In the US, anime fandom seems to have the same challenges and questions every year. Will anime fall out of favor and become just an old (but long running) fad? Will the shows brought over do justice to the breadth and scope that makes up anime, or just fall flat? How much will get cut? How much longer will we wait for shows that are to be released? Where will we go from here?

2002 started to show a wind up in anime on TV. The Toonami block on Cartoon Network going was still going strong along with the expanded Adult Swim. Older shows like Yu-Yu-Hakusho and newer ones like Inu-Yasha made their appearance this year. Saturday mornings began to be overrun by anime, something of a mixed blessing. Outside of Toonami and Adult Swim the titles ranged from rampant merchandising opportunity Yu-Gi-Oh, to cute but lackluster shows like Kirby, and to the rather boring Tokyo Pig. Although not every anime is fantastic, the choices this year could have been better. However, this is a good sign: every year the amount of shows grow larger on regular TV showing that the public has an interest, which means at some point more shows will be on the way. The only thing we can hope for right now is that the level of shows will improve and the networks will be willing to risk more.

On the movie front, there was yet another Miyazaki classic in art-house theatres, Spirited Away. Miyazaki has stretched the boundaries even further in this movie, with a not so heroic girl as the main character, a far cry from her noble sisters Nausicaa and Kiki, and more in line of her recent sibling, San. However, the other Miyazaki films continue to sit in Disney's vault, collecting dust.

In the inside track of fandom (fansubbing, direct from Japanese TV tapes) things still progressed as usual, with the time-delay between shows now becoming almost nonexistent. However, companies buying the rights to different series have turned most anime club showings into "get there first" competitions or aquiring permission to show films.

I have no idea what is going to happen in 2003, however, I have some guesses and it could go either way:

The first is that two things may happen: major networks like FOX and ABC will still play it safe and show dull, "tame" anime and bore out the new crowd, or they will build on it and take yet another baby step towards more interesting shows. Maybe they could try picking up something like Magical Knight Rayearth? I'm sure yet, but again a lot will have to go to the cutting room floor and re-written for their tastes. If they keep the plot something close to intact it would be better than what is being shown now. And just think of the merchandising possibilites with toys already pre-made. (I am being a bit sarcastic, but who knows? Maybe some exec will read it and go, "hmm") To expect anything grander outside of Adult Swim will probably not happen. There is also a groundswell beginning to form with anime-inspired art and animation and Japanese companies beginning to see opportunities here for business. At some point I think these two forces will grow larger this year, with a really good chance that they will meet. What this will mean is that there may suddenly be a solid bridge between the Japanese companies and the US in which to acquire shows and get the best from Japan directly. However, with any bridge, it goes both ways. Anime has had a great impact on us, will we, in return have any impact on it?