Everyone has been affected by this economic recession (I can't believe they are still calling it that) either through higher prices, higher taxes, and loss of jobs. Though my job isn't very secure, I have never really worried too much about the recession least of all be greatly affected by it . . . until now. I knew prices would go up as well as taxes, so I was prepared for the increase in expenditures but I was blindsided by the other areas this recession affected. I was perusing a few Anime and Manga websites to read the daily news one day, when I came across some surprising information. Some of the biggest Anime and Manga distributors to the U.S. were cancelling some of their products. These are big name companies like Bandai, Funimation, Tokyopop, and Viz just to name a few. Some of the series that are being cancelled haven't even been seen stateside but others have already been partially released.
As a huge Otaku and a major collector, this news came as a shock to me. Especially considering that a few of my series were included in the chopping block list. This is also very disappointing news for me because it means that the popular series that make the most money will not be affected but some of the lesser great Anime and Manga series will never get the opportunity to be seen by the American populous. Series like Naruto especially come to mind. Don't get me wrong, Naruto has had some great moments but it also falls into the same rut as a lot of anime series do - filler episodes. The anime series is littered with them. And because of its popularity, other great series like Moribito and others are being thrown to the curb. Though, not as serious as some of the other news coming out because of the recession, I was still stunned to see how many different areas this recession has affected. I'm curious to see how FanimeCon looks when I go down in May. When I went down in 2007 it was packed with people and filled with vendors. This year though, I think I will see a significant decrease in attendance by both sides of the Anime and Manga industry. Hopefully this trend won't last much longer but I am definitely going to be more careful about which Anime and Manga series I decide to buy.
