Forum - View topic"Cultural Considerations" of Domestic release?
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Nani?
 Posts: 632 |
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I can think of several shows I suspect have not been released pehaps because of U.S. either cultural or political considerations.
Examples: Cheeky Angel-- About a boy changed at age nine into a girl, but the girliest of Girls. At age 16 she is still trying to change back but at times is wondering whether she should just accept the inevitable and enjoy her life. Macross 0-- By Shoji Kawamori, Probably the best OAV I've seen in the last ten years IMHO. this show has a strong enviromental/anti war message, though more skillfully stated then his earlier work on Earth Girl Arjuna. Also there spoiler[ an antagonist "anti UN" force fighting Carrier battles in the south pacific and the main character is a Japanese pilot ] Considering it is done circa 2002 and the climate of this country at that time.... you get the picture. Any coments or other examples? All the best, Nani? |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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Sailor Stars--features gender-changing transformations; also, since Sailor Moon is generally considered a "kids' show" over here (especially because CN viewers never saw the real ending of the first season), I think both licensors and licensees are reluctant to have it brought to U.S. audiences.
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Animefan16
 Posts: 1021 |
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I doubt cultural considerations or anything like that have affect whether a series will be licensed or not. Look at koikaze, an incest anime. Geneon licensed it.
Cheeky Angel's anime may not be licensed but the manga is. The Negima manga, a romantic comedy featuring about a 10-year-old boy and 31 14-15 year old girls,is also licensed. |
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IchigoK90
 Posts: 1634 Location: Scarborough, Ontario |
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I think it has to do with domestic demand for the series or how popular it did in japan to be released in america. This only really applies to the more recent titles.
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.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
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I've read quite a bit of the Yakitate!! Japan manga, and it is very heavy on jokes about the Japanese language, making translating very difficult. Many fans don't want jokes altered (impossible in this case, it's the bulk of the humour), while others don't want jokes explained. I would prefer the jokes just to be explained, since there are plenty of other hilarious events in this manga. But that's for another discussion, so back on topic, many companies are considering releasing manga and targeting new manga fans. Yakitate!! Japan sounds very unappealing, even to people who read a lot of manga, because it's about bread. Once I picked it up though, it become the funniest manga I've ever read, in addition to being very educational. In my case, the scanlators sometimes included a few paragraphs of notes for some chapters, yet it was still mvery funny. If people would give it a chance, the cultural allusions wouldn't be a huge problem, but I'm guessing many people aren't into bread baking. Oh no wait, I'm in the anime forum aren't I? Well the anime can't be that different from the manga. With the manga, translator notes are able to be done, but with smeone watching the anime, I doubt he/she will want to pause and look at the insert every few minutes.
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Kazuki-san
 Posts: 2251 Location: Houston, TX |
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And yet we have something like Ranma 1/2. Although I guess it's a bit different to be permanently changed.
How about Area 88? A series about a fighter base in the Middle East where fighters come from other countries to fight the "enemies" of the country? That sort of connects with events going on right now, although I suppose opinions on the matter have wide gaps, unlike opinions (for the most part), back then. Still, if someone saw profit in Zero, it would be here. Simple as that. If not then, then now.
Well, to some it is considered a kids show. Mainly those who saw it on CN (there were alot of things people who saw it there didn't see) or got the first DVDs and never checked out the uncut version. I agree with you about the reasoning at the time. Now however, it's not so much a matter or nobody wanting to bring it over, because I'm certain some do, it's a matter that Toei let all the SM US licenses expire. Unless they change their mind, there's no chance of it ever making it here, unless Toei released it directly. |
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4556 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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I always assumed the reason Macross Zero wasn't brought over was either because the asking price for the rights may be just too high or because of issues relating to that nonsense with the conflict between Tatsunoko and Big West that you hear about from time to time.
Unless it's like Macross 7, where the sheer cost of the music rights involved make the show unlicensable. |
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Nani?
Posts: 632 |
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But there are shows that do better here for cultural reasons. The one that comes to mind is Princess Nine. I suspect the premise was seen as slightly too unrealistic to Japanese audiences where the power is more intrenched and hence the challenges a girls baseball team would face were higher where as to an American audience, the "bucking the system but still being part of it" theme underlying this series made it more "American." Shows that I think have a harder time getting liscened in this country: 1) Anything gender bending, manga is below the radar. Ranma has Rumiko Takahashi behind it and she is a big enough name to overcome this stigma. 2) Shows that take are too Shinto or Buddhist based. Look at the editing of Cardcaptors in regard to Sakura's teacher. Also there is a comercial bit to this because a lot of Americans don't have the underlying background to catch all the nuances of say, Blue Seed. Meanwhile Haibane or Bleach talk about "religous issues" the issues general way, that doesn't touch on religion per se. X has a Christian in the mix, on the other hand, most of the American audience don't understand exactly what Mt. Koya or Ise Shrine, where of two the "Dragons of Heaven" come from are to the Japanese. 3) Sports shows, most American fans tend to be nerds and there is a bit of an "anti-Jock" bias in the fan community as a whole. All the Best, Nani? Again it doesn't prevent a show from being licensed |
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DarkTenshi90
 Posts: 440 Location: Nebraska |
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Sometimes, it's also just hard to bring all the anime from Japan over here to America. If the series is popular enough in Japan, from what I am guessing, it'll most likely come out over here. I doubt that companies like Geneon or ADV, etc.., really care if the male turns into a female because Ranma broke that barrier, I just think the series may not yet be popular enough to be licensed by a company here. I could be wrong though.
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Mugen The Great
Posts: 189 |
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The editting of Cardcaptors should not be used to represent ANYTHING about the anime industry, seeing as it is generally considered one of the worst editting jobs in the history of anime, up there with Battle of the Planets, Robotech, Warriors of the Wind, and 4Kids' One Piece. |
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Nani?
Posts: 632 |
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Agreed, it was horrible, but the point is, for network broadcast, the fact that her teacher, in a position of authority, was spoiler[essentially a sorceress (by American definitions)] and was good person was edited out is the point. Can't give any new agey ideas to kids in the Bible Belt now can we.
Compare with:
The idea that somebody could have thier sex changed and come to prefer it is a barrier Ramna never crossed spoiler[accept for one episode when ramna hit his head, but it was for comedy]. It's not the sex change per se. It's the attitude torward the sex change is questionable by American standards. Consider the attitude toward transexuals in American society. I personally think Cheeky Angel will be picked up, but cheaply by Media Blasters, like Figure 17, which also had a taboo subject,spoiler[ the death of small children.] All the Best, Nani? |
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