Active Anime somehow scored an interview with GDH International president Arthur Smith about “the current state of the industry.” (GDH, by the way, is Gonzo Digimation Holdings, the company that was formed when Gonzo merged with Digimation in ‘99.)

In the interview, Smith– who has been in the industry since ‘00 –says that “Internet piracy is the single biggest global threat to the anime industry.” He goes on to offer that “we understand that fans are really keen to see our shows as soon as possible (and that is really appreciated!!) but illegal file sharing and postings on streaming sites like YouTube are destroying our industry.”

In fact, he makes the situation in Japan seem pretty desperate: “the whole industry in Japan is beginning to realise that we can’t stand by…otherwise the entire industry will disappear….that’s how bad things are!!”

Eep.

Posted by gia in Anime, Gossip, News, Otaku, Western News • Comments (3)

Angry Zen Master reports that in an interview with Gundam Wing creator Masashi Ikeda, he reveals that the series was created as a joke– that they created it because they knew it would be popular, and not because they actually thought it would be good.

Confirmed information? Heck no! Their source offers up the alleged interview and that’s it. But why let something like confirmation get in the way of a hilarious story?

…Though I think most people above the age of 13 who actually watched any Gundam Wing probably could have guessed that this was the case anyway.

Posted by gia in Anime, Gossip, JP News, News • Comments (6)

I’m not going to fool myself into thinking y’all don’t follow plenty of other anime blogs, so here’s the quickie version. Now that my current major deadlines are over and I seem to be seeing the light on this cold, I should be back on track. ♥