zztzed

Is it just me, or does it seem like Cartoon Network's kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel with some of the anime series they've picked up? I'm thinking in particular of Cyborg 009 and Kikaider.

I'm not slamming either of these series -- at least, not entirely. In terms of story and plot, Kikaider seems pretty good. I haven't seen enough of Cyborg 009 to pass judgement on its plot. But in terms of visual style, both of the shows are atrocious, and the English dubs are ... also atrocious (and note that I say this without having seen either of these series in the original Japanese, so I'm not comparing them to anything; they're just bad).

My complaint with the visual styles is that they seem to be trying to blend the 'traditional' anime style (as we think of it; I realize that in Japan 'anime' just means anything animated) character designs with more American-style, caricaturesque characters, and it just doesn't work. In my eyes, the styles clash.

Before Cartoon Network, the only anime I'd seen was Cowboy Bebop, Serial Experiments Lain, and Chobits. Did those set my expectations too high, or are these shows just crap?

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Slims

I really liked Cowboy Beebop, Trigun, and Ruroni Kenshin (too bad the dropped it before it finished).

I am getting more and more into Kikaider.

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JStrider

they play what gets viewers... and im sure those animes draw more people... mostly younger ones...

cartoon network caries cowboy bebop, trigun, and Hack sign... all of which are great animes... but the trigun and hack sign english dubs are pretty crappy compared to the japanese ones...

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gibz0r

I'm pretty open to dubs, but sometimes the voices are just horrible and don't even fit the character. I also hate how CN edits how Anime to the point that sometimes it is almost entirely different.

Cowboy Bebop had a really good English cast. Rurouni Kenshin voices were craptastic. Trigun voices were ok. Gundam 08th english dub wasn't bad either.

Generaly I prefer the Japanese voices, since the directors take a lot of time to selectively pick out which voice best suits the character. You just don't see that with most of the English dubs unfortunately....

gar1976

I like Trigun an awful lot, except that

a) it's on so damn late

and

b) gets into that typical "dumb drawing" of some japenese anime, like big mouths, loud shouting, and stupid acting. If they cut the 2 minutes of that out from every episode, it would be much better.

Thraeryn

Your bar was set at "good anime", zztzed. serial experiments: lain is still my favorite anime series of all time, but I can think of tons of other excellent examples, the ones you listed all being included.

As JStrider mentioned, Cartoon Network shows the programs that they believe will get viewers, the ones that they can tell their advertisers will draw x number of kids from ages y to z. And I use the word "kids" specifically: children are Cartoon Network's target audience.

It's a wonder that things like Space Ghost: Coast To Coast and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law ever make it onto the air. :P

TaiModan

the biggest problem with networks like CN, is they try to set your standards for you, rather than playing quality anime, too many people watch anime merely because it is tagged as such and MUST be good. pretty much all the anime you guys have named just kinda falls under 'popular' animes in the US/Canada... how many of you have seen Anime that has never hit TV? it's a LOT different than what they show. some of it just fucks with your mind. In my opinion most anime you see on TV is going to be crap, because it is the stuff that can be put on tv with little effort by censors that don't like all the nudity, swearing, blood, etc in the eps... too much tequila... cant think in a straight line, im going away now.

Gman

Kenshin still plays on CN. In fact, it's playing tomorrow night (Saturday) at I believe 8PM central time.

Slims

Thanks for the heads up.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

RedCometChar

Both Kikaider and Cyborg 009 are based on manga by Shotaro Ishinomori, who wrote them back in the 60s and 70s. If the characters in those shows look cartoony, it's because that was his style, and the styles of many of his contemporaries like Osamu Tezuka and Tatsuo Yoshida were much the same during that time period.

As for the dubs, I've heard better, but also much, much worse.

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Ganguro

i have never watched anime on cartoon network. I doubt I ever will. I think it initially was a good idea to start showing anime series on u.s. programming, but when you start off with DBZ and gundam , then go into more contemporary lower quality anime (Bid O) then show classics like Lupin.. most people think Lupin is the crap series. That's just wrong.. I knw everyone cant afford to buy series, or import dvds on a whim.. but i think it's setting us western consumers up for receiving crap. We expect crap because we dont know any better. Take voice acting for example. A production company will hire some hacks to do the english voices for a series t save money. Also there is a hell of a lot of editing for cultural reasons. Why can't they lerave the anime in it's original form? Why cant americans learn to read subtitles? Why are they showing crap series instead of Chobits, or Crayon Shinyan, or Kodocha? All of these titles i believe are liscened in the states now. Maybe if they stopped showing so much male oriented anime things would get better.

djflish

forget cartoon network, CNX is the way to go

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Eiresol

CNX has gone crap.
All they show is DBZ, DBGT, Tenchi something and Gundam Wing.
Although Justice League is cool. Not Japanese though.
I'll watch Digimon over DBZ.
I dont like dubbed anime. Cowboy Bebop although dubbed well just seemed wrong after seeing it subbed.

Spinach_Indeed

I remember when I was excited simply at the fact that Sailor Moon was coming on Cartoon Network. With limited funds at the time (Being about 13 at the time) I gobbeled up any Anime they would throw at me.

Nowadays, with signifigant Funds avaliable, I'm able to see some of the better stuff Anime has to offer, Like Grand Teacher Onizuka, Chobits, Digicharat (Which I love for the silliness of it all) ect. ect.

I thank Cartoon Network for supplying the Unfunded and Uneducateds the chance to catch a small glimpse at Anime. It's one of the Networks that began the snowballing effect and led to more stores carrying Anime Vid/Dvds, and the outburst of Manga in Bookstores.

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3zos

if you ask me dubbing dosn't have to be bad... I can happly watch cowboy bebop in english just because I feel that the voice acting is on par with the original. I also appriciate the dubbing and "updated" translation that they use on lupin on cartoon network... Im not saying that I don't own some of the Jap. DVD's, but its still enjoyable to watch, and i can turn my head and do something else while its playing in the background and still know whats going on... i think its great what cartoon network is doing, and as they get more viewers and make more money, they will be able to license more quality series... They are on a good track if you ask me... I am, however, curious what they will do to FLCL....

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CrazyIntent

I think some people here are expecting too much from Cartoon Network. Sure, you may not like some of the series they show, but who likes every anime? Different strokes for different folks, afterall.

The most important thing they are doing is getting anime out there. Was anyone showing anime like cartoon network is right now? Sure, it's edited and some ppl here may think dubs are the worst (personally, I can't stand Japanese voices), but anyone who becomes an anime fan will realize this and buy the DVD.

BTW, Big O is NOT lower quality anime. When I think of lower quality anime, I think Dragon Ball Z.

hawkeye

EDIT: sorry meant to quote




Hell, even DBZ has some great fight sequences ( just too dragged out) you want horrible? look at most (not all) of the gundam series', Reign the incredibly gay, or >insert generic title
w/ giant robots<

CN has had lots of really great stuff (Lupin, Bebop, Inu-Yasha, Trigun...)

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Gman

People should really stop ragging on Cartoon Network just because they're in the middle of a bad lineup. I can honestly say that about 50 percent of the "anime fans" you'll ever run into were first exposed to anime by way of Cartoon Network. Without them, I seriously doubt you'd see as many DVDs for sale at big chains like Best Buy or Target.

What also bugs me about this are the people who are all "OMFG! Cartoon Network iz playing teh stoo-ped animeh rite now!! Dat sux!! I h8 Cartoon Network!!11" I mean, calm down people. For every homerun there is at least one strike. For every Reign there is a Kenshin.

CaptainFluffer

Gman I disagree. Many of the fans on Cartoon Network dont convert because they're not anime fans, they're DragonballZ fans. >_< I tried to get a friend to watch some other anime one day. He's like "No! That sucks! Dragonball Z is the coolest!" This is the poison that needs to be subdued.

As for FLCL, they're going to ruin that. They're gonna replay the hell out of it meaning that it'll be a dead horse they're beating. Hell, even the bloodstain from the horse wont even be left. Hearing about FLCL just totally ruined my night.

CrazyIntent

I have been looking forward to seeing FLCL for a while. So what if it'll be edited? Even with all the edits, I think that people will know good anime they like when they see it. I knew I would like .hack//SIGN from the intro and the first five minutes. And lke .hack//SIGN, if I get a good feel from FLCL, I'll buy it to see it totally un-edited. But without the first exposure from Cartoon Network, I doubt I'll take that risk buying the 1st volume based on what my friends say or what I read on the forums.

floonine

Although I agree that its good for people to get a taste of something they might not know about from outside sources, you might be forgetting how open minded you are in comparison to the normal cartoon network viewer.

You have to see FLCL in the original Japanese with english subtitles to see how painful it is gonna be to watch it on cartoon network. It has way too much symbolism and a whole lot more to screw up. Rurouni Kenshin and Trigun were, in my opinion, TOTALLY screwed up, but not because I didn't like the voice actors, but the way they changed the dialogue changed the characters! Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way...

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Chamberdweller

Firt of all you have to relize something, they can only play show's that they liscense, and that cost's alot of money. Plus only some show's can be played on t.v. even late at night . Now i'm going to get a little mean. If you watch show's like Chobit's, but think show's with drama or a deep plot(ie:Big O, Kikaider) are bad then im guessing that your love of anime is pretty shallow and you should stop watching. If people keep not watching great show's because all they like is these commercially huge show's then great anime like One Piece, or up until recently Fooly Cooly will never be realesed here. So open up your mind's a bit and give these show's a chance, or stop watching them. Also the art style in Kikaider and Cyborg 009 was the art style that Shotaro Ishinomori used in the original show's which these show's are based one.

<(^_^)>

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I come and stand at every door. But no one hears my silent tread. I knock and yet remain unseen. For I am dead, for I am dead.I'm only seven although I died. In Hiroshima long ago. I'm seven now as I was then. When children die they do not grow.My hair was scorched by swirling flame. My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind. Death came and turned my bones to dust. And that was scattered by the wind.I need no fruit, I need no rice. I need no sweet, nor even bread. I ask for nothing for myself. For I am dead, for I am dead.All that I ask is that for peace. You fight today, you fight today. So that the children of this world. May live and grow and laugh and play.

-- Nazim Hikmet

CaptainFluffer

CN doesnt liscence shows, companies like ADV, TokyoPOP, or Central Park Media do. Then they'll give it to CN to edit >_<.

As for NOT buying FLCL, that's a huge mistake. You're obviously going to the wrong message boards.

Chamberdweller

Oh, CaptainFluffer I did not mean liscence show's like that I mean't that they have to pay the companies in order to play there show's, or they do as far as I know, I could be mistaken. Also who were you saying is making a big mistake by not buying FLCL?

<(^_^)>

__________________
"The only thing with more brains than Kirk Cobain is the wall behind him."-Said by my best friend Ryan

I come and stand at every door. But no one hears my silent tread. I knock and yet remain unseen. For I am dead, for I am dead.I'm only seven although I died. In Hiroshima long ago. I'm seven now as I was then. When children die they do not grow.My hair was scorched by swirling flame. My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind. Death came and turned my bones to dust. And that was scattered by the wind.I need no fruit, I need no rice. I need no sweet, nor even bread. I ask for nothing for myself. For I am dead, for I am dead.All that I ask is that for peace. You fight today, you fight today. So that the children of this world. May live and grow and laugh and play.

-- Nazim Hikmet

striderkevin

I was never really a fan to dubs, but since everything on Cartoon Network is dubbed and that is really one of the only sources of anime I have, I really got no other choice. However, they have aired some good shows. Cowboy Bebop being one of them, the dubbing on that show was actually quite good. Rurouni Kenshin on the other hand, I can't say the same......

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CaptainFluffer

I was speaking to CrazyIntent


Chamber: I now understand what you mean.

striderkevin: If you have access to the internet, you have more anime at your fingertips than anything that cartoon network could ever HOPE to offer.

I personally enjoy the Cowboy Bebop and Ruronuni Kenshin dubs

Jesus Pimp

I wish they didn't edit the anime they put on adult swim. What's the fucking point? They mind as well show it during the day time. Bastards..

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CrazyIntent

I probably go to the same message boards you do for anime (animeondvd.com). However, I take what other ppl say with a grain of salt (mainly b/c everyone apparently loves Bebop and Trigun, while I don't). So even if everyone says FLCL is the greatest thing on earth, I'll be hesistant to buy even the first dvd.

However, AFTER seeing the first four episodes on Cartoon Network, I'll be ordering the three volumes and boxset soon. It's a damn good show. Now I wouldn't have done this without first seeing it on CN first. That's just the way I am...and I bet alot of other ppl are doing the same thing.

Jesus Pimp

Well you could of downloaded the episodes too before buying. That's what I did. I have been an FLCL fan for 2 years now.

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Jasmar

Thats the most confusing show ive ever seen

floonine

I finally saw FLCL on Cartoon Network, and I am not as dissappointed as I thought I was going to be. Probably a fluke... I only saw the first eps.

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Political arguments do not exist, after all, for people to believe in them, rather they serve as a common, agreed-upon excuse. Foolish people who take them in earnest sooner or later discover inconsistencies in them, begin to protest and finish finally and infamously as heretics.

Ganguro

there are only 6 eps, so savor them. It's a pretty decent story..
The music and animation styles are pretty impressive, sonsidering the entire series was done digitally.. no traditional cell animation was used. That was a first for Gainax.