Anime Recently licensed anime.

[Dagger]

I don't know how successful this thread will be, but I thought it was worth a shot. The title basically says it all--come here to discuss series that have just been licensed, speculate about which ones will be picked up next, share news and information regarding upcoming international releases, debunk rumors, and so forth.

On February 27, ADV announced that it had bought the rights to GetBackers and Mezzo TV. As a budding GetBackers fan, I was really pleased to read this.... although I generally prefer FUNimation's VAs to ADV's. This may sound silly, but I never experienced the reportedly horrific Dragonball dub. All I know is that FUNimation definitely did Fruits Basket justice, and that Yu Yu Hakusho's English script is even funnier than the original Japanese.

To the distress of Tokyo Mew Mew fans everywhere, TMM was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment, the company notorious for butchering Card Captor Sakura. Hopefully they'll learn from their mistakes, but I suspect that 4Kids cares much more about attracting the right demographic (and pleasing said demographic's parents) than appeasing petition-wielding otakus.

Lastly, what about Naruto, One Piece and Full Metal Alchemist? All three series are wildly popular and pretty much guaranteed to become cash cows. Which company would you want to acquire them?

~Dagger~

[Dan Rugh]

I would like to see Naruto licensed by ADV. I've seen a lot of ADV's work on On Demand Digital Cable... it seems as though they've got a thing going there with the digital cable companies. Also, ADV isn't afraid to use swear words (think Saiyuki), but I have a feeling that they will tone down the language in the dub whenever that happens.

Other than ADV, I guess Viz would be an ok company for Naruto. As long as they don't use InuYasha's voice (also Ranma, Quicksilver from X-men Evo) for a main character... I'm kinda sick of his voice. But yes, Viz makes sense because they have Shounen Jump licensed, which the Naruto manga appears in.

Both of these companies do fairly well with English vocal tracks. Well, I suppose I would be happy to see Naruto in English regardless of the company that buys it. I've still got my sub-titled versions if the dubs are atrocious, though =P

[DeathBug]

[color=indigo][size=1][font=comic sans ms]Just as a side note, "Tokyo MewMew" is being changed to "Hollywood MewMew" by 4Kids. --; Apparently, their perogative is to remove any trace of Japanes culture from the dubs. (See Shaman King) Maybe we'll be lucky, and that will be the worst change...

I'm curious about something, though; is there any possibility of an anime that's recieved a less-than-stellar dub to recieve an uncut version?[/color][/size][/font]

[Dagger]

[quote name='DeathBug][color=indigo][size=1][font=comic sans ms]I'm curious about something, though; is there any possibility of an anime that's recieved a less-than-stellar dub to recieve an uncut version?[/color][/size'][/font][/quote]

Card Captor Sakura and Sailor Moon were re-released in the form of several unedited box sets. I believe that these subtitles-only collections have sold quite well, even among people who felt dubious about watching the shows in Japanese. So, yes, it's certainly a possibility, but no company would consider doing that without witnessing some kind of significant demand. After all, fans had been up in arms about those two series for [i]years.[/i]

~Dagger~

[James P. Galvatron]

Darn 4Kids those evil anime butchers die 4Kids die. Why must you ruin the anime experience for us anime hungry americans why do you they hate us for someone unknown reason why get rid of the japanese culture it is there anime 4Kids has gone to far Hollywood Mew Mew the insult of it. We americans all we ask for is a true anime experienced not a edited to the floor version because some americans can't think of cartoon to be anything more than a lame episode of Rugrats on Nickolodeon. Anime is not a cartoon it is not be considered to be like the lame american saturday morning cartoons that we used to watch. Finally the U.S. gets something good and they can't accept it they have to butcher it and lessen the experienced it isn't even made for little babies realize that everything that is a cartoon isn't made for little witty babies Ren and Stimpy was a cartoon, but it wasn't made for babies. America and its bad dubbers shame us.

[Dagger]

Your post is very difficult to decipher. Please consider using more commas, periods and other marks of punctuation... [i]please[/i]. I've mentioned this to you at least two or three times today.


[quote name='Inuyasha7271']Why must you ruin the anime experience for us anime hungry americans why do you they hate us for someone unknown reason why get rid of the japanese culture[/quote]

Because they want to make a profit, and they believe that little kids have some kind of built-in aversion to foreign names, international locales, and concepts which require some small amount of thought to figure out.

[quote]Anime is not a cartoon it is not be considered to be like the lame american saturday morning cartoons that we used to watch.[/quote]

Like it or not, anime is cartoons. I don't think that the word applies to either good anime or the finer examples of American animation, but there's not much we can do about it now.

[quote]America and its bad dubbers shame us.[/QUOTE]

I'll go after this argument at another time (once I create my long-overdue dub/sub debate thread). Be prepared. ^_~

Anyway, I'd love to see Bandai acquire Shingetsutan Tsukihime. After watching Witch Hunter Robin--which has a lovely dub, although I was initially skeptical of its merits--I realized that Tsukihime has the same kind of atmosphere, and would sound great with some of WHR's English VAs. Plus, that would give Tsukihime a chance (however slight >_>) of getting on cable TV.

~Dagger~

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][SIZE=2][FONT=Courier New]Nah, Shingetsutan Tsukihime is never going to be dubbed.

Seeing as the river of life likes to spite/contradict me incessantly, however, you can sit and *wait* for it to be dubbed tomorrow!_ _U I don't think it's ever going to be brought to North America because there is neither a large fanbase, nor a large population (relatively, of course) of people who have even heard of this beautiful, heart-wrenching, intense, blood-sucking series' name.

Same for Narutaru. I hate to think what they would do to it though: the animation would turn off any "mature" dubbies right off the bat, and I don't see how you could edit it to be more for children. Oh, [Spoiler]Akira's just, uh...measuring the width of her arm with a...er...sharp ruler. Yeah...that's right, kids. The JSDF is just sleeping...yeah...[/Spoiler] *dies*

Heh. Then again, the fact that it was based on a hentai game might appeal to some audiences. (Shingetsutan Tsukihime, not Narutaru)[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[densuke]

[quote name='Inuyasha7271']4Kids... evil... butchers... die... ruin... hate... japanese culture... all we ask for is a true anime experience...[/quote]
*ahem*

1. The "cult" of mahou shoujo fans in the US has got to be a fairly small group of people, all things considered. I am referring of course to Americans who are not 12-year-old girls who want to watch these shows. I watch these shows and I am not 12 or even a girl, so count me in.

2. There are quite a few mahou shoujo series that are probably not coming over here, which should give you some idea of how profitable these shows look to licensees as far as direct-to-home media.

3. The only mahou shoujo series I ever heard of going direct to home media in the US is [b]Mahou no Stage Fancy Lala[/b].

4. The young girls are the ones 4Kids wants to [b]translate[/b] the anime for. They have to squeeze the thing into the 10 minutes or whatever you get out of a half-hour slot anymore, and they have to come up with something that is self-explanatory as you watch it - something that 12-year-old girls can understand. And the girls have to be able to remember what is going on even with all those nutty commercials.

5. 4Kids paid money for the license. They can probably do whatever they want with it; I doubt there were a lot of conditions placed on the license.

I think the show will bomb on TV, but it's not my money... I just don't see the necessary interest from the young girls. They don't read Ribon; there probably won't be a lot of Hollywood Mew Mew toys and stuff in the department stores.

And I could be wrong. Seems like lots of anime fans watched "Sailor Moon" when they were young, right off TV, edited and dubbed and all... and what they came away with is that they liked anime, and they kept right on watching. Go figure.

I can understand the strong feelings but I dislike rants. I don't see the obligation of the TV broadcasters to satisfy a small cult of mahou shoujo fans. The only thing to do to get a licensed sub is to demonstrate that another way for 4Kids to make their money back is to sell you subtitled DVDs.

[Dagger]

[quote name='advfilms.com']ADV Films today announced that the first 86 episodes of the original Sailor Moon television series will no longer be available in the U.S. on home video after April 1, 2004. Although the response of the fans and sales of this video series in both the dubbed- and uncut-subtitled format have been tremendously successful, the creators of the program have decided against continuing the availability of the home video in the U.S. at this time. All episodes released under ADV Films will remain available for sale in retail outlets and via the company website.[/quote]

[quote name='animeondvd.com']We got a note from one retailer and confirmed with another that in addition to the Sailor Moon subtitle only box sets that are going away, all of the dub-only individual volumes are included in this license status change.[/quote]

I'm no expert on Sailor Moon, but I was definitely surprised to learn that such a large portion of the show would cease being distributed in America. Those people who are fortunate enough to possess the subtitle-only box sets should definitely try to treasure them.

~Dagger~

[densuke]

The news about Sailor Moon seems to concern a withdrawal of the license(!?). I have a feeling this is tied in with the Live Action series and some future effort to market the title in the US, but this is just speculation. Live Action for those who have not been following it is a retake on the original Sailor Moon story, which was told in the episodes of the anime which are being withdrawn.

[Dagger]

Big news, guys. ADV Films has licensed the popular GONZO series [b]Chrno Crusade[/b] (which is going to be re-titled Chrono Crusade for its American release). While this is hardly a surprise, as ADV already owns the rights to the Chrono Crusade manga, it gives us good reason to believe that the company will also try licensing Gunslinger Girl and Peace Maker Kurogane. Both the Gunslinger Girl and Peace Maker Kurogane graphic novels are being translated and distributed by ADV Manga; Gunslinger Girl is currently available in the States.

I've watched several episodes of Chrono Crusade, but I haven't bothered to follow the series very closely. Quoted below are ADV's comments on the show.


[quote=ADV Films Press Release]HOUSTON, March 15, 2004-ADV Films, the #1 producer-distributor of anime in the U.S., today announced it has acquired exclusive home video and broadcast rights in North America for Chrono Crusade, an action-adventure anime that follows an unlikely duo as they attempt to destroy supernatural evil through exorcisms in 1920's New York City.

Chrono Crusade recently made its Japanese television debut to much fanfare. Renowned anime production company Gonzo Digimation, of Full Metal Panic!, Hellsing and Kaleido Star fame, managed animation production for the title, ensuring a spectacular visual experience for viewers.

ADV Manga already has the rights to the popular Chrono Crusade manga series by Daisuke Moriyama, which premiers with a May 25, 2004 street date.

The series will be featured on the Anime Network(tm), the first cable channel in North America dedicated to anime.

About Chrono Crusade

New York City, the 1920s: With the Great War firmly behind it, America enjoys a period of great peace and prosperity. Of course, history has proven that such times rarely last for long. Lurking in the shadows is a sinister force born of hellfire and evil, with the power and desire to feast upon the nation's tranquility like a lion would its prey. Sister Rosette Christopher, a gun slinging nun, and her partner, Chrono, are exorcists with the Convent of Magdalene-NYC's first line of defense against the demon hordes that plague the city. Unfortunately, the city might be better off in the hands of the demons, as the adventurous pair tend to cause more rampant collateral than their hellspawn foes.

"Since we already have the manga rights, this acquisition enables us to provide fans with even more exposure to the popular Chrono Crusade series through home video and television programming via The Anime Network," said John Ledford, president, CEO and co-founder of ADV Films. "This is such a fun series! The characters are a delight to follow and the story is full of comic adventures and unique character developments. The manga has already been generating a lot of interested among fans, and we anticipate that the DVD release will be equally - if not more - anticipated."

Release Plans

ADV Films has not yet announced specific release plans for the Chrono Crusade anime series, but Ledford expects the title to debut sometime later this year.[/quote]

Suffice it to say that I'll be highly impressed if Chrono Crusade comes out before 2005.

~Dagger~

[Monkey_Orange]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Yep. I'm happy to hear that [B]Get Backers[/B] has been licensed. I've watched the first 15 episodes and am dying to finish the rest *huggles Ginji*.

Also, it may not be true, but I read somewhere online that [B]Naruto[/B] will be licensed by 4Kids. Scary? Yes. I haven't seen [B]Naruto[/B] yet, but anything done by 4Kids is something that i'm usually skepital of.

As for [B]One Piece[/B] --my sister totally wants to watch this show. I admit that I want to watch it as well.

It's a bit hard for me to watch newer anime because 90% of the time I spend online is via dial-up. So, yes, I rarely am able to download any fansubs. *tears*

What shows would I like to see licensed? So far its:

[B]Full Metal Alchemist[/B]
[B]One Piece[/B]
[B]Prince of Tennis[/B]
[B]Condor Heroes[/B]

That's about it for now :D

[/COLOR]

[Fushigi Rockna]

[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=4584[/url]

*screams* *then whams head against a wall several times*

Damn, I've always had this interest in Tokyo Mew Mew (though I can't download the series and I can't find the first graphic novel). This would be good for someone like me for wants to watch the series but... why 4Kids?

THEY'RE CHANGING THE NAME TO HOLLYWOOD MEW MEW!!! I AM GONNA FRIGGIN KILL THOSE MORONS!!!

*gets ready to bomb 4Kids Studios.*

(please excuse me if this thread has been posted already *bows*)


[EDIT] OPPS!!! Sorry I ddin't see this when I made the thread! *feels really embarrassed* Sorry. T_T

[Dagger]

[center][b]Licensing announcements from Anime Boston 2004[/b][/center]

[b]Funimation:[/b] Kodocha no Omocha, also known as Child's Toy, will be released in the spring or summer of 2005.

[b]ADV:[/b] Announced the aquisition of Princess Tutu, a twenty-six episode mahou shoujo series that aired between August 2002 and May 2003. My Dear Marie and Sonic Soldier Borgman will also be coming to DVD. Additionally, the RahXephon movie is scheduled for a summer release (thank goodness!).

[b]Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer:[/b] Dokkoider is set to arrive in August, while Stellvia of the Universe should be released sometime during September. Paranoia Agent is coming out in October, news that my fellow Satoshi Kon fans should find quite exciting.

[b]Bandai:[/b] Has bought the rights to Onegai Twins, the popular sequel to Onegai Teacher (which is already available in America). The company also licensed Digi Charat Nyo.

~Dagger~

[densuke]

[b]Di Gi Charat[/b] was apparently licensed by SynchPoint, the same company who drew Tenshi ni Narumon! into a black hole for lo these many years... so either Tenshi ni Narumon! gets put off AGAIN (which happened when the company scrambled to cash in on FLCL, of all things (._.) ) or Di Gi Charat sits on the shelf for awhile.

As for KnO, I wonder if Funimation really got the license for the whole series (102 episodes I think) and if so, how they are going to sell them. KnO is great stuff but after the first 20 eps there are really faint traces of any kind of story arc. I've never watched 100 episodes of [i]anything[/i] but the people who watch long series are hooked by the promise of a big ending, and KnO has little on offer there. Sure, Sana and Hayama are an interesting couple, but not [i]that[/i] interesting - they are too young. I don't mean to pick on the series really, I just don't see the money...

Gee, Dokkoida... that was one of my favorites last year. So was Onegai Twins, actually, but Dokkoida is 100X as cool as Onegai Twins. So which one will sell like crazy? Probably neither ^_^;;; how many times can anyone watch Onegai Twins!?

[Dagger]

Media Blasters (the company notorious for bringing us Weiss Kreuz) has acquired three new titles: Giant Robo, Ginrei Specials and, most notably, [b]Gokusen[/b].

I'm so happy to hear this. Out of all the shows I've been following lately, Gokusen is among the funniest and most sophisticated. Hopefully its popularity will rival GTO's once it comes out in North America.

MB's John Sirabella also re-confirmed the August release of Here is Greenwood, a 6-episode OVA.

~Dagger~

[Solo Tremaine]

[QUOTE=Innotech]no way...Here is greenwood on US DVD!!!!!!
Sweeeeeeet! that show is great!
I know a friend who will be VERY happy of this news.[/QUOTE][COLOR=#503F86]Please put more thought and effort into your posts, Innotech. Constructive comments are much in need here.

Some of your replies I've seen are much better than this. Try not to slip.[/COLOR]

[Guest Senti_MENTAL]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Media Blasters (the company notorious for bringing us Weiss Kreuz) has acquired three new titles: Giant Robo, Ginrei Specials and, most notably, [b]Gokusen[/b].

I'm so happy to hear this. Out of all the shows I've been following lately, Gokusen is among the funniest and most sophisticated. Hopefully its popularity will rival GTO's once it comes out in North America.

MB's John Sirabella also re-confirmed the August release of Here is Greenwood, a 6-episode OVA.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

Wow, that took me by surprise. Well, a series with as much potential as Gokusen deserves to be licensed, I suppose. I became addicted to the fansubs, and I think it's better than GTO from what I've seen so far. Admittedly, I don't usually leap for joy when something gets licensed, but I was thinking that licensing Gokusen could boost its popularity. This could possibly lead to the Gokusen Live Action series being fansubbed.

Hm, perhaps that isn't good logic, but we can all dream, can't we? :)

[Dagger]

I'm pretty confident that [b]Shingetsutan Tsukihime[/b] (also known as Lunar Legend Tsukihime) will be licensed sometime in the near future. The following mini-article has only served to intensify my suspicions.


[quote name='AnimeonDVD.com][b]Tsukihime closer to being licensed:[/b] This one goes firmly in the rumor and unconfirmed bin, but there's a "very good possibility" for it. According to some resourceful readers, they've found that Geneon Entertainment USA has registered the [url]www.tsukihimedvd.com[/url'] site (as well as the known license, stellviadvd.com). As mentioned in the past, this does not in any way guarantee Geneon's acquisition of Tsukihime, but with them already having announced a CD release and now with this, the odds of an already fairly certain title is even more so.[/quote]

If Geneon does own the rights to Tsukihime, they'll probably make an announcement sometime during Sakura Con, which takes place this weekend. Hopefully, they'll give it the same treatment as Someday's Dreamers, by dividing the show into a total of 3 DVDs with four episodes per disc and a gorgeous little artbox to tempt people who are currently collecting the anime on R2.

In any event, I've already pre-ordered the Tsukihime OST. ^_^

~Dagger~

[densuke]

[b]Requiem from the Darkness[/b] was announced as licensed by [b]Geneon[/b]. (The original title is Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatori; fansub groups renamed it Hundred Stories.)

The series is basically an omnibus of horror stories set in 19th century Japan. It is very violent and a bit earthier than other Gothic series like Shingetsutan Tsukihime or Vampire Princess Miyu, but no less stylish in its own way. I can't recall another series which went so far in incorporating Expressionism into its backgrounds and even some of the character designs.

Many short series are just chiselled-off hunks of longer stories, but Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatori is perfectly suited to the 13 episodes alloted it. The main characters are suggestively shaded rather than directly illuminated. This suits the mood of the show and allows the horror stories room in the foreground.

I suspect that this is not a high-budget series, but given how the voice acting, music and visuals combine to support the storytelling I am all the more impressed.

[MamoruAlpha]

[quote name='Dagger IX1']I don't know how successful this thread will be, but I thought it was worth a shot. The title basically says it all--come here to discuss series that have just been licensed, speculate about which ones will be picked up next,...[/quote]


Well, I'm paticulary interested in Kaleido Star, a show about a girl who is trying to become a part of a famous circus. I saw the ADV preview and the animation looks beutiful.

I also want Dragon Drive.

[Dagger]

Geneon has licensed Cybuster, Burn Up Scramble and Saiyuki Reloaded (this means that the series will have a different voice cast than the original Saiyuki, which belongs to ADV). They also announced that they had acquired Shingetsutan Tsukihime--renamed Lunar Legend Tsukihime--and thankfully are planning to release it in three volumes rather than four.

ADV now owns Peace Maker Kurogane, Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu and the original, uncut version of Gatchaman. The latter is presumably an older series, as it has well over 100 episodes. Obviously I'm really, [i]really[/i] happy that PMK is coming to America. ^_^ Since I gave up on the original FMP after watching its first eight episodes, I feel no need to spend my money on the sequel. It's probably going to sell quite well, all things considered.

~Dagger~

[Monkey_Orange]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][quote name='Dagger IX1']Geneon has licensed Cybuster, Burn Up Scramble and Saiyuki Reloaded (this means that the series will have a different voice cast than the original Saiyuki, which belongs to ADV). [/quote]

Ooo...[B]Saiyuki Reload[/B] is finally licensed! That was pretty quick ^^ I wonder why it wasn't picked up by [B]ADV[/B]? I hate it when the voicing is changed. Ah well. I guess I'll resume watching it in Japanese *^^* [/COLOR]

[densuke]

Gatchaman was broadcast in the US as Battle of the Planets, something like 20 years ago. It is one of those old pre-Gundam "team-mecha" things. The cult for those shows seems to be increasing or becoming more vocal. The one strange thing about this new license for Gatchaman is that Rhino did a recent release of part of the series which included uncut subs.

[Dagger]

At A-Kon, FUNimation announced the acquisition of [B]Gunslinger Girl[/B]. They will also be releasing several 4Kids series--including [B]Shaman King[/B] and [B]Yu-Gi-Oh[/B]--uncut and in their original language.

ADV has licensed [B]Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch[/B], along with [B]E's Otherwise[/B] and [B]Cromartie High School[/B]. They also mentioned that Peacemaker Kurogane, Cyberteam in Akihabara, Getbackers and Mezzo Forte TV would all be coming to DVD sometime this year. Since I haven't watched any of these shows, I have little reason to feel particularly excited about this... I guess I'll wait until the first few trailers are produced and see if any of them piques my interest.

EDIT: Oh, and Bandai owns the rights to [b]Dear Boys[/b].

~Dagger~