Subject: [Frank] Viz Advertising / Mainstream
From: [email-masked] (Justicar)
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 98 18:33:27 EST5EDT

Changing the subject once again,

Frank chats with Esashi

>< I think Ranma could be as popular here if Viz did more promotion to
>non-anime people.  However the feeling here is that Viz is reluctant to
>release anything like most companies.>
>
>I disagree, and Albert sort of knows my speculations on this since we
>discussed it last Saturday. The fact of the matter is, Viz, and probably
>other companies, are not really at blame here for not promoting Anime as
>a viable medium in the US and other non-Japanese countries, but most
>especially the US.

I agree with Frank here. Anime still is not accepted as mainstream. Going 
mainstream at this moment would be economically unfeasable and would open up 
a Pandora's Box. The fact that it isn't mainstream it has really been a 
target for anyone. When you start getting big, you get noticed. Enemies be 
they coporate, ignorant, social based or bureaucratic will attack when their 
"noticed" .

>Viz is indeed reluctant, but that doesn't mean that if they weren't as
>reluctant about advertising the series would have more popularity. The
>strongest reason I can think of to support this would have to be that 
>Anime itself is not really looked on as Anime in the US by non-Anime
>people - it is looked on as other types of cartoons, for which they are
>certainly not cartoons in the sense of the word.

This, unfortunately, is very true. Animation is terribly undervalued and 
underused here. Take Disney for instance, the only point I used to defend 
Disney on was the quality of their animation. Now, they're passing off junk 
animation (compared to what they used to produce) because they know that 
they can get away with it.

>Anime is like another medium in Japan, just like another type of movie to
>put out, whereas in the US animation has been brought up as a type of
>kids' medium instead of a general one, with most cartoons having a line
>they don't cross in terms of targeted age groups. Even the more "serious"
>cartoons in the US that have popped up in recent years seem to be
>restricted to this - they still are considered cartoons.

Exactly, anything animated that had intelligent plot, deep characters, 
quality animation and daresay an "adult" theme would be attacked by the 
powers that be in the mainstream market. That would go doubly so for 
something foreign. Parents who depend on other faculties to do their 
parenting wouldn't bother looking into it and would join the bandwagon 
against it. 

>So Anime, in the eyes of the non-otaku, is just another cartoon or
>animation, and though they are probably aware of the different content of
>Anime they still tend to try and judge it by the "cartoon" standard. The
>very ignorant and uninformed article in USA today is a perfect example of
>this.

Yes. Anime only has fringe acceptance right now. Although in some sectors 
its considered a "hot" item its not seen as anything serious. 

>Even Sailor Moon, one of the only Animes to get onto a popular channel
>for a short period of time, is edited for content - I'd say that the only
>reason it is accepted is because of the theme which very much seems to
>at least mirror the "Power Ranger" type cartoons that have popped up
>recently. It is not the advertising that garners its success as much as the
>way it can be molded to fit the "cartoon" standard of non-Japanese
>countries, especially the US.

All anime that has been shown on U.S. TV has been so severely butchered its 
sad to watch.

>Viz does not really feel that it is a wise move to advertise into the
>non-Anime audience at the time, and I agree. I'm not saying that they
>shouldn't ever advertise, but that they can follow another strategy to get
>awareness into the program of Ranma 1/2, gradually through stations like
>the Cartoon Network which show Anime at certain blocks of the day.

They are advertising, its just not mainstream marketing. You will see anime 
advertised where the market for it is present: comic shows, sci - fi / Star 
Trek conventions, Fantasy / Role - Playing events. Its the most cost 
effective way to do so. Mainstream advertising wouldn't turn a profit. Word 
of Mouth, especially over the internet, is the best advertising. This is 
exactly what Viz and other companies are hoping for. The older / mainstream 
audiences aren't worth the effort. They are going with the younger generations. 

>So Viz is not to blame for not making Ranma 1/2 as popular as it should
>be. The restrictions of a non-Japanese audience that have been brought
>up on years of a "cartoon" standard are. And thats something that really
>can't be helped, anyway, since it is different cultures we are looking at
>here. All of this is of course IMO, and not non-Japan bashing ^_^

This is where I differ with you Frank. I am bashing American Animation. I 
won't start the arguement, I wait for the opprotunity to voice my opinion 
then I fire the guns. The American standard in animation is horrible and I 
am ashamed to view it or even associate with it. I bash them in the hopes 
that someone will hear and that they change their evil ways. It probably 
wouldn't be the same, anyway, because I find Asian-culture interesting. I 
love getting insights into it by watching anime and reading manga.

>No offense to those on the ML saying the are against Viz's methods right
>now, but I've seen a lot of complaining about how jobs are not done right,
>but not a lot of alternatives or solutions which are viable, attainable and
>most of all better than, what Viz is doing at this point in time with Ranma
>1/2. I'd be able to see opposition's points better if they had a plan to back
>up the allegations that Viz can help to be better than they are now.
>

Viz, like every else in the world, has done some things right and have done 
some things wrong. Hopefully they can use the constructive criticism to 
better themselves. Unfortunately, overhead costs and pride makes them a 
little tone deaf. So to those that are put off by Viz's methods, be sure to 
voice your opinions in a constructive way or you won't be heard.
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