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Usually, we use the Letters column to address questions and feedback from
our readers. However, we tend to receive a lot of the same questions from
different readers, and we felt that these would be best addressed with an
FAQ. So instead of the usual comments from Charles (our
EIC), we proudly present...
...the EX List of Frequently Asked Questions!
What is EX?
EX: THE ONLINE WORLD OF ANIME AND
MANGA (our full title) is an online magazine that covers (surprise
surprise!) Japanese animation and manga (comics). EX
is unique because our coverage includes anime in both in Japan and North
America. EX is a source of information about what's
new on both American and Japanese shores, and what's worth watching and
what's not.
EX is put together by an all-volunteer
staff and is a project of the Society for
the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA).
How often does EX come out?
An issue is released approximately every six weeks. As with every
publication, sometimes there are unavoidable delays, but our track record is
very good. If you put your name on our Announcement mailing list, you'll be
notified via e-mail when new issues come out, so you will never miss an
issue.
Is there a print version of your magazine available?
If so, how can I subscribe to it?
No, there is no paper version of EX; it is entirely
online. If you want to be notified of the release of new issues (which
occurs approximately every six weeks), sign up for our mailing list.
To subscribe, send email to
majordomo@ex.spiders.com
with "subscribe ex-announce" in the body of the message.
What's the EX CDROM all about?
To commemorate our first year of publication, we gathered issues 1.1 to
2.4 and put them on a commemorative CDROM. Cover
art is of Ifurita from EL-HAZARD, courtesy of
Pioneer Entertainment and AIC. The
CDROM retails for $19.95.
How about those banners?
These are for the readers. Show your support for EX
by putting a banner up on your homepage. New banners will be coming soon!
How can I purchase the products on your website?
Can you send them to me? Do you have a catalog?
When a car magazine reviews a sports car, or when a computer magazine
reviews a computer, they just review the product. They don't sell
it.
EX is an anime magazine.
EX is not an online store or mail-order company.
We review anime and manga products. We do not sell them.
OK. Can you tell me where to purchase the products,
then?
We include as much information as possible (such as the catalog
number and suggested retail price) so that readers can get these items on
their own. We are currently compiling a list of anime stores that are
available online; in the meantime, for shopping assistance, please check
out the shopping section of the
Anime Web Turnpike.
Can you send me images for my home page?
This is a question we get asked a lot. Because we are a magazine, we can
use images under the "fair use" clause of current copyright law. In
addition, we often try to obtain permission from the companies who own the
images; since we are press, more often than not our requests are granted.
However, we are unable to provide images for personal use on
people's home pages because, quite simply we do not own the rights to
these images and cannot grant permission.
Can you send me video clips for my favorite show?
Again, since we do not own the rights to these items this is not something
we are able to do.
Can you send me codes for [insert name of game here]?
Unfortunately, no. We don't specialize in that sort of things, but there
are plenty of other sites that do.
Why don't you include RealAudio tracks of the
CDs you review?
Because doing so without specific permission from the company owning the
music is something of a legal grey area. And it's a lot of extra work
too..
Why do you seem to hate [insert name of show here]?
Reviews are the opinions of the individual authors and should be taken as
such. Sometimes we receive angry e-mail from someone because they feel we
trashed their favorite show. Each individual is entitled to his or her own
opinion; readers should remember that a review of any given title is exactly
that—one person's opinion. We hope, however, that enough factual
information is presented in the review (such as the type of anime, basic
story, etc.) to allow each reader to make up their own mind. We don't
advocate blind allegiance to our reviewer's tastes—make up your own
mind. Consider our reviews as suggestions or guidelines.
I like what EX is doing.
Is there any way I can help?
We're always looking for talented, dedicated people to help us in our
seemingly endless workload.
If you're interested in the writing aspect (submitting
reviews, copy editing, etc), please send e-mail to Charles (our
EIC) at
phoenix@apricot.com.
If you're interested in the production aspect
(HTML, image processing, etc), please send
email to Keith (the design editor) at
pckit@slip.net.
* * *
Our Mail Policy:
We read all of the mail we receive. Readers who submit mail may receive
personal replies via e-mail, a reply in the letter column, or in some
instances, both.
All letters sent to EX (or any
of its staff regarding the magazine) are eligible for inclusion in the
letter column. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity.
If you don't want your e-mail address printed, please tell us.
If you would prefer that your letter not be published at all, please
inform us of this as well.
By the way, we here at EX
try to keep things on a mature, intelligent level. This includes the
publishing of our mail. The following are sure-fire ways to
disqualify your response from being printed in the letter
column...
- WRITE IN UPPER CASE. This will guarantee immediate rejection.
- fail to use capital letters at the start of sentences or when using words
like ranma and macross.
- Use inane words and phrases such as 'Ranma sucks' or 'Robotech rocks'.
- Use punctuation in an inappropriate and outlandish fashion !!!!??????
- Profanity and personal attacks will also wind up in the trashcan.
In general, it's best that you have something to say. So let's hear from
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