Pinoy “Otakus” just keep on pushing AniMEGA despite the fact that it is long gone.
It has been quite a while since TV5 aired its last Japanese anime programme (that is not Powerpuff Girls Z or Lilo and Stitch, which are considered a part of the Cartoon Network and Disney blocks respectively), and about a few years since the renowned anime block TV5 AniMEGA aired its last anime.
But for us, We still see it as an itch that just won’t disappear…
Let’s face it, we all loved that anime block and its offerings… Imagine, they beat the odds and aired the biggest anime titles on television, which was seen even before anime channels like ANIMAX Asia and HEROtv considered it, like Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Toradora!, and Shakugan no Shana.
They even made Philippine history by airing Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, an anime title that aired in the Philippines while the show is still on-going in Japan. Sadly, they did not finish its run.
Last February 17, TV5 chairman (as well as other companies like Meralco, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, Smart Communications and Maynilad Water) Manuel V. Pangilinan conducted a rare Q&A event through the social networking site Twitter, where users can ask questions about the group of companies he manage, so-called the “MVP Group”.
There are soundbites, including his interest in buying the NBA team Golden State Warriors (California) and even hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup… but there’s one or two users that tried to asked him the question. Yes, an AniMEGA question. But ended in failure, and some sources told Anime Pilipinas that it was even IGNORED because it was on the verge of being a “spam” tweet.
We feel sorry… well, not that much.
When we heard that information, we think that it was the right time to have an intelligent discussion about TV5 AniMEGA and what was the famed timeblock’s legacy to all Filipino Anime fans… and as expected, the response has been overwhelming, from our colleagues and anime fans… but there some that are simply, for lack of a better term… ad nauseam.
And those so-called “jejetakus” are pointing their fingers to Mr. MVP, because as they say…
Even going as low as referring to the business tycoon as…
“Mr. Krabs”, in case you didn’t know, is the character from the popular Nickelodeon cartoon Spongebob Squarepants. He can be described as a cheap & arrogant boss of the fictional burger shop “The Krusty Krab”, and only cares about one thing… his money.
And worst, because of their clouded thinking and judgement, they tend to believe ANY RUMORS that links the business tycoon to the popular timeblock & its anime programming.
Here is the thing… In the age of a wider world of information, why do they still want to watch THEIR favorite anime titles on Free TV?
Actually, these people HAVE already seen their favorite anime titles through online streaming, either legal or illegal, so why do they still want to watch it on Free TV? It doesn’t really make sense.
But one thing that is for sure, TV5 has moved on. Actually, they are in cost-saving measures at the moment, which is the reason why AKSYONtv is not anymore operating for 24hours.
And despite all their arguments that are against the movie block, the only thing we could say is that it worked, which is the reason why ABS-CBN and GMA-7 copied that format. (Although I take offence with their commercial for “Sine Mo Singko” with the guy watching an English-language movie having a nosebleed. It is such a cringeworthy thing, and an insult to the country’s education system.)
Maybe TV5 really tried to see if the hype with “Pinoy Otaku” is true, and aired Mobile Suit Gundam 00 to its very last episode as a benchmark… and it failed. Maybe it’s time to see that it is not the network’s fault anymore…
But of course, there are others that will not blame themselves, but not blame the network… instead, they point their fingers to the Philippine government’s content classification body, the Movie and Television Review & Classifications Board (MTRCB).
They still think that they have a hand in allegedly “censoring” anime titles, and giving them the banhammer. We still find it funny that these “otakus” believe the rumor that the popular anime Death Note was banned by the government body… but then it was aired on Filipino-language anime channel HEROtv a few months ago.
If you still remember our interview with the Former MTRCB chair (now Senator) Grace Poe-Llamanzares during our days as ZEN Otaku Honbu, she said that it was not their job to censor programmes, but only to advise the networks what will be appropriate for viewers. The networks are given the power to do the self-regulation.
Although we admit, MTRCB is getting a bit crazy with these “citations” that they are giving lately, especially with the Mr. Bean butt exposure… which was just noticed after being aired on Philippine television for more than a decade… but that was their job, so we understand. Sort of.
We believe that the hostility has to stop and everyone should move on. Why keep the hostility if we all know that TV5 AniMEGA is long gone? Hostility doesn’t help everybody.
Reality check, Free TV targets the broader market, and anime fans rarely make a dent on the ratings game… and does not attract advertisers.
There are a lot of options to pick out there aside from Free TV… case in point, Pay TV. We know that some of these so-called “otakus” are arguing their social status on why they could not afford subscribing to either Cable or Satellite TV.
But in case they still are not aware, SKYcable is a lot more cheaper nowadays with their 299 package, and there’s also their sister company Destiny Cable… just add PhP50, and they could actually have ANIMAX! If they could not be reached by SKYcable, then there’s CignalTV Postpaid 450, and it also includes TeleAsia Channel where all of Telesuccess Production’s content are being aired!
If they prefer online streaming, there are LEGAL options like Crunchyroll and Daisuki.net, which are available on both on their respective websites and their mobile applications. Uncut and Uncensored.
There are a lot of options to choose from, and there’s no reason to missed out on your favorite titles… as the saying goes, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
But remember to keep things in moderation, and prioritize your studies, work, or other important stuff… or else, your English teacher may just throw you back to FIRST GRADE.
Bad Grammar.
But the funny Facebook page Anime PH Memes, have something to those so-called “Pinoy Otaku” in the internet!
DISCLAIMER: This editorial express the views of Anime Pilipinas, but it does not reflect the views of its friends & partners. If you have any reactions, please use the feedback form by clicking here, or on our social networking accounts.
