Apparently we are about to undergo another lineup change from Adult Swim, this time erasing much of the anime in their lineup. 

A few weeks ago I mentioned some internet rumors that Adult Swim had cancelled Bleach.  This, as I cautioned, turned out to be untrue.  Right now the rumor states that Cartoon Network, specifically Adult Swim, is abandoning all anime.

This, of course, is silly.  Naruto is one of their most popular shows, and last time I checked, that was anime as well. 

But what I want to know is why Networks, Publishers, Creators, or anyone else who makes a living off of fans would intentionally allow rumors like this to persist?  (Admittedly some rumors will always exist no matter what.)  Wouldn’t it be better if creators and distributors came out and said, “we understand that ‘Show X’ has a strong base of supporters.  We are grateful for that, but in order to bring you the best programming we can, we are currently shuffling our lineup.  We hope that you try out Shows “A, B, and C” because they are similar” (or different, or whatever). 

Wouldn’t that at least be an explanation of what’s going on?  I’m sure people would be upset about a show leaving but at least this way the creator / distributor isn’t the direct cause of that rumor. 

Change can be a good thing.  But not if you surprise people with it by taking away their favorite things.  That’s just a recipe for backlash. 

Post your comments in the Forum!