Fortune.com

Fortune.com:

When ADV thought a Scooby Doo-esque series called Ghost Stories would be a dud, it issued a version with an intentionally inaccurate translation of the script—redubbing the characters to be more American (the leader now has attitude, and the boring sidekick was made into a born-again Christian)—knowing that would stir powerful passions. Authenticity being the Way of the Otaku, fans obliged by erupting in a furor. Then they ran out to buy the DVDs to assess the damage. Some found they actually liked the show and turned Ghost Stories into a mini hit for ADV. That's just what Ledford's looking for. "Our company is built around base hits," he says.

This is why I hate ADV.

It's interesting that Fortune would run a piece on anime at all, but it's all about the different way that ADV and other importers conduct their business. They note that ADV takes their leads solely from fansubbers like ANBUdom or Anime Empire, since these internet quasi-pirates are the best judges of quality and fan responsiveness. Fortune notes that not suing fansubbers is THE business model for ADV, and a major part of fan relations. Fortune mentions Otakon's final attendence count (over 33,000) and how con presence is also part of the fan-relations business model.

Technorati tags: anime, business