ADV was one of my favorite Anime companies, particularly because my friend over there, Rod Peters, was always recommending amazing stuff for me to check out. They were one of the bigger companies that will always remind me of a time when the anime industry was fresh and new and had tons of energy. I just saw a twitter via intermixi that said they were closing shop, and it’s just really sad news.
One of my favorite shows was Serial Experiments Lain, which pretty much every hacker kid who liked anime in the mid-90s watched. It’s about a girl, and it has a really twisted plotline about a place called “The Wired.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Experiments_Lain
I actually met the guy who ran the big Lain fansite while on a random Japan trip years later, as well as the creator and producer of the show at several conventions..
Another ADV release that I enjoy greatly is Voices from a Distant Star. It’s short, but it’s touching, and its largely the work of one person. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_of_a_Distant_Star It shows what is possible with enough determination.. from wikipedia: “Voices of a Distant Star was written, directed and produced entirely by Makoto on his Macintosh computer. Makoto and his fiancée provided the voice acting for the working dub (A second Japanese dub was later created for the DVD release with professional voice actors). Makoto’s friend Tenmon, who had worked with Makoto at his video game company, provided the soundtrack.”
I miss being excited about anime, and loving anime. ADV really brought some of that brightness into my life. I heard Tokyopop is having a lot of problems too this week. It’ll be interesting to see what changes come about in pop culture.
