One site taking the American Anime Awards seriously is Alternative Teen Services, offering up the following tips for unwitting librarians eager to turn today's teenagers into tomorrow's uncritical junk-media whores. Choice excerpts follow:
Here are some ideas for celebrating the American Anime awards:
* Make a news announcement about the American Anime Awards at your next teen meeting. Handout small slips of paper with the url for voting.
* Setup a few voting laptops at your next anime program and encourage teens to vote during the meeting.
...
* Tape the broadcast and watch it together at your next teen anime meeting.
* Post a link to the American Anime awards on your teen myspace or blog.
If you don’t have an anime group together, this could be your opportunity to speak with teens in the library about starting a group. Find out which teens like anime and manga, and tell them about the 1st Annual American Anime awards. Ask teens if they might be interested in meeting up to discuss manga and watch anime at the library.
ADV seriously owes these folks a box of manga for their efforts. Dare I say, award-nominated manga.
Also check out the entry on the Fayetteville Public Library's Teen Alternative Fashion Show. Alternative teen fashion, Naruto cosplay, whatever. Same thing.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
For your consideration
The American Anime Awards in a nutshell:
I. Hosted by a stable of ADV voice actresses whom ADV (in a boldly post-feminist move) has proudly styled the Babes of Anime. They're beautiful, they're sought-after, they're objectified (empowered) for your viewing pleasure.
II. Later to be broadcast on ADV Film's Anime Network. It's not PR, it's synergy.
III. Ballot "developed by both industry representatives and independent anime experts" in a nomination process that runs roughly like so: Viz, Tokyopop, Media Blasters, Geneon, Funimation, Del Rey, Bandai, and ADV each jerk off twice onto a cracker. At the Anime Network's suggestion, Anime Insider, Animeondvd.com (now with new American Anime Awards Member button action), and Anime News Network are invited to add their own special wank. Fans then dared to to swallow the entire thing whole without gagging.
IV. Hired oversight team helpless to prevent Johnny Yong Bosch's best voice actor in an anime comedy nomination--for Akira. Also helpless to prevent NA from appearing twice on ballot under best anime feature and best anime series of 13 episodes or less.
V. Hired oversight team (still helpless, or perhaps laughably inept) forgot to include "two very important and deserving" Del Rey nominees, Negima and Tsubasa, in the nominations for best manga.
Still, the American Anime Awards did one thing right. By making the awards about "the very best anime to make its way into North America" and not about excellence in the anime industry in America, it can keep its award categories focused on pimping the merchandise, not recognizing the work of behind the scenes talent.
Next time, sound mixers and script adapters of America. Next time.
I. Hosted by a stable of ADV voice actresses whom ADV (in a boldly post-feminist move) has proudly styled the Babes of Anime. They're beautiful, they're sought-after, they're objectified (empowered) for your viewing pleasure.
II. Later to be broadcast on ADV Film's Anime Network. It's not PR, it's synergy.
III. Ballot "developed by both industry representatives and independent anime experts" in a nomination process that runs roughly like so: Viz, Tokyopop, Media Blasters, Geneon, Funimation, Del Rey, Bandai, and ADV each jerk off twice onto a cracker. At the Anime Network's suggestion, Anime Insider, Animeondvd.com (now with new American Anime Awards Member button action), and Anime News Network are invited to add their own special wank. Fans then dared to to swallow the entire thing whole without gagging.
IV. Hired oversight team helpless to prevent Johnny Yong Bosch's best voice actor in an anime comedy nomination--for Akira. Also helpless to prevent NA from appearing twice on ballot under best anime feature and best anime series of 13 episodes or less.
V. Hired oversight team (still helpless, or perhaps laughably inept) forgot to include "two very important and deserving" Del Rey nominees, Negima and Tsubasa, in the nominations for best manga.
Still, the American Anime Awards did one thing right. By making the awards about "the very best anime to make its way into North America" and not about excellence in the anime industry in America, it can keep its award categories focused on pimping the merchandise, not recognizing the work of behind the scenes talent.
Next time, sound mixers and script adapters of America. Next time.
A Critic's View
A Fan's View webmaster Kevin Lillard: con personality, racing fan, and master of jaw-dropping, reality-defying hyperbole:
The name of this site was chosen in haste, but has held up over the years. It is a fan's view of anime conventions, not a critic's view. A critical look at conventions would question why they exist. A fan accepts the conventions and thinks they're worthwhile events.
The author isn't shy to say that anime conventions are the best events that American youth culture has to offer. They show youthful enthusiasm for the exotic and unfamiliar, and show that the generation of fans has overcome the horrors of World War II. Other cultures carry hatreds from centuries ago (tragically demonstrated on Sept. 11, 2001), but not anime fans.
Translation: Arabs hate, otaku are great.
But if you're an American anime fan who personally experienced the horrors of World War II, let us know! We too remember the struggle to overcome the miseries of the internment camp, the war r--oh wait, no, actually we don't 'cause we were born decades later into an era of booming prosperity, just like 99.9% of the convention staffers we've ever worked with.
Also, who's Lillard's Kool-Aid supplier? We could totally use some at the next con staff meeting.
The name of this site was chosen in haste, but has held up over the years. It is a fan's view of anime conventions, not a critic's view. A critical look at conventions would question why they exist. A fan accepts the conventions and thinks they're worthwhile events.
The author isn't shy to say that anime conventions are the best events that American youth culture has to offer. They show youthful enthusiasm for the exotic and unfamiliar, and show that the generation of fans has overcome the horrors of World War II. Other cultures carry hatreds from centuries ago (tragically demonstrated on Sept. 11, 2001), but not anime fans.
Translation: Arabs hate, otaku are great.
But if you're an American anime fan who personally experienced the horrors of World War II, let us know! We too remember the struggle to overcome the miseries of the internment camp, the war r--oh wait, no, actually we don't 'cause we were born decades later into an era of booming prosperity, just like 99.9% of the convention staffers we've ever worked with.
Also, who's Lillard's Kool-Aid supplier? We could totally use some at the next con staff meeting.
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