Although the program says repeatedly that anime comes in all different genres, most of the clips used are the traditionally violent clips from action and science-fiction shows. The program also doesn't define many uniquely anime/manga genres apart from giant robot/mecha. There's no mention of shoujo, for example. While the program does do a good job at talking about many of the shows that made anime popular in the U.S., it makes little mention of Cartoon Network beyond a passing reference to Adult Swim. For a whole generation of fans, Cartoon Network's Toonami block was one of the few places to reliably see anime that wasn't Pokemon. Also, the program's section about anime fans and the Internet is woefully underdone. This may be intentional, as issues of piracy (via fansubbing) would be interwoven into any real exploration of anime and the Internet.

Overall, “Anime: Drawing A Revolution” is a solid introduction to the world of anime to those who may not be familiar with it. It's one of the few (if not the first) television programs from a mainstream network to really deal with this phenomenon. There may be some things to nitpick for those of us who are longtime fans, but ultimately, this program wasn't really made with us in mind. It was made for people who may for people curious about anime and who had few places to turn for easy-to-understand information. Ideally, this program will help more anime get more respect as an artform beyond perceptions of it being cheaply made kiddie programs and ultraviolent porn.

Starz Inside's “Anime: Drawing A Revolution” premieres December 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz and airs throughout the month of December.