Ask John: Is Wikipedia a Threat to ANN’s Encyclopedia?

Question:
Casual browsing indicates that Wikipedia seems to be on the way to becoming an alternative reference/information source for anime and manga in its own right, as compared to the encyclopedias over at Anime News Network – even if, so far as I see it right now, opinions may differ as to whether it is or might one day be, as comprehensive as ANN’s encyclopedias.

Does John have any particular opinion or point of view on that subject?

Answer:
I don’t have any particular opinion on the possibility of Wikipedia becoming a primary reference resource for information about anime. If anything, I’m happy to see a greater number of widely accessible resources that provide extensive information about anime. Wikipedia has been frequently, and somewhat fairly, criticized for being an unreliable source of information since it’s authored by anonymous contributors of uncertain credibility. However, particularly in the case of anime, I do think that the otaku community is social and academic enough to recognize and expunge obviously incorrect information. Rumors, speculation, and legends were once a fun, inescapable component of American anime fandom, such as the debate over whether Kia Asamiya and Michitaka Kikuchi were the same person; Dragon Half was canceled after two episodes because its creator was thrown in jail; or the Dirty Pair’s Yuri is Crusher Joe’s mother. (Although the speculation that Yasuomi Umetsu included sex in A Kite only at producer insistence seems to persist. I question the validity of the assertion since graphic sex also appear in Umetsu’s Cool Devices volume 7: Yellow Star, produced before A Kite, and Mezzo Forte, produced after A Kite.) But the prevelance of the internet and Japanese speaking American anime fans now makes most such rumors short lived.

Rather than consider the increasing prominence of Wikipedia as an anime reference a threat, in fact, I’ve long felt regret that numerous Japanese language Wikipedia pages for select anime series – particularly older shows and titles not especially well known in America – are far more comprehensive than their English language counterparts. For example, the Japanese language Wikipedia entry for Osamu Tezuka’s Fushigi na Melmo provides exhaustive information missing from the English language entry, including a broadcast history for the anime adaptation, an extensive staff and cast list for the anime including cameo guest star characters & voice actors, a full episode guide with episode broadcast dates, and information about the 2000 live-action TV series adaptation. The English language page doesn’t include any mention at all about a live-action adaptation. In fact, the Japanese page’s information on Melmo’s “magical candy” by itself is equal to the length of the entire English langauge entry for the whole Fushigi na Memlo franchise.