Press Release: Protoculture Addicts To Release 80 Anime You Must Watch!

Montreal QC, June 15, 2009 — Anime News Network and Protoculture Inc. present the all new Protoculture Addicts guide to 80 Anime You Must Watch! Whether you're a long time anime fan, or just getting started, this guide will introduce you to some of the most interesting anime you've never heard of. We've selected the best anime, the most thought-provoking anime, the funniest anime, and the most unique anime, and brought them together in one place. A perfect starting point for new anime fans, and a damn good way for the veteran otaku to find the best anime they've missed. Also includes the ten most overrated anime, ten best soundtracks and several other “top-10” lists. The Protoculture Addicts guide to 80 Anime You Must Watch! is priced at $7.95 and offers 100 pages of your best guide to anime culture!

In a letter sent to subscribers and posted on the magazine's blog (http://protoculture-mag.blogspot.com/), Protoculture Inc., the publisher of Anime News Network's Protoculture Addicts, explained why the magazine has not been published for several months and is detailed the magazine's new schedule and format.

The letter revealed that the magazine was experiencing difficulty due to the combined effects of multiple factors (not only the global recession, but also a crisis in both the anime and magazine publishing industries, as well as the fact that the editor-in-chief was having health issues). Therefore, like many other anime industry companies, Protoculture had to make cutbacks and delay the release of the magazine in order to restructure its production process and adjust the magazine format to make it more appealing to readers.

“No, Protoculture Addicts is not dead”, reassures Claude J Pelletier, co-publisher and production manager. “It is just experiencing a longer hiatus than usual. However, most of our readers are probably used to such delays since the magazine has always been somewhat irregular. Strangely, what can be seen at first as a major inconvenience, can sometimes become a blessing. The fact that we have a small (but very dedicated) staff sometimes presents problems, but it can also become our greatest asset during such challenging times. It makes us more flexible and versatile, and that's why the magazine has survived for so long and will endure even longer.”

In order to make the magazine more competitive during the current economic challenge, Protoculture is, for the moment, reducing the frequency of the magazine to two or three issues per year. The magazine's focus is also changing, making of each release a special issue dedicated entirely to one topic. “It's a complete departure from our previous magazine format”, says publisher Christopher Macdonald, “as it is now designed to be less of a periodical and more of a collector's magazine.” However, Macdonald insists that if the magazine had to adapt to the changing media world by providing contents with a longer shelf-life, its mission remains the same. “We still seek to introduce you to exciting facets of anime culture that you may not have previously explored.”

For 2009, Protoculture is planning only two thematic issues, one to be released in Summer (around late-July) and the other in Fall. The first thematic issue (officially issue #98) will be 80 Anime You Must Watch!

The magazine will be available to retailers from Distributors such as Diamond, AAA Anime, Disticor and directly from Protoculture. While it will not be available to consumers from regular book and newstand magazine stores such as Borders, readers can request it at their local comic-book & hobby shop or order it directly from Protoculture's website (http://www.protoculture-mag.com). The subscription fee remains at $30.00 US/CND for six issues despite the cover price change to $7.95 US/CND.

Anyone interested in Advertising should contact Christopher Macdonald at advertising@animenewsnetwork.com.

ABOUT ANIME NEWS NETWORK:

With over 30 million impressions a month and one hundred thousand visits a day, Anime News Network (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com) is the Internet's leading source of anime and manga news. ANN provides North American readers with up to date news, views and reviews regarding the North American and Japanese anime industries.

ABOUT PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS:

Protoculture Addicts is North America's longest running anime and manga magazine, first published in 1987. In 2005 Protoculture Addicts joined Anime News Network to take advantage of one of the most dynamic rosters of writers and contributors in the North American anime industry.