Akadot - Article - Letters to the Editor: The dialogue continues page 2

I just wanted to let you know that I love your site. Your writers definitely keep a fresh and interesting outlook on all the anime out there and I haven't enjoyed reading any editorials as much as these in an incredibly long time. So, kudos for a job well done!

P.S. The 7/20 News additions last night really threw me for a loop as to what day it was. I had just woken up and was wiping the sleep from my eyes when all of a sudden I see that I must have slept through two entire days! You can imagine the chuckle I had at myself when I finally came to my senses.

First of all, thank you for the compliment. And, yes, on our posting for July 16, 2001 we also accidentally posted two that were slated, and dated, for July 20, 2001. I too checked the site in a semi-lucid state and felt that I had indeed lost time. This small mistake has led to improvements in our processing system.

Um..Were you stoned when you wrote that or are you inherently unfunny and idiotic? I am sorry to say it so harshly but what could be so funny, amusing or otherwise worth the time to read on that list? What was the point of it?

I personally hated it and will never visit your site again. It was a waste of time, bandwidth and the whole design is very dull, mundane and utterly uncreative. What, did the Top 10 list take up your whole staff's brainpower or was that just you? And oh yeah, nnnnnniiiiiiiiice name *rolls eyes*.

I'm sorry you didn't like the top ten list. We publish one every week and there are bound to be some duds. However, overall, we've had quite a positive reaction. And I'm not sure to which you are referring. I'm assuming it's the one about the lies they tell you about anime, but I don't know, you never mentioned it in your email.

Now, as to never visiting our site again because of one top ten list, something that represents a sliver of our total output, seems to me to be nominally unfair. We have a wide swath of features including articles, interviews, etc. However, I respect your willingness to chime in with your opinion.

I do have one question. Based on your distaste for this one piece, why did you find it necessary to insult my staff's intellectual prowess?

And our design is sparse because we'd like to concentrate more on content than flash. However, again, I respect you chiming in with your opinion.

I am one open to any and all feedback. Would you be willing to expand on the statements you've made in this email? Though this might sound patronizing, I am indeed interested in hearing feedback, especially from voices that are so obviously disgusted with our efforts.

I am writing in response to the recent "Robotech" DVD contest where winners selected will receive an autographed copy of the "Robotech" DVD set. Here were the rules to the contest:

"In commemoration of the upcoming DVD release, the anime website Akadot is running a 'Robotech' contest where fans can type, in 25 words or less, how wonderful 'Robotech' is."

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This is not an exact quote of the rules to the "Robotech" contest as they appeared on Akadot but a paraphrasing of one of the rules from the contest cited in the letter as a quotation.]

However, in reviewing the list of winners and their submission, it was quite obvious that many of the contestants' responses were actually more than 25 words. Because of this, I don't feel (and I am sure many others feel the same way too) that the contest was carried or judged fairly for those that ACTUALLY FOLLOWED the rules.

I assure you that the contest was carried out fairly, if somewhat subjectively. Nearly every entry was great, and we chose eight specific ones that we felt reflected the spirit of the contest. No one was judged unfairly, and we favored those that kept the answers to under 25 words.

Please understand that the contest is meant to celebrate people's emotional connection to a series many consider one of their first favorite shows - and, appropriately, we chose to loosen the restrictions to allow that sentiment to shine. Thanks for your response, though.