The Linear Anime Network Dies After a Long Illness
A few anime nerds spent the weekend mourning the loss of U.S. anime licensor A.D. Vision’s 24/7, linear Anime Network, announced last Friday on Anime News Network and other sites. Only a few anime fans were upset, since most U.S. anime fans watch illegally downloaded and fansubbed videos on the internet anyways…and hence a large portion of the Anime Network’s troubles.
In happier news, the Video-on-Demand Anime Network still exists on many cable services, and the Funimation Channel shows anime 24/7, if you have Verizon FIOS or live in NYC. Oh, and there’s plenty of free, illegal anime to watch online, too. ? Rob
About The Author
Robert Bricken is one of the original co-founders of the site formerly known as Topless Robot, and its first editor-in-chief, serving from 2008-12. He brought the site to prominence with “nerd news, humor and self-loathing” as its motto, raising it from total internet obscurity to a readership in the millions, with help from his savage “FAQ” movie reviews and Fan Fiction Fridays. Under his tenure Topless Robot was covered by Gawker, Wired, Defamer, New York magazine, ABC News, and others, and his articles have been praised by Roger Ebert, Avengers actor Clark Gregg, comedian and The Daily Show correspondent John Hodgman, the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax, and others. He is currently the managing editor of io9.com. Despite decades as both an amateur and professional nerd, he continues to be completely unprepared for either the zombie apocalypse or the robot uprising.