2008 has started with a bit of a disappointment for anime (Japanese animation) fans on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US the first 24/7 anime channel The Anime Network has gone off the air, and it's taken the UK block with it. The signs were there before Christmas when the UK'sAnime Network block on Propeller TV suddenly lost it's on-air presenters- Stuart Claw and the rather lovely Emma Viecelli were there one week, gone the next and seemingly unable to tell their viewers why. It's now clear that it was because the block was being axed- and the order must have come form high up- the Anime Networks' owners ADV. It's not all doom and gloom though. AN will live on Stateside as an on-demand service (and is now online too), whereas in the UK we have the ace channel Anime Central to ensure we get our anime fix. Still, I'll miss Miss Viecelli. Sniff!