A Day Late, and A Penny Short

Sometimes I really think having been born on a Friday the thirteenth means I’m destined to live under a constant cloud of shitty luck.

Minutes after posting my diatribe below, the very top story on Anime News Network (link) details how ADV, one of the largest US anime companies, will be streaming shows online for free over a new broadband component of their Anime Network television service (think Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim website).

Probably even bigger news, each week they’ll be adding one new episode of the highly anticipated series, Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, a recent giant robot anime from Gainax (creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion); these subtitled web episodes are being offered more than two months in advance of the first DVD release, set to hit retail in late February.

Well, I still think there’s way to much focus on how fansubs are killing the industry, but three cheers to ADV for this gutsy move. I honestly believe this is a huge step in the right direction and hope it’ll help brighten the dire outlook recently propounded by so many other anime insiders.

Hell, at the least it’ll make me reconsider buying Gurren-Lagann on DVD…maybe...I mean…it did kinda suck…

Here’s the link to ADV’s new broadband site. Enjoy my fellow anime-philes!