Interview With Anime Nation

When was Anime Nation established, and what was the actual inspiration behind the website?
AN officially started in 1995, with just an anime fan page. There weren't too many back then, with the web just starting, so we used to get requests to sell video for the images we put up. Thus the monster was born.

How are you coping against a rather big adversary, namely "normal" movies and TV series? How have people responded to anime DVDs and the format in entertainment in your perspective?
We're not really up against 'normal' movies and series, since we don't carry those lines. We made the decision years ago to stick with anime, and that's still all we do. DVD really helped to boost the video industry in general, anime included. It's a better format than the previous mainstream format, and since anime fans are generally a technically savvy group anyway, they jumped right on DVD.

What are your current goals in providing quality service for anime-hungry people around the world?
We keep doing what we do, which is to say, provide a quality product and service backed up by a knowledgeable staff, in the fastest way possible, and respond as quickly as possible to any issues that may come up during the process.

Currently, how well are you selling merchandise? Any specific titles that sell more than the rest?
Off the top of my head, I'd have to say (Final Fantasy) Advent Children and Fullmetal Alchemist are two of the hottest properties that have a decent amount of merchandise.

A lot of anime gets released every year, so what up-and-coming titles are you expecting the most out of? Any really exciting releases coming soon?
Presuming that you're inquiring about anime that's soon to hit America, there are a few shows making their debut this summer that are worth special notice.

On the cute end of the spectrum, Kamichu and Strawberry Marshmallow are both adorably sweet shows. Kamichu has fantastic animation and is filled with interesting examples of Japanese culture. Strawberry Marshmallow is just a cute and happy little show.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Speed Grapher and Basilisk are both hitting American DVD this summer. Speed Grapher is a mature, sexy, mysterious action adventure. Basilisk might be the best ninja anime since the original Ninja Scroll movie.

Falling somewhere in between is Ninja Nonsense, a really off-kilter and wacky ninja comedy with cute girls and plenty of "fan service."

And, of course, our own Haré+Guu will continue coming out through the summer. The first DVD was voted Anime on DVD's best DVD release of February 2006.

Any plans on getting something new and special into your selection, which you already aren't providing?
If there is, I'd be giving away the secret by telling you ;) Have any ideas?

A little while ago you expanded your services to Anime DVD Rental services, what was the inspiration behind it? Did you get a lot of requests from people to expand into rental?
It seemed like a logical expansion at the time, and it's worked out really well. The logistics and inventory issues took longer to smooth out than we expected, but it's going great now.

Has the rental service worked according to all expectations? How have people responded to the provided services?
Can't give you the numbers, but it's doing well. It's growing at a manageable rate, and we expect that growth to continue. Members really like the service, and we're continuing to work on improvements.

How does the rental system work exactly?
Much the same as those "other services" you may have seen :) For a flat monthly fee, we send you up to 1, 3, or 5 discs at a time. You keep them as long as you like, then we send more to replace them once you send them back. Since it's one fee, you don't have to worry about late fees. You can try to send them back as quickly as possible to get as many as possible through the mail, or just have the peace of mind knowing there's not a deadline to return them by. Postage to and from the customer is included in the fee.

Now the first thing that came into mind personally was the fact that I would imagine it being rather easy to exploit this Internet rental service. Have you got any plans to stop or limit possible exploitation? Exploitation mostly meaning the fact that people would steal DVDs, and never send them back or any other possible abuse of your services.
Unfortunately, this will always be a problem no matter what business you're running online. It does happen, but we try to keep it to a minimum.

Anime Forest informed that they are stopping their rental services within this year, has this sudden change created any major pressure, and has it affected renting and selling of DVDs within your company?
We haven't seen a noticeable impact from this news. I was in contact with the AF folks after I heard the news though, and we wish them the best of luck in future endeavors. I can certainly understand the dynamics and risks of the space we're in.

Lastly, where do you see Anime Nation and Rent Anime in 5 years? Any specific plans for the future regarding both Anime Nation and Rent Anime? Any plans on expanding services or anything else?
Beyond maintaining and growing our level of quality and reputation, it's hard to say or predict. I probably couldn't have predicted the first five years if you'd asked that when we started. I can't really talk about any specific plans we might have, but I'm sure the next five will be as exciting as the last 10 :)

Gene Field represented Anime Nation, a retailer of anime, manga, and other products of Japanese culture, founded in 1995 and located in Tampa, Florida.

The interview was conducted on the 23rd of May, 2006.

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