>Opinions | An Anime Channel: Is It Possible?

Question #2: Can competitors actually work together to create a network?
Answer: Under current circumstances, no. In the future, yes.

Apparently, in the world of anime in North America, there are those who are part of the anime trinity and there are competitors of the trinity. Right now, the king of anime is ADV Films.

ADV Films?!?

You're probably thinking, who in the blue blazes is ADV Films, and why isn't Bandai #1?!? Well, Houston-based ADV Films is the biggest player of the anime game, acquiring dominent franchises like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Martian Successor Nadesico, Dirty Pair, Bubblegum Crisis, Orphen, Nadia, Sorcerer Hunters, Gasaraki, Noir, and assorted others. They also have access to shows like Robotech, Sailor Moon (both dubbed and subbed), and non-anime shows like Farscape, ReBoot, and Shadow Raiders. They represent almost every genre in anime, from the giant robots to martial artists to fantasy to schoolgirls. Right now, ADV is the #2 animation distributor in North America just behind Disney. They also provide movies and series to the Action Channel and a Latin-American animation station called Locomotion (the closest thing to an all-anime network in this country). So why does ADV get a bad rap in the anime fan community?

Enter, the trinity.

Three different anime distributors have become big in recent years, partially by partnering up with one another. Viz Communications, Pioneer Entertainment, and Bandai Entertainment (a video unit from a company better known for their Power Rangers toylines and Tamagotchi/Digimon digital pets) have become perhaps the ultimate force in anime in North America. They have a number of exclusive titles like Gundam, Trigun, Pokemon, Tenchi, and Ranma 1/2. They publish comics based on their anime franchises courtesy of Viz (Bandai, however, is an exception because most of their anime titles are published by Tokyopop). They own Animerica Magazine, which was, until recently, the only publication dedicated to anime coverage. They have partnerships with Cartoon Network to bring programming to CN's Toonami and Adult Swim blocks. In short, when people talk about anime in the mainstream media, chances are that they'll be referring to a title from the trinity.

Apparently, these two are the only powers that has the potential to be dominent players in any future endeavor involving an anime channel. Both have extensive libraries and both have key cable alliances. Some alliances are greater than others, as I have seen. The trinity's hold on Cartoon Network has basically blinded that network from acquiring shows from outside the trinity, like those from ADV Films. Action's library is basically limited to films and shows from Manga, ADV, and one of the trinity players, Pioneer. These players would never work together under normal circumstances.

However, if they found a common cause, they would unite under one aegis and make sure that they would do whatever they could to make their cause come true. It's a long shot now, but if they could work together, an anime network could be a reality.

Go here to continue the questioning.