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December 07, 2004
Ah! Competition! part deux
I've cooled off a bit, and am mature enough to admit that I was perhaps too hasty in outright condemning ADV for inciting anime fans to get Comcast to pick up the Anime Network. It seems that their actual ultimate goal is to get their linear 24-7 network on Comcast, rather than the Comcast Anime Network On Demand option. Which is reasonable in the spirit of fair competition.
However. That does not excuse the language and tone of their press release, which clearly was not reviewed by a responsible adult before it was sent out. The press release gives the impression that the Anime Network believes only they have the right to make an all-anime channel, and that all other anime channels are inherently inferior because they had the poor timing to not be the first all-anime cable channel (in the US).
Perhaps ADV was trying to sound cocky and with-it and speak (what they thought) was the target audience's language, but such adolescent "us against them" rhetoric came off sounding arrogant and made them look, frankly, like hotheaded young punks posturing and blustering in their faux leather jackets and mile-high pompadours. As a whole, it reflects poorly upon ADV's professionalism (or lack thereof) that they need to use such inflammatory language and juvenile put-downs of the competition. If they had just said something like (without all the exclamation points), "We know that there are other anime channels in the works, and while we wish them the best in the spirit of otaku brotherhood, we want to make sure that you have access to the widest possible array of anime available on TV. Right now Comcast is only offering TAN on demand, and that's why we are asking you to write and tell them to pick up TAN's linear 24/7 network in addition to whatever they're planning" instead of making it sound like TAN is the only worthwhile game in town.
So yes, I admit I fell victim to slashdotters' knee-jerk syndrome of responding to the post and not to the article. But I still frown upon ADV's tactics. It's time for them to grow up a little. (But not too much ;) - lest they really lose their love for anime completely.)
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at December 7, 2004 04:37 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style
