In my many years of collecting anime, I’ve added countless classics to my catalogue. Legends like Maison Ikkoku, Evangelion, and City Hunter line my shelves like bottles of fine wine in a well-kept cellar. If one peers between the gems, though, he’s sure to see a sea of mediocrity. These are the faceless, bland shows that are tough to remember and even harder to care about. If one can look past the gems endure the bland, he’ll stumble upon something that’s not meant to be seen by untrained eyes. These are the shows that will make normal folks draw away in disgust. They’re the vile trash that seem to have no shortage of four-letter words to describe them.
And yet, it’s the cream of the crap rather than the cream of the crop that attracts people into my home every month.
Bad Anime Night has become somewhat of a fixture at my place since last year, when I began hosting it. What began as an evening with a few close friends quickly ballooned into a vibrant celebration of crappy anime. I’ve written about the experience at length in the past, from its origins, to what goes into the average night. However, I’ve always seemed to overlook the most important part of Bad Anime Night: the shows themselves.
Beginning tomorrow, I’m going to rectify this. We’ll be debuting a new column that highlights candidates to make anybody’s BAN into something truly memorable. Some of the titles we highlight will be familiar show-pieces. Others, I hope, will be new finds that will keep people talking for months to come.
In addition, once a few columns get done, we’ll begin looking for your own BAN experiences. We want to hear how your Bad Anime Nights go, and we want to share your stories with the world.
For now, though, I thank you for your patience, and for your readership. Without you, there is no Anime Herald.
