The return of the Otaku Network

    After an extended absence Otaku Network will return with semi regular posts.  The volume of reviews and shows watched will not be any where near what it once was, partially due to the vast landscape of moe titles still being broadcast in Japan along with less time to devote to watching the few titles that appear interesting.  But, regardless the posts will return...it's been a few years and it doesn't seem like the landscape in anime has changed much...but lets go through the stuff that does look interesting to my tastes and see what gems can be found amid the rubble.

    What has significantly changed since this blog was last updated has been how non-Japanese audiences receive their anime.  When last we met Crunchyroll was a relatively new idea and seemed like a good start in the direction of providing new titles to other audiences in a way that would make the publishing companies happy and satisfy the fans desires close to the way the fansub community did.  On top of that with the advent of easy and affordable streaming options for your TV it makes it that much easier to access these programs.

    Long gone are the days of the 3rd gen tape dub fansub mail order circles.  In many ways that's a good thing, but the community that developed has also been lost and that is unfortunate.  I'm sure the idea of the weekly anime viewing clubs still exists but now that almost everything is right at your finger tips it doesn't seem as adventurous or meaningful as it used to.  But that's also me looking back wishfully.  While I miss the fansub community that used to exist, it's great to be able to access so many of these creations in a way that should financially benefit the creators...well in theory anyways.  Yet at the same time, with the mass die off of the fansub community we are at the whim of the distributors and mostly have access to what they want us to have access to these days.  It's getting harder to find older series' and some of the new ones that are not being supported internationally.  While the streaming services of Viz, Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix continue to produce the issue that made fansubbing vital in the first place...unfortunately their advent has killed off many of the fansub groups due to lack of support.

    So...after the rant, keep your eyes out for future posts, items on slate are; Kimi No Iru Machi, Usagi Drop, Genshikan 2 and a few other 2013 Summer and Fall series that don't involve characters from some galge.

Sashiburi!!