Predictions and Resolutions: 2008 Edition

Last week, I evaluated how accurately I made predictions for 2007 and how poorly I followed through with my resolutions. I took a lot longer than I thought to come up with five of each for 2008 for some reason but I eventually did so here are some things I think might happen in the next year and goals I should strive toward in that same time frame. (Other bloggers’ resolutions: CCY, kristalyamaki, Reverse Vampire [T.H.A.T.], Crusader [also T.H.A.T.])

PREDICTIONS:
1) The next season of Haruhi will feature a J-Pop dancy opening or closing song, akin to Hare Hare Yukai or Motteke Sailor Fuku.

Kyoto Animation has been alternating between energetic comedies and Key-based dramas for the past couple years so when CLANNAD finishes in April, it should be time for another energetic title in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya and another energetic song to go with it (featuring voice idol Aya Hirano, of course).

NOTE: This does not necessarily mean that the sequence itself will involve a new, fantastic dance sequence; rather, the prediction is mainly focused on a song that has a really good dance beat and could possibly inspire fans to create a dance to it. Ah, viewer-created memes…

2) A Japanese studio will release English-subbed episodes online near-simultaneously with the airing of episodes on Japanese TV, perhaps using torrents.

Okay, I think this will likely be the crazy failure of this year’s bunch but let me attempt to explain why I’m making such a bold prediction. Japanese studios have become increasingly more aware of the American market (and slightly of the European market) that they have been willing to make collaborative projects such as Afro Samurai and one of the main complaints of US consumers is the long lead times in DVD releases so why not just cater to a “non-intended” audience by providing official subs soon after they air. The studios may not have to do it themselves and could hire an agency to do the translation since they have the original scripts and the episodes are already in the queue. (A potential business opportunity for a band of learned Japanese-English translators?)

I think it would be really interesting if even one anime in 2008 was released this way mainly to contrast the “official” translation with the fansubbed ones. Then again, there is the ever-present fear of Engrish and any candidate for this type of experiment would likely be a Net-premiering anime like Keitai Shoujo or something was not going to be popular anyway and might gain a slightly larger initial audience through the “gimmick” factor.

3) Another studio will take over some of Geneon’s “on hiatus” licenses.

This is more of a hopeful wish than a pure prediction but I’ll pair with it an attempted rationalization. The halting of distribution has surely stalled much of the momentum for some titles such as The Story of Saiunkoku, Higurashi, Karin, and Shonen Onmyoji since they are essentially “out of print” until further notice. Many of the studios have the same goal of “widen[ing] the anime market in North America”, something John Ledford said in the press release announcing a strategic alliance between ADV and Geneon that ultimately crumbled a month later. The process could involve Geneon selling licenses to other groups or the other studios actively volunteering to take on the projects – I think the dubbing casts would stay the same, for those who care. For the time being, though, the fate of as-yet-unreleased titles such as Nanoha and Seirei no Moribito is foggy.

4) There will be more “subtitled only” DVD releases, notably from studios other than Media Blasters or RightStuf.

One of the solutions that people have suggested to help reduce costs within the industry is for studios to begin to shift to subs-only DVDs. AnimeNation’s “Ask John” column addressed this question a couple weeks ago with John saying dubbing is “absolutely necessary to make an anime title commercially viable in America” and that eliminating it would cause greater decreases in profit than gains in savings due to a more limited ability for television exposure. I agree somewhat with John with regards to the big titles like Bleach and Code Geass but there is room for some lower-profile titles to adapt that method.

Media Blasters regularly does sub-only releases with niche titles such as Simoun, Loveless, and Princess Princess and RightStuf with its upcoming Emma box set releases. I doubt there will very many subs-only releases by Funimation, Bandai, or ADV since they usually have their dubs featured on Cartoon Network or the Anime Network but it could be a viable path for Geneon if they choose to continue on publishing titles in the near future and there may also be a couple that trickle out from the big three licensors I mentioned.

5) Another Japanese food will rise to meme/fan favorite status due to a premiering anime.

Shakugan no Shana (2005) had melonpan, Kanon (2006) had taiyaki, and Clannad (2007) has dangos so I’m expecting some other food item paired with “FTW” based on its prominence in a 2008 anime. What and where it’ll be I have no f’ing clue but I’ll know when I see it consistently appear in the episode summary headlines.

RESOLUTIONS:
1) I will draw/sketch more in this year.

I have been wanting to begin drawing more for a while and I bought a sketchbook fall quarter, although I’ve only used it once. I’ll try to practice drawing people and animals since I suck at those most but I really want to improve in general and also to actually have stuff to put on my DA account.

2) I will devise more creative ways to review series.

I recently got an embedded webcam along with my new Vista laptop, which surprisingly also bore a Firewire port and provided me with renewed enthusiasm into using my pretty dormant camcorder. Those two features made me think about combining footage from the series with real-life video, e.g. going into a musical instrument store and talking about Nodame Cantabile. I’m not sure exactly how many businesses will actually allow me to use a camera inside their stores so some of these ambitious episodes may instead involve me using props while at home, on campus, in a field or somewhere else. Of course, I could always draw a quick, oversimplified summary to accompany the review text and that would suffice as well.

3) I will create at least one AMV during 2008.

This is a carryover from last year except this time my goal is to simply complete a single AMV. Easy, right? We’ll see come 12/31/08…

4) I will get a damn job.

For the past couple years, I have been mainly living off of college loans and I recently got a car so it’s about time I got crackin’ and get hired somewhere. Unfortunately, I don’t have that much work experience apart from volunteering but I’m sure I’d qualify for a part-time position on campus and will certainly apply for some. Of course, this may also apply to after graduation but I’d rather it happen sooner rather than later.

5) I will seriously get going on my backlog, especially the box sets.

I have probably five or six box sets I have yet to watch including a couple I got last week as well as a bunch of fansubbed stuff I haven’t seen either. The main problem has been waiting for enough time to go marathons and mini-marathons, which are likely not going to happen unless I’m on break between quarters…and even then I get distracted and forget to watch stuff. So I’ll try to get through them in three episode chunks or a disc at a time – that way, I can build up to the overall goal – completion – through small steps. It takes more effort to find a DVD case on the shelf, take out the disc, and put it into a player so I will likely prioritize the physical media a bit more than the fansubs at first.

Related posts based on tags:

• Predictions and Resolutions for 2007 (1)
• Predictions & Resolutions: 2K10 Edition (4)
• Evaluating 2008 Predictions and Resolutions (2)
• Assessing 2007 Predictions and Resolutions (2)
• 2009 Predictions and Resolutions: A Week Late Like 2008 (1)