. TAN still isn't everywhere in the US but has been aggressively expanding its availability over the past 18 months or so since it first began.
Comcast is far bigger than ADV and could in a stroke literally obliterate TAN's chances with their own service. They're not giving consumers a choice -- it's their anime service or nothing.
I'm not meaning to sound like a shill for ADV, but there's no question in my mind that this company has by far the BEST library of contemporary anime of all the domestic anime companies in the US. What Comcast's service is offering from all appearances sounds junky and not very appealing. For every 1 GOOD title the Comcast service might offer, I'd wager TAN would have at least 5-6 EQUIVALENT OR BETTER anime programs to offer.
(I'm not going to go into the programming for the competing services -- there's discussions about this in posts at AnimeNewsNetwork.com ... Believe me, the Anime Selects titles don't sound that great for the most part...)
Yeah, the fans will get screwed if Comcast goes ahead with its plans.
Once again, distribution monopolies are limiting the choices people have...
The Anime Network: Anime Call to Arms
anounced on 2004-12-06 18:24
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Anime Fans of America:
You’ve made Anime Network, the only dedicated anime channel in America, a breakout sensation on Video on Demand. Thank you.
But now, Anime Network’s continued operation and expansion is in jeopardy. Despite the overwhelming success of Anime Network on Demand, certain cable executives think they can program any old anime, and that the fans of America won’t know the difference. That’s just not right.
We need every anime fan in America to make their preference for Anime Network heard. Log on to www.theanimenetwork.com, fill out a simple form and send your desire for a 24 hour Anime Network directly to the decision makers at America’s largest cable company. Or call the good folks at Comcast directly at (215) 665-1700 and say, “I’ll switch for Anime Network.” Between now and the end of the year, every fan, every email, every phone call counts.
Remember, while others may claim to have an “anime channel,” there is only one Anime Network. The first and only network built by fans, run by fans, always for fans. For over 13 years, ADV Films has been a leader in bringing anime to North America, but we need your help to continue our effort to bring about the next major anime paradigm shift. Call now. Call often. Send a fax or email directly to the decision makers via www.theanimenetwork.com. Encourage your friends, family and roommates to do the same.
Comcast may doubt the passion and commitment of the Anime fans of America, but we feel underestimating anime fans is a major mistake.
Thank you for your continued support of Anime Network. Go out and make some noise for unadulterated anime on TV. There’s only one true source…Anime Network.
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To sum it up, basically what's going on is that ADV is having a conflict with Comcast because Comcast has a deal with another company to show their own Anime Video on Demand service (Anime Selects).
If Comcast did this, they would most likely drop The Anime Network (TAN) altogether. To clarify, TAN offers 2 services: 7-days-a-week 24 hours, or a video-on-demand version. TAN still isn't everywhere in the US but has been aggressively expanding its availability over the past 18 months or so since it first began.
Comcast is far bigger than ADV and could in a stroke literally obliterate TAN's chances with their own service. They're not giving consumers a choice -- it's their anime service or nothing.
I'm not meaning to sound like a shill for ADV, but there's no question in my mind that this company has by far the BEST library of contemporary anime of all the domestic anime companies in the US. What Comcast's service is offering from all appearances sounds junky and not very appealing. For every 1 GOOD title the Comcast service might offer, I'd wager TAN would have at least 5-6 EQUIVALENT OR BETTER anime programs to offer.
(I'm not going to go into the programming for the competing services -- there's discussions about this in posts at AnimeNewsNetwork.com ... Believe me, the Anime Selects titles don't sound that great for the most part...)
Yeah, the fans will get screwed if Comcast goes ahead with its plans.
Once again, distribution monopolies are limiting the choices people have...