Variety.com has a new article called “History of Anime”. While I always appreciate anime getting more exposure in mainstream publications like this well known Hollywood rag, they really missed the mark with this one.

From the article:

Anime properties such as “Transformers,” “Speed Racer” and “Avatar” (the latter announced for M. Night Shyamalan to direct) may make for obvious tentpole fodder now, but the medium took decades to gain critical mass among U.S. auds.

The article loses cred right at the beginning by classifying Avatar as anime. Although I do enjoy the series, it’s not anime. Not even close. It’s a good American-made cartoon, let’s leave it at that.

The article then goes on to provide a brief timeline of the history of broadcast anime in America. It’s not a bad list, starting in the sixties and moving up to present day, but it does miss many important milestones in US anime history like the release of Evangelion, Ninja Scroll, and the introduction of the Gundam series. There’s also a notable gap from 2002 to 2005, where some of the best anime started to take off on DVD. There’s also no mention of the first air of Adult Swim in 2001, which brought us Cowboy Bebop (which aired on the network repeatedly for four years).

Again, despite some particularly big holes in the timeline, it’s still nice to see anime articles in mainstream sites. You can read the entire Variety article on the History of Anime in America here.

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