Anime Herald

<h1 style="">What Is Anime Herald?</h1>In the days before streaming and Blu-Ray, and before any of us could even predict the vlogging scene, anime communities found a center in fanzines. These plucky, independent publications were labors of love, put together by fans, for fans, who wanted nothing more than to share anime as far and wide as they possibly can. Anime Herald carries on the spirit of the fanzine as we explore Japanese pop culture and the global fandom through both a critical and enthusiast's lens. We aim to elevate independent anime journalism, paying a fair rate for articles as we cover everything, from <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2021/12/18/the-many-faces-of-the-magical-girl-a-breakdown-of-types-and-subgenres/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">dissections of the Magical Girl genre</a> to deep dives into Evangelion's influence on the <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2022/04/23/examining-evangelions-influence-on-metal-and-industrial-music/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">heavy metal scene</a>. We're currently working to build a community on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/animeherald.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/animeherald_official/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Instagram</a>, and we host a private Discord community for patrons who pledge $5 or more per month.<h1 style="">Our History</h1>Samantha Ferreira <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2010/09/19/irrashaimase/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">launched Anime Herald</a> in 2010. Samantha, a veteran of the anime reporting scene at the time, was looking to establish a place where new ideas could flourish and concepts that the discourse had overlooked could be explored.While we began as an ad-supported site, this never felt right. Nobody likes having banners thrown at them wherever they go, and we didn’t want to perpetuate the practice. So, in 2017, we did away with the ads – hopefully, for good. In an article on New Year’s Eve <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2017/12/31/anime-herald-now-patreon/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">of that year</a>, Samantha announced that Anime Herald would go 100% ad-free, with all our revenues coming from our patrons.Since that day, we’ve grown into a vibrant publication with a united mission: to publish commentary that makes people laugh, smile, and think about anime, as a medium.<h1 style="">We Speak Otaku</h1>We’re a team of anime fans; folks who live and breathe anime, and want to really dig beneath the surface of the shows you love. Whether we’re deciphering life lessons from <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2021/03/17/together-alone-how-laid-back-camp-shows-companionship-through-technology/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Laid-Back Camp</a> and <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2022/03/12/the-unwavering-optimism-of-the-aquatope-on-white-sand/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Aquatope on White Sand</a>, tracing the <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2022/04/30/they-walked-so-you-could-say-run-an-examination-of-tiger-bunny/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">legacy of Tiger &amp; Bunny</a>, or exploring the lost art of <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/2022/07/16/the-forgotten-surprises-of-anime-vhs-commercials/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the anime VHS pre-roll</a>, we strive to publish content that gets you thinking about the greater anime universe.At the same time, we 100% get it: no site should require an ad-blocker as a prerequisite for entry, and we’ve been ad-free since 2017, with all of our funds raised from Ko-Fi and Patreon going toward paying a fair rate to our writers and editors. You can rest easy, knowing that your contribution will go directly toward making the field a better, more vibrant place.In short, we’re otaku, who want to support other otaku, while bringing some genuinely cool articles out in the process.<h1 style="">Where Does Your Money Go?</h1>When Anime Herald moved to Patreon, we made it clear that our biggest priority was to pay our writers and editors a fair rate for their expertise, effort, and time. That remains our objective, followed by paying our operating expenses (you know, the server, the email, all that fun stuff we don’t often talk about, which makes our job possible).From there, the sky’s the limit! We’ll be able to bring more articles, more features, and as a result, more benefits to our patrons.<h1 style="">Patron Benefits</h1>While Anime Herald will always be free to read, we appreciate our Patrons’ contributions and will honor them in kind. As part of that appreciation, we publish quarterly financial reports for all backers, which detail exactly where their money goes.At the $3 tier and above, patrons will receive early access to every article we publish to Anime Herald. Outside of exceptional cases where time is a factor, all articles we publish will receive a Patreon-exclusive period of at least two weeks. Patrons at the $5 level will receive access to the Anime Herald Discord, as well as votes on a number of topics, such as articles we should call for in the upcoming month.Folks who back us at the $10 level will be able to pitch us an article directly. If we like your idea, one of the Anime Herald team members will pick it up, and write a full article on it!

Free

Our deepest thanks, plus access to backer-only updates, like our regular briefings.

Our Thanks

Early Access: Read all of our articles before anybody else!

Early Access

Your ticket to our Patrons-Only Discord, plus early articles.

Discord

Ever wanted to see your idea brought to life? With this tier, you have the chance to make it happen! You’ll be able to pitch your ideas right to our team. <ul><li>Article suggestions must adhere to our <a href="https://www.animeherald.com/about/contributor-guidelines/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Content Guidelines</a></li><li>If your idea is picked, one of our editorial team members will write a full-length article on the topic.</li><li>You will receive a special thanks and an “Original Concept” credit in the article itself.</li></ul>

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