When did ANN "change" in your opinion?

[Lord Dalek]

Since we're all getting tired of these threads (and I'm expecting a much needed mortaorium soon) might as well squeeze one more in...

When I was in high school and college, Anime News Network was considered one of the high points in what was then considered the relatively small field of anime journalism. In some ways it still is, however lately they've taken a hit over blatant hypocrisy, slander, possible bribery, nepotism, and just general inaccuracy. What in your opinion has caused this and please for the love of god do not limit it just to the name "Zac Bertschy".

 

[Philmister978]

Honestly, it has to be the influx of people who have to cry at every little thing imaginable on the forums.

 

[GingaDaiuchuu]

Looks pretty damn alive to me. Even with countless other anime sites of all kinds, ANN is still the best for many different purposes.

 

[Kevin the Geek]

I happen to enjoy Anime News Network.

I go there for anime news, and I like their Answerman column. Their podcasts can also be pretty cool, especially when they talk to people from Funimation.

 

[KarlOlson]

Changed the thread title to something way less incendiary.

Eh, considering ANN does anime streaming (albeit in a partnership with Crunchyroll for the most part these days,) pays at least some their writing staff (or so I've heard from ANN reporters at cons) and still maintains one of best single sources of anime and manga data in their encyclopedia, I'd call them anything but dead. They've certainly fared as well as the industry itself, which itself has seen better days, so really, I'd say their in decent shape.

As far as the accusations in the OP, this is both the first I've heard of them, and they are harsh enough I want a good source for each every one before saying anything one it.

Meanwhile, it's fair to admit their forum user base has changed, but so has every other anime forum's user base, including this forum's. Whether that's a plus or a minus is so tied to personal taste rather than any objective reality that I'm not sure whether it merits discussion.

 

[GWOtaku]

. What in your opinion has caused this

Petty people making up garbage as near as I can tell, I'm with Karl. They are fine, certainly when it comes to reporting. If anything they're better than ever now with Justin Sevakis on Answerman, & Mike Toole's column is one of my favorite things to read.

 

[KYO'NYUU IMOUTO]

I have really enjoyed Justin Sevakis' editorials and the like lately. I've learned a lot from the big three-part articles he did for The Anime Economy and All About Licensing. It's a shame these articles seem to get so little traction outside of the site itself. The western fandom of Japanese animation would certainly be better off if it were a pinch more well-read.

Having Sevakis on Answerman will only make it easier to learn cool new information, too.

 

[Mr. Anime]

What are you even talking about, Lord Dalek? This is the first time, I've ever heard such rumors about ANN and I been visiting that for nearly 10 years now. If anything as pointed out, they're even more informative than ever before and continue to served as consent fixture of support for the anime fandom.

Really, the only real problem I ever had with ANN is that I find quite a few of it's forum members tend to be rather jerkish and unpleasant about their opinions and won't stop trying to shove them down the throats of others. But that is a minor and easily ignored issue in an over-all excellent and incredibly useful web-site, full of journalistic professionalism.

 

[KYO'NYUU IMOUTO]

ANN does tend to be slow on the uptake when it comes to news these days. They only just today posted news about Shingeki no Kyo-jin's final episode being screened in theaters, for example. I've known about that for a few days, thanks to Twitter. They also seem to be watermarking images for whatever reason, too. I can't say I particularly like that, considering we're talking about scans from somebody else's magazines.

 

[MadMan400096]

I've only been following ANN for about a year, and the only real problem I've seen with it is a somewhat noticeable hostility towards anything "moe" no matter what its actual quality is. For instance, despite Girls und Panzer being a great show, very few of the "professional" ANN reviewers have touched it beyond episode 1, and the closest I've seen to an actual review was Bamboo Dong dumping it from "The Stream" (a feature where she watches all of the new shows in a given season until she quits) after only one column and three episodes, none of which were really representative of the series' overall quality (while Episode 3 improves upon the admittedly clunky first two, it's at the fourth that the series really picks up).

 

[KYO'NYUU IMOUTO]

I've only been following ANN for about a year, and the only real problem I've seen with it is a somewhat noticeable hostility towards anything "moe" no matter what its actual quality is. For instance, despite Girls und Panzer being a great show, very few of the "professional" ANN reviewers have touched it beyond episode 1, and the closest I've seen to an actual review was Bamboo Dong dumping it from "The Stream" (a feature where she watches all of the new shows in a given season until she quits) after only one column and three episodes, none of which were really representative of the series' overall quality (while Episode 3 improves upon the admittedly clunky first two, it's at the fourth that the series really picks up).

I am unfamiliar with the reviews in question, but as a reviewer myself I have to defend this. If your show is not good after three episodes it is not worth devoting the effort to reviewing simply for the sake of reviewing it. One can have an opinion of the content they have viewed and only that content, but it is rather safe to say things are what they are. It takes a responsible person to be able to step back and say "I am unhappy, therefore I will make myself happy" and if that means no longer viewing and reviewing a series after three episodes, by all means.

 

[GingaDaiuchuu]

Really, the only real problem I ever had with ANN is that I find quite a few of it's forum members tend to be rather jerkish and unpleasant about their opinions and won't stop trying to shove them down the throats of others. But that is a minor and easily ignored issue in an over-all excellent and incredibly useful web-site, full of journalistic professionalism.

Although I don't go on ANN forums, this sure doesn't sound unfamiliar from other forums.

 

[Gold Guy]

I...really like ANN. I haven't really noticed a decline.

 

[MadMan400096]

I am unfamiliar with the reviews in question, but as a reviewer myself I have to defend this. If your show is not good after three episodes it is not worth devoting the effort to reviewing simply for the sake of reviewing it. One can have an opinion of the content they have viewed and only that content, but it is rather safe to say things are what they are. It takes a responsible person to be able to step back and say "I am unhappy, therefore I will make myself happy" and if that means no longer viewing and reviewing a series after three episodes, by all means.

I'm not speaking for all reviewers, but I think there should be at least one reviewer on the site to actually watch and review shows, even if they suck. I'm not a sadist, I just think that unless the work doesn't really give anything to say, avoiding a review of a series as a whole because one doesn't like it just comes off as lazy and unprofessional to me. Several reviewers on the site actually have completed several series they didn't find worth their time, and it didn't seem to hurt them. Also, what irked me about the GuP situation is not the Bamboo Dong review itself, but how it's been practically shafted in terms of actual reviews since, considering that several series streamed before, at the same time, and after got reviews.

 

[Cartoon X]

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga is easily one of my favorite review series on the net.

Other than that...I really don't care that much for Anime News Network, at least nowadays. I check in on Answerman if there happens to be an interesting question being asked, but don't regularly check in on the other regular features. I don't care for their reviews, most of them are too long-winded for me personally and not very interesting, or sometimes I just have such a different opinion I get annoyed reading them. Maybe I'm just bitter because of their consistently negative reviews of Bobobo and the fact they gave Panty and Stocking an "F" while giving Aku no Hana an "A+," lol. I don't know anything about the controversies surrounding the site, and I don't really care. As long as I can learn of interesting manga that I've never heard of but am interested in reading from Jason Thompson, I'm good.

 

[KYO'NYUU IMOUTO]

I'm not speaking for all reviewers, but I think there should be at least one reviewer on the site to actually watch and review shows, even if they suck. I'm not a sadist, I just think that unless the work doesn't really give anything to say, avoiding a review of a series as a whole because one doesn't like it just comes off as lazy and unprofessional to me. Several reviewers on the site actually have completed several series they didn't find worth their time, and it didn't seem to hurt them. Also, what irked me about the GuP situation is not the Bamboo Dong review itself, but how it's been practically shafted in terms of actual reviews since, considering that several series streamed before, at the same time, and after got reviews.

What you are asking for is wholly impractical. A show is not entitled to reviewing merely because it exists, certainly when the reviews outft in question is under no obligation to anyone to review said show. You are seeking reviews for the reviewer's opinion, not your opinion. If they dropped a show that is pretty clear indication "Hey, this sucks," is their opinion.

 

[Classic Speedy]

I regularly consult their encyclopedia (and have even contributed to a few titles) but I stay far away from their forums. Too many outright rude individuals on there.

 

[Philmister978]

I regularly consult their encyclopedia (and have even contributed to a few titles) but I stay far away from their forums. Too many outright rude individuals on there.

You contribute? I've been doing that since the middle of August.

The forums I just take a gander at, and post on occasion.

 

[Gold Guy]

I contribute too. I think I'm now in the top 100 contributors.

 

[Takao]

I don't particularily care about ANN's opinion pieces beyond ANNCast. Yes, Zac can be a bit whiny but oh well.