State of the Industry, Very important anime issues

[DJ Laen]

The State of the Industry

The following was written by a convention owner. Please forward it to ALL fans of Anime.

The Otaku has a poll up on it's website right now asking how Anime Fans think the American Anime Industry is doing; the status of business. This immediately follows a report by the Anime News Network stating that anime DVD sales are down 20% for 2007. The overwhelming response to theOtaku's poll is the industry is just fine.

I am honestly surprised at how little otaku know about what is going on in the industry.

The Anime Industry.. not just in the US, is dying. There is a Japanese company doing Lucky Charms commercials to pay their bills. FUNimation is hurting but should make it after major surgery. ADV... I just hope we are not attending ADV's wake this fall.

Anime is more popular than ever, as can be seen by Warner redoing Speed Racer. Unfortunately, we, as fans, are killing the industry... and all you hear are excuses. Anime cost a LOT more to produce than an album, and they get less per DVD than Record Labels do per CD. Illegal downloading threatened to destroy the Record Industry. Open your eyes, and see what it is doing to the Anime Industry. Prices for anime cannot drop until it becomes more financially viable to sell it. One Thousand DVDs sold is a hit with anime. Fifty Thousand downloads of the same anime cost the Industry millions, and Fans pay by getting higher prices, and fewer anime choices.

Why have I brought this up? As I said, the industry is dying, and we - the fans - are holding the knife. It is time we stepped up and fixed the problem. The Illegal downloading has got to STOP. Don't assume that because you pay, it is ok. Many sites have stolen the anime they are distributing. FUNimation has anime available on ITunes. ADV has anime available for viewing on their website. Other anime companies also have options available.

Anime Clubs: Please, stop showing illegally downloaded anime. You are are first line of defense.

Anime Cons: Most cons have already joined the fight. Illegal anime is not shown in many viewing rooms. This is a good start. Now we need to get it out of the Dealer's Rooms and Artists Alleys. If you have a hard time distinguishing what is legitimate and what is bootlegged /Stolen, contact the studios. They have people trained in exactly this. You may get an extra guest out of it. At the very least, you will get the appreciation of an industry we all love.

I realize I am just one person. I cannot do this alone. The Industry cannot survive unless all fans join together. I suggest to ALL anime fans, if Greg Ayres is going to your local con, request (and attend) his Bootleg Panel. Some cons are starting to host "State of the Industry"... this is another great one to attend. Anime fans need to stay informed.


Joshua Andrade
Board of Directors, Atsuicon

We are the only ones to blame when Anime is no more.

The Otaku
www.theotaku.com
http://theotaku.com/news/view/oop:_does_th...business?/3454/

Anime News Network
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-...percent+in-2007

[ChaosSonic]

I see the dilemma. However, fans in America are unable to watch new anime being released in Japan. Do they just hope that the company will release the anime, on DvD, with subtitles? Maybe the companies should make Paypal accounts so people can donate money to them?

I personally don't download anime... well, except for that one episode of Sailor Moon... but, uh...

My point is, many American fans cannot watch new shows without downloaidng them. If there was a way to get subtitled anime from the companies themselves out with,commercials or some for of monetary gain for the companies, than we might have a viable solution. Providing more ways to legally download anime should be one of the first steps if we want to save this industry.

You mentioned iTunes? I wonder if someone might be able to get Apple to release anime fresh from Japan.