Happy Saturday, and welcome to the inaugural edition of the “Weekly Feeder.” Last month, to prepare for a more intensive freelance and consulting schedule, I started obsessively tracking my time, and the exercise brought home just how many hours a week I spend processing and consuming a lot of random data. I figure it’s time I put it to use from a writing standpoint.
Here’s a rundown of what was weird, wonderful, and/or interesting in my RSS feeds this week – plus a little bit of commentary from me!
• The promotional machine for the new Sailor Moon anime reboot is finally ramping up in earnest and with it fans’ anticipation, excitement, and (sadly) entitlement. Toei Animation kicked things off earlier in the week with a countdown page, and fans soon discovered and leaked an unlinked promotional image – with staff information and a synopsis – that was presumably part of the upcoming announcement.
The good news? The image itself is gorgeous, and it delivers on the production team’s previous statements that the new reboot will follow Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi’s original manga more closely, from a stylistic and storytelling standpoint.
The original Sailor Moon anime was one of the first series I went into knowing it was from Japan, so I’m looking forward to this. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal is scheduled to premiere in July 2014 and will be available worldwide via the Nico Nico streaming site. (Via Anime News Network (ANN), The Fandom Post, and RocketNews24.)
• When Carl Horn speaks, anime and manga fans should listen… and check out his recent two-part interview with ICv2. In it, the long-time editor, who currently works for Dark Horse Comics, talks about the state of the English-language manga industry and some of the practical considerations that help lead to the decisions publishers make. (Via ICv2.)
• When I hear rights have been purchased to remake a favorite foreign film, my initial gut reaction is to cringe, but then reality sets in, and I’m just happy the original creative team is getting paid – and getting money to funnel into their next project(s). Apparently, I’m not the only one.
Check out “On Remakes and Profiteering” by Todd Brown, the founder/editor of Twitchfilm.com, a film fest programmer, and a member XYZ Films team responsible for The Raid: Redemption (2011), which is (yes) being remade for English-speaking/American audiences. (Via Twitch.)
• Did people actually think Amazon was going to keep the annual rate for Amazon Prime at $79 forever? (Via Home Media Magazine.)
There’s a lot of curiosity and misinformation on the Internet about video sales and consumption. I can’t usually chime in because people might come to unintended conclusions. With this in mind, I can’t resist sharing these kinds of stats when they become public…
• For all the online chatter, cable, satellite, and physical media (DVD/Blu-ray) aren’t dead. Their importance to the industry’s bottom line is merely evolving, according to a newly released study from the Consumer Electronics Association. According to Home Media Magazine:
“While the majority (79%) of online U.S. adults obtain video content from television programming providers such as cable, satellite or telecommunication, 66% find it on DVD or Blu-ray Disc. Another 47% opt for free streaming services; 37% use paid video streaming services.”
• Some interesting stats regarding transactional (pay-per-view/download-to-own) and subscription (usually streaming) video-on-demand consumption, behavior, and drivers. (TiVo via Home Media Magazine)
• New data from Nielson about the shifts in TV viewing habits with notes about broadcast TV, time shifting, streaming video, the use of multimedia and gaming devices to access streaming video, and more. (Via Home Media Magazine.)
Whew! Now for some things that are purely fun and interesting, at least in my opinion.
• I have a hard time listening to music while I’m writing and doing “thinking” work because: a.) I’ve never found any headphones (or earbuds) that are truly comfortable over long periods of time; and b.) I’m a musician, and it’s just too much of a distraction for someone who is otherwise good at tuning things out.
That said, if you do work to tunes, be sure to check out this article on which music is optimal for different tasks. (Via Quartz.)
• Look! It’s an adorable – and very serious looking – Little Owl, who has a growing social media following in Japan. I love owls, and I blame the old Clash of the Titans movie and Yumi Tamura’s Basara manga for this. (Via RocketNews24.)
That’s it for this round. Have a great weekend and week! ★