PA #92: Letter From The Editor

Recently, with the 20th anniversary of the magazine getting quite close, I was reflecting on the motivations behind the creation of the magazine. I was thinking about my original objectives, wondering if I had succeeded to accomplish all that I wanted to do. More importantly, I was wondering if the magazine was fulfilling the expectations of our readers?

In the beginning, Protoculture Addicts was simply a fanzine and all I wanted was to have fun and share my enthusiasm for anime. After a few years, around issue #16, I decided to dedicate myself full-time to the magazine. I didnÕt want to do an entertaining magazine, but a magazine about entertainment. I wanted it to be a professional magazine that approached the subject seriously, without being a dry and austere academic publication. I wanted it to be informative, like a Time Magazine for anime, and yet still reflect our enthusiasm for the subject. I wanted the readers to discover the multiple facets of anime, introduce them to as many titles as possible, and make them not only appreciate its entertainment value, but also reflect on the richness and depth that can be found in some anime. I wanted a magazine that would be simple and accessible both in its content and look. It was not always easy to conciliate all those aspects.

Of course, if you ask the average fans what kind of magazine they want, theyÕd tell you they want a 200-page free magazine, stacked with poster and DVD inserts, that will keep them informed about all the new anime shows even before they air in Japan! ThatÕs a level of expectations that obviously no magazines could meet. A print magazine (which is usually monthly or bimonthly) cannot compete with the internet to offer up-to-date news about the latest anime seriesÑthatÕs the job of websites like Anime News NetworkÑso we donÕt even try to keep up with the latest shows in Japan. I believe that most sensible fans simply want intelligent and balanced reporting and thatÕs exactly what we are trying to provide. We could have removed the news section entirely (why duplicate the excellent work of ANN?), but we must not forget that PA is read by a large variety of different people, so we kept a reduced news coverage (as well as the list of DVD and manga releases) for the readers who are not heavy internet users and would rather get their news from a print magazine. For those who read the news online, we tried to make the news more interesting by offering a more condensed and analytical format where we present the most important news of the moment with a commentary that places them in perspective.

In a similar way, the ÒAnime StoryÓ section was originally designed to provide background information and synopses in order to help readers understand the stories of the anime series they were watching ÒrawÓ (in Japanese only). In those days, that was usually how fans were watching anime in club meetings. Of course, that type of article was made obsolete with the greater availability of commercial releases in English and large internet distribution of fansubs. Over time, the ÒAnime StoriesÓ have evolved, and now they simply introduce readers to new anime titles (not necessarily the most recent), giving a quick overview of the story, some background information (character profiles, cast & staff, etc.), as well as a short review. However, we always try to give those articles a spin, a special touch. We don't want to write the same type of simple plot synopses that anybody can read in every anime blog. We always try to see an anime or movie under a different angle, where we not only tell the readers what we found interesting in that particular title, but also what else we could learn through it or what type of reflection it can initiate. We want the readers to, like us, try to see beyond the entertainment value of a specific title. It does not always work well, but at least that's what we are trying to do.

All in all, I think we succeeded in meeting and keeping the original objectives of the magazine. I am quite satisfied with it. The magazine has high-quality content and, with the essential support of Anime News Network, have finally obtained an enjoyable and more colorful look. However, thereÕs always more work to do. Recently, Anime News Network ran a poll asking their readers ÒDo you read PA?Ó and from the results I am drawing two conclusions. First, 30% of the respondents said they were not reading PA either because they felt it was not interesting for them or because they were simply not reading any print magazines (favoring the internet instead). Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we cannot please everyone. But we will continue to work harder and hopefully they will eventually try the magazine and like it. Secondly, 50% of the respondents said they donÕt know the magazine or canÕt find it easily. Despite our success, we are still reaching only a fraction of our potential readership and therefore we must also work harder in promoting the magazine.

For now, please enjoy another great issue!

Claude J. Pelletier
Editor-in-chief, Protoculture Addicts

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