Forum - View topicNEWS: Funimation Adds Rurouni Kenshin Anime to Catalog
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FLCLGainax
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So glad this title is back and accessible. |
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Blanchimont
 Posts: 3447 Location: Finland |
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While what he did is reprehensible, I don't believe in keeping works hostage.
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DavetheUsher
 Posts: 505 |
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Even saying "most" stations dropped it is inaccurate. It was only 2 stations. No more indicative of anything than pointing to that one Alabama station that refused to air the gay wedding episode of Arthur and saying it represents all of America. I assume Funimation defenders try to point to those two stations dropping it as proof that Funimation was justified in dropping it themselves. Although I think it's easy to see why people would label them hypocrites for dropping a show for not meeting their "moral standards" but then be proud to announce Kenshin 
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LadyKuzunoha
 Posts: 91 Location: United States |
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Yeah, this is one thing going on in this thread that I don't necessarily get. I mean, yes, there *are* people in Hollywood who have committed similar crimes, and some of us are trying to avoid films and other productions by the ones we know about to the best of our ability as well. It just so happens that the creator of the work that the article is about is most relevant to this particular discussion. As for others bringing up people who are long since dead as a comparison point... well, that's the thing. They may have been reprehensible people in life, but they're dead. They possess no further capacity to harm others in and of themselves (though personally I don't think it hurts to be mindful of the things they did do before one decides to commemorate them in anything more symbolic than a history book). This doesn't apply to Watsuki - he still very much possesses the ability to do what he did again, or even worse. Some may feel the punishment he paid was enough to decide to continue supporting him, while others (myself included) may still be wary for the reason I just mentioned. All of that is up to the individual in question. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6525 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Posts removed. Insulting other posters won't be tolerated.
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AkumaChef
Posts: 821 |
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I don't see how that distinction matters; either that or I don't really understand people's objections here. My understanding is that some people want to avoid Watsuki's works because they feel that it is morally wrong to be somehow associated with a scumbag, or because they are having an uncontrollable emotional reaction which results in them being unable to enjoy his works. Those apply equally to a living scumbag or a dead one.
Personally I think there's no problem with commemorating someone who did something bad, so long as the commemoration is for a good reason, even in a public monument. Those individuals were commemorated despite their mistakes, not because of them. I also think that such commemorations make a great teaching tool. A statue of George Washington, for example, can not only inspire people to discuss the founding of the USA but it can also be turned into a teaching tool about slavery and how we've moved past that.
This confuses me. Are you implying that you're worried that if you were to support Watsuki then your support might somehow cause him re-commit crimes? I'm struggling to see the connection between "support" and whether or not he commits crimes in the future. |
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capt_bunny
 Posts: 364 |
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I love this series. I enjoy it to bits but I am not too fond of this. At least make it without any ads or use the money from people watching this series donate to a cause.
Surprised yet not surprised on Funi doing this. tbh, I am not too fond of Funimation anymore due to their post and how someone behind their twitter watches on kissanime. Yeah, a pirated site. They have done other hypocritical stuff but many would argue if it is or not. But that's just me in the end. |
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7jaws7
 Posts: 704 Location: New York State |
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I admit, my trust was shaken when I found out what RK’s creator had secretly been doing. There wouldn’t be a chance in hell that I would have bought all 28 volumes of the original manga after the fact.
All that being said, Rurouni Kenshin was my springboard into anime in the late ‘90s. The television series is part of my childhood, and is also something that many people - both on the Japanese and English side - worked hard on to bring it to socially awkward people like me. Watsuki’s reputation is utterly ruined, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Maybe he should take lessons from his own main character, and repent for what he’s done. Go ahead: rip into him and Funimation all you want. All I ask is that you don’t discourage new fans from watching Rurouni Kenshin because it was made several years before it’s creator turned pedo. |
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LadyKuzunoha
Posts: 91 Location: United States |
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This is one aspect of what I mean by being mindful commemorating such people. Sadly, in my experience, the majority of such statues and memorials, or even the tours to such, rarely seem to broach such subjects.
Not so much directly causing him to re-commit the crime, but enabling through monetary support. The logic is similar to if, say, I gave an acquaintance money to help with food or rent and I later find out they used it to buy illegal drugs - the money I gave didn't cause them to do that, but the trust I had with that person is broken nonetheless and I'm not likely to give them money again for that reason. Now, of course I don't know Watsuki personally - I'd hazard to guess none of us here do - so it's not the most exact comparison, but that's the best example I can think of to explain my thought process there. It relates back to the part of my earlier comment about living versus dead as well - there literally is no further trust issue with the person who has passed on. The money they would be due to receive from sales is likely going elsewhere at that point. |
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AkumaChef
Posts: 821 |
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Agreed, there is so much wasted opportunity there.
Thanks, I understand what you meant now. That said, one doesn't need money to collect dirty pictures on the internet. |
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dragon695
 Posts: 1377 Location: Clemson, SC |
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The bigger issue is supporting him or his work means he continues to have a high profile platform to reach an audience that skews way below 18. Girls read Jump, too. Given that his deposition included a very disturbing statement that he is sexually aroused by children from late elementary school to middle school. He sought out real porn of children, which means he took the first step as a sexual predator. The punishment was a slap on the wrist with no indication that he is seeking the years long therapy and medical treatment needed to arrest those desires. Ditto for Toriko’s author. You do realize that mangaka interact with fans through SNS, fanmail, and events, right? Frankly, Jump is playing with fire, but there are other creepy people making manga. I was watching some videos about Made in Abyss’ author and JFC that guy comes off as uncle bad touch. He has collected a large selection of young boys and girls underwear for “reference.” He has a mannequin of a prepubescent girl he likes to dress up. He describes drawing his characters in terms of a penis. At the end of the day, should people who have criminal records for something like embezzlement be allowed to work at a bank? Even if he doesn’t profit directly, by supporting his work, it is possible that he can continue to work in a sector where his exposure to potential victims is great. |
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4575 |
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I can certainly understand someone having an adverse reaction to a work if they learn that the creator has committed some horrible crime, and if they choose to boycott the work as a result, I fully respect their right to do so. As for myself, I guess I generally don't find it all that hard to separate a work from who created it, especially when you're talking about an animated series: the characters feel like their own living entities in their own separate world, so there's no immediate connection to any sort of real human element. There's another degree of separation in the case of something like Kenshin, where it's not even the director or one of the voice actors, someone whose work you're experiencing directly, but instead the person whose work inspired the adaptation. Now, when I watch Kenshin in the future, will the thought cross my mind, "Man, Watsuki was a disgusting piece of ****?" Probably. But it'll be a fleeting thing, and it won't really impact my enjoyment of watching Kenshin and Kaoru.
(Now if you were talking about something like The Cosby Show...yeah, that'd be extremely difficult to sit through now.) |
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NJ_
 Posts: 3009 Location: Wallington, NJ |
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Not FUNi's call, this would be more on Aniplex of America and seeing that they never did one in Japan after all this time, those who want the show in good quality (because those MB DVDs were always terrible) are forever screwed. |
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AkumaChef
Posts: 821 |
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I'm not saying that the man isn't a scumbag pedo. I'm just having a hard time making the connection between someone watching his works and enabling child predation.
Not in my opinion. But again, I struggle to see how that's relevant here. If Watsuki were applying for a job at a middle school or something like that--yeah, big cause for concern.
That's possible regardless if you support his work or not. And it's not like the $0.00002 that he gets when someone streams Kenshin is going to make or break his ability to harm children. That's entirely up to HIM, not the rest of us. As for Made in Abyss--yeah, I saw that video too. He certainly gives off a creepy vibe. That said, as far as I know he hasn't actually done anything harmful to kids (or anyone else for that matter) so I'm not going to accuse him of anything without proof. |
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dragon695
Posts: 1377 Location: Clemson, SC |
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^ I think this will be my last post on this subject.
I had a lot more to say about this, but ultimately you are right in that it matters little what we in the west do. If this is it, great, everyone wins. Watch what you want. I just hope the hell it doesn’t blow up the industry with a huge scandal down the road. Aside from victims, this concerns me the most. Time will tell. |
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