As an AXN viewer in 2000-2001, I was amazed with anime that were shown there. They all in native language(Japanese) rather than with Malay dub in Malaysian terrestrial TV channels. I asked myself, why not someone make an anime-only TV channel so I can watch my favorite anime 24/7! Actually Sony, the company who owned AXN also had the same thing in their mind and in fact its already in the process of making it real. Not long after that Animax is born and dreams of anime fans(I avoided myself using word "otaku" because its too stereotypical and too insulting) are fulfilled,well sort of.
While Animax not yet reach its 10th birthday yet but it already had long history with me and some other Southeast-Asian viewers. All I can say is Animax sucks and I barely can accept its existence, let alone watching it. Here's couples of my problems with Animax I can share with:
1. Licensing issues:
Instead of showing top-shelf anime, we may got some titles we may never heard of. Why? Because its much cheaper to license. Some other anime were already licensed in some countries and Animax-Asia, being multi-national TV channel can't violate the law. They also had problems of licensing issues from its native country as well,in this case Japanese people themselves.
2. The invasion of non-anime programs, mainly K-dramas:
Like all TV channels, it cannot survive for so long by sowing anime alone. Hell even I spent my time with AXN(which no longer showing anime today) than Animax because it had more variety like gameshows, non-fiction documentaries and of course TV series and movies. Even FOX TV had more variety than Animax. By violating its own nature, Animax decided to shows some K-dramas in prime time. Fortunately its over by now as too many anime fans complaining about it in their forums and Facebook page. Perhaps Animax also had same problems with MTV: Both find themselves lack of variety and betrayed their own name by trying to do so.
3. There's better, cheaper alternatives:
Unlike in 2001, there aren't many fansub groups and anime DVDs are expensive, few and hard to find. Now its 2011 and anime is increasing easy to find, both in internet and real-life. You can download it by using torrent or from popular file sharing sites. Don't want to download it? You can stream it instead in many anime streaming sites or in Youtube if you desperate enough. Anime DVDs are now cheaper and increasingly easy to find. In fact some stores already had "buy 1 free 1" scheme and you guess what: It just too damn many anime DVDs nowaday and consumers aren't growing in numbers. Why bother watching Animax when there are too many better alternatives?
4. Anime that they are showing did not meet viewers' taste:
As a seinen fans, I get sick with Animax showing too many shoujo shows like Black Butler, Maid-sama, Nodame Cantabille and in this November, Vampire Knight. So what should I do? Turn off the TV and get the laptop instead streaming my own favorite anime instead. At least just once, Animax did show Lucky Star and K-On! but only to find themselves some shoujo fangirls throwing shits at them(no joke) in their forums claiming Animax try to attract some no-life jerks to see their channel rather than being faithful to them, I mean shoujo fangirls. Unless Animax decided to chage their name as "Shoujo Channel" or "Shoujomax", they couldn't able to fulfill every single demograpics out there, like all TV channels.
5. It just flash in the pan:
Do you still remember when you ride on push scooters? I didn't. I guess Animax is heading into that way too.
While Animax not yet reach its 10th birthday yet but it already had long history with me and some other Southeast-Asian viewers. All I can say is Animax sucks and I barely can accept its existence, let alone watching it. Here's couples of my problems with Animax I can share with:
1. Licensing issues:
Instead of showing top-shelf anime, we may got some titles we may never heard of. Why? Because its much cheaper to license. Some other anime were already licensed in some countries and Animax-Asia, being multi-national TV channel can't violate the law. They also had problems of licensing issues from its native country as well,in this case Japanese people themselves.
2. The invasion of non-anime programs, mainly K-dramas:
Like all TV channels, it cannot survive for so long by sowing anime alone. Hell even I spent my time with AXN(which no longer showing anime today) than Animax because it had more variety like gameshows, non-fiction documentaries and of course TV series and movies. Even FOX TV had more variety than Animax. By violating its own nature, Animax decided to shows some K-dramas in prime time. Fortunately its over by now as too many anime fans complaining about it in their forums and Facebook page. Perhaps Animax also had same problems with MTV: Both find themselves lack of variety and betrayed their own name by trying to do so.
3. There's better, cheaper alternatives:
Unlike in 2001, there aren't many fansub groups and anime DVDs are expensive, few and hard to find. Now its 2011 and anime is increasing easy to find, both in internet and real-life. You can download it by using torrent or from popular file sharing sites. Don't want to download it? You can stream it instead in many anime streaming sites or in Youtube if you desperate enough. Anime DVDs are now cheaper and increasingly easy to find. In fact some stores already had "buy 1 free 1" scheme and you guess what: It just too damn many anime DVDs nowaday and consumers aren't growing in numbers. Why bother watching Animax when there are too many better alternatives?
4. Anime that they are showing did not meet viewers' taste:
As a seinen fans, I get sick with Animax showing too many shoujo shows like Black Butler, Maid-sama, Nodame Cantabille and in this November, Vampire Knight. So what should I do? Turn off the TV and get the laptop instead streaming my own favorite anime instead. At least just once, Animax did show Lucky Star and K-On! but only to find themselves some shoujo fangirls throwing shits at them(no joke) in their forums claiming Animax try to attract some no-life jerks to see their channel rather than being faithful to them, I mean shoujo fangirls. Unless Animax decided to chage their name as "Shoujo Channel" or "Shoujomax", they couldn't able to fulfill every single demograpics out there, like all TV channels.
5. It just flash in the pan:
Do you still remember when you ride on push scooters? I didn't. I guess Animax is heading into that way too.