Ok, had some troubles with ecto and lost this post once already. It seriously drove me to the brink, so I am testing out some new blog software. This one is going to be Microsoft's Windows Live Writer software, it's looking pretty nice, but it has some quirks. The other is WB Editor, which I will test shortly. And then, as a fail-safe, I have BlogJet on reserve.

Moving along! Nikkei Business has posted an in-depth review of the anime industry as it stands in Japan. So what's the verdict? Well, it's mixed at best. It looks like there is more anime, but that it isn't doing as well overall. To make this point, they take Gedo Senki aside and point out that while, yes, it does do well in the box office, it is only doing about 60% of the business that Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi did in 2001. They also mention that even though there are currently 103 anime being broadcast in the Tokyo area, very few of them are doing well on DVD sales. So why is this? Nikkei toys with the idea that outsourcing has caused the general quality of work in Japanese anime to drop. But that's something that's been said for a long time, so nothing new there. But still, if they didn't outsource, could there BE 103 anime airing right now? And what about budgets for character animation when you are paying more animators a higher wage because of the high Japanese standard of living. It balances out, I think. But I'm a fan, so I am biased.

But some good news, Suzumiya Haruhi DVDs are selling extremely well with volume 0 moving 70,000 units and volume 1 well over 90,000 units sold so far. It's doing so well, in fact, that Kadokawa Enterprises is positioning it as their Gundam, figuratively speaking. Is it me, or did Kadokawa just announce Haruhi season 2?