NYCC: FUNimation Status Report

Sorry this was rather delayed-- FUNimation's people were a bit busy with four new licenses at Katsucon and a fifth one today, so this follow-up came a bit late. That said, I got to sit down with FUNimation's Events Manager Adam Sheehan and ask a few questions about how things were going. Here are his answers:

Anime Vice: FUNimation had a nice location by one of the entrances to the dealer room-- do you find that you reach a different audience at a comics convention than an anime convention, or do you mostly just find the same group of anime fans who are in attendance?

Adam Sheehan: Going to a more pop-culture/comic centric convention can be very different than the straight anime conventions we also attend. The first thing you notice is that some people don’t know fully who you are some times. Sorry kid, no Spider-Man at the booth. But overall it is a great place to reach new people, better educate casual fans, and strengthen our relationship with the hard core otaku who make anime a main highlight of the show for them.

AV: On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "going the way of the dodo" and 10 is "printing money on command," where would you put the anime industry right now? How do you think FUNimation is doing relative to that?

AS: I would say the industry is sitting around a 7 due to the overall economy and that FUNimation is about an 8 1/2 right now since in spite of everything we have more new releases planned for this year than in 2008.

AV: Will FUNimation fans be seeing more or less of FUNi at conventions this year?

AS: We currently are planning to at least attend the same number we did in 2008 if not more.

AV: Part of the FUNimation presentation this year includes talk about the economy. For those fans who don't get to attend FUNi panels at cons-- why should fans be worried? Are there reasons they shouldn't worry?

AS: In our Industry panel we like to start with information about who things are with economy and how they effect anime. Right now some of the biggest worries are the amount of expendable income to purchase anime, shirking retail outlets, and the ever present illegal online downloads. BUT even with all these worries FUNimation and the rest of the anime industry have already set plans to make the best in the world as it is currently. FUNimation is doing this by giving more free online alternatives to watch anime, bringing out more anime in cheaper box sets faster, and defending our’s and our Licensor’s copyrights across the internet and at conventions.