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NEWS: 4Kids Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy


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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:43 am Reply with quote
egoist wrote:
Zilan wrote:
So is this finally the end of 4kids?

Official excuse to legally dump your creditors.

To be fair, I'd rather see them gone. They're not innovative, and if they disappear someone is bound to appear to take their place - as that's how capitalism works.


I don't see an anime company doing what 4Kids is doing now in the foreseeable future. It takes time to build up a niche, contacts in the industry, relationships with other business execs, etc.

If anything, it'll just be replaced by American kids shows.


Primus wrote:
unready wrote:
That. The license is already gone. The suit is only about the missing money, so 4Kids just won't have to pay (if it wins, which I can't imagine).


No, 4Kids still has the Yu-Gi-Oh! license, and legally does until 2015. They're still planning on releasing the 3D film on DVD in July, and it'll still air on Toonzai for the foreseeable future. They're going to court to settle this dispute. If they lose the license is revoked.


I don't see the Japanese producers sending them the raw materials unless they reach a settlement in money owed.


v1cious wrote:

Sakurazuka_Reika wrote:
That's what you get for turning Sanji's cigarette into a lollipop. Hmph.


Oh man I didn't think I would ever defend 4kids, but this is getting very juvenile. I could understand if they did anything directly to hurt the industry, but you're rooting for people to lose their jobs over a cartoon being modified to appeal to a younger audience?


Cigarettes would never survive in American kids shows now anyways, even if they didn't want to edit it. The US is seriously so anti-tobacco right now, unlike Japan, that even primetime live-action shows are discouraged against putting tobacco in good light. Any broadcast youth show doesn't stand a chance.


mdo7 wrote:

Although I didn't like 4kids practice on how they handle anime. But I would like to add that without Pokemon, I wouldn't be the anime fan I am today. Pokemon when 4kids had it they kept it faithful although I did suspected that Nintendo might have monitor and ordered 4kids to not do any edit Pokemon the first time 4kids had the anime.


I highly doubt that. At that time, anime on TV was largely unproven, especially broadcast TV. And Nintendo was looking to sell merchandise, not to prove a point. Most likely Nintendo allowed 4Kids a lot of leeway just to get it on TV, as long as it doesn't negatively affect their merchandise.


mdo7 wrote:

I believe Funimation use to edit anime (heavily at some point), but yet Funi is considered heroes to anime fans.


Yes, in the early DBZ days, a new company called Funimation was vilified for the edits. Though it was later learned it was Saban that pushed extra hard for the edits, many fans still blamed Funimation for allowing it to happen in the first place, whether Funimation could've done something about it or not.


mdo7 wrote:

Also, the only time Japan pull a 4kid-style editing/localization on one of our show was Beast Wars: Transformer. Watch the intro and watch the clip of the dub. When I saw this, it brought back reminders of 4kids editing anime, and also tells me that US is not the only country to cut up foreign animation. Japan can do this also. As a matter of fact, any country can hack up a foreign animation.


Japan also changed Airazor's gender from female to male to sell more merchandise:

In the Japanese dub of Beast Wars, Airazor was turned into a boy as a means to (hopefully) increase toy-sales. For the TV series, his relationship with Tigatron was played off somewhat differently to avoid complaints of homosexuality. Tigatron was presented as a samurai retainer with protective feelings towards his young ward; their closeness addressed in a "brotherly" sort of way.

Though Airazor's gender was "restored" [in the manga], her personality underwent an overhaul, no longer resembling her tough, tomboy-ish Western characterization. Since Japanese entertainment for young boys apparently does not cotton to female warrior characters in Transformers (these are the people who turned Arcee into a secretary), Airazor was reduced to a helpless damsel in distress with a subservient and single-minded devotion to her "Tigatron-sama". Commence puke.


A sorta reverse Sailor Neptune/Sailor Uranus. Laughing


mdo7 wrote:

My only complaint to the fans of anime and people that don't like anime editing/changes/localization in US: How come anime fans in US complain about anime editing in US, but not a single complaint about Japan editing/censoring our cartoon?


Because the Japanese can do no wrong. Every change they do is an improvement! Laughing

(Some people would even want to watch a dub of Sucker Punch, by a bunch of pop singers, would you believe!)


Dark Absol wrote:
All I can say is:

"Curse you, Perry the Platypus!"


Why? He didn't do much, y'know. Confused


KENZICHI wrote:

I want to watch One Piece again though. Haven't watched it since it came off tv. I guess the Funimation dub leaves a lot of the scenes in right?


It leaves all of 'em AFAIK.
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LagannImpact



Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 574
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:16 am Reply with quote
Sunday Silence wrote:
LagannImpact wrote:
Ah, how the "mighty" have fallen. If you ask me, the coolest thing 4Kids have ever done is ripped off Toonami with "Toonzai" and "Toonzaki". What's next? "Toonuki?!?"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanuki


Wow, so dem critters have huge testicles, huh?

Hey, that's perfect for Syfy's current nameless anime block! I can see it all now: "Toonuki Thursday!" Animation with BIG BALLS!!!

(Which would be a rebirth of sorts of the old "Ani-Monday: Animation with Balls!" bump.)
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matrixdude



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 71
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:17 am Reply with quote
While I don't really like their work, I'd want to see a few of their liscences picked up and redone, like shaman king.
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sherri-chan



Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 15
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:10 am Reply with quote
Although I don't watch 4Kids anymore now because of the zomg edits, I think they still deserve credits for bringing in some anime that makes me a huge anime fan now... Namely Yugioh! and Pokemon. If I never watched them on TV I wouldn't start hunting the newer episodes online...

Quote:
Japan also changed Airazor's gender from female to male to sell more merchandise:

In the Japanese dub of Beast Wars, Airazor was turned into a boy as a means to (hopefully) increase toy-sales. For the TV series, his relationship with Tigatron was played off somewhat differently to avoid complaints of homosexuality. Tigatron was presented as a samurai retainer with protective feelings towards his young ward; their closeness addressed in a "brotherly" sort of way.

Though Airazor's gender was "restored" [in the manga], her personality underwent an overhaul, no longer resembling her tough, tomboy-ish Western characterization. Since Japanese entertainment for young boys apparently does not cotton to female warrior characters in Transformers (these are the people who turned Arcee into a secretary), Airazor was reduced to a helpless damsel in distress with a subservient and single-minded devotion to her "Tigatron-sama". Commence puke.


LOL THIS. BL attempt? さすが日本! Anime hyper
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 6248
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:41 am Reply with quote
enurtsol wrote:


mdo7 wrote:

Although I didn't like 4kids practice on how they handle anime. But I would like to add that without Pokemon, I wouldn't be the anime fan I am today. Pokemon when 4kids had it they kept it faithful although I did suspected that Nintendo might have monitor and ordered 4kids to not do any edit Pokemon the first time 4kids had the anime.


I highly doubt that. At that time, anime on TV was largely unproven, especially broadcast TV. And Nintendo was looking to sell merchandise, not to prove a point. Most likely Nintendo allowed 4Kids a lot of leeway just to get it on TV, as long as it doesn't negatively affect their merchandise.


Maybe, but why 4kids didn't severely edit Pokemon the first time and kept it faithful is kind of a big question to me.


Quote:
mdo7 wrote:

I believe Funimation use to edit anime (heavily at some point), but yet Funi is considered heroes to anime fans.


Yes, in the early DBZ days, a new company called Funimation was vilified for the edits. Though it was later learned it was Saban that pushed extra hard for the edits, many fans still blamed Funimation for allowing it to happen in the first place, whether Funimation could've done something about it or not.


Actually, I had a talk with people on Toonzone and Funimation forum about how Funimation went from 4kids to a respectable company. I was told someone name Barry Watson who used to work at Funimation was responsible for Funi's butchering of anime. Barry Watson and 2 other former Funimation workers now (or used to) work at Illumitoon Entertainment, which did the same thing Funimation used to did at DBZ. I guess Barry Watson leaving Funi was the reason why Funimation was able to reform from being hated to being well-respected.

Quote:
mdo7 wrote:

Also, the only time Japan pull a 4kid-style editing/localization on one of our show was Beast Wars: Transformer. Watch the intro and watch the clip of the dub. When I saw this, it brought back reminders of 4kids editing anime, and also tells me that US is not the only country to cut up foreign animation. Japan can do this also. As a matter of fact, any country can hack up a foreign animation.


Japan also changed Airazor's gender from female to male to sell more merchandise:

In the Japanese dub of Beast Wars, Airazor was turned into a boy as a means to (hopefully) increase toy-sales. For the TV series, his relationship with Tigatron was played off somewhat differently to avoid complaints of homosexuality. Tigatron was presented as a samurai retainer with protective feelings towards his young ward; their closeness addressed in a "brotherly" sort of way.

Though Airazor's gender was "restored" [in the manga], her personality underwent an overhaul, no longer resembling her tough, tomboy-ish Western characterization. Since Japanese entertainment for young boys apparently does not cotton to female warrior characters in Transformers (these are the people who turned Arcee into a secretary), Airazor was reduced to a helpless damsel in distress with a subservient and single-minded devotion to her "Tigatron-sama". Commence puke.


A sorta reverse Sailor Neptune/Sailor Uranus. Laughing



I forgot Airazor's gender change for Beast Wars Japanese dub. Thanks for mentioning that. But as I said, Japan editing/adapting Beast Wars is no different from how we edit anime. So I like to see complaint from American fan about how Japan did it the same way US use to edit anime.

Quote:
mdo7 wrote:

My only complaint to the fans of anime and people that don't like anime editing/changes/localization in US: How come anime fans in US complain about anime editing in US, but not a single complaint about Japan editing/censoring our cartoon?


Because the Japanese can do no wrong. Every change they do is an improvement! Laughing

(Some people would even want to watch a dub of Sucker Punch, by a bunch of pop singers, would you believe!)


haha, well this is the same I can say for film remake. Whenever it's US remake Asian film, it gets a lot of complaint. But yet, when it's Asia remaking American film, no compliant has been made at all. Japan remade Sideways Ghost, Paranormal Activity, and now they're going to remake An Affair to Remember.

It's not that I hate film remake, I'm glad to see Japan and other part of Asia remaking American film, it make the scale completely balanced. As a matter of fact, I always thought that a lot of our film could be remade for other country. I would like to see South Korea remake one of our film, maybe Top Gun, since we are remaking some of their film. I already seen HK, China, and Japan remaking our film. I think it's fair that South Korea should remake our film. As a matter of fact, I know a lot of US film that could work well as Asian remake. I might somewhat agree with you that Asia could maybe improve over ours. Laughing

But anyway, as I said, I'm not hearing any compliants about Asia remaking American film. I do suspect either people aren't aware of this or *gasp* double standard Asian supremacist are pulling the "hate American remake of Asian film, but praise the Asian remake of American film" moniker.
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TopGunman



Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 498
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:15 am Reply with quote
With guys like Dan Green and Veronica Taylor, they'll probably go on to do voices at Ocean. FUNimation, Cartoon Network or random American cartoons, which the latter would suck.

As for the rest of 4Kids, well as long as they don't butcher any more anime I wish them the best except for that bastard, Kahn. He went on record for saying 'anime and manga will never be big in the US' proven wrong.

If 4Kids goes down, let's all celebrate with a glass of champagne, non-alcoholic for me and let's hope some series get redubs in the future like Shaman King.
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TopGunman



Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 498
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:22 am Reply with quote
mdo7 wrote:

My only complaint to the fans of anime and people that don't like anime editing/changes/localization in US: How come anime fans in US complain about anime editing in US, but not a single complaint about Japan editing/censoring our cartoon?


Probably because...we don't watch American cartoons in Japanese except out of curiosity. So what they do to the quality of American shows doesn't affect anyone else but them.

Who knows? Maybe Japanese audiences do complain about edits in American cartoons. But then again, perhaps the issue is not big there because they don't like US comics and animation as much as they like their own things. Correct me if you know otherwise.
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GrilledEelHamatsu



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 703
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:23 am Reply with quote
TopGunman wrote:
With guys like Dan Green and Veronica Taylor, they'll probably go on to do voices at Ocean. FUNimation, Cartoon Network or random American cartoons, which the latter would suck.

As for the rest of 4Kids, well as long as they don't butcher any more anime I wish them the best except for that bastard, Kahn. He went on record for saying 'anime and manga will never be big in the US' proven wrong.

If 4Kids goes down, let's all celebrate with a glass of champagne, non-alcoholic for me and let's hope some series get redubs in the future like Shaman King.
If 4Kids does go down, then NYAV Post will no longer be HQd in NY, but like I believe MB in the New Jersey turnpike area.

NYC is getting to the point when it won't even have anime commerce to call thier own.
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 6248
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:32 am Reply with quote
TopGunman wrote:
mdo7 wrote:

My only complaint to the fans of anime and people that don't like anime editing/changes/localization in US: How come anime fans in US complain about anime editing in US, but not a single complaint about Japan editing/censoring our cartoon?


Probably because...we don't watch American cartoons in Japanese except out of curiosity. So what they do to the quality of American shows doesn't affect anyone else but them.

Who knows? Maybe Japanese audiences do complain about edits in American cartoons. But then again, perhaps the issue is not big there because they don't like US comics and animation as much as they like their own things. Correct me if you know otherwise.


Well there's another reason, I have heard of American anime fans that complaint about US editing anime praising the Japanese for butchering American cartoon. Shocked

Talk about double standard Asian supremacy. I know it's hard to believe, but I have encounter this watching the Beast Wars Japanese dub. Also, I believe Hanna-Barbera cartoon was popular in Japan when Japan had few anime in the 60's. I remember watching Nurse-Witch Komugi and saw a character homage to one of the character from Wacky Racers. Also don't forget Gainax's Panty & Stocking. I myself happen to be one of those people to be viewing American stuff in Japanese dub.

If your favorite American cartoon went to Japan and they butcher it the same way US butcher anime, wouldn't you complain also? I would. Sad
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DTJB



Joined: 20 Jan 2010
Posts: 671
Location: Dubuque, IA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:42 am Reply with quote
Took them long enough.
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Dr.Luigi



Joined: 18 Dec 2010
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:17 pm Reply with quote
DING DONG THE WITCH IS (Almost) DEAD!!! Very Happy
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:29 pm Reply with quote
mdo7 wrote:
enurtsol wrote:

mdo7 wrote:

I believe Funimation use to edit anime (heavily at some point), but yet Funi is considered heroes to anime fans.


Yes, in the early DBZ days, a new company called Funimation was vilified for the edits. Though it was later learned it was Saban that pushed extra hard for the edits, many fans still blamed Funimation for allowing it to happen in the first place, whether Funimation could've done something about it or not.


Actually, I had a talk with people on Toonzone and Funimation forum about how Funimation went from 4kids to a respectable company. I was told someone name Barry Watson who used to work at Funimation was responsible for Funi's butchering of anime. Barry Watson and 2 other former Funimation workers now (or used to) work at Illumitoon Entertainment, which did the same thing Funimation used to did at DBZ. I guess Barry Watson leaving Funi was the reason why Funimation was able to reform from being hated to being well-respected.


I don't remember Barry Watson.
There was a time when you'd invoke the Funimation name and it'd start a flame war. Laughing


mdo7 wrote:
enurtsol wrote:

mdo7 wrote:

My only complaint to the fans of anime and people that don't like anime editing/changes/localization in US: How come anime fans in US complain about anime editing in US, but not a single complaint about Japan editing/censoring our cartoon?


Because the Japanese can do no wrong. Every change they do is an improvement! Laughing

(Some people would even want to watch a dub of Sucker Punch, by a bunch of pop singers, would you believe!)


haha, well this is the same I can say for film remake. Whenever it's US remake Asian film, it gets a lot of complaint. But yet, when it's Asia remaking American film, no compliant has been made at all. Japan remade Sideways Ghost, Paranormal Activity, and now they're going to remake An Affair to Remember.


And a remake of the classic French film (translated) Elevator to the Gallows. Even a remake of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Mickey Rooney aside. Laughing


mdo7 wrote:
Also, I believe Hanna-Barbera cartoon was popular in Japan when Japan had few anime in the 60's. I remember watching Nurse-Witch Komugi and saw a character homage to one of the character from Wacky Racers.


Wacky Races was popular in Japan. You'd see distinctive dogs looking like Muttley in some old anime. There's even the Bubblegum Crisis/Gall Force/etc. parody Scramble Wars: Super-Deformed Double Feature. Laughing
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RoverTX



Joined: 17 Dec 2008
Posts: 424
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:58 pm Reply with quote
enurtsol wrote:
I don't remember Barry Watson.
There was a time when you'd invoke the Funimation name and it'd start a flame war. Laughing


Didn't they always though release unedited tapes? I remember a friend of mine got a hold of some when we where in grade school in the mid 1990's and it was a big deal. We all set around and watched Freeza skewer Krillin for real. There edits where never that bad anyway, and since I thought that they always did release unedited versions I never understood what the big deal was....
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TopGunman



Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 498
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:12 pm Reply with quote
mdo7 wrote:


Well there's another reason, I have heard of American anime fans that complaint about US editing anime praising the Japanese for butchering American cartoon. Shocked

Talk about double standard Asian supremacy. I know it's hard to believe, but I have encounter this watching the Beast Wars Japanese dub. Also, I believe Hanna-Barbera cartoon was popular in Japan when Japan had few anime in the 60's. I remember watching Nurse-Witch Komugi and saw a character homage to one of the character from Wacky Racers. Also don't forget Gainax's Panty & Stocking. I myself happen to be one of those people to be viewing American stuff in Japanese dub.

If your favorite American cartoon went to Japan and they butcher it the same way US butcher anime, wouldn't you complain also? I would. Sad


No I wouldn't because I wouldn't even be watching it in Japanese to begin with. Ya see, I'm a guy who prefers dubbed anime so it's English all the way for me when it comes to cartoons with very few exceptions. And those very few exceptions are all anime.

Keep in mind, Transformers is a toy franchise from a time when everything had to be localized between both the US and Japan and elsewhere, the 90's and before. Not to mention that many Japanese games and other franchises are usually made for Japanese audiences and some unexpectedly go international, in which case they were not made to appeal to both home and away audiences, so they go through changes. I'd rather here the good leader be called 'Optimus Prime' rather than 'Something Convoy'. Although having said that, I disliked the dubs of the RiD and Unicron Trilogy simply for being more kid-friendly and silly as opposed to the slightly more mature Japanese counterparts, not to mention the animation errors in Armada and Energon which were so frustrating, plus changing Override from male to female when he has no female traits on his design, not even his design. Despite all that, I'm not saying the Japanese versions were perfect either, I don't get why Railspike in Car Robots had a boy's voice and he's a giant, simply didn't suit him.

When you watch Street Fighter II The Animated Movie. I can honestly say the dub was so much better, and the Japanese version sucked. The soundtrack in particular sucked, no intensity, no adrenaline pumping music, it was DULL while the American version easily owned the Japanese. I'd even watch the censored version without the Chun Li shower scene over the uncut Japanese version. No one in the US complained when Vega (JP) was changed to Bison and Bison (JP) was changed to Balrog and Balrog (JP) was changed to Vega. In fact, it's the Japanese Street Fighter that was inferior in more ways as those names for for example didn't suit those characters but when switched around in the American version, it fit them perfectly.

Same goes for Dragon Ball Z, the Japanese version had the same problem with the score and OST's as SFII:TAM while the Toonami+FUNimation version made it so much more badass and intense. They even reduced the episode count and added their own music as well.

But keep in mind, if those things were licensed in the US NOW instead of before, they'd be sticking so much more closely to the Japanese counterparts.

I don't know how the Japanese handle outside works but the original creators don't seem to be complaining, and that's partially why Japanese works are being translated into English in a more faithful manner, they were mad that their manga were being 'flipped', now it doesn't happen anymore except for much older works, but series like InuYasha are being rereleased unflipped in the VizBig editions.

Bottom line is, what goes on in Japan's edits of American works is not my concern because I'm not gonna watch GI Joe, Batman or Ninja Turtles in Japanese and it's up to them to decide weather they want things done faithfully or not, and American audiences decided they wanted faithful releases so the companies have to oblige.

But why American fans are praising Japanese edits is something I really cannot understand. They probably feel more mature by watching them because they thing the Japanese swear and make their stuff more adult. Personally, I don't think it's something anyone other than the Japanese should be concerned about.

But I can say I am mixed when it comes to Transformers, if I could take the good qualities of both American and Japanese treatments, that'd make the best series. For example, if I had to give G1 the 'DBZ-Kai Treatment' as I call it I'd

- Take out all of the bad episodes from the original series
- Correct the scenes with animation errors
- Add some new lines to fix up the pacing
- Add and dub Scramble City
- Re-edit to reduce the episode count of 'Five Faces of Darkness'
- Replace the crappy 4th season with The Headmasters in its place
- Take out the Beastformers arc from Headmsters
- Dub and reduce episode counts of TF: Super-God Masterforce and Victory.

Just to point this out, I'd find Japanese edits to be more confusing than 'creative' or 'uncreative.' They make all these hentai/eroge/dating sim games and adult visual novels but God of War 3's sex scene was changed to have Aphrodite's breasts covered up. It's a game for adults yet it was censored.


Last edited by TopGunman on Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:27 pm Reply with quote
RoverTX wrote:
enurtsol wrote:
I don't remember Barry Watson.
There was a time when you'd invoke the Funimation name and it'd start a flame war. Laughing


Didn't they always though release unedited tapes?


IIRC, it took awhile for the sub VHS to come out, and it was never sure it'd come out. Apparently, they didn't want to derail the DBZ on the way to success by having (more) objectionable materials that watchdog groups could latch on to.
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