Category: Ask John

Question: What can we look forward to in 2008?

Question: In your opinion, what was the best and worst of anime in 2007? What were the hits; what were the misses? What sleepers impressed; what train wrecks

Question: In the prologue of the first episode of Gurren-Lagann, we see a cocky Harlock-esque captain on the bridge of an enormus battleship prepare to engage countless enemies

Question: Dubbing costs a lot and many people (myself included) don’t even listen to dubs. We prefer watching a work in its original language. How many people care

Question: I know that the pilots for the Kimagure Orange Road, Kodocha, and Sky Girls TV series were released as one-shot OAVs. What other TV series also followed

Question: Do the Japanese feel that anime is a superior animation, much like most American and international anime/manga fans do?

Question: There are many anime genres that don’t sell well or are not popular in America. They include harem, magical girl, mecha, and slice-of-life, among others. Do you

Question: What is the reason behind the large popularity of anime characters who are just emotionless jerks? As basic examples, Sesshomaru from Inuyasha, Itachi of Naruto, and Bleach’s

Question: Do you believe that the demographic shift Japan is undergoing will further the disconnect between the types of anime popular in Japan and the US? The birth

Question: Is Cowboy Bebop still relevant? And are there any modern day classics of its caliber?

Question: Why do guys love tsunderes? For example, you have Shana. She’s always like, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” and people love it. I’m not getting it.

Question: Why isn’t Masakazu Katsura more popular in the U.S.? While there’s clearly a stateside market for romantic comedies, it’s clear that his anime and manga haven’t hit

Question: Doesn’t it seem that since the manga explosion DVD sales have been decreasing? With only so much money to spend, people seem to be picking up more

Question: Will Seirei no Moribito get a sequel? I found Seirei no Moribito to be the best anime series of the year, yet it was not rated very

Question: Do you believe that with better marketing anime companies can achieve more mainstream successes with titles that have potential, and with a higher ratio of mainstream titles