Animerica
Encyclopedia
Animerica is a quarterly digest
published by Viz Media
. It initially started as a monthly magazine
featuring reviews of anime
and manga
titles, as well as related works. After a preview issue was released in November 1992, the magazine's first issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1993 cover date. The magazine originally featured articles and reviews on manga, anime, and related media, as well as manga preview chapters. In 1998, Animerica Extra
was launched as a manga anthology which eventually focused specifically on shōjo titles. It was canceled in 2004.
Viz changed the magazine's format in April 2005, with the new magazine being three different free publications of the same name. One is advertising-oriented and created specially for distribution at anime and manga conventions while the other is more general in scope and with a version each for distribution through Waldenbooks
and Borders
stores. A similar version was later added for BestBuy stores. All three versions have fewer and briefer articles and a lower page count.
Animerica was one of the first professional anime and manga magazines released in the United States, and one of the most popular in the 1990s. In 2004, it had a circulation of 45,000 readers, but low sales and high competition from NewType USA resulted in the essential cancellation of the original magazine and its reformatting as a free digest. 100 copies of the first issue of the free digest were sent to 1,000 Waldenbooks and Border stores.
, the magazine was one of the first professional-quality anime and manga oriented magazine to be released in the United States. At the magazine's launch, it was co-edited by Seiji Horibuchi, Satoru Fujii, and Trish Ledoux. In 1998, Viz introduced a related magazine, Animerica Extra
, which was its first monthly manga anthology. This secondary magazine was canceled in 2004. To celebrate the magazine's ninth anniversary, Viz launched a redesign of the magazine starting with the November 2001 issue that included a new cover design, a new logo, and an increased focus on news, reviews, and Japanese trends. Fold-out posters were also added to every issue. By 2003, the magazine had also doubled its initial page count.
When Viz began publication of Animerica, it registered the name as a trademark
. In 1997, a Japanese company named Redsun began using the domain name "animerica.com" to host an adult oriented and hentai
distribution website. Viz attempted to purchase the domain name from the company, but Redsun refused. Viz filed a lawsuit claiming the website infringed on its trademark. The court agreed that the website was causing confusion with Viz's publication, but that the confusion was primarily limited to American audiences. The court refused Viz's request that the site be shut down and its assets frozen. It did, however, require that Redsun put a disclaimer on its website and all advertising noting that it was not affiliated with the Animerica magazine nor with Viz Media and that it provide a link to Viz's existing official website for the magazine at "www.animerica-mag.com." In November 2004, Redsun's adult website closed. Viz claimed the name in 2005, and by October the site had been relaunched as the official website of the new Animerica magazine.
and Waldenbooks
. A third variety, specifically for Best Buy
stores was later added to the line up.
The last monthly issue of the original Animerica was released with a cover date of June 2005 (Volume 13, No. 6). Subscriptions to the original magazine were replaced with subscriptions to Viz's Shojo Beat
manga anthology which was launched in July 2005.
, Galaxy Express 999
, One-Pound Gospel
, and Urusei Yatsura
appeared in it.
Current issues of the magazine still include articles on anime and manga releases, reviews of titles, and manga previews, they are all shorter and more concise than the original. The new version also has a much lower page count, leaving fewer articles in each issue.
. In 2004, the magazine had a circulation of 45,000, with 80% of its issues bought via newsstands rather than by subscription. This number was a drop from previous years, due to greater competition from other magazines, resulting in Viz's changing its format.
Approximately 100 copies of the first issue of the free version of Animerica were sent to 1,000 Borders
and Waldenbooks
stores around the United States.
Digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
published by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. It initially started as a monthly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
featuring reviews of anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
titles, as well as related works. After a preview issue was released in November 1992, the magazine's first issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1993 cover date. The magazine originally featured articles and reviews on manga, anime, and related media, as well as manga preview chapters. In 1998, Animerica Extra
Animerica Extra
Animerica Extra is a monthly shōjo manga magazine that was published in North America by Viz Media from 1998 until 2004. Established as a complement to its monthly review magazine Animerica, Animerica Extra was the first manga anthology to be published by Viz.The titles published in Animerica Extra...
was launched as a manga anthology which eventually focused specifically on shōjo titles. It was canceled in 2004.
Viz changed the magazine's format in April 2005, with the new magazine being three different free publications of the same name. One is advertising-oriented and created specially for distribution at anime and manga conventions while the other is more general in scope and with a version each for distribution through Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
and Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
stores. A similar version was later added for BestBuy stores. All three versions have fewer and briefer articles and a lower page count.
Animerica was one of the first professional anime and manga magazines released in the United States, and one of the most popular in the 1990s. In 2004, it had a circulation of 45,000 readers, but low sales and high competition from NewType USA resulted in the essential cancellation of the original magazine and its reformatting as a free digest. 100 copies of the first issue of the free digest were sent to 1,000 Waldenbooks and Border stores.
History
Animerica was introduced in 1992 with the release of issue 0, a preview issue, in November 1992, with the first official issue following in March 1993. With Viz's connections to ShogakukanShogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
, the magazine was one of the first professional-quality anime and manga oriented magazine to be released in the United States. At the magazine's launch, it was co-edited by Seiji Horibuchi, Satoru Fujii, and Trish Ledoux. In 1998, Viz introduced a related magazine, Animerica Extra
Animerica Extra
Animerica Extra is a monthly shōjo manga magazine that was published in North America by Viz Media from 1998 until 2004. Established as a complement to its monthly review magazine Animerica, Animerica Extra was the first manga anthology to be published by Viz.The titles published in Animerica Extra...
, which was its first monthly manga anthology. This secondary magazine was canceled in 2004. To celebrate the magazine's ninth anniversary, Viz launched a redesign of the magazine starting with the November 2001 issue that included a new cover design, a new logo, and an increased focus on news, reviews, and Japanese trends. Fold-out posters were also added to every issue. By 2003, the magazine had also doubled its initial page count.
When Viz began publication of Animerica, it registered the name as a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
. In 1997, a Japanese company named Redsun began using the domain name "animerica.com" to host an adult oriented and hentai
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
distribution website. Viz attempted to purchase the domain name from the company, but Redsun refused. Viz filed a lawsuit claiming the website infringed on its trademark. The court agreed that the website was causing confusion with Viz's publication, but that the confusion was primarily limited to American audiences. The court refused Viz's request that the site be shut down and its assets frozen. It did, however, require that Redsun put a disclaimer on its website and all advertising noting that it was not affiliated with the Animerica magazine nor with Viz Media and that it provide a link to Viz's existing official website for the magazine at "www.animerica-mag.com." In November 2004, Redsun's adult website closed. Viz claimed the name in 2005, and by October the site had been relaunched as the official website of the new Animerica magazine.
Reformatted
In April 2005, Viz announced that the magazine would be reformatted into two different free versions, and the monthly subscription version would be discontinued. The first version, similar to the original but with a lower page count, is advertising-sponsored and produced exclusively for specific anime and manga conventions and made available at those conventions for free. The second version is a quarterly digest-sized magazine that focuses more on content and has a wider range of content versus the convention version. Termed "magalogs" by Viz, these digest versions are distributed freely at BordersBorders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
and Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
. A third variety, specifically for Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
stores was later added to the line up.
The last monthly issue of the original Animerica was released with a cover date of June 2005 (Volume 13, No. 6). Subscriptions to the original magazine were replaced with subscriptions to Viz's Shojo Beat
Shojo Beat
Shojo Beat is a shōjo manga magazine formerly published in North America by Viz Media. Released in June 2005 as a sister magazine to Shonen Jump, it featured serialized chapters from six manga series, as well as articles on Japanese culture, manga, anime, fashion and beauty...
manga anthology which was launched in July 2005.
Features
Each issue of the original Animerica included articles covering anime and manga releases in both the United States and Japan, interviews with industry professionals such as voice actors and directors, reviews of anime and manga series, and articles and reviews on related areas such as games, model kits, and music releases. Each issue would also include a single chapter from a current Viz manga series. Over the course of the magazine's history, chapters from Area 88Area 88
is a Japanese manga series by Kaoru Shintani serialized between 1979 and 1986. The story is about a young pilot named Shin Kazama and his experiences at Area 88, a mercenary air force base secluded in the desert of a war torn country...
, Galaxy Express 999
Galaxy Express 999
is a manga written and drawn by Leiji Matsumoto, as well as various anime films and TV series based on it. It is set in a space-faring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer their minds into mechanical bodies, thus achieving practical immortality.The manga won the...
, One-Pound Gospel
One-Pound Gospel
is a manga series created by Rumiko Takahashi, author of Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½, and InuYasha. The series was serialized periodically in Weekly Young Sunday from issue 9 in 1987 to issue 3/4 in 2007. Released in North America by Viz Media, it is a fusion of the sports and romantic comedy genres...
, and Urusei Yatsura
Urusei Yatsura
is a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
appeared in it.
Current issues of the magazine still include articles on anime and manga releases, reviews of titles, and manga previews, they are all shorter and more concise than the original. The new version also has a much lower page count, leaving fewer articles in each issue.
Circulation and reception
Animerica was one of the most popular anime and manga magazines in North America for nearly a decade. In July 2000, Animerica was named the Best English-language publication at the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation awards at Anime ExpoAnime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
. In 2004, the magazine had a circulation of 45,000, with 80% of its issues bought via newsstands rather than by subscription. This number was a drop from previous years, due to greater competition from other magazines, resulting in Viz's changing its format.
Approximately 100 copies of the first issue of the free version of Animerica were sent to 1,000 Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
and Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
stores around the United States.