Well, it's finally happened. Naruto and Bleach, after lingering in reruns for the past few months, have finally been removed from YTV's schedule, presumably for good. While the coffin has indeed been nailed fully shut for quite some time now, I can say with confidence that it has now been thrown out to sea and is currently sinking like a rock. Anime on Canadian television, as we've known it for these past few years, is gone. On a not-entirely unrelated note, Zannen, Canada will be going on official hiatus for the next few months.

Yes, I realize that the website has been effectively abandoned for nearly three months now, but you can think of this as more of a warning that the site will temporarily shut down in a few weeks. That being said, I will take this opportunity to address two of the biggest issues that have been lingering over my head:

1) I have finally uploaded my interview with Gavin Blair and a few ramblings not so much of Anime Evolution 2009, but the current state of Anime Evolution in general. You can read that here, and I recommend doing so if you plan on attending the convention in the future.

2) I have placed all seven Cybersix chapters which Ian and I have translated into one, hopefully functional, ZIP folder. We have decided not to continue the project, and I apologize to everyone who was hoping for more. However, I will soon be making both the translated chapters and scans of the entire series in French available through torrent trackers. I would like to offer the project to any active French scanlation group interested. I'll even be willing to help out in some capacity. If you know of anyone who would be interested, please e-mail me at

Just to be clear: Zannen is not being shut down. I'll merely be hitting the reset button again soon, although this time with some more notable differences. Later this year, I plan to relaunch on a new server, with new software, and a tighter focus. Content-wise it will be more of the same, but it will be better and more relevant, although I'm not really sure how many people actually come here for relevant information. If in the meantime you want to follow my ramblings regardless of the topic, I will be putting most of my focus into the newly launched Keep "The Spectacular Spider-Man" Alive! website for the near future. As soon as our current server space is cleared, this domain will point to keepspideyalive.com until further notice.

As soon as we do this, everything currently on this website will be permanently deleted. I will be preserving a few select articles to carry over to the new site. However, if it is not a retrospective, interview or any of the news articles that they link to, you can consider it gone. If there is anything else that you feel I need to preserve, please speak now.

One remaining problem with this move is going to be the forums. When the boards are properly maintained and moderated (which is rarely) we tend to have a very active, surprisingly large community. Unfortunately, I am simply unable to single-handedly operate and moderate the forums myself, and I'm not sure if the new software I'm using will even support a forum. However, I absolutely don't want to eliminate the boards completely. I'll do what I can, but I'm open to any kind of alternative you loyal people can cook up.

While anime may be gone from Canadian airwaves for now, we have to remember that there is still hope for the future. As we've learned over the past six years, when fan demand is strong and compelling, it can translate into success for those who make decisions. With Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood set to make its US debut next week and Inuyasha: The Final Chapter almost certain to follow it, the potential for success may be too high for even complacent broadcasters to pass up. Whether or not YTV will be the ones to take the plunge on either of those titles is anyone's guess (I'm guessing no for at least the time being), but I don't think this site needs to be active to prompt you all to let your demands be known to anyone willing to listen.

Oh, and I will be leaving the country for the next few weeks, so if you're expecting up-to-the-minute local coverage on the happenings around the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and its cherished mascots, be prepared for disappointment.

Manga Entertainment has taken the courtesy of posting the final few episodes of the Gurren Lagann dub on YouTube and ensuring that access is not hindered for Canadian citizens. Enjoy!

Now let's hope they get the subtitled version uploaded soon.

After a lengthy delay, Teletoon has finally begun uploading their previously commissioned pilot episodes in their never-ending exploits for quality original programming. A new pilot will be uploaded to The Detour's website each week for your viewing pleasure. I encourage you all to check out the currently streaming title, Angora Napkin, which is surprisingly good! It's much more visually interesting than most Teletoon original productions, and the gags are pretty good. The Caligula reference near the end certainly took me off guard.

My poll on Canadian broadcasters using American branding is now closed. I'd like to send a big thanks to everyone who participated. You've been a huge help, and I'm very satisfied with the results! I also can't get over the irony of the fact that just as I finished collecting all of my data, CBC went and unveiled that CBC Newsworld is being rebranded as CBCNN. Many of you may have already noticed the elimination of desks and the information bar of scrolling text that now takes up approximately one-third of the screen.

If nothing else, this development should satisfy our current Prime Minister's preferences for news presentation.

Did you guys know that there's a new group on Facebook for people who want to ensure that Marvel and Disney continue The Spectacular Spider-Man now that Sony has relinquished their TV rights? And did you know that numerous staff and cast members from the show have joined in to support the fans? Surely every single one of you not only wants to join this cause but also has Facebook, so I'll just throw the link right here.

I'm happy to announce that the preparations for my new survey have finally come to a close. Once again, I encourage regular readers of this website to take the survey, but the conditions are going to be a bit different this time.

The survey is intended to target individuals who are repelled by Canadian television broadcasters and more likely to seek alternatives to our broadcasting system rather than support it. Judging by the results of the last survey, I'm confident that most of you fall into this category. If you know for certain that you don't, I would recommend that you not take the survey. If know you do fall into this category, please take the survey! If you're not sure if you fall into this category, take the survey anyway because your input is likely closer to what I'm looking for!

I'm also not going to post a direct link for the time being. Please send a message to this very ironic e-mail address, and I will send you the link. I know everyone who reads this page has substantial, valuable input to provide, and I really want to hear from as many of you as possible. Please don't hesitate!

Big, BIG thanks to everyone who participated in my first survey. The large response was definitely unexpected! I will try to have the next survey up on Monday or Tuesday, so please keep your eyes peeled, as this one is a lot more important. The process will also be a bit different, but I have a feeling it will work well with most of you.

And of course, Happy Thanksgiving!

I am currently conducting the first of two extremely important surveys, in which I urge all regular readers of this website to participate. It will only take a few minutes of your time, and all of your opinions are going to be truly valuable, so I want to hear from all of you.

The survey can be accessed here. Thanks a lot!

The second survey will be coming up in about a week, and it's even more important. Please keep your eyes peeled for it!

In announcing their digital release strategy for the long-awaited Inuyasha: The Final Chapter, set to debut this coming Saturday, Viz has revealed that they will likely be making an extensive effort to ensure that their online streams remain untainted by Canadian eyes. Despite the fact that Viz holds the rights to the series for Canada as well as the US, it will be made available solely through All-American online streaming website Hulu.com, meaning that the conclusion of Inuyasha will not be legally accessible by Canadians.

While the streams can also be found at shonensunday.com, it is very likely that they will be nothing more than mirrors of Hulu.com. Should this indeed prove to be the case, enthusiasts may be advised to vent their frustrations directly to Viz, and remind them which country's Google searches were dominated by Inuyasha back when the series was at its height.

Starting November 2, Canada will lose its long-held designation as one of the few countries in the entire world without its own version of Nickelodeon, as Corus has announced that Nickelodeon Canada is set to launch on that date. The station will feature new titles including Fanboy and Chum Chum and The Troop, older Nick titles including The Mighty B!, Danny Phantom and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as some Canadian shows. The masses should also hope that this development will result in the return of Invader Zim, which is something Corus would likely be reluctant to make note of.

If nothing else, this announcement may come as reassurance to those convinced that YTV itself would become "Nickelodeon Canada" in the imminent future. Thanks to bosstard for the tip.