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Forum - View topicFUNimation has liscensed Jigoku Shoujo
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Mephistophilus
 Posts: 200 Location: Fresno, CA, United States |
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This is slightly off-topic, but I think it's been stated that Ouran has been picked up; we don't know by whom, however. Funi might have been a possibility, but I don't think so now that they've picked up this. The horror genre does seem a bit lackluster, as stated in a previous thread. It is difficult to make animated horror truly good, but it is possible to make it at least consistently decent. The difficulty in making horror isn't really an excuse for repetition. |
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Malintex Terek
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There hasn't been any talk of Ouran's license, but something could happen at Otakon this year. I know that if FUNimation doesn't get it, I won't invest my saved 5K in Navarre. There's no point in investing in a company, however cheap, that doesn't take any risks and earns money waaaay too slowly. Two years ago, I looked at FUNimation's set of licensed titles and thought, "hmm, FUNimation is seeking to move away from the super-long series genre! That's a sign of its evolution from a grimy, grubby American media corporation to a true anime company!" Now I see those titles are done only out of necessity, licensing cheap stuff and hoping they could be a surprise gold-mine. Stuff like FMA, that is, once-in-a-lifetime titles, are totally ignored, probably because of DC's financial blow to the company. I know FUNimation has the funds to get something when it wants to, but why not get Ouran?! Fruits Basket was a *huge* hit and Ouran is many, many, many times better. It's even earned non-female fans, including myself; high production value, great acting, and decent marketing could result in a huge hit! Heck, if FUNi is really crazy they could try an [as] run. Or even a Toonami tenure; there's nothing really controversial in Ouran. It's just batcrack crazy. |
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El Oso
 Posts: 105 Location: Rummaging through camp sites. |
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I do agree that the mind raping could have been greatly improved upon, though I never get tired of the "Ippen, shinde miru?" no matter how many times I hear it. I think the main problem with Jigoku Shoujo is the poor quality of writing. Most of the time their reason for sending someone to hell is plain stupid or just not convincing enough. Either that or it's some one dimensional evil character (the Big Bad Vet from episode 4(?) comes to mind). It really would have been better as a shorter series. There are a handful of good episodes, but it takes a lot of sifting through all the mediocre ones. I just finished watching episode 17 of the second season, which is a good example. We finally get some backstory on Ren. spoiler[There's some conflict with him and Wanyu about interfering with the client which, interestingly enough, Ai does allow. ]Plus the episodes one shot story was pretty good, if somewhat depressing. All in all, I don't think it's worth the money. Out of 52 episodes I'd only want rewatch maybe 10 of them. |
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Steventheeunuch
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God, listen, We've been through this before- just because they have not announced it, doesn't mean they don't have it. We all know that the Japanese do impose strict standards and what not that are pretty strict in regards to when things can be announced and when things can be released- it took madman about a year and a half or so to get materials for Mahoromatic Season 1, it took ADV god knows how long to put out Karau Phantom Whatevers, and it's taking bandai roughly 18 billion years to put out ZZ Gundam. So stop with the vitrolic persecution-esque arm-chair stock broker bullshit and just wait. |
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Mephistophilus
Posts: 200 Location: Fresno, CA, United States |
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I'm sorry, but I thought our complaints were completely legitimate in that Funi had picked up a rather mediocre (if not edging on bad) release when they could have picked up something much better, whether it had been Ouran or something else. Even if you aren't waiting for Ouran, this is slightly disappointing news to many who would like a company that has good packaging and production (Funimation) to pick up something that isn't almost pulp in nature. We aren't complaining about the wait for a license anyway, really. We are more criticizing the licensing choices of a company that does seem to make a lot of overly safe ones. Also, I'm not sure what the Japanese companies' regards towards announcements have to do with this situation, as I have generally seen American companies announce licenses rather quickly. So please stop with the hostile tone and misreading of what we are saying with regards to the topic. Even disregarding Ouran, I think this was a bad choice for Funimation. |
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Malintex Terek
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"THE ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE IS NOT THE EVIDENCE OF ABSENCE". ... Such is an absurdist statement, since one is effectively conjuring up self-delusions to lull onself into a false sense of security. When something unexpected happens, it's expontentially more damaging; one cannot live always assuming the worst out of every situation. If I pretended like I could die at any moment, who could predict what I would do? That kind of dangerous thinking is why One Piece didn't earn a large enough fanbase before Naruto; people assumed it was licensed for so long when it wasn't, and wouldn't go after the title because they were afraid of going head to head with an anime company.
Those are problems with the anime companies and their release schedules, not the licensing contracts; we've no idea about the rules for that kind of game, but we know FUNimation likes to annouce licenses with C&Ds and they've got a limited budget for what they can aquire each year. Sure, it's early in the anime season right now, but considering those six titles licensed earlier this year, it's not a good sign for any future titles.
I'm not sure what people fiddle with down under, but up in my neck of the woods people are willing to take risks with their first steps into the business world. Whether or not you believe me is contingent on your own devices, and I really could care less; what I do care about is if my money bears fruits or rots to the core. |
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Steventheeunuch
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Yes, but posting every single time FUNimation licenses something APART from Ouran with "GOD WHY ARE THEY SO UNORIGINAL JEEEZ WHERES THE RISKS FUNIMATION" tends to get fairly friggin' repetetive. .
You more or less summed it up when you said "THE ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE IS NOT THE EVIDENCE OF ABSENCE". I'm not lulling myself in to a sense of delusion nor is anyone else. I cannot and will not say that FUNimation has Ouran, because there is simply no solid proof they have it outside of either a hunch, or "Bandai doesn't have it". Also, HAHAHAHAH. You're delusional, self important and trite.
I'm not sure what people fiddle with down under, but up in my neck of the woods people are willing to take risks with their first steps into the business world. Whether or not you believe me is contingent on your own devices, and I really could care less; what I do care about is if my money bears fruits or rots to the core.[/quote] |
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Malintex Terek
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Welcome to my world, bud. Don't you think I would get irritated whenever I go into a "4Kids Quarterly Financial Report" topic, see 4Kids doing poorly and read some newbie saying "lol 4Kids deserved it BUTCHERS OF ANIME"? The word rage cannot describe how angry I am, not because I haven't seen the view before, but because I've written endless pages and pages of defense against 4Kids and someone just waltzes in without any sense of the climate here and totally ignores what I say. So I have to say it again, or I leave it alone. But, despite this, I do it with great restraint, given that those people are most likely trolls since they make a single post and have never been heard from again. Granted, you and I know each other, and I acknowledge that I've pushed the assertion too frequently and will make amends in the future; however, this was a special case, as I mentioned earlier.
Brain-fart much? 
... Anyway, I consider what I put forth evidence, but I've been at odds with people around here because what they consider evidence isn't what academia would; what you (and they) are basically demanding is proof, and we'll have none until a license is announced. But, then, demanding proof in order to discuss about why a certain license will go to a certain company defies the existence of "speculation" entirely. |
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Richard J.
 Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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Well, I already posted my joyous feelings about the licensing of Jigoku Shoujo on the thread for the news article, but I'd like to add a few words here. Don't worry, I'm not going to rant about how I disagree with everyone who didn't like the show. My words won't change anyone's personal opinions about the series so I'm not going to tell you guys why I think you're wrong about Jigoku Shoujo. I'd probably just end up posting something that would make me sound like a jerk.
What I will say is that I think everyone should rejoice at the news that another anime series has been licensed. Regardless of your personal views on the series, it's unquestionable that there are people here on this forum and in the anime fanbase at large who enjoyed it. It's also, I feel, very important to keep in mind that Jigoku Shoujo is NOT the sort of series that most companies would think would be a big seller. It's not exactly Naruto or EVA. The fact of it's license is just one more sign that anime fandom in North America is growing more diverse and numerous and that more genres and titles are becoming available legally than have in the past. There was a time when a series like Jigoku Shoujo wouldn't have had even a tiny chance of being licensed. We should be grateful that the industry here is strong enough now that all sorts of series are coming out. Hey, I want to see Ouran released here too. I'd love to see Funimation put it out, as I think they're one of the best companies around. Still, wanting to see another series announced shouldn't have to mean that you denigrate or attack some other series, the release of which probably has little or no impact on Ouran's chances of coming out as the two are radically different genres and likely to have radically different price tags. Doesn't it seem just a little pointless to be all "why'd they license this instead of Ouran!" It's not like the company's CEO is going to read your post, slap himself in the head, and say "My goodness, I must immediately contact the Japanese and inform them that we've changed out minds about this Jigoku Shoujo show! We must release Ouran Highschool Host Club this very instant!" And if we're going to talk about stocks, if Navarre is showing steady growth, you should invest. Better to invest in a stable, slow growth stock than one that fluxuates constantly. Less risk of losing your initial investment. I speak from experience, having watched my grandfather lose all his money in the stock market. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11303 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I actually thought JS had a pretty good chance of being licensed by any number of companies. It was never about genre obscurity or popularity. Heck, look at all of the other crap U.S. companies license that are never quite a success and in my opinion are much worse than JS. You can argue the inability of said titles to succeed as being "niche amongst the niche." But if you want to look at it in the way you just mentioned, then more power to ya'! In any case, I guess I'd better start saving up for those Monster box sets that Viz is going release then, eh  ?
Note: The Monster thing is just speculation and holds no truth, whatsoever, so don't be fooled, Urasawa fans. |
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Richard J.
Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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Tony, I'd like to know what about Jigoku Shoujo strikes you as marketable. Seriously, it's got virtually no fan service and its not a comedy, there's no mecha, it's not a shounen fighting series, and also its very dark and stark in art style, which means that it's different from a rather significant percentage of anime that's been licensed for North American release. No ninjas or samurai, relatively "realistic" character designs, and it's a series that's fairly heavy on Japanese cultural elements. Also, there are no supremely popular Japanse VAs in it as far as I know. (It's not like when Funimation licensed My Santa, which has Aya Hirano as the lead.)
I love the show but the only reason I can think of for it being licensed is that someone at Funimation thought they should have a series that might jive well with Viz's release of Death Note. There are some simularities in the base elements of the two series (humans using supernatural forces for their own purposes, dark tone and appearance) but I'm still surprised by the license. Of course, maybe if Jigoku Shoujo sells well, the much hyped on this forum Monster will come out too. (The two shows share a degree of simularity in art styles though not much else from what I can tell.) I'd be happy if Monster were licensed. I'm happy for every anime that gets licensed, because having more choice is a good thing when it comes to entertainment. The point I was making was that it's silly to get all huffy over a license just because you want to see something else licensed. I'm sure there are people who dislike Ouran as much as some dislike Jigoku Shoujo. I rather like both and have no intention of getting upset over any license. (How the series is marketed, however, I will comment on. Would it kill the companies to release more art boxes?) I can't change your opinions, but I can politely state that my opinion is that any license is a good license because every show, regardless of its quality, has fans and those fans should have the opportunity to buy a nice, relatively cheap R1 DVD of that show. Whether it's Jigoku Shoujo, Monster, or some truly unlikely to ever be licensed anime like Today in Class 5-2, we should be happy for the licenses we get and should contact the companies about the licenses we want. Posting on this forum isn't likely to get anything licensed. Starting a letter writing campaign to a company requesting that they license a series probably won't work either, but it would be more likely to get someone's positive attention. I just got through with a writing assignment for class tonight so please excuse the absurdly long post. |
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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Wow, this turned thread turned a bit hostile. I didn't mean to sound whiny when I asked why Ouran is taking so long, but it seems a bit strange, especially since popular anime tend to have a larger chance at getting liscensed then unpopular ones. I'm not qualified to judge Jigoku Shoujo harshly, but from the sound of it, it doesn't appeal to me, even though I love vignette-style anime. But I don't mind it getting liscensed...just a little dissapointed it wasn't another title. But there's always the possibility that it has been liscensed yet not announced...
I agree with Mephistophilus on his/her response to stevetheeunuch; that's exactly how I feel on the situation. I also feel that the condescending tone in his post wasn't needed but let's please move on from the arguments. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11303 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Ahem, I find Mamiko Noto to be quite popular, and anyone else who could pick up on that innocent, soft, sweet, gentle, cute, heavenly, relaxing, mellow, serene, and melty voice as fast as I can would agree  . Same goes for Yuuji Ueda (but he's just cool, not sexy like Mamiko-chan  -- I love her voice!).
Anyway, it was never a question of what particular aspect of the series I found maketable. Just take a look at any store shelf and you'll see something either so obscure and/or meaningless to you that no one probably ever stops to think to themselves "why was this licensed?" or "is anybody actually buying this?" The perfect example is SD Gundam Force. It's the worst rated anime on all of ANN, yet it still managed to get licensed for at least the first season through. Heck, all of the bottom 10 worst rated anime are licensed, so that should be reason enough to think "if this crap can get licensed, anything can." And compared to some of the stuff I've seen that is crap (Gundam SEED Des-show-really-sucks-tiny), I'm sure there's a place for any anime with any body willing to pay (or waste) money for it. The same can even be said for high ranking titles that just happen to amaze niche audiences like Mushishi, Kino's Journey, Gankutsuou, or even the universally recognized Miyazaki movies, which by the way possess none of the elements you listed  .
Basically, it's all just a matter of what a company feels can succeed and how they ultimately plan to market it the way they see fit. If it works, good for them. If it bombs, then hopefully they came out learning something, at least (this applies to any company, not just FUNi). EDIT: Fixed some spelling. Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Apr 09, 2007 11:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Zork
 Posts: 199 |
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I am glad Jigoku Shoujo was finally licensed for the U.S. market. When I first heard about it I was intrigued by its unique story line. I can't wait to add it to my growing anime collection.
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Deltakiral
 Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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Let me fix that for ya Tony I don't think Viz going to be releasing this series I think that much like Yawara it's going to just sit there and eventually a company like Animeigo is going to step up and give it a great release like I know Yawara is going to have for that first boxset. |
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