Ask John: Is TV Anime Widescreen?

Question:
I read somewhere that Vandread was broadcast in a 16:9 format in Japan. I heard that it was picked up for distribution here in the U.S., and I was wondering if was going to be reformatted to 4:3 or left in a 16:9 format.

Answer:
Partially because “widescreen” televisions are more common in Japan and Europe than they are in the US, Japan has recently begun producing select anime television series in “widescreen.” Vandread, from last year, was the first series I’m aware of to be created and broadcast in 16:9 ratio. Several series from 2001 have been created in theatrical style widescreen including Earth Girl Arjuna, Soul Taker, Noir and Mahoromatic.

There are no available pan & scan “full screen” versions of any of these series available on home video in Japan, meaning that Pioneer would have to specifically create a pan & scan version for the American market if they wanted to release a full screen version in America. No details regarding the American release plans for Vandread have been revealed yet. But I assume that given Pioneer and much of the American anime industry’s efforts to be more responsive to anime fans and more considerate of the original artistic integrity of anime, Pioneer will likely release Vandread in its original Japanese 16:9 aspect ratio rather than remove some of the animation footage in order to stretch the image to a 4:3 ratio.