PA #91: Letter From The Editor

Greetings, Protoculture Addicts!

Chris Macdonald recently handled the proverbial reigns of this magazine over to me a month or two ago and since then IÕve been handling most of the editorial content. Well, I suppose thatÕs kind of misleading; Claude still basically controls the magazine and handles the layout. I just get to wrangle our myriad freelancers and part-time staffers into actually turning their work in on time, which is a lot like herding cats. I also determine what most of the feature articles are, and handle the reviews department, as well as the news section. Sometimes I might even actually write something myself, which it may come as a surprise to you that being able to do that is very rare for a magazine editor.

ÒOh no!Ó you may be saying to yourself. ÒWhat will become of my beloved Protoculture Addicts? Will this new editor change everything and totally screw up the magazine IÕve been readinÕ and lovinÕ since breakdancing was vogue?Ó

While I can understand your concern, thereÕs no need to worry; I have 8 years of publishing experience in the anime industry. I cut my teeth working for Anime News Network back in college, then went on to be a professional freelancer until Wizard snatched me up in 2004; Chris Macdonald hired me on as a full-time employee in 2005, and IÕve been toiling away on Anime News Network ever since. Suffice to say, IÕll be bringing those years of experience to the table while working on Protoculture Addicts.

So never fear, dear readers: aside from a few totally surface-level changes, everything you know and love about Protoculture Addicts will stay the same. My proposed changes are simple, really, and should get you all excited! What can you expect out of future issues of Protoculture Addicts?

• Long-winded, promo-art-heavy feature articles that basically synopsize the related press release and tell you why you should buy the DVD
• Gigantic art spreads with blocks of colored text in 8-point font thatÕs really difficult to read, mostly because it was clearly translated straight from Japanese by someone with a 2-year associateÕs degree in Chemistry from the Community College of Scranton, Pennsylvania
• Gimmicky features that donÕt tell you anything relevant about the show but do offer plenty of opportunities to briefly hint at events that might occur in later episodes, not that youÕd know what theyÕre referring to
• Reviews that guarantee everything gets a B or better, complete with totally solid reasons why everything ever made is worth your time and money
• Our solemn promise that if you see an ad for a show in the magazine, there will be at least 3 feature pages dedicated to telling you why you should buy that show.

Sounds great, right?

Right?

All right, all right, IÕm joking. Of course my new position here at Protoculture Addicts wonÕt change a thing; weÕre always working to improve our content, and itÕs my job to make sure that happens. So hopefully, when you see our features this issue on upcoming shows like Witchblade and Death Note and take a little trip back in time to check out Wings of Honneamise, youÕll notice a little improvement. WeÕre working to make sure that happens in every single issue. WeÕre dedicated to going further in-depth and focusing on the hard information, as well as providing compelling, unique features that no other publication out there can boast about. And weÕre doing it all because weÕre being paid handsomely we love anime.

ItÕs an honor and a privilege to work for the countryÕs oldest and longest-running anime magazine.

One last thing: I forgot to mention that we are changing the name of the magazine to ÒAnime Sex PartyÓ to increase circulation.

Éjust kidding. Or am I?

Zac Bertschy
Managing Editor, Protoculture Addicts

You can give your comments on this issue either on the magazine's forum or via e-mail at comments@protoculture.ca