Again I'll take a moment to plug our handy Search Engine, which could lead you to the answers you seek. But, to sum up, we've never reviewed the STREET FIGHTER movie because it came out before EX started (hard as that is to believe). It was, however a very well-animated film.
TEKKEN was much less so, and suffered from a low budget. However TEKKEN fans seemed to like it.
And OVA stands for Original Video Animation, which means animation released directly onto video (rather than being released as a television series or a movie).

From: Jeremiah F.

When will these American anime importers ever realize that the market they should fulfill are not the Moms and Dads who buy kid's meals to get the action figures that their children crave for, nor are the children who buy into the idea that the only good anime only ends in '-mon'.
People out here spend hard earned cash to get quality, un-watered down (if there is such a word) anime. I would love to see PERFECT BLUE in an uncut form. Although PRINCESS MONONOKE is great in English, I would still spend a pretty penny to get it on DVD to watch it in a sub-titled fashion. Heck, I spent $140 bucks to get a boxed set of SABER MARIONETTE J.
Anime companies, wake up! The market you should cater to are people who spend top dollar for top notch anime. And don't shove that ecchi stuff either. We want COWBOY BEBOP. We want NEON GENESIS EVANGELION THE MOVIE. We want the quality stuff. What you don't realize is that anime fans are some of the most dedicated people in the world. You will see profit no matter what. With the movie, which we would buy tickets to watch. Then comes merchandising, which we would buy. When the video/DVD comes out, we come out and buy it.
If its all about the cheddar, then give us quality stuff.

You raise some interesting points, but allow me to play devil's advocate for the sake of doing so.
First of all, anime encompasses a wide variety of genres, so excluding all children's animation seems a trifle elitist. If you don't want to watch it, that's fine, but certainly don't criticize others for liking it.
And anime companies are attracted to the children's market for one simple reason—it's one of the biggest markets in the industry. And they need that audience to make a profit. You say that anime fans are dedicated, true, many of them are dedicated to the hobby. But unfortunately that doesn't always translate into sales. Ever heard the argument, "So what if Abacab Anime, Inc. is putting out SUPER PIZZA DELIVERY BOY TOBIKAGE? I've already got fansubs of the entire series." It happens.
And most of the things you clamor for are already available. COWBOY BEBOP is being released by Bandai Entertainment now, although perhaps not as fast as some would like. And the Uncut edition of Perfect Blue came out at the end of November. The EVANGELION movies are currently in production for a release next year. Now, MONONOKE HIME on DVD, that you'll have to wait for.
I of course agree with you that people want quality, and there are a lot of mediocre titles on the market today. In fact, some of the better titles, if they don't get off to a good start, get squeezed out because there are so many new titles competing for shelf space at your local store. So it's important to find quality where you can, but it is indeed out there.

From: Stephan Bennett.

After reading Scott Frazier's article concerning the state of animation in the USA, I am happy to tell him that in my humble opinion, animation is looking up.
Over the last 6 years, quality animated television has risen by leaps and bounds in the states. I have seen better and more adult shows represented each season. Certainly the BATMAN and SUPERMAN cartoons are a hallmark, and the recently released BATMAN BEYOND is so mature, I'm surprised its allowed on afternoon television.
The market is showing general trends, despite goof ups and poor executive decisions. IRON GIANT was a huge step in the right direction, as is the potential of movies like PRINCESS MONONOKE to influence American thinking. Nowadays Cartoon Network is producing shows that display a respect for all age groups instead of cartoons that pander to children.
I suspect that part of the problem with America is that we compartmentalize animation. Sure, THE SIMPSONS is adult animation, and BATMAN is watched by older viewers. But many tend to see these as flukes, or "exceptions that prove the rule." I also find all prime time animation is humor-oriented, which probably doesn't help crack these hard-held beliefs. Shows like BATMAN and SUPERMAN are kept in afternoon slots, and older viewers who watch them are probably seen as an unexpected bonus.
What I believe it will take for animation to be fully grasped here in the States is an attempt at serious prime time animation, that is to say, animation which is dramatic in nature, not comedic. It is only when Americans see the emotional impact that non-Disney animation can have will they begin to understand its merits. While I believe things are moving in that direction, until that happens, I fear that animation will remain a circus clown here, doomed to be suitable only for laughs and condescension.
But at least things are looking up.

Thanks for your letter.
True, there have been some successes, notably BATMAN BEYOND. But IRON GIANT was not a box office success, and PRINCESS MONONOKE isn't going to break any records. So while it's true that there's progress, if these projects continue to be less than successful in the eyes of the big studios, they will be relegated to the back seat. Of course, that doesn't mean that they will always be there. After all, animation in Japan wasn't always huge, either.

From: Daniel Santos

I was wondering about your team's viewpoints on fansubbing and the distribution of said titles. Personally, as a poor anime fan, am in favor of fansubs because of how cooperatively they work with my budget. I understand that it takes money away from the studios that put out the professional releases, but exactly how much? Do you guys know? I'm interested to find out. I was also wondering which online anime store your team uses most. Thanks.

You've certainly opened a can of worms. I'm sure that different people at EX have different views of fan subtitling. Scott Frazier, for example, is very outspoken in his dislike for it, since he works in the industry.
As for how much money it takes away from anime companies, that's hard to say. But imagine that every tape they make is a tape that's not being sold in stores. Not only that, the US companies pay royalties to the Japanese creators for the shows, which allows them to turn around and create more anime.

From: Michael Stearns

Hello, this is regarding the recent VERY negative review of EAT-MAN 98. I haven't seen it, but I was really looking forward to it because I absolutely loved the first EAT-MAN series. Anyway, my question is easy, and it's did the reviewer see the first series and feel similarly about it? Differently? That's all. That way, I can tell if it really is that bad, or if maybe Michael Somebody just doesn't like EAT-MAN, and that's OK, I know most of the people I know didn't like it either. But what do I know, I liked BRAIN POWERED too... ^_^
Thanks for your time.

Mike Poirier's review of EAT-MAN 98 was only based on EAT-MAN 98. He hasn't seen EAT-MAN, to answer your question. However, it's really not necessary to see the first series to understand EAT-MAN 98. (I've seen them both).
EAT-MAN is an acquired taste (pardon the pun), since it is very slowly paced and with limited animation. However, EAT-MAN 98 is an improvement over the first series because there is an increased animation budget and there are several mulit-part stories. But the basic flavor of the show is the same.
Not everyone likes every title. And that's one of the reasons why we've instituted follow-up reviews. If one author doesn't like a title maybe another one will, but at the very least it gives a different perspective on the title. Always keep in mind that the reviews are the opinion of the author and should be taken as such. It's up to the individual reader to decide how he feels about a title.
As for BRAIN POWERED, it's not bad, but it's not what it was touted to be…(And it's so darn slow in the beginning…)

From: Daniel DeLorme

Congratulations on a very good site. I especially like the more... "imaginative" articles, such as "The Legend of the Anime Fans". That one I will remember forever :)
On to the serious stuff: Do you have any news about the movie JIN-ROH? Like... when will it be available commercially? I saw it at the Montreal Fantasia Film Festival and was completely stunned by its powerful storytelling. So much that I want to see it again. So much that I want to own it. At any price. Now. (Otaku madness now taking hold...) bwa ha ha ha ha !

Thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately, though, we have no additional news to report about JIN-ROH, as no theatrical release (or video release) has been set for Japan yet. Nor has anyone acquired the rights to it in North America. We will keep an eye on this and post more information on the News section when something develops.

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