Anime SUCKS... No, it sorta doesn't!

danielwang · Post by **danielwang** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 9:19 pm

Anyone see the "new" type of anime being produced? Theres good stuff from the good producers, sure, but if you look at the newer crap style thats being made just for the US, then anime is now just bull shit.

I think anime companies should lighten up on the "gotta appeal to audience, make big bucks" attitudew and do anime for the enjoyment of fans. Your not gonna make big bucks marketing plotless crap! Oh WAIT, they did that with DBZ and its clones, its toys and merchandise.

Anime is now more than ever like japanese style Only-CARTOONS and not Complex Animated Entertainment. Disney is catching up fast, but now it still lacks with crud like Lilo And Stitch. With companies like funImation imitations making stuff like Blue Gender just for the hell of it, the industry is going to waste.

HERES A HINT BIG CORPORATE MACHOS:
If your gonna import anything from Japan, do it right and dont do ANY f-ing EDITING! Seriously I think those american anime-imitators have been watching DUBS too much. Gack! Soon, even Hamtaro is going to be censored for Political Correctness in its little hamster society.

Hmm now they're replacing cigarretes with toothpicks and sake with "tea". What will they think of next? Digitally editing blood out? That's already been done. Hmm what about hacking up gundam? Its a war story after all! LOL they're going to censor the presidents remarks in episode __ for Public Relations Correctness!

Outlaw Desire · Post by **Outlaw Desire** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 9:26 pm

danielwang, I can't help but agree with you completely. Anime like that fucking dragonball and everything related is a fucking disgrace. What ever happened to movies like akira and tv shows like cowboy bebop....sniff...sniff

danielwang · Post by **danielwang** » Sun Sep 08, 2002 9:30 pm

And dont forget pokemon! Heres a slightly modified quote for ya

Remember, Pokemon are considered *toys* in Japan. If you are buying pokemon subs to get the "quality" stuff you deserve to get ripped off!

Enuf said.

MistyCaldwell · Post by **MistyCaldwell** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 12:30 am

Outlaw Desire - Daniel was talking about new anime...and Dragonball (the one without a z) came out before either Akira or Cowboy Bebop.

But I understand the comments here. You guys do have to remember a couple things:

Japan is a country run by capitolism like ours; if your formula makes a profit, make more of it. I agree what comes out is usually crap though

They follow trends too, remember the ninja outburst in the late 80's? Well, that still isn't completely over ^_~ but they go by the same thing with the Pokemon, Digimon and uhh...Monster Rancher but that came first anyway....

The other things is what we see here in the US right now is a poor look at modern TV in Japan. It takes awhile for stuff to come here, just like it takes awhile for our media to make it over there. A friend of mine in Portugal told me a couple years ago they had started to get "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" reruns. That's ...what...11 years old now?

UncleMilo · Post by **UncleMilo** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 3:04 am

Another thing to remember...

Anime that hits US TV is usually kid-stuff (since US companies feel that animation is for kids anyway)

They've been editing anime for years though.

In the 70's, when they brought Gatchaman to US, they edited out over 25% of the show.

When they brought Yamato to the US, they called Sake "Spring Water" and changed lines so people were hurt and not killed.

When they brought Macross, Mospeda and Southern Cross to the US, they jammed them all together and spliced scenes so they could simply call it one series.

When they brought BIG-O to the US, they cut out many lines referring to killing and murder (in the dub on TV)

When they put Cardcaptor Sakura on TV, they tried to gear it towards a male audience... demoting Sakura from her own show!

They hacked up Escaflowne to gear it to a younger, male audience... eliminating the 1st episode entirely!!

There are plenty of good titles coming out of Japan... but Japan is in a horrible economy right now and even the animation studios are feeling the pinch. Many OAVs are getting shorter and shorter...

Animation quality is going down with some studios.

You must not use Cowboy Bebop as an example, because Bebop was a WAY above average TV show, with movie quality animation and exceptional music.

Furthermore... don't be knockin' Lilo and Stitch! That was one of the best movies to come out of Disney in ages! It provided clever humor and tackled serious issues under the guise of a comedy. Also - Disney has always been about family movies so it's a bit unfair to compare them to Japanese Animation, since those studios target different audiences. I give them credit for making TV shows like Gargoyles and bringing over the Ghibli titles (even though they are really moving slowly on that)

Also - Disney makes animated movies that treat children like they have brains in their heads. This is one of the reasons I appretiate the movies of Disney (even though I have some real issues with the Disney corporation).

(Note I said ANIMATED movies, as I find the live-action movies Disney makes to be repulsive in all ways)

American studios should NOT seek to emulate the Japanese art style... but they should look toward making animated shows with the kind of quality in story structure that we see in anime.

The biggest let down was back when Batman: The Animated Series came out. Batman was supposed to be aired at Prime Time when it was originally concieved. It would have been a HUGE step for animation in America... it would have been an animated show that was not a comedy, aimed at an adult audience...

but WB dropped it into the kids slot... and while Batman was probably the best animated show for TV that the US has produced... it was stymied by the FCC who forced it to stick to the standards of a kid's show.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm gives you an idea what the TV show could have been.

Justice League has a bit more edge and a little more freedom... but it just is missing the mark on completely breaking the mold (and I hope the writers get more daring as time goes on)

Anyway... I'll stop here for now...

-Uncle Milo

Garylisk · Post by **Garylisk** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 3:16 am

And you must not forgot Voltron! That was a butchered version of a show called Golion.

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 5:07 am

UncleMilo-I recall Fox tried showing the animated Batman during weekend primetime. I think it suffered from Futurama syndrome, namely, it didn't get the right promotion and timeslot. As I recall, my local Fox affiliate would play a bunch of lameass syndicated shit on the weekend, then go into primetime at 7:00 PM. Most people were on other channels, waiting for "The Simpsons" at 8:00 PM. You're right, though, that was a kickass show at the time, and it's too bad it didn't succeed in its slot. Hell, Bebop could've been on Fox!

UncleMilo · Post by **UncleMilo** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 6:01 am

Well, there were timing problems and advertising problems and promotional problems...

because a lot of execs couldn't wrap their minds around the concept of an adult oriented animated show that wasn't a comedy.

-Uncle Milo

danielwang · Post by **danielwang** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 10:11 am

Hmm yeah Disney is getting better. Recurring plot structure though is predictable and damn annoying. Never breaking the mold though. Was Ice Age a disney movie, no, pixar? Yeah you remember that one tiger that got um, knocked off. He came back later in the movie though, why the heck do the good (and bad) guys have to be so damn persistent! We enjoy the characters, but of coursa like with Gundam we enjoy character active *rotation* wheres theres somebody new right in the middle a the movie.

One more thing. The "unedited" version of GW that people have been bashing about "gundam wing sucks" etc? THe "uneditied" version first time, midnite run not adult swim, was editing slitely though. By that we mean a lot. Cardcaptors? Sailor Moon? Gee its a horrible show. By that we mean good. Did anyone say "DiC?"

DOnt worry the US has got to grow up sometime. ANime was originally intended as some sorta adult-ish entertainment, MAnga was originally instructional.