Anime is dying

[Shaytan]

1) It's interesting that France is the world's biggest market for manga outside of Japan.

True. That began when Akira was released (I was young but I still remember seeing the trailer on TV). Also all the kids from the late 70's to the 90's were raised watching animes on French TV. Some of the most popular were franco-japonese collaborations (The Mysterious cities of gold and Ulysse 31) and the stories had definitely a European flavour, they were good introductions to animes (and the stories are really awesome). After that we watched pure japanese products and we learnt the codes, now I find what I see in animes culturally familiar. I'm certain that contributes to the popularity of the japanese culture in my country.
For example : animes like Dragon Ball are popular, Sart Trek is not popular at all. But Star Trek was practically absent from French TV

(whereas English-readers have to rely on less legal methods).

Methods that this poor French manga reader use immoderately

 

[Pilot Ace]

Yeah, I never quite understood why they gave the Tachikomas kiddie voices. I didn't have a problem with it, I just found it odd.

The Tachikomas are the cutest things ever conceived, is why.

Most obviously, I think it was create empathy between the audience and the machines. Because they are so inhumanly designed, it would have been difficult to make you care about them when they discuss their plight as machines without ghosts and how they were locked up for developing too quickly...

The child-like voices (and child-like personalities) instantly make a connection with innocence and humanity.

 

[Forbin]

But it made those "Tachikomatic Days" shorts impossible to bear.

 

[Admiral2]

But it made those "Tachikomatic Days" shorts impossible to bear.

Not true! Most of them were funny as hell! There were just a couple of really strange ones...

 

[Pilot Ace]

But it made those "Tachikomatic Days" shorts impossible to bear.

Not true! Most of them were funny as hell! There were just a couple of really strange ones...

I remember liking the majority of them! The dub voices were adorable and that really made the shorts especially cute from my end.

 

[Admiral2]

But it made those "Tachikomatic Days" shorts impossible to bear.

Not true! Most of them were funny as hell! There were just a couple of really strange ones...

I remember liking the majority of them! The dub voices were adorable and that really made the shorts especially cute from my end.

The voice that always stands out for me is that of Lara Jill Miller's. Her voice is a touch deeper than all the other voices and I remember her distinctly from the sitcom "Gimme a Break."

 

[Forbin]

Oh, lord, the voices is what kept me from watching them! Fingernails on a blackboard! *shuuder*

 

[Hound of UIster]

A problem Japanese animation faces in western translation is what Carl Macek, pioneer of localizing Japanese content in the US, called "ethnic gesture". Japanese animation is full of specific iconic cues, expressions, body language, that means a lot to Japanese audiences but can seem like random jerky nonsense to Americans. Japanese stuff tends to be super punchy, hyper active, and absurdest. Partly in response to overly dapper, restrained, polite Japanese culture.

2) Strangely, audiences were/are willing to ignore that for kid's fair. Nowadays there are still "tie-in" animes that air for children (Pokemon and YuGiOh) and the random anime based on western nostalgia (the Marvel animes on G4, the new Thundercats "anime"), so there's no dissonance. Of course, everyone loves Transformers and that's anime.

I don't think that the new Thundercats really has any of the odd ethnic stuff, but that's because the Japanese are just animating the episodes IIRC, not directing theme.

You are wrong. The directors for the Thundercat episodes are all japanese, which is the current prevailing theory of why the show is so terribly mediocre. That or the scripts are really terrible.

 

[bullethead]

2) Strangely, audiences were/are willing to ignore that for kid's fair. Nowadays there are still "tie-in" animes that air for children (Pokemon and YuGiOh) and the random anime based on western nostalgia (the Marvel animes on G4, the new Thundercats "anime"), so there's no dissonance. Of course, everyone loves Transformers and that's anime.

I don't think that the new Thundercats really has any of the odd ethnic stuff, but that's because the Japanese are just animating the episodes IIRC, not directing theme.

You are wrong. The directors for the Thundercat episodes are all japanese, which is the current prevailing theory of why the show is so terribly mediocre. That or the scripts are really terrible.

First time I've heard of this theory. I think the writers are far more responsible, mostly because the issues with the episodes aside from the plot mostly come down to things that are all in the hands of the writers.

 

[Myasishchev]

But it made those "Tachikomatic Days" shorts impossible to bear.

Not true! Most of them were funny as hell! There were just a couple of really strange ones...

I remember liking the majority of them! The dub voices were adorable and that really made the shorts especially cute from my end.

I don't even know about the Japanese voices. They may have been obnoxious, or not.

The point is, watching subs is for nerds.

I had to do that for Death Note, because the Netflix streaming version is subbed. Weak beyond all measure. I won't release the hostages till I get my Brad Swaile.

 

[Set Harth]

They can be annoying subbed.

It would be ok if they could be permanently killed off.

But they can't. They're like Jason Voorhees.

Season 1 killed them off, Season 2 brought them back.

Season 2 killed them off, Solid State Society brought them back.

You can't get away from them.

 

[Admiral2]

They can be annoying subbed.

It would be ok if they could be permanently killed off.

But they can't. They're like Jason Voorhees.

Season 1 killed them off, Season 2 brought them back.

Season 2 killed them off, Solid State Society brought them back.

You can't get away from them.

Actually, they were replaced by less advanced Fuchikomas at the end of 2nd Gig (Fuchikomas come straight from the original manga. Tachikomas were a modification).

 

[Hound of UIster]

I don't think that the new Thundercats really has any of the odd ethnic stuff, but that's because the Japanese are just animating the episodes IIRC, not directing theme.

You are wrong. The directors for the Thundercat episodes are all japanese, which is the current prevailing theory of why the show is so terribly mediocre. That or the scripts are really terrible.

First time I've heard of this theory. I think the writers are far more responsible, mostly because the issues with the episodes aside from the plot mostly come down to things that are all in the hands of the writers.

The direction is very much japanese and they are certainly not putting their best people on it. And it's not like Avatar where the Stateside production was working very close with the foreign studio.

 

[firehawk12]

1) It's interesting that France is the world's biggest market for manga outside of Japan.

True. That began when Akira was released (I was young but I still remember seeing the trailer on TV). Also all the kids from the late 70's to the 90's were raised watching animes on French TV. Some of the most popular were franco-japonese collaborations (The Mysterious cities of gold and Ulysse 31) and the stories had definitely a European flavour, they were good introductions to animes (and the stories are really awesome). After that we watched pure japanese products and we learnt the codes, now I find what I see in animes culturally familiar. I'm certain that contributes to the popularity of the japanese culture in my country.
For example : animes like Dragon Ball are popular, Sart Trek is not popular at all. But Star Trek was practically absent from French TV

(whereas English-readers have to rely on less legal methods).

Methods that this poor French manga reader use immoderately

Wakfu is French-Japanese too, isn't it?
I just discovered that the background designer for one of my favourite animes (Aria) is French, so there's even French dudes who make it into the Japanese industry.

I will say, if I could read French fluently without a dictionary, I'd probably import a lot of French stuff. A lot of stuff that comes out there isn't even... covered by the less than legal English services.

Also, since this is a random anime thread, I'll post a random anime related image. This was from the Ranma 1/2 live action adaptation that aired yesterday in Japan:

 

[zakkrusz]

On a random note, myself, I'm really loving the current season. It's got franchise installments from stuff I enjoyed such as Fate/Zero, Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing, Shakugan no Shana 3, and Squid Girl 2, but also a few new things I've liked as well such as Guilty Crown, and Persona 4.

 

[Myasishchev]

Squid Girl? Oh dear.

 

[firehawk12]

Chihayafuru and Tamayura are my shows of the season. Lots of other shows I like for a variety of reasons though. Kimi to Boku, Squid Girl, and so on. Last Exile has been alright too.

Squid Girl? Oh dear.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DKvOx33ncg&feature=related[/yt]

 

[MANT!]

As a child, I watched Astro-Boy,Speed Racer, 8th Man,and Marine Boy ..

Modern Japanese animation has excessive violence and sexual innuendo for my taste..

 

[Forbin]

^I loved all those as a kid too!

But I don't mind lots of sex and violence.

 

[Admiral2]

^I loved all those as a kid too!

But I don't mind lots of sex and violence.

Then get Daphne In The Brilliant Blue. It's the ultimate anime.