Archive for September, 2008

It came to my attention yesterday that the Toonami block on Cartoon Network aired its last show after its 11 year run between 1997 and 2008. This, just after announcing their programming schedule change For Adult Swim in which they moved their premier anime to the “death block” at 5am EST.

So what does this mean? To be honest I believe this is a collimation of years of change within the anime community. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s there was an explosion in the anime fandom, resulting in increased attendance to conventions and DVD sales. However, as internet bandwidth became increasingly cheaper and more accessible, fansub distribution grew as well. Fans could now watch what they wanted, when they wanted, and typically in the original Japanese dub without annoying commercials. Once they saw a show, they didn’t need to buy the DVDs since they already had it on their computer, or they discovered they didn’t enjoy the series enough to purchase.

I do believe this contributed to decreased DVD sales, leading to the folding of Geneon and others, however the answer is not that cut and dry. I watch fansubs of series that have not been licensed in the US, and I feel myself and other who do so are justified. Many times it takes months to years for an entire series to become available on DVD in the US after its aired in Japan (although this is improving), and how can I justify purchasing a $29 DVD for a series that I’m just interested in and actually haven’t seen a single second of besides short trailers and teasers? Naturally I’m inclined to download the fansub and watch it before hand, and if I truly enjoyed the series I’ll go ahead and purchase the DVDs when they are released. The alternative to this is American TV presenting Japanese anime on a sterilized basis, much as Adult Swim and Toonami did. For example, I’m currently watching Code Geass on Adult Swim. As such, I have no intention of downloading fansubs of this series since I already have access to it on Cartoon Network. In fact, I’ve enjoyed the series so much I’ve gone ahead and purchased the first two DVDs.

This is not the same for everyone, and I know plenty of people who refuse to watch anime aired on American TV. However I find a draw to the weekly schedule of watching series I enjoy on Adult Swim. With this venue disappearing, I find myself and others will have no choice but to turn to downloading more fansubs. Yes, Cartoon Network is looking out for their ratings, which have been declining, in no small part to fansub distribution and demographic changes. However removing their programming or chancing their schedule will not help the overall problem, in fact it will only exacerbate it. The only solution I can foresee is either placing anime in more accessible time slots once again (such as the case with the SiFi channel), or for distribution companies such as Funimation to place more than 1-2 free episodes to watch on their website. The Funi channel seems to be a good solution to this, however its limited availability continues to hinder its growth. I will continue to buy DVD’s of series I enjoy; however as far as Adult Swim and Cartoon Network go, I’m finished. I was there in the beginning with Outlaw Star, Zoids, and many others, Toonami will be sadly missed.

It would be an understatement to say the last few moths have been stressful . . . graduation, followed by a prolonged stay in Hawaii, and then searching for a job (thankfully I’m now happily employed).

I’ll skip over most of the events and make this short and sweet; the primary purpose of this entry is simply to acknowledge that I’m still here and that my adventures will continue. Like I previously mentioned, after I graduated (literally, the next day), I traveled and stayed in Hawaii for about a month, returning in late June. Hawaii has and always will be a special place for me. Considering I’m Hawaiian, I’ve always considered Hawaii my true home. I now realize more then ever life moves at a different pace; your order at the restaurant takes slightly longer, no one is ever in a rush, and if you’re a native everyone is your family. Religion and culture loosely interact, much as they do in Japan, to form a natural awareness and appreciation for that which surrounds you. There is no other place I feel so close to nature and such a spiritual connection.

View from Waipi’o Valley. I hiked down the access road with my friend and into the valley a good distance to attempt to see the waterfall, however it was dried up. On the way back up I nearly died, my one bit of advice would be to bring plenty of water, something I neglected to do.

View from Kona Joes Coffee. When I was in Italy and France I experienced some amazing coffee, however the cappuccino at Kona Joes is still the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had, its worth the nearly $5 and $40 a pound.

The Keck Observatory atop Mona Kea. We were able to summit the mountain in our FWD Dodge Avenger, however I would not recommend this, especially in the winter months. There were a few times were I wasn’t sure if we were going to make it, and on the way down there are no guard rails on the dirt road to prevent you from driving literally off the mountain.

Our flight home was delayed to the point where US Airways gave us the option of waiting around until 2am to see if our flight would in fact leave, or spend an extra day in the Royal Kona Resort. Free hotel, food, and another day in Kona, I’ll take that. The best part was we didn’t spend a while lot of time in Kona to begin with, so I spent most the day just walking in the city doing touristy stuff.

Someday I’ll see about getting a gallery up with the rest of my photos, but for now this will have to suffice. My next big trip is tentatively scheduled for May-June 2009, in which I hope to be venturing into South Korea and Japan. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan to visit my roots, but the opportunity just hasn’t presented itself until now. Hopefully I’ll be joining up with a friend from college, and if all goes as planned we’ll spend about a month gallivanting around Asia. Until then, you can join me in reading his blog, as he is currently in South Korea.