Anime in the UK - Review of the Year 2004

By John Huxley
29th Jan 05

A couple of years back, when this site had recently adopted the old grey and orange colour scheme and updates were even less frequent (if you can believe that...), I was planning to write an article about the state of anime in the UK. My unfortunate habit of napping on the couch and many hours wasted on the various GTA games prevented me from ever getting past the first paragraph, but I had the whole thing planned out in my lil' noggin. Understandably it would have been a fairly pessimistic affair; back then we watched in envy as our overseas cousins were fed veritable platters of anime that we thought would never see the light of day here in the UK, and to add insult to injury the few morsels of new releases we relished were almost always several months (and in some cases years) behind their US counterparts. For an anime fan in the UK at the time, it was an uphill struggle of Kilimanjaro proportions; if you wanted to sample the latest and greatest there was honestly little option but to import from the US or Japan (risky business) or source a bootleg copy (boo!), meaning that many less proactive anime fans went hungry. You might think that I'm being overly dramatic here (okay, maybe a little), but the situation was truly dire.

In case you stumbled upon this article searching for proactive Kilimanjaro platters, the anime scene in the UK has improved ten-fold over the last couple of years. Of course this rendered my wonderful (don't laugh!) article obsolete; every time I started to write that introductory paragraph I was forced to start over with a slightly more optimistic tone. Now it's got to the point where I've decided to integrate it in to a 'review of the year' article and hope nobody notices the cut and paste joins...

But why has the UK scene improved so much over the last couple of years? Why the sudden influx of anime? Its recent proliferation has been well documented elsewhere and can be pinned down to the likes of the popular anime-influenced Matrix films, anime-orientated kids shows such as Yu-Gi-Oh and Dragonball or more prominently (and perhaps more significantly) the critical success of Miyazaki's 2003 oscar-winning masterpiece Spirited Away. To be honest I think it's a combination of events that has led us to this happy state of affairs, the above included. Yet it's the speedy transition from VHS to the comparatively inexpensive DVD format that has really made the difference to UK anime fans; coupled with the increasing popularity of anime worldwide this has allowed UK publishers such as ADV and MVM to increase their output to the point where we're almost spoilt for choice. Where an anime fan back in the late nineties would have bought or at least considered buying every single new release available, I doubt there's many that can boast the same today. And unlike the last 'explosion' of anime during the mid-nineties, this isn't just a case of callous distributors flooding the market with inferior titles in the hopes of making a quick penny or two - you can honestly count the number of turkeys released over the last couple of years on one hand (well, maybe two if you take into account Manga's [now defunct] re-releases).

ADV have been at the forefront of this semi-revolution with a stunning number of quality releases. From classics such as Dirty Pair and Nadesico to modern licenses like Full Metal Panic! and Hellsing, they've provided the kind of quality and variety UK anime fans have been craving for years. While they still help cater for our national appetite for anime staples' sex, violence and robots, they've successfully counterbalanced this with more subtle titles that most probably wouldn't have seen the light of day under Manga's reign. Kino's Journey in particular is a wonderfully understated piece of animation that almost completely defies classification and would surely have many of Hollywood's marketing men running for the hills. 2004 has also seen ADV release several high-profile titles such as the hugely popular comedy Azumanga Daioh, the Evangelion-a-like RahXephon (which, depending on who you're talking to, is actually better than Evangelion!) and stylish vampire action Hellsing amongst others. It's been vintage year for the UK's most prolific anime publisher; a few minor blips not withstanding (nobody mention the Sonic movie...), they've not put a foot wrong.

Unfortunately for Manga 2004 was not a year to remember. Despite a few notable releases in the stylish Dead Leaves, uncut Fist of the North Star boxset and Ghost in the Shell TV series, their relative lack of activity and subsequent takeover has left a sour taste in the mouth. It would be easy to dismiss this as the end of an era, but in all honesty I think Manga's takeover could breath new life in to the onetime giant. Their new owners seem very accepting of the fact that the anime industry is changing at pace both in the UK and overseas, an integral factor that was leaving the old Manga behind the times. They face an uphill struggle if they wish to shake their outdated image and remodel themselves for a new generation, but I for one hope they keep at least a little of what made the old Manga so unique; even if the mainstream entirely embraced anime there's got to be room for some good ol' fashioned extreme violence!

MVM have been hot on ADV's tails, and 2004 has been a landmark year for the UK-based publisher. Despite a slow start, MVM had anime fans up and down the country grinning from ear to ear with the long anticipated (and long overdue!) release of Serial Experiments Lain. MVM have always been keen to publish fan favourites such as Lupin and Kimagure Orange Road, but with the release of Lain they marked what would seem to be a turning point in their fortunes. They soon began to snap up unarguably top-quality licenses left right and centre, and you only need look at their provisional release schedule for 2005 to realise that MVM are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. In 2004 they set the ball rolling with the acclaimed romantic comedy Fruits Basket, Gonzo sci-fi Kiddy Grade and seminal comedy Love Hina. MVM have succeeded where other UK-based publishers have tried and failed (Crusader Video, anyone?), and much to their credit they're not simply resting on their laurels. If the UK anime industry is to advance from here it needs publishers like MVM to keep the momentum going.

Despite being arguably one of the world's largest publisher of anime (and anime related memorabilia!), Bandai has never really had a presence in the UK market. That all changed in 2002 when the anime and toy giant released Gundam Wing on the back of the series' success on cable and digital TV channel CNX (and later Toonami). They followed this up with the all-encompassing videogame/comic/anime franchise Hack//Sign and fantasy epic Escaflowne, two of their most popular series in other territories. Originally scheduled for late 2004, the delayed release of Cowboy Bebop is nevertheless a key title for the now UK branch of the company, Beez. One of the most eagerly awaited titles outside of Lain, Cowboy Bebop also attained a moderate level of interest in the UK thanks to the now-defunct CNX channel. If this has effected Beez's decision to release this title is negligible - bringing one of the best anime series of the 90's to UK shores is a feat to be admired no matter how tardy. I'm glad Bandai have decided to finally take the UK market seriously - a move that will surely benefit anime fans up and down the country - yet I can't escape the feeling that they're still reluctant to really commit. 2005 will be an important year for Bandai and Beez - let's hope they can really make good on the impact they've been threatening for so long.

In 2004 we were also treated to a few releases from publishers who wouldn't normally dabble in anime. Optimum Releasing...uhh...released 1988's astonishingly never-before-released Grave of the Fireflies and the more recent Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust to an appreciative audience. Hopefully their Optimum Asia brand can continue to release animated titles of this quality over the next few years. Buena Vista (AKA Disney) righted a heinous wrong when they finally decided to publish the Studio Ghibli films Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service (well...they were actually released in 2003, but who's counting?), although they've yet to make good on their promise to release the remainder of Ghibli's stunning back-catalogue.

Fandom

With the popularity of anime on the increase it's only natural that the fanbase built around it has become more and more active. Perhaps the most significant event of 2004 was the much lauded Amecon which managed the braggable feat of coaxing over 1000 people to Leicester for a couple of days, easily the largest attendance a UK con has enjoyed for many years. Amecon won't be back in 2005 but Ayacon (hope you took note of the subtle difference there) will take the reigns for its fifth incarnation. Late 2004 saw the release of the first dedicated anime magazine since untimely demise of Manga Mania/Max in early 2000. Opinions about the early editions of Neo Magazine may have been varied, but it continues to improve and input from Manga Mania/Max stalwarts like Jonathan Clements will ensure that it'll remain a worthwhile read for any anime fan...well, for as long as it proves to be financially viable for its publisher, anyway!

Anime fandom being populated by a mostly...uhh...'technologically astute' bunch, 2004 also saw the emergence of several new websites dedicated to UK anime fans. Anime UK News, Anime-ni and Eye on Anime (I'm beginning to see a pattern here...) all impressed for various reasons, not least their commitment to furthering an admittedly sibling community of online anime fans. But thanks in part to the major publisher's admirable recognition of these websites I'm hopeful that these communities will continue to blossom throughout 2005.

And finally...

If you can overlook a little negative press from a few ill-informed sources who will remain nameless, it's been a fantastic year for anime. A widespread theatrical release or two and a little more anime on TV would have been the icing on the cake, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here! Anime has struggled to gain recognition in the UK for decades, and while nobody's pretending that we've achieved mainstream acceptability, we certainly took big strides towards that 'goal' during 2004. The mere fact that we no longer need to look at our transatlantic cousins with (quite so much) envy is something that can't be understated - with new DVD releases reaching these shores faster than ever before we no longer need to rely on imported or fansubbed copies to satisfy our appetites. Unless something goes disastrously wrong, 2005 will be a veritable banquet of anime, I can promise you that!

-- John Huxley 29th Jan 05