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NEWS: Pokémon Anime Moves to Disney XD in U.S. With Pokémon Sun & Moon

The late Satoshi Iwata also referred to the red lizard thing as "Charizard".

NearEasternerJ1 wrote:

The late Satoshi Iwata also referred to the red lizard thing as "Charizard".

You meant to say Satoru Iwata?

Yeah, that's NOT going to happen. The English names of the Pokemon are set in stone. In Japan, they had a "Lizardon" figure and underneath in English, it had "Charizard". The late Satoshi Iwata also referred to the red lizard thing as "Charizard". The English names are the least of one's worries. At least for the anime. Name changes, aside, the dubs are pathetic.

Oh man, that's a good way to put it. On a related note, a short while back, elsewhere where dubs were being talked about, I saw someone post "Ugh DUBS! I'd rather watch an episode of MLP."

Yeah. It'd be funny if it weren't so sad

Also, yeah, people are REALLY missing out not watching Steven Universe. It definitely goes into territory as dark as any shonen/all-ages Anime.

I think Funimation is better off licensing it instead...but without the Localized trainer and Pokemon names

(Where did this come from anyway? Anime News Network is the ONLY place I go to where people insist on using the Japanese names only and expect everyone to understand them. I go to other Pokémon sites like Pokébeach and Serebii and everyone universally uses the names of the Pokémon of their own country's games and anime.)

Don't those sites primarily focus on the video games? I would imagine anime boards would be more likely to use Japanese names since the fansubs use Japanese names.

-Stuart Smith

4Kids voices? You mean, like Veronica Taylor unable to differentiate between voicing Ash and May? Or Eric Stuart constantly destroying the character of James? Thanks, but no, thanks.

Correct me if I'm wrong but how I understand how some kids cartoons work specially the action ones is that they pay networks to air their shows because the show them selves is basically a big toy ad. This is why rating for these kind of shows don't matter as much.

Example, a couple shows that Cartoon Network treats just as bad as Pokémon, Sonic Boom and Transformers. You'd think a network would go crazy over the fact they have Transformers, more or less the same with Sonic. But they aren't you know why, Cartoon Network has not a damn thing to do with, Pokémon, Sonic Boom or Transformers.

Sega one day decided lets make a Sonic Boom cartoon series, in their infinite wisdom made a TV series with out a network backing, I assume Transformers the same and the Pokémon dub is floating out there the same. This is why these shows air one very different channels in different countries, One place it's Cartoon Network, another Nick, another Disney, someplaces a network you never heard of

Basically SEGA pays Cartoon Network to treat Sonic Boom like crap,

Hasbro pays Cartoon Network to treat Transformers like crap,

Pokémon pays Cartoon Network to treat their show like crap,

ReifuTD wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong but how I understand how some kids cartoons work specially the action ones is that they pay networks to air their shows because the show them selves is basically a big toy ad. This is why rating for these kind of shows don't matter as much. Example, a couple shows that Cartoon Network treats just as bad as Pokémon, Sonic Boom and Transformers. You'd think a network would go crazy over the fact they have Transformers, more or less the same with Sonic. But they aren't you know why, Cartoon Network has not a damn thing to do with, Pokémon, Sonic Boom or Transformers. Sega one day decided lets make a Sonic Boom cartoon series, in their infinite wisdom made a TV series with out a network backing, I assume Transformers the same and the Pokémon dub is floating out there the same. This is why these shows air one very different channels in different countries, One place it's Cartoon Network, another Nick, another Disney, someplaces a network you never heard of Basically SEGA pays Cartoon Network to treat Sonic Boom like crap, Hasbro pays Cartoon Network to treat Transformers like crap, Pokémon pays Cartoon Network to treat their show like crap,

Regarding Transformers: Hasbro DOES have its own network, currently known as Discovery Family. They tried to play the vertical integration game, but it flopped.

Toy companies like Hasbro and LEGO know very well how to negotiate with TV channels as to how to distribute money gained from merchandise. 80's animated programming was all about that. The problem is that if the TV channel is no longer interested, then the toy company is left high and dry.

Considering there is comparatively little merchandise for any Cartoon Network show right now, focusing mainly on hobby shops and collector goods (maybe except The Powerpuff Girls), my impression is that either Cartoon Network is not that interested in merchandise sales, or children's merchandise has moved away from TV shows and towards general multimedia franchises (like Star Wars or Monster High). Talking Tom, of all things, just had a Happy Meal line this year, for instance. That being said, the mere existence of a show can keep a franchise in the public consciousness and help perpetuate selling toys. This is Disney's approach with the Tinkerbell franchise, everything being released on video or put up for streaming, and it's doing wonderfully. It's also why, despite lower ratings ever since the Hub switched to Discovery Family, I believe Friendship Is Magic is staying put where it is.

Either of these explanations would coincide with the dropoff in action shows made and aired in North America. Action shows are more expensive to make than comedy shows, as they can't just rely on talking-heads dialogue and constant limited animation. As a result, they often cannot make back the money gained through advertisements, so have to rely on merchandise sales to compensate. The Transformers cartoons, actually have been doing very well with that, at least up to Transformers Prime. (Then again, The Amazing World of Gumball looks like a remarkably expensive show to make too, and it's doing fine.)

Mee Deggi The Punisher wrote:

Extremely unfitting music.

That is nothing new at all. The most bizarre thing is they have the rights to the original music but choose to replace it anyway.

The move to another Network indicates to me that it's just another nail in the coffin for anime on American television. Some people might see that as a bad thing, but I think it's a good thing. Crunchyroll seems to be picking up a few more kids shows every season like Time Bokan 24, Monster Hunter, and Hey Bot. Unfortunately I don't think we'll ever get subbed Pocket Monsters so long as the license is in their hands, much like Digimon with Saban and Yu-Gi-Oh with Konami. Only newer franchises will benefit from this

ReifuTD wrote:

I'm shocked how many people here seemed to have Pokemon the only thing they watch on CN, unless they are exaggerating or something, I thought people would at least be watching Steven Universe or something witch is basally the CN's Avertar The last Air bender.

I don't even like Avatar but I find that comparison to be pretty flimsy. Steven Universe only seems to be popular with Tumblr-crowd. Avatar actually had appeal beyond those people since it came out before Tumblr was a thing. That's probably why Legend of Korra was so ill received by comparison. I don't personally find Steven Universe worth watching and I don't really think it's really comparable to Pokemon to begin with. They're two different types of shows.

-Stuart Smith

At no point did I ever confuse Ash's voice or May's voice, even when I wasn't looking at the screen, so I don't really see the problem there.

As for James, his character had deteriorated into a laughingstock in short order anyway, so Eric Stuart's performance reflected that.

If it sounded like I blame Eric Stuart for James' bad voice in 4Kids dub, then I am sorry. I know he can do much better, as he clearly showed in the role of Brock. In the case of James, he obviously just followed instructions from someone in 4Kids. But that wouldn't make it any better. They did not just made him laughing stock, they made him laughing stock gay stereotype, That's what was so wrong with that voice. That and the fact he couldn't pull serious acting if needed. The episode where James is freeing Weezing is the best example of that. I am really glad both of these things are now past and TPCI made James more closer to his Japanese counterpart.