GeekNights 20120509 - Once Popular Anime and "The Churn"

chaosof99

Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the once massively popular anime of American fandom -- Ranma 1/2, Fushigi Yugi, You're Under Arrest, Kare Kano, to name a few -- and the reasons why they seem to have so rapidly fallen from awareness. In the news, the vestigial New York Anime Festival, like the appendix, lives on, Kids on the Slope is pretty fine so far, Media Blasters' woes illuminate the sad drama of the American anime industry (see posts by "blaster"), and you can wake up with Yoko Kanno (box optional).

Rym's Thing - Sweating Bullets
Scott's Thing - Wolfenstein Online

http://frontrowcrew.com/geeknights/20120509/once-popular-anime-and-the-churn/

chaosof99

Just for the record: One Piece is still going, Naruto is too, the anime for Bleach has ended but not the Manga, and the Manga Soul Eater is still going but the anime stopped ages ago because it was only 51 episodes, and that's what made it good: It ends. It's 51 episodes and you're done.

Rym

We didn't mean "still going" in terms of "there are still episodes," but instead in terms of "fans still are a major presence in the fan community."

chaosof99

I think those two pretty much coincide.

Rochelle

Scott, I got the same call too the other day. I was so mad. When it asked to be removed I hit corresponding number and it repeated the same message. Then I held down the button and they hung up on me.

Apreche

Scott, I got the same call too the other day. I was so mad. When it asked to be removed I hit corresponding number and it repeated the same message. Then I held down the button and they hung up on me.

I pressed the removal number, and it worked.

Rochelle

Rym, if you want someone to talk about Korra on an episode, I know you got Emi, but I'm offering my services. ;-)

Edit: @Scott, that alarm is wonderful. I enjoyed waking up to it this morning.

gomidog

You totally should~!

Neito

Rym, if you want someone to talk about Korra on an episode, I know you got Emi, but I'm offering my services. ;-)

Edit: @Scott, that alarm is wonderful. I enjoyed waking up to it this morning.

This app is incompatable with your LG Optimus V.

Totally Guy

I've not identified as an anime fan since I first went to a convention maybe 8 years ago. I had the worst time there.

I was like the guy who'd gone to the gym to make friends with the people there. But the people there just want to work out and do gym stuff, not talk and make friends.

There was some kind of difference of expectations.

Coldguy

Any convention can be awesome if you come into it knowing that as long as you find 2 to 3 awesome people (either coming with you or meeting at the convention) anything shit can be exciting. This is how I survived VGXpo what is hands down the worst piece of shit convention I have ever been to.

Omnutia

I got called randomly today, it was my bank doing a survey.

The alarm is Android 2.3 up. I'm not sure why.

Rochelle

Rym,

I'm pretty much on the same lines as you and Scott in regards to the episode. I got into anime probably around the same time you guys did at RIT, if not a few months earlier. You guys had an anime club, I had the Anime Cafe to rent videos and hang out and meet other anime loving geeks.

Some of my friends still go to Sakura Con, but they aren't really a part of the con staff scene. If they are, it's mostly for their kids or they are actual small vendors.

I remember being handed Escaflowne by the guy who owned the Anime Cafe and was told to just watch it. I was also handed other shows like Magic Knights Rayearth or Battle Athletes Victory. These are decent anime, but not A anime. Possibly a B or C.

I can name a few more titles to add to the list of stuff that the new generation may not know about:

Martian Successor Nadesico
Sakura Wars
Sorcerer Hunters
X

I own Fushigi Yugi, and I should watch it again for nostalgia sake. One of the main reasons that was so great because it was a fantasy, somewhat reverse harem, epic romance drama that always fucking ended on a cliffhanger and when you would start to hear the ending theme, you would go "NOOOOOO!"

But yeah, I totally feel your views and opinions in this episode and would pretty much agree with everything.

Neito

It's weird. I got in to anime well after most of you guys (2004-2005), but know and/or have watched many of the same series as you. I think there's a powerful generational pull to watch things from people the same age, or slightly older.

MATATAT

I considered myself an anime fan until I realized there are people that are way more into anime than me, and those people at my high school were goddamn annoying.

EDIT: I sort of fall into the category Rym describes

Dragonmaster Lou

I guess I'm on the edge of the old school anime fans that watched Starblazers and such (I was about 6-7 years old when I watched it, 35 now). I still do the con thing, but a big chunk of it is being on staff at the cons. I don't have that much in common with the con-goer these days and many of them are of the idiotic "it looks old, it must suck" mindset, no matter how classic a show may be. I mean, older animation may be rougher looking than the newer stuff, but that often has nothing to do with the stories and in many ways I sometimes prefer the older style character designs over the more modern ones.

There are a few subgroups, such as mecha fans, that are willing to give the older stuff at least a try.

Still, if I wasn't staffing, I'm not 100% sure I'd go to cons or not. I think I still would as it's one of my few chances to just geek out, but I'd probably be mostly on my own and not really associating with many of the fans there.

One interesting thing is that the Anime Boston folks have been trying to have a con for older fans for a while now. The first was the Providence Anime Conference a few years back, which bombed, and they're trying again with Nauticon in Provincetown. However, that con seems to have morphed to be more a general geekery con since they had trouble finding true anime content. We'll see how that works out.

Omnutia

I think around 2004 was just before/around when Bittorent hit it big which marked a shift from what people had taped and things shown on TV to things closer to their release in Japan.

I still remember getting anime off GNutella2 but I'm not sure how common that was.

Matt

Loving the alarm app.

On the note of Google+ Hangouts on Air, which was discussed in this episode, I'll be using it as well. I'm helping to launch a show with a group of other board gaming writers, podcasters, and industry folk. Things are coming together nicely and it looks like it'll be a lot of fun. More details to follow once we move past the shit talk stage.

gomidog

I love waking up to it. It sounds like kind, happy GladOS telling me it is sunny to Yoko Kanno music. We have to use Rym's phone, though. Mine is TOO OLD!

Brand

Interestingly, enough this week's Answer Man on ANN has a question from someone who's friends feel there is no reason to watch old anime because it's been done better since. Which Brian pretty much agreed with, which kind of shocked me. Because while sure something like the harem anime has been done to death and perhaps it is better today than Tenchi Muyo was 20 years ago. But what about all the titles that don't have a real successors like Utena, or Legend of the Galactic Heroes?

There also seems to be a bit of an obsession to watch only the most recent titles. I find it hard to keep up anymore that I less time, even though it is easier then ever to watch the latest thing.

Geo

Mine is TOO OLD!

Is your contract almost up, yet?

gomidog

Been up for a while. Saving up for iPhone.

Rochelle

you can wake up with Yoko Kanno (box optional).

Jeremy and I randomly sing the songs this alarm gives in the high pitch voice.

Partly cloudy
Rainy day!

gomidog

I sing it too! When I am remarking on the weather sometimes I go "Today-is-a SUN-ny Day!"

Hitman Hart

I think a big factor in the churn is companies like CPM and Pioneer/Geneon going out of business.

theknoxinator

I'm also liking the alarm app quite a bit, though I find it funny that I'm usually awakened by my phone unlocking itself, which happens a second or two before the music actually starts up. I'm also a big fan of the fact that if you just let the alarm go for a minute, it will automatically snooze instead of going forever.

Apreche

I'm also liking the alarm app quite a bit, though I find it funny that I'm usually awakened by my phone unlocking itself, which happens a second or two before the music actually starts up. I'm also a big fan of the fact that if you just let the alarm go for a minute, it will automatically snooze instead of going forever.

Lately I've been waking up before the alarm, and then I'm sad I didn't hear it.

Cremlian

Sorry whenever I notice a Dub This reference I have to link to the comic :-p