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     The ghosts of animé past are quite visible and active still in the mainstream and otaku worlds.  Akira is the reason it gained credibility
in the West.  Eva is the cause of animé arriving on our shores in masses (comparatively speaking).  Finally, Pokémon is the reason animé
now has a face in mainstream Western culture.  Unfortunately, Pokémon's give only a partial view of animé, especially since it is aimed at
the same group that watches american cartoons; young children.  Animé, however, is much broader than that, as it provides a form of
entertainment for every sub sect of our culture.  Can animé as a whole make it to the mainstream?
     A Major fact for that to occur is successful marketing.  The entertainment community was on track for doing this.  The news that
Mononoke Hime would be released in theatres across the nation.  This appears to have been only a pipe dream, as Mirimax has taken a
step back by putting in limited release.  Redemption could possibly come in the near future with the possible release of Mononoke Hime,
X/1999, or Perfect Blue nationally.  A second marketing key is to target the demographic easiest to convert into animé watchers, whether
casual or hard-core.  Advertising and making animé know to all high school and college students is crucial.  Girls and women, especially,
need to know even they can enjoy something animated besides Pooh.  In order to thrust these teens and twenty somethings in the market,
distributors, especially the larger ones (ADVision, Pioneer, and Anime Village/Bandai Vision) will have to advertise through a media that
teens and twenty somethings are constantly exposed to; these are mainstream movies, tv, and magazines.  Advertisments on tapes and at
conventions are only preaching to the faithful.  The future of animé depends on more revenue in the market.  New revenue will only enter
the market if Otaku start getting rich or new consummers start buying product.  I must end this digression before it
becomes market analysis or a marketing/economics lecture.  What animé needs, besides the marketing, is a flagship movie, OAV
series, or TV series that represents its majority in the mainstream.  Right now Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Eva are doing so, but very
weakly.  Show any of them on network or a respectable cable tv station (apologies to Sci-Fi channel) and that could change because they
are such strong animé.  Hopefully, though, a show, such as Cowboy Bebop, or a movie, such as Blood or any of the afore mentioned
movies slated for release in theatres, can stir up enough of a buzz to lead animé out of an Otaku only culture to something all can enjoy.
     The final factor which can affect the future of animé is the behavoir of the otaku.  If we project the image that we are normal people
who enjoy animé, others will follow.  Wear your animé apparel proudly, decorate your home or room with an animé theme, do whatever
you want to spread animé, but don not over do it.  If the otaku go too far, we'll be disregarded like a run of the mill "trekie".  Our
behavoir will help spread animé to others, which means more animé can be brought over from Japan and possibly more jobs within
the American side of the industry.  Conclusively, the near future of anime will be determined by how mainstream entertainment reacts to
the otaku and the animé distributors do.  If all goes well, we could have an otakunized utopia, if not, we shall persevere until we achieve
something comparable.