The State of the Anime World 2004

	The State of the Anime World 2004:

There has never been a better time to be an anime fan in the West than right now.

Although that seems like an arrogant statement, it's true. The floodgates have opened, and we are living in a virtual anime paradise. Apart from living in Japan and having access to anime firsthand, you couldn't get much better. In fact, when you take into account the fact that Japan is one of the most expensive places in the world, one could make the argument that, perhaps, it's even better to be a fan in the West now than it is to be one in Japan!

When I first got into this hobby almost twenty years ago, I had no idea where it was going. Back in 1985, I was simply a kid about to enter middle school, unaware of what I would find in my local comic book store. But soon thereafter, a copy of Robotech: The Macross Saga #4 found its way into my stack of books, and I've not been the same since.

Surprisingly, though, there have been many things that haven't changed over time. Since the mid 1980s, there have been certain known truths that haven't been broken. However, I'm pleased to say that many of them have recently gone out the window. The fact that the unspoken "rules of the game" have quickly been discarded is a welcome sign. Here's my take on what's happened to shape the anime world in 2003 in terms of the broken rules...

Anime distribution is no longer a second-tier business. When Disney bought up the rights to release the Studio Ghibli catalog a few years back, there wasn't much talk, especially since it took them such a long time to get that catalog in motion. Now that they have, however, they've paved the way for other major studios to follow suit. The Academy Award win for Spirited Away may not have spelled tons of money for the mouse outfit up front, but the collateral in terms of awareness for the rest of Miyazaki's catalog was huge. When it became clear that anime could be profitable for the major studios' home divisions, they started getting involved. Dreamworks and Columbia Tri-Star have hopped into the game full speed ahead, and their success may very well lead to more majors getting into the anime business.

No anime title is too big to be released in the US. For years and years, the film Memories languished in the dark, anguished corners of the otaku mind. After the roaring success of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, there was the thought that his next major film should be worth a lot of money to its distributor'so much, in fact, that the typical studios releasing anime in the US couldn't afford it. Tie that amazing price tag to a movie that's much more cerebral and difficult to market than its predecessor, and you have a film in what everyone expected was permanent limbo. Thankfully, Columbia Tri-Star made some sort of deal, and Memories is now on DVD in the West. Now that the major studios are involved, the highest quality films will almost certainly be released here eventually...maybe not today, but tomorrow.

No anime title is too small, too old, or too obscure to find in the US. A title's age could often make or break a deal for its distribution in the US. Unless it was incredibly popular, any show made before 1988 or so was destined for the trash heap. Now, we're seeing two trends. First, titles with basic name recognition that are older are getting releases. For example, the release of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series is nothing short of incredible. It may be a seminal title, but with its frankly poor animation, it would not be a typical pull apart from the name. But after twenty-five some odd years, it's nice to see. Meanwhile, the advent of Bit Torrent has made collecting long-forgotten shows a breeze. Though my wife is not an anime fan, she is an Anne of Green Gables fan. Being able to download that entire TV series from the late 1970s, which I'd discussed with her for years but had no hope of finding, was a stunning coup d'état. The ability to get material that's been nothing more than a collector's fever dream is amazing, and it's growing.

DVD has made the sub/dub debate meaningless--at the same time that dubs are becoming great. Although the discussion still rages in certain circles as to the purity of watching shows in the original language, the point is all but moot. Almost every title comes both subtitled and dubbed on DVD, so the viewer has the choice. I encourage both sides to take a look at the other for a little bit, because both are valid. And, for the sub fan (like myself), I can safely say that dubbing is finally coming into its own. After watching Cowboy Bebop: The Movie in the theatre, I realized that I liked the dub cast better and watched the whole show again with the dub cast. Sure, there are still travesties like the release of Initial D with a rewritten mess of a dub, but they are becoming a much smaller part of the industry.

All of these new developments are a great encouragement to an old fan, and I'm grateful for these changes. But what else is on the horizon or already in our midst, for good or for bad?