2001 - A Year in Review: A Look Ahead

Looking ahead into 2002, we can already see a number of stories developing.

For movies, two of the biggest titles are already in the news. The Escaflowne Movie, which premieres January 25th, will be the first anime movie in theaters this year. It premieres in Los Angeles and a few other select cities. Additional cities will be added as time goes on.

The other film, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, has yet to be licensed. It's no secret that Bandai Entertainment and Colombia Pictures both want the license, but other parties may have their eyes on this film too. At any rate, Knockin' on Heaven's Door certainly won't remain unlicensed much longer.

On television, expect to hear more about Pilot Candidates. Originally expected for a November broadcast on Toonami, Pilot Candidates was pushed back, perhaps due in part to the terrorist attacks on September 11th. This 13-episode sci-fi TV series certainly fits Toonami's action-oriented programming. Also, look for more Gundam on Toonami. Mobile Suit Gundam (aka First Gundam) finished its run during Toonami's "New Years Evil" Marathon, but there are still quite a few Gundam series waiting to be aired.

"It seems that a certain media company is starting to raise a fuss about anime conventions that show fansubs.", said Chris Snyder to the Katsukon Mailing List. As a result of this request, Katsukon will not be showing any fansubs. Fansubbing will be yet another major issue throughout the coming year. No other convention has announced a similar decision yet, but only time will tell how fansubbing will fare in 2002.

So, with these stories in mind, let's have another great year!