Local Anime Channel is Launched, Looking Good.

So, South Africa finally received its second dose of easily accessible anime in the form of Animax, a dedicated anime channel launched on DsTV.

Undoubtedly, you’ve been reading about it over at AnimeScene, who have done a fantastic job leading up to the launch. I must say, looking at the line-up, I am quite impressed: Solty Rei, Eureaka 7, Earth Girl Arjuna, .Hack// series are aired during the course of the day, obviously aimed at the younger end of the scale. Later in the evening, when there is less chance of little Timmy stumbling upon the all-encompassing malevolent horror and debauchery that is REAL anime, you can find Hellsing, Paranoia Agent, Speed Grapher, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Tenjo Tenge.

While I would liked to have seen more documentaries and variety shows (for example, interviews with animation houses, in-depth looks into otaku and anime culture, reports on events worldwide, etc), I can’t say that a 24-hour anime channel doesn’t appeal. The line-up is impressive, and largely reads as a must-see schedule for casual viewers being introduced to this genre.

Another interesting factor is that Animax, instead of sourcing currently licensed and translated anime, employ their own dubbing and subbing teams. I believe this is largely used for shows that have no official license in the US, which is fantastic. Some shows which would not have been seen otherwise find a home on the channel, which is great for exposing some of the lesser known or less popular shows. They also employ their own teams when censorship is an issue, often showing licensed shows in their entirety, which is commendable. I look forward to seeing a show that has Animax dubbing, so I can compare it to an existing series. More on this in a future post, perhaps.

Animax is one of five new channels introduced, so it would be easy to see it submerged beneath the others, but no: DsTV have done a fantastic job of promoting it. In their latest Dish TV guide, Animax takes centre stage on the front cover of the Dish magazine. Likewise, it gets good exposure in the publication itself, with a small write-up in the cover story. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex being highlighted as one of the premiere series, while Hellsing and Samurai 7 garner a spot in the November Highlighs section. I’ve taken photos of the cover and mentioned pages so you can take a gander.

 

Now, one minor criticism (What, so early in the day?). Accessing the DsTV TV guide from the remote, the only place it appears is in the “All Channels” selection. Now, considering that most people access the several sub-divisions, such as “Entertainment & Lifestyle”, “Movies” or “Kids/Teens” to see what’s on, the people who don’t use the Dish guide might not even be aware of its existence. As I said, quite minor, but I would have thought they would have listed it in the “Kids/Teens” or “Entertainment & Lifestyle” section.

The Business Report makes a small mention if you’re interested.

Now, some of you may remember that this is not the first time that anime has graced our shores. Fans of the peculiar and bizarre, as well as regular science-fiction, may recall that our dearly departed Sci-fi channel used to air a selection of dated anime titles in the wee hours of the morning. To be sure, there were some decent shows: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue. But most were awful. Monster City holds a particular place in my group of friends’ hearts as the most terrible anime ever created. There was also a title, whose name is thankfully lost in the depths of time, where a little psychic girl who acts retarded for a good part of the show loses her erstwhile companion whose most important function was to bring her oranges or something (Okay, probably not, but I don’t really recall.)

Anyway, after this boy is murdered and the orange supply dwindles, this girl begins to scream in remorse and crazed-enduced manner brought on by a deficiency in vitamin C on top of some tower, unleashing her awesome psychic power… which you don’t see. Instead, it cuts to a bare black and white declaration, in text only, with the following immortal words, “That day, Hong Kong disappeared off the face of the earth”, which prompted us to mutter these ominous words every-time something particularly earth-shattering happened in any other anime.

Animax is a far step beyond these early pioneers. Professional, sleek and current, it will undoubtedly do a great deal to promote the art form in South Africa.