Editing Animerica

{{Short description|Monthly magazine published by Viz Media}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox magazine
 |title           = Animerica
 |image_file      = Animerica, Issue 2, April 1993.jpg
 |image_size      =
 |image_caption   = Volume 1 Issue #2 of ''Animerica'' (April 1993)
 |editor          = 
 |editor_title    = 
 |previous_editor = 
 |staff_writer    = 
 |frequency       = Monthly
 |circulation     = 45,000 (2004)
 |category        = {{Plain list|
* [[Anime]]
* [[Manga]]
* Advertising
}}
 |company         = [[Viz Media]]
 |publisher       = [[Viz Media]]
 |firstdate       = November 1992 #0
 |lastdate        = June 2005 #6
 |based           = [[San Francisco, California]]
 |country         = United States
 |language        = English
 |website         = {{URL|https://animerica-mag.com|animerica-mag.com}}
 |issn            = 1067-0831
}}

'''''Animerica''''' was a monthly [[magazine]] published by [[Viz Media]] containing news, feature articles, and reviews on manga, anime, and related media, as well as a section that serialized manga published by [[Viz Media|Viz]]. After an initial  November 1992 preview issue, ''Animerica''{{'s}} first regular issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1993 cover date. In 1998, ''[[Animerica Extra]]'' was launched as a separate manga anthology magazine which eventually focused specifically on ''[[Shōjo manga|shōjo]]'' titles. It was canceled in 2004.

Viz changed the magazine's format in April 2005, with the new magazine being three different free publications of the same name. One is advertising-oriented and created specially for distribution at anime and manga conventions while the other is more general in scope and with a version each for distribution through [[Waldenbooks]] and [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]] stores. A similar version was later added for [[Best Buy]] stores. All three versions have fewer and briefer articles and a lower page count.

''Animerica'' was one of the first top professional anime and manga magazines released in the United States, and one of the most popular in the 1990s. In 2004, it had a circulation of 45,000 readers, but low sales and high competition from ''[[Newtype USA]]'' resulted in the essential cancellation of the original magazine and its reformatting as a free digest. One hundred copies each of the first issue of the free digest were sent to 1,000 Waldenbooks and Border stores.

==History==
''Animerica'' was introduced in 1992 with the release of a very low print preview issue (#0 November 1992). Its first official issue followed in March 1993. With Viz's connections to [[Shogakukan]], the magazine was one of the first professional-quality anime and manga-oriented magazine to be released in the United States. At the magazine's launch, it was co-edited by Seiji Horibuchi, Satoru Fujii, and Trish Ledoux.<ref name="WatchingReading">{{cite book |title=Watching Anime, Reading Manga |first=Fred |last=Patten |publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]] |isbn=1-880656-92-2 |chapter=Fifteen Years of Japanese Animation Fandom |page=43 |year=2004 }}</ref> In 1998, Viz introduced a related magazine, ''[[Animerica Extra]]'', which was its first monthly manga anthology. This secondary magazine was canceled in 2004. To celebrate the magazine's ninth anniversary, Viz launched a redesign of the magazine starting with the November 2001 issue that included a new cover design, a new logo, and an increased focus on news, reviews, and Japanese trends. Fold-out posters were also added to every issue.<ref name="CBR">{{cite press release |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=403 |title=Viz unveils new 'Animerica' design |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |work=Comic Book Resources |date=September 19, 2001 |access-date=October 15, 2008 }}</ref> During 2002 the magazine was published in a square-bound, full-colour format without a manga serial that had previously been included.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Best of Animerica The Years Best Articles 2003 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |date=March 2003 |page=2}}</ref><!--Confusing title yes, but the articles contained within are from 2002--> By 2003, the magazine had also doubled its initial page count.<ref name="JapanInc">{{cite web |url=http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=972 |title=Anime in America |first=Debbi |last=Gardiner |date=September 2003 |work=[[Japan, Inc.]] |access-date=October 15, 2008 }}</ref>

When Viz began publication of ''Animerica'', it registered the name as a [[trademark]]. In 1997, a Japanese company named Redsun began using the domain name "animerica.com" to host an adult-oriented and ''[[hentai]]'' distribution website. Viz attempted to purchase the domain name from the company, but Redsun refused. Viz filed a lawsuit claiming the website infringed on its trademark. The court agreed that the website was causing confusion with Viz's publication, but that the confusion was primarily limited to American audiences. The court refused Viz's request that the site be shut down and its assets frozen. It did, however, require that Redsun put a disclaimer on its website and all advertising noting that it was not affiliated with the ''Animerica'' magazine nor with Viz Media and that it provide a link to Viz's existing official website for the magazine at "www.animerica-mag.com."<ref>[http://www.finnegan.com/publications/updatenewsletters/pubdetail.aspx?pub=acfe4961-5e14-4f3f-88d4-2125cfc55ba5 ''Viz Communications, Inc. v. Redsun''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711003445/http://www.finnegan.com/publications/updatenewsletters/pubdetail.aspx?pub=acfe4961-5e14-4f3f-88d4-2125cfc55ba5 |date=July 11, 2011 }}, No. C-01-04235 JF, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24481 (N.D. Cal. March 8, 2004)</ref> In November 2004, Redsun's adult website closed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animerica.com/  |title=Archive of Animerica website (Redsun's adult site) |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |date=October 12, 2004 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041012083622/http://www.animerica.com/ |archive-date = October 12, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://animerica.com/  |title=Archive of Animerica website (place holder site) |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |date=November 30, 2004 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041130074854/http://animerica.com/ |archive-date = November 30, 2004}}</ref> Viz claimed the name in 2005, and by October the site had been relaunched as the official website of the new ''Animerica'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animerica.com/  |title=Archive of Animerica website (''Animerica'' magazine) |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |date=October 18, 2005 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051018235034/http://www.animerica.com/ |archive-date = October 18, 2005}}</ref>

===Reformatted===
In April 2005, Viz announced that the magazine would be reformatted into two different free versions, and the monthly subscription version would be discontinued. The first version, similar to the original but with a lower page count, is advertising-sponsored and produced exclusively for specific anime and manga conventions and made available at those conventions for free. The second version is a quarterly [[digest-sized]] magazine that focuses more on content and has a wider range of content versus the convention version. Termed "magalogs" by Viz, these digest versions are distributed freely at [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]] and [[Waldenbooks]].<ref name="AnimericaFormat">{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-04-12/animerica-to-change-format |title=Animerica to Change Format |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=April 12, 2005 |access-date=October 15, 2008 }}</ref> A third variety, specifically for [[Best Buy]] stores was later added to the line up.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/7909.html |title=Interview with Viz Media VP Liza Coppola, Part 2 |publisher=[[Playthings (magazine)|Playthings]] |date=December 8, 2005 |access-date=October 18, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Playthings">{{cite web |url=http://www.playthings.com/article/CA6347496.html |title=Up Close: Viz Media's Liza Coppola |first=Karyn |last=Peterson |publisher=Playthings |date=June 27, 2006 |access-date=October 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415182524/http://www.giftsanddec.com/channel/Playthings.php |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The last monthly issue of the original ''Animerica'' was released with a cover date of June 2005 (Volume 13, No. 6).<ref name="RadicalChange">{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-02-17/animerica-to-radically-change-distribution |title=Animerica to Radically Change Distribution |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=February 17, 2005 |access-date=October 15, 2008 }}</ref> Subscriptions to the original magazine were replaced with subscriptions to Viz's ''[[Shojo Beat]]'' manga anthology which was launched in July 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/7124.html |title=Manga Freebies Launch This Month |publisher=ICv2 |date=July 1, 2005 |access-date=October 18, 2008 }}</ref>

==Features==
Each issue of the original ''Animerica'' included articles covering anime and manga releases in both the United States and Japan, interviews with industry professionals such as voice actors and directors, reviews of anime and manga series, and articles and reviews on related areas such as games, model kits, and music releases.<ref name="IssueSummary">{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-06-21/viz-items-shipping-in-october |title=Viz Items Shipping in October |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=June 21, 2000 |access-date=October 18, 2008 }}</ref> They would also include a single chapter from a current Viz manga series. Over the course of the magazine's history, chapters from ''[[X (manga)|X]]'', ''[[Area 88]]'', ''[[Galaxy Express 999]]'', ''[[One-Pound Gospel]]'', and ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' appeared in it.

Final issues of the magazine still included articles on anime and manga releases, reviews of titles, and manga previews, but they were all shorter and more concise than the original. The new version had a much lower page count, leaving fewer articles in each issue.<ref name="AnimericaFormat" />

==Circulation and reception==
''Animerica'' was one of the most popular anime and manga magazines in North America for nearly a decade. In July 2000, ''Animerica'' was named the Best English-language publication at the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation awards at [[Anime Expo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-07-06/spja-awards |title=SPJA Awards  |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=July 6, 2000 |access-date=October 15, 2008 }}</ref> In 2004, the magazine had a circulation of 45,000, with 80% of its issues bought via newsstands rather than by subscription.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2005-01-26/8 |title=2004 Year in Review: Anime Magazines |first=Mikhail |last=Koulikov |date=January 26, 2005 |access-date=October 15, 2008 }}</ref> This number was a drop from previous years, due to greater competition from other magazines, resulting in Viz's changing its format.<ref name="RadicalChange" /> Approximately 100 copies of the first issue of the free version of ''Animerica'' were sent to 1,000 [[Borders (retailer)|Borders]] and [[Waldenbooks]] stores around the United States.<ref name="AnimericaFormat" />

== See also ==
* [[List of manga magazines published outside of Japan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |title=Anime Interviews: The First Five Years of Animerica, Anime & Manga Monthly (1992–97) |editor=Trish Ledoux |publisher=[[Viz Media]], Cadence Books |date=September 22, 1997 |isbn=978-1-56931-220-9}}
* {{cite book |title=The Best of Animerica: 2003 Edition |author=Viz Media |publisher=Viz Media |date=March 2003 |isbn=978-1-56931-899-7|author-link=Viz Media }}

==External links==
* {{anime News Network|magazine|2919}}

{{Viz Media}}

[[Category:Anime and manga magazines]]
[[Category:Digests]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1992]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:Monthly magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct magazines published in San Francisco]]