American Anime companies

[LittleKefalos]

I haven't seen this topic so I decided to put it out there.

Which companies do you feel are the best and worst at bringing anime too the U.S. (or your country, I'm studying abroad in London, U.K. right now and they have done a really poor job of releasing a variety of anime in stores compared to the U.S.) and why?

Personally I think Pioneer does a great job with there releases, anyone who has the Tenchi stuff knows how they have the beginning and ending themes in both languages (with good quality subs, great extras, and good sound).

Manga and Viz Video do a decent job as far as I'm concerned, it could have been better, but oh well.

Disney/Mirimax did Mononoke right? Well if it was them then they did a good job on the DVD (I like the voice acting), but they did nothing to promote the movie when it came out, just like Spirited Away has not been promoted (heck if they did half the promotion that they did on the 'Country Bears' perhaps the dumbest looking movie of the century, but I don't know for sure I haven't seen it-- call it a good guess, then both Mononoke and Spirited Away would have much better, maybe even top ten of the year).

But that's just my two bits, what do you think? Which companies are good and which are not? If you want explain why.

[AbsoluteDestiny]

It's much more complicated than that but it basically comes down to the following:

1) All titles have to be certified by the BBFC in order to go on sale to the public. In order to get the BBFC to give you a certificate this costs money... more money than anime companies in the early days were willing to spend.

2) In the mid 90s, the UK actually had more subbed anime releases than the US but the astounding success of Manga Video in the early days (this is no exaggeration) also caused a demise in the late 90s as they released title upon title of shit. They also created a sigma of anime being bloodthirsty plotless action or cartoon porn. Of course no-one in the UK calls it anime, it's "manga". That's Manga Video's fault.. they created a market and then fucked it up with their attempts to rededfine anime their own way and ending up releasing dreadful early 90s OAVs.

3) DVDs happen and everyone who is in any way serious about movie or tv shows have a region-free dvd player (over 85% of the UK dvd player market is regionless). US dvds are out earlier, they are often cheaper and the anime market gets a big kick up the ass in the states. By this point the UK companies which had dried up in the late 90s don't really care about UK releases as the fans are getting everything from the US - not to mention that the certification costs by the BBFC actually go up for every audio track, subtitle track, dvd extra etc etc.... they basically said "fuck that" and are just dong everything in the states.

However, it does look like the market being created in Australia can very easily be duplicated in the UK, bar the certification costs. If the BBFC change the rules then release of anime could well be a flowing thing in the UK again but essentially it's going to be sub-let titles (such as ADV bringing out the Australian product or more titles bought from animeigo).

There's a big boom in TV showings however with a channel showing Adult-Swim type stuff (with no editing at all) and Eva and Nadesico on TV. I suspect we will start getting more DVD releases but never in any way similar to the US market - just the popular stuff.

The days of UK-only licenses are long gone but I still have my subtitled VHS of Idol Defense Force Hummingbirds

[LittleKefalos]

Wow, that was an amazingly thorough answer even though you mainly concentrated on one of my side questions, and it does explain a lot.

Thanks.

Anyhow, all of you American, etc. fans out there should voice your opinions (I think the British angle was pretty well convered, unless someone feels its wrong).

Alas this may not be an exciting post and I was a fool to post it, oh well, only time shall tell (but I can't be a total fool, there was one great reply, so there. ).

[valentine]

I really like Tokyopop.
Their translations stick closer to what is actually being said, and they define uncommon japanese terms and idioms. Downside is that they don't have a big selection of titles.


ADV has a lot of good titles, but I don't like their translations as much.

[axron27]

Because of the popularity of anime in my country -The U.S.- I feel as though more American animators should take up the craft and that the entertainment industry in my country should get its nose out of our women's crotches and put many of our bimbo actors and actresses who would sell their souls for an acting gig on the unemployment line and rediscover true art. Even if it is pornographic, anime is far less exploitive -nobody's actual flesh has to be used-. Children's role models can be the artists as opposed to the prostitutes, strippers and rappers -who in turn promote the former- that plague our entertainment industry at this time. The existing Japanese producers of anime could use more exposure as well. I'm trying to turn as many of my fellow countrymen to Bandai's offerings especially Saber Marionette whose female characters I feel would better role models than Sarah Jessica Parker, Britney Spears and the female contestants of Survivor that get to do a spread in Penthouse after their stint on that show. Right now American entertainment promotes the weak link, the more dysfunctional or seamy the better. Promoting entertainment that requires talent as opposed to silicone breasts would revive our rapidly declining entertainment industry and could reduce the wannabe' factor influencing our kids. If anything typical anime characters could instill a desire to be more physically fit and develop an actual talent rather than emulate some megolomaniac, overrated, overpaid group of deviants who want to shock and tell everyone else how they should live. Final Fantasy is an awesome example of how obsolete these walking ego trips called celebrities can be -my gawd one can even see the threads on the character's clothes in Final Fantasy-. I'm open to suggestions on how I can expose my fellow Americans to the merits of anime and the companies that produce it and encourage my nation's creative pool to take up the brush instead of pulling down its pants.

[Chaos Angel]

AnimEigo's Oh My Goddess DVDs impressed the hell out of me. I loved the job they did on it.

[valentine]

Axron-
US Companies have made some attempt at animated films for maturer audiences. In example, Titan AE. The problem is, (as you pointed out)the american media culture is very different from its japanese counter part.

Anything that comes out of the US is going to be different from Japanese Anime just because the people making it have a different attitude and background than the Japanese artists. And in all honesty, the US is afraid to make a really gritty piece of animation.

I believe this fear is at least partially because of the recent sentiment that everything should be suitable for a 5 year old even if it has a warning label just because that kid might see it somehow--especially if it's in a format like animation.

So Titan AE is a fairly good starting point really. I can't name anymore examples of americana off the top of my head, but anime in Japan started in movie theatres as well and they didn't have to fight predjuices instilled by decades of Disney and (irate yet) irresponsible parents.

[valentine]

Anyway, US Manga Corps pretty bad. I think I've liked two of the series they put out, but the rest is really awful. Let me see, they released the "Oh no! There's giant Cheerios in the sky!" anime. I can't remember what it is called.

I would love AnimeEigo, but they never ever release anything on time and that's really frustrating. They seem to take pride in their tardiness though...

I have to back pioneer too. They're right behind Tokyopop on my list. I'm so glad they started including previews on their DVDs as that was my only pet peeve with them.

[axron27]

Actually I used the comment about anime porno as an alternative to live exploitive porno and that point was brief. American media is actually irresponsible about what it presents to children and our entertainment industry is in fact dominated by a bunch of deviants that would be in institutions if they weren't famous. Our media is a cesspool that strives to get as many women naked on screen as possible, mothers, wives and younger girls when they can. Sex is the most overdone area of American entertainment and it's gotten to the point of sophomoric. There is almost no distinction between child and adult entertainment and the role models for girls are generally bimbos who would do anything for a buck. The role models for boys are snivelling, pandering, pathetic sex fiends who would sell their souls for a piece of a$$. Actually Japanese anime for the most part is far more principled and moral than most of our entertainment and the porno anime itself is not involved with having some real person's wife, mother or daughter dancing nude in public. By your response I think you definitely missed my point, because neither Disney nor censcorship is the problem in America, Fox, Penthouse sexual exploitation and brainwashing of women and kids and the portrayal of scum as role models are the problems. I mean this in jest don't take it wrong but have you been to the U.S. since the 1950's and if you live here do you live under a rock? In Japan showing pubic hair is a problem, in the U.S. a closeup view of a pregnant middle aged mother of four's crotch from an underside aspect in front of her neighbors is business as usual -Hustler magazine- So it's not the raunch I hold dear in Japanime it is the overriding decency and mature attitude or humorous attitude that sex is handled in when it is present. If you've seen Saber Marionette you would know that it's not for sexual content that I enjoy it -there is none it's romantic- I'm disappointed because I thought I made my point clear. I THINK ANIME WOULD BE A GOOD INFLUENCE ON THE OVERSEXED AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. I hope you're not angry with my correction of your reply, but i spent too much time and thought on it to be so badly misunderstood. No hard feelings and I hope my counter reply didn't offend you or make you feel uncomfortable.

[axron27]

If you think our animation is meant for 5 year old mentalities you need to check out South Park, Ren and Stimpy or even the Simpsons. I'm not slamming these tunes I love them but they are not for 5 year olds