...continued from previous page Now for all of you socialist leaning individuals who cry foul at the idea of someone making a profit, let me remind you that profits are the key to our Anime and Manga entertainment. If Kodansha only broke even on their costs for publishing, they would never have the funds to invest in new artists, new projects or to create animated versions. If Disney didn't make profits from their films and characters, they would never be able to purchase the rights for Miyazaki's films so that they could bury them in the U.S. where no new audience could find them... OK, so that was a bad example, but you get the idea. Without profits (or at least benefits of some kind), there is no motivation for innovation, exploration, or finding something new: Christopher Columbus wanted to explore the world, but Spain only funded him anticipating the discovery of trade routes superior to the Portuguese trade routes. The U.S. only pursued the space program for bragging rights and for the lucrative contracts for the defense industry. We only have EVANGELION because people think they can make a pile of money off of us, and by God are they right. But I digress... Another event that inspired this column was the small group of FUSHIGI YUGI fans who became enraged over the box copy on the back of the VHS releases of the second season of the TV series. Disclaimer: as I was the one who actually wrote that text, I am not in a position to comment without bias about the rude, illogical and grammatically incorrect letter writing campaign that they attempted, but I can comment about the event in general. First off, there is nothing wrong with these folks expressing their rage over the text on the video jackets, it is unequivocally their right to do so. There is nothing wrong with them trying to organize a boycott of products if the product truly offended them, that, also, is their right. This is a minority group attempting to influence decision making. So far, so good.
			However, they seemed to ignore the fact that in politics, the key to minority influence is pressure. Their strong opinion was not backed up by strong numbers, and the haphazard approach to, and contents of, their letter writing campaign and boycott damaged their credibility. Additionally, by threatening never to buy the product again, this small number of individuals essentially delivered the equivalent political threat of never voting again. So what? Unfortunately, it is very difficult for most consumer group to put pressure on companies over their quality or minor parts of their content. Bad taste is not enough grounds for a lawsuit. Additionally, this group was small enough that it was apparent that most people did not care strongly about the issue (when compared to sales estimates, the people complaining represented less than 1% of the total sales). The grand total of their pressure was small, which in a political arena would be inconsequential. Fortunately for their minority interest, most of the larger Anime companies take any complaints very seriously, so their voice will be heard and have an effect, but it's possible they will never see the consequences since it is likely to only influence future projects. After all, by the time you see something on the shelf, it's been a month since anyone in the production company actually worked on the project—but that's a topic for another day. While I run the risk of beating a dead horse to those who actually read this column, I want to stress two points: 1. It is our right to care deeply and have strong emotions about our Anime and Manga products. 2. It is in our best interests to keep a rational perspective about the importance of our industry and our individual opinions in the world as a whole. This is a topic I have written about before, and as long as people don't seem to pay attention to this balance, I am likely to write about it again. Anime and Manga are entertainment, not a necessity. While we are financially and personally significant to the people in the industry, our influence on the world as a whole is very small. Even with the broad impact that POKÉMON is making on the world at this time, it is unlikely that it will be a blip on anyone's everyday radar in ten years. In a hundred years, it will be forgotten. Unless, of course, some guy assassinates the President wearing a Pikachu costume shouting "Gotta get 'em all!" But, I'll leave that story up to Scott Frazier or David Ho to cover... Until next time, remember, Big Brother is watching. He may be too busy with his own problems to deal with you, or to care, but Big Brother is surely watching. Let's just hope he's watching Anime.