My friends: this has been a long time coming. I'm happy to announce (in addition to your seeing) that Anime Dream is now in its third form — but unlike the final bosses in them video games, we don't expect this one to be our last. Besides, the power of emo and spiky hair is useless against us. (But moe is an anagram of emo. It's a trap!)

Anime Dream is in its tenth year, if you didn't know, and we decided to start next-January's celebration early. We've been through some tough times, and some splendid; some high times, and some sober. We bore witness to the first anime explosion in the States, and also saw the rising influence of manga, the drug that makes us all Japanese at heart. We're proud to be a part of the scene, however small, and we hope you'll let us serve you for many years to come.

I'd like to point out one of our new features at Anime Dream: our contact form. If you'd like to drop us a line about one of our articles, or with a suggestion for us, you can find it on the left-hand side of our new layout, under "Quick Links." Of course our forum is available for that stuff, too, and if you're so inclined, you can drop us a bit of news and views through our "Contribute!" link. We'd love to hear from you!

Thanks go out to you, our readers, for nine-plus years of awesome memories. I'd also like to personally thank Mark Tjan, our resident graphic designer, for Anime Dream's new look.

We're witnessing some exciting times in the world of anime, and we the staff at AD plan to make the most of it. Join us as we unveil our new Commentary section (any day now!), and we hope to photograph your most embarrassing moments at Anime Boston this year. Like any self-respecting evil mastermind, I decline to reveal all that you can look forward to from us in the near future; rest assured, you won't see it coming.