The AnimeOnline Network
| Website | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The AnimeOnline Network |
| Owner/Maintainer: | Elaine Barlow, Mecca Publications |
| Dates: | 1996-2000? |
| Type: | Domain, reviews, news, etc. |
| Fandom: | Anime |
| URL: | http://animeonline.net/, (archived 1999); http://www.animeonline.org/ (archived 1999); http://animeonlinenetwork.com/ (Archived 2000) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
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The AnimeOnline Network was a domain run by Elaine Barlow. It hosted a variety of anime sites, including Animecca, and its parent company Mecca Publications also ventured into other areas like anime-themed email aliasing and selling Japanese snacks.[1]
Reputation
AnimeOnline was cited by other websites of the era as a trusted source of information.[2] It was known for being staunchly pro-dub and pro-localization:
Amazingly enough, despite consistently bad dubs, dub support in the US is strong. First, the fan base that prefers dubs is significant. Organizations like Anime Online (animeonline.org) and the Save Our Sailors Campaign vehemently support the English dubbed versions of Anime. Particularly Anime Online prefers dubbed versions for the sake that they are in their own language, easy to watch, and more accessible. Save Our Sailors at least recognizes that the original Japanese is usually much better, but supports dubs in order to strive for a more main stream and wider audience.End of Anime: English Dubs (1998) [3]
History
In March of 1999, AnimeOnline added five domains to the five it already had, including one dedicated to highlighting dub voice actors and one for cataloguing anime websites. Writerswrite.com reported that it was drawing more than 9000 visitors daily.[4] The site's front page a year later reported that its AnimeMail aliasing program had had over 5000 users before needing to be shut down and restructured. [5] By June, AnimeMail was back up.[6] However, in October the animeonlinenetwork.com URL was dormant, and the animeonline.net URL was replaced with a Flash plugin that no longer functions.[7][8]
The animeonline.net URL was later resurrected as a likely unrelated forum site that credited Ewdi and Cybergig1 of Everything Anime.[9] The forums lasted at that address from roughly 2001 to 2015, but according to Elaine Barlow, original founder of the AnimeOnline Network, her company Mecca Publications lasted from 1996-2002.[10]
References
- ^ "JapaneseSnacks.com, the new name for AnimeOnline's J-Snack shop, has moved forward to become the leading online supplier for the coolest Japanese snacks online." AnimeOnline front page, March 2000
- ^ Net1000.net: "The largest fan-run online network dedicated to Japanese animation, supplying the online anime community with many free resources and services."
- ^ End of Anime: English Dubs: Chris Bourke at AnimeNewsNetwork, 8/9/1998
- ^ The AnimeOnline Network Adds New Domains, 3/18/1999
- ^ Front page, March 2000
- ^ AnimeMail™ Is Back!
- ^ animeonlinenetwork.com, October 7 2000
- ^ animeonline.net, October 22 2000; the page is now registered to "Voiceteli Telecomunicaciones, C.A"
- ^ Animeonline forums credit page, July 1 2001. The copyright is given as 2001-2002.
- ^ Elaine Barlow on LinkedIn