Things Afoot in Japan
I recently returned from a long trip from Japan and it was an eye opener, to say the least. I visited a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while and as I was there we went to a Japanese SciFi/Anime convention that featured several representatives from several Asian countries. The convention opened my eyes to one main fact: the U.S. is vastly lacking in its creativity of anime and all things scifi. There were over one million selections of anime, 500,000 comic books/manga, and had nearly 25,000 horror/scifi movies (4 of which I saw). The direction, creativity, and all around story telling in and of itself far surpasses that of the U.S. We have all the tools and the genius people to do it, so why don’t we. In essence, the Asian market for anime and manga is rather large, the following larger than the one for college football here in the states. But one thing I took away from the convention was that the next wave of anime, which will inevitably come to the states soon, is taking more of a cultural, literary and social slant (no pun intended as I’m Asian myself). There is more action, and more storyboarding which makes for a more intricate weaving of the story, but will this be embraced in the States. The days of Pokemon are gone and the days of Weavo, Ganjun, and Armoro are on the rise. You undoubtedly haven’t heard of the above, but you soon will and you’ll be treated to something special. Anime caught on pretty quickly here and it was a relatively new concept, but the new wave of anime and manga very well could cause a new social dimension here in the states replacing the old anime. It’s doing exactly that in Japan now. To sum it up, get ready for a cultural revolution. Yes, anime does have the ability to do this. It already has.
Newer Site That Can Stream Anime For Free
For the anime fans who find it hard to find any anime or don’t want to pay it, you can find it here at www.voober.com. Voober is a legitimate site and you won’t be hit with spam or other annoying programs that will slow down or damage your computer. Do a search on your favorite anime series and watch it when you want to. Windows Media or Quick Time is required so make sure you have one or the other before you stream the show. Voober makes it easy for people to move around and find the anime for them. So, when you get a chance, check it out. You’ll be glad you did. Click here to enter.
AniMondays on Scifi Channel, in case you didn’t know it existed
The Scifi Channel, for the better part of four months are airing AniMondays at 11:00 ET. There is no particular theme on what they air, but as long as they’re anime, that should suffice. The March schedule for AniMonday is as follows:
March 2: Strait Jacket
March 9: Ninja Scroll
March 16: Two episodes of Gurren Lagann and two episodes of Ravemaster
March 23: Two episodes of Gurren Lagann and two episodes of Ravemaster
March 30: Two episodes of Gurren Lagann and two episodes of Ravemaster
Other AniMonday shows in the past have been Street Fighter: Alpha, Gundam X, Appleseed (original and remake), and Cowboy Bebop.
Anime becoming bigger in United States
The anime craze has hit the United States and continues to grow in popularity. Pokemon was the first anime to have an extended amount of success in the United States and since then, other anime shows and manga (Japanese comics) products are now making their way into the U.S. Dragon Ball Z is another (live action movie coming out in April of this year). Many of the anime today is based off of some kind of older Japanese myth or folklore striking a unique display of literature through animation. The cultural entities come out in anime, many of which are unfamiliar to the American public. Much of the anime culture has also grown in the American pop culture through video games and entertainment. Final Fantasy and many games of its vein helped popularize the genre as well. It is difficult to pinpoint when anime first penetrated the shores of America, but it continues to grow at an abnormal rate. More and more classes are being taught at the university level that discuss the ideas and the cultural references in anime. Some universities and high schools have also formed, officially, anime clubs. Anime is also a featured at the San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con further expanding its reaches. Though it’s not a new phenomenon, it’s one that is growing at an abnormal rate. If you look closely enough, the cable package you ordered has a 24-hour anime channel. American comics and animation are taking a back seat to the sales made by anime and manga. In 1990, there were approximately 2,000 stores worldwide devoted to comic and comic book sales. Today, there are approximately 10,000, which the majority of them carrying 60 percent anime and manga, 40 percent other. Odd how one show can expand to become a fierce conglomeration of entertainment.