Ever since the page came up in mid December ‘06, I’ve been checking the page every day, and enjoying it. It’s been it the back of my head for sometime now, but I really just realized it lately. I’m enjoying an ad. Though, it’s a very good ad.They are reaching out to the fans, and not chastising said fans for having seen it through fansubs. To be fair, they have made comments on the subject, but it’s light hearted in nature, and very much unlike the past attempts at vilifying the fansubers (viewers and groups).

They include in-jokes for both Haruhi fans in general, and the posters at the AoD.com forums. The site is intentionally amateurish looking. This is very good for the fans, but the question remains, will it bring in the mainstream people who find the site by way of ANN or other such sites where the mainstream anime community (if it can be called that).

I personally speculate that the answer will be yes and no. The “Joe Suncoast” of the world will not get it at all, and will be turned away. However, there will probably be some of the “mainstreamers” that find their curiosities peaked, and will rent or blind buy the title out of said curiosity.

Bandai is taking a small risk with the marketing scheme, and it’s one that I think will pay out in the end for them and Kadokawa. The already existing fanbase has been drawn in (and will probably stay, barring any “Mai Hime” size goof-ups), and they are generating other customers through curiosity. Those who are turned away by things like the design of the site, or the coyness of the announcements wouldn’t like the series anyway.

Good Luck Bandai/Kadokawa, don’t mess it up…