Anime American anime companies

[Dagger]

I'm curious about what the other members of this forum think of specific anime companies. Although the topic title says "American," that's mainly because I personally am not familiar with any foreign groups other than Madman (which is based in Australia). If you do have experience with companies that don't operate in Region 1, you should feel free to compare and talk about them here.

Below I ramble on about three of my favorites, but there are many others out there, and the ones I've mentioned in detail have plenty of faults in addition to their advantages. Other companies which could be discussed include:

[B]Central Park Media:[/B] Grave of the Fireflies, Revolutionary Girl Utena
[B]Viz:[/B] Inuyasha, Boys Over Flowers
[B]Bandai:[/B] Crest of the Stars, Witch Hunter Robin
[B]4Kids:[/B] Yu-Gi-Oh, Shaman King
[B]AN Entertainment:[/B] Risky/Safety, Miami Guns
[B]Synch-Point:[/B] FLCL, I'm Gonna Be An Angel!
[B]AnimEigo:[/B] Vampire Princess Miyu OVA, Ah! My Goddess OVA
[B]Media Blasters:[/B] Rurouni Kenshin, The Twelve Kingdoms
[B]Tokyopop:[/B] Great Teacher Onizuka, Initial D
[B]The Right Stuf International:[/B] Boogiepop Phantom, Gravitation

[B]ADV:[/B] For the most part, ADV's dubs are very, very good. I appreciate how the company caters to dub fans as well as sub fans, but dislike the fact that it feels the need to produce low-quality artboxes (which are pretty much pointless products if they can't even withstand a light tap). ADV representatives and employees are more active online than reps from most other companies, and they behave well even when people give them a lot of flack. When glitchy DVDs receive widespread distribution, as was the case for Voices of a Distant Star and the RahXephon movie, ADV's customer service usually responds quickly and keeps consumers updated on the status of a replacement program.

[B]Geneon:[/B] There's almost nothing not to like about Geneon. Its products are consistently superb and well-presented. The company also licenses a wide variety of anime (Ikki-tousen, Koi Kaze and Kyou Kara Maou! are three of its most drastically different upcoming series). While Geneon has never (at least not to my knowledge) deliberately edited a show, in the past it has been burned by Japanese middle-men such as Enoki. Because of this, the R1 release of Demon Lord Dante ended up being quite different from the source material. Though Enoki carried out the actual censorship, some of the blame should go to Geneon for failing to notice it was cheated.

[B]FUNimation:[/B] Though once reviled for its treatment of the Dragonball franchise, FUNimation has tried very hard to win back fans' respect. In recent years, Funi has produced some of the best dubs in the business, using its own stable of talented voice actors but also borrowing popular ADV VAs like Monica Rial and Greg Ayres. After releasing Fruits Basket with a high episode count per disc (but also a higher MSRP), Funi deemed it a failed experiment. Most of the company's series now average three or four episodes per disc, something which has upset plenty of fans.

I love Funi because it's really cleaned up its act and behaves differently from Viz, Tokyopop and the other companies that sell a lot of series aimed at the younger television-watching set. Earlier this year, Funi secured the rights to release unedited versions of 4Kids shows like Yu-Gi-Oh. In my eyes this makes them infinitely cool--it means even if 4Kids gets their grubby hands on unlicensed Shonen Jump anime (i.e. Naruto and Hunter x Hunter), there's always a chance that Funi will save the day.

~Dagger~

[EVA Unit 100]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]it means even if 4Kids gets their grubby hands on unlicensed Shonen Jump anime (i.e. Naruto and Hunter x Hunter), there's always a chance that Funi will save the day.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

FUNi will get Hunter X Hunter from the begining. My reasoning: they got Yuyu Hakusho, and they'd want this to follow up as "the next Yuyu Hakusho" from a marketing perspective of DVD sales and viewings on CN.

Sony has Naruto, and will announce it at AnimeUSA. My reasoning: if no one gets Naruto by the end of the year, every title in Shonen Jump America will be licenced except for Naruto and Hikaru No Go, and we all know Viz is sitting on the rights to the latter. The former Naruto, is obviously going to be the next big thing in America and every company would want their grubby little hands on it. One online anime magazine article said that One Piece and Naruto would be scooped up by a bigger, richer company such as 4Kids or Sony. Since 4Kids got One Piece and the fact they have no room for it on the FOXBox, then they don't have Naruto, and perhaps that article got insider information from those two companies. In that case, Sony has Naruto and has been dubbing it for at least half a year. Or perhaps 4Kids got Naruto AND One Piece but realized they had no room for Naruto and that it was too much of a pain to edit (they could butcher it up to a new level of terribleness, but if they couldn't do that the the Toei version of Yu-Gi-Oh, then Naruto would be a harder challenge), and thus passed it on to another company, in which FUNi would be first in line and they'd get the show. Either way, one company will announce it at AnimeUSA or else we are DOOMED!

[Dagger]

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']FUNi will get Hunter X Hunter from the begining. My reasoning: they got Yuyu Hakusho, and they'd want this to follow up as "the next Yuyu Hakusho" from a marketing perspective of DVD sales and viewings on CN.[/quote]

That's what I've been hoping for. :)

[quote]Since 4Kids got One Piece and the fact they have no room for it on the FOXBox...[/quote]

I thought One Piece was about to debut on the FoxBox (along with Mew Mew Power, or whatever they're calling Tokyo Mew Mew nowadays). Do you mean to say that the FoxBox line-up doesn't have any room for Naruto?

[quote]...then they don't have Naruto, and perhaps that article got insider information from those two companies.[/quote]

On the subject of tentative inside information, rumor has it that the Naruto bidding war is--as would be expected--totally insane. People purporting to be possess a knowledge of the process have asserted that the cost per episode has gone up to $50,000; the relative accuracy of this figure is anyone's guess, but it makes for some interesting speculation.

So far I haven't bought anything from one of the smaller, less established companies (i.e. Synch-Point and AN Entertainment). My basic impression of AN Entertainment is very positive, and I plan on eventually getting Risky/Safety, which was their first release.

Synch-Point treated FLCL pretty well but has completely neglected I'm Gonna Be An Angel; there was a ridiculously long gap between the first volume and the second, and they still haven't set a street date for the third. Despite this, they continue to license new shows. That's not the best business practice as far as I'm concerned.

~Dagger~

[AzureWolf]

[QUOTE]I thought One Piece was about to debut on the FoxBox (along with Mew Mew Power, or whatever they're calling Tokyo Mew Mew nowadays). Do you mean to say that the FoxBox line-up doesn't have any room for Naruto?[/QUOTE] [font=Book Antiqua][color=blue]Actually, they do seem to be tightly wound. They can only show one of three shows, and they had (or are having?) a poll at their website to see which show people want to see, and that will be the only one that debuts on a certain date. I don't know what happens to the others, heh.[/color][/font]

[font=Book Antiqua][color=#0000ff]As far as ADV's series boxes go, I can't say I've seen anything different from other companies, save for some added textures or shiny film on them.[/color][/font]

[MangoPenguin]

...Oh One Piece.

One Piece is my dear love of the anime world. The Japanese manga and anime are wonderful. The American manga is...tolerable.

And 4kids has the rights to the anime. And the preview last Saturday was terrible. I don't understand why 4kids would want the rights to a show that they knew they would have to edit -insanely- in order to be presentable as a "Saturday morning kids' show" (which is is very much NOT in Japan). Therefore, I really do hope that they just don't wind up having the room to show it on the FOXbox. That would be magnificent. My dear One Piece would be saved.

On another note, a friend of mine is really angry about Tokyo Mew Mew being gotten by 4kids, so in all actuality, I don't think 4kids is going to do anything justice this fall. I'll keep my eye on the developments, but I think the best thing would be for 4kids to keep that F-Zero show and drop TMM and OP.

Oh yeah, and we have 4kids to thank--or stone, whichever you prefer--for Pokemon.

[Queen Asuka]

[quote name='Dagger IX1][B]ADV:[/B'] For the most part, ADV's dubs are very, very good. I appreciate how the company caters to dub fans as well as sub fans, but dislike the fact that it feels the need to produce low-quality artboxes (which are pretty much pointless products if they can't even withstand a light tap). ADV representatives and employees are more active online than reps from most other companies, and they behave well even when people give them a lot of flack. When glitchy DVDs receive widespread distribution, as was the case for Voices of a Distant Star and the RahXephon movie, ADV's customer service usually responds quickly and keeps consumers updated on the status of a replacement program.[/quote]

[color=hotpink][size=1]I think it's funny that you like ADV so much, because they were the first company that came to my head that I DIDN'T like. I hate buying their anime unless it is subbed because all the dubbing makes me want to scream. The only one that I can tolerate (and only because it slowly grew on me) is Nadesico. Pretty much the rest are annoying. I don't know, I think it's because they constantly use the same cast over and over again.[/color][/size]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Queen Asuka][color=hotpink][size=1]I think it's funny that you like ADV so much, because they were the first company that came to my head that I DIDN'T like. I hate buying their anime unless it is subbed because all the dubbing makes me want to scream. The only one that I can tolerate (and only because it slowly grew on me) is Nadesico. Pretty much the rest are annoying. I don't know, I think it's because they constantly use the same cast over and over again.[/color'][/size][/quote]

I was thinking of their most recent work (Full Metal Panic, Devil Lady, Kino's Journey, etc.), which is generally stellar. Older dubs from any company are likely to be bad; some of ADV's most ancient English-adapted titles, such as Master of Mosquiton, have aged very gracefully. Others just sound terrible. Anything released during the past few years stands a decent chance of being very good. I like the RahXephon dub as much as--if not better than--the Japanese-language version of the show. On the other hand, I absolutely can't stand watching Evangelion in English. ^_^;

~Dagger~

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]I have NEVER and will never watch Evangelion dubbed. I know that Tiffany Grant does the voice of Asuka and I absolutely DESPISE the way she speaks! She ruined what were so many potentially good characters because they sound like these rough and scratchy tomboys! Okay, so maybe SOME characters work well with that voice, but Asuka, NO. Bleh.[/color][/size]

[Magnum Apex]

[color=darkblue][font=trebuchet ms][b]ADV[/b]

This is probably the company I have most respect for regarding anime releases in America. My introduction to them was with their Neon Genesis Evangelion DVDs. I had watched EVA in Locomotion in Venezuela prior to moving back to America. I was worried that the superb Spanish voiceovers would not be found on their DVDs. I was glad my worries were put to rest, as ADV did deliver in that regard. In fact, ADV delivered with more than just EVA. Anime I had previously watched in Spanish were available as alternate versions in DVDs from Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo-2040, Blue Seed, to Burn Up W. On the downside, ADV seems to have stopped this lovable practice. Anime I've seen in Spanish, like Sailor Moon, Saint Seiya and Soul Hunter, were not available with the DVD releases. I assume it's costly to get the Spanish/Mexican versions, since not many people are interested in them, but it's still a shame, as I took advantage of them proudly.

Despite this decent drawback, ADV delivers where it counts. Their subtitles, unlike FUNimation's (more on them later), are very clear to read without interfering with the showing onscreen. As far as I know, they're very accurate to their Japanese counterparts. More often than not, they tend to stuff a bunch of goodies with their DVDs, like the crazy Excel Saga cards and Azumanga supplements. ADV has also gotten very giving in terms of extras, with "fun" features like the trademarked jiggle counter, extensive interviews, and information on cultural references found in the particular anime show or movie. Their covert arts are, for the most part, spectacular and fitting (including box sets), as well as the overall layout of their menus.

If ADV has one flaw, however, it's their English dubbing. While some great work has been done in this department with anime like the Samurai X OAV and Excel Saga (kudos for that one), most of what I've seen falls on the common mediocre side we're used to seeing from English dubbing. Zone of the Enders: IDOLO and DOLORES, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Samurai X: The Movie, Blubblegun Crisis Tokyo-2040, Azumanga Daioh, Blue Seed, Cutey Honey, Soul Hunter, the original Sakura Diaries release, Golden Boy and Saint Seiya are just [i]some[/i] of the examples of voice work that ranges from barely acceptable to plain intolerable. Still, considering I prefer my anime with Mexican dubbing and/or original Japanese language, I don't care much for the English dub.

Lastly, ADV seems to be pretty open about being more than just anime distributors. With their support of NewType Magazine, the introduction of Anime Network, and their recent entry to the world of manga, one can only assume these guys are more than just employees... they're otaku.


[b]FUNimation[/b]

I have as much respect for ADV as I lack for FUNimation. While some companies try to work a middle ground with the FCC and Cartoon Network in order to not botch the product completely on network television, FUNimation was surely accepting and willing to make all the unnecessary, horrible changes that crippled the once mighty franchise of Dragon Ball.

I won't go into the details of all that was changed, but believe that it was a lot. Things were not only cut off, they were changed for the most ridiculous replacements, showing nothing but rudimentary ways of editing content, certainly not to the standards of an anime publishing entity. By heavily changing the soundtrack, dialogue and voice acting, they slapped in the face of the talented writers, actors and composers that put a lot of effort into one of the most successful anime ever released in Japan.

Their lack of care for the anime licenses they own shows from every aspect imaginable. Their subtitles are small and sometimes hard to read, sticking out like a sore thumb rather than blending in with the show. Their costumer service is terrible, as they normally choose to answer dumb questions with terrible spelling than well-written e-mails with point-blank enquiries. Whenever a fan brings a point that heavily, but intelligently criticizes their product, they choose to ignore him or her. On the other hand, if someone complains rather casually without backing up their points, they choose to reply to these comments, as they're easily refutable. If you want detailed info on what FUNi has done so far with the franchise, go to [url=?http://www.dbzoa.net/?]DBZOA[/url]. The site originally started off as a DBZ exclusive, but from the looks of it they have grown beyond DB alone, pointing out changes made to other shows.

Then there's the issue of having three episodes per DVD from a series of over 200. While companies like Bandai and ADV release 5-episode discs of a 50-episode show, FUNimation releases 3-episodes discs of a 200-episode anime. Find it ridiculous? So do I. There's also the messy release of the original Dragon Ball, which, to my knowledge, the first 13 episodes are edited, regardless of which version you watch. They also don't include the Spanish version, which was wildly popular all over Latin America, and is even available in Cartoon Network Mexico. FUNi getting the rights for this version would've been relatively easy compared to other Spanish versions of other shows, but we only got the first Cooler movie with Spanish dub. Sad, sad, really. I asked them why they chose not to go after the version, but like usual, I got no reply.

Lastly, there's the issue of FUNimation's disinterest with what happens with the license in other media. FUNi was quick to sign a deal with Atari to make DB games in America. Considering the growing popularity of the anime, I doubt Atari were the only ones willing to purchase the license. FUNi chose Atari however, probably because they offered the most money. Never mind their mostly unimpressive gaming work up to that point (As Infogrames), especially concerning existing franchises. If Atari has the cash, FUNi has the contract and pen in hand. The results: DBZ Taiketsu, a $20 port of the crappy Ultimate Battle 22, and Legacy of Goku, among others. Sure, this last paragraph is highly speculative and opinionated, but that's the way I see it. If you can come up with a more reasonable answer, please let me know.

[size=1]As a side note, some of the DBZ games have been good, and for that I thank the developers. Seeing as how Atari could care less to watch over companies like Webfoot Tech., it took them the disappointing reaction from the media and fans to make a much better game in Legacy of Goku II. If only Dimps would follow suit.[/size]

Now, you might be thinking, "Well, their work with DBZ is relatively old, and they've gotten much better with other anime." I honestly wouldn't know, and I really could care less. I've seen the horrible dubbing from Yu Yu Hakusho, and from what I've seen, they continue to suck. I don't see them making DBZ more conveniently available up to this point, and when they released DBGT not too long ago, they started with episode 16, rather than episode 1. They also botched up DBGT's English version as well, just like they did with DBZ, and the anime is fairly recent in America.

I always hope that FUNimation doesn?t purchase some of the anime I want from Japan. I really don't like them in the least, and I would rather have them gone from the industry. They butchered my favorite anime show, one that I've held dear since my teen years, so I have absolutely no reason to be supporting of them in any way, shape or form.


[b]Bandai[/b]

I'll always cherish Bandai for their mostly excellent dub work. With a few exceptions (Gundam Wing, Love Hina), their dubs are excellent, and make watching anime in English language a pleasure. Cowboy Bebop, G. Gundam, Outlaw Star and .hack are just some examples of their quality work.

They also make buying DVDs very convenient. From having 12 episodes on 3 discs in one package for less than $50 (G.Gundam), to 9 episodes per DVD (Outlaw Star), they're all about making things easier for the fans. Their work with .hack, with all the soundtracks and extras, impressed me to no end. I wish the quality of the anime itself were better, because everything from the package to the extras is simply impressive. Any anime should get the same treatment.


[b]Pioneer/Geneon[/b]

If ADV is the friendly, in-touch-with-fans anime company, then Pioneer is royalty. The quality of their anime releases is nothing short of jaw dropping. One needs to look no further than their A-grade dubbing, attractive packaging, stylish menu designs and soundtrack releases to know that Geneon means business... [i]quality[/i] business.

By the same token, since they mean business, there's usually a heavy price to pay for their new DVDs. Anime like X only offer 3 episodes per disc, and they cost just as much as a 5-episode disc from another anime. The Hellsing collection, only 13 episodes, is priced at over a 100 bucks. Also, they usually lack in the extras department, offering nothing more than artwork and trailers. Still, I must thank them for their re-release of some of their classic anime, like Trigun and Serial Experiments Lain, as they've made these financially purchasable, for the first time.[/font][/color]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Cyke][color=darkblue][font=trebuchet ms]Now, you might be thinking, "Well, their work with DBZ is relatively old, and they've gotten much better with other anime." I honestly wouldn't know, and I really could care less. I've seen the horrible dubbing from Yu Yu Hakusho, and from what I've seen, they continue to suck.[/font'][/color][/quote]

Ara? I suppose people have different tastes when it comes to dubs; Yu Yu Hakusho's dub is among my favorites, and a lot of the dialogue (particularly Koto's commentary during the Dark Tournament arc) is hysterically well-delivered. I'm not going to defend what Funi did to Dragonball and co., but... oh well.

I like their subtitles much better than ADV's, heh. I'll take small white subs over yellow ones any day. :p Moreover, FUNImation is the only major anime company that regularly includes honorifics and non-reversed names (i.e. Urameshi Yusuke instead of Yusuke Urameshi) in their subtitles.

Funi's reduced episode count is almost always accompanied by a corresponding reduction in price. They are releasing Kiddy Grade, a twenty-four episode series, over eight discs at with each individual volume's MSRP hovering somewhere around $25. Such was not the case for Ceres: Celestial Legend (Viz) or X-TV (Geneon), which are also twenty-four episode, eight-disc series. Ceres and X DVDs have an MSRP of about $30. Yes, it's annoying that we can't expect a high episode count for shows like Full Metal Alchemist, but I don't blame them for trying to milk the franchise for all it's worth.

Rather than avoiding Funi because of past offenses, I'm inclined to be extremely wary of Tokyopop. Unlike most companies (which usually improve over time), Tokyopop has been backsliding to the point that one of their newer anime, Rave Master, will only be released in the dubbed and edited version seen on CN. Initial D received one of the most hacked-up and atrocious dubs made in recent years. Their manga line, while popular, is stunningly inconsistent. I'm deeply worried that they'll license something I actually like.

Viz is better than TP, but not by much. Inuyasha is coming out at a steady 3 episodes per disc, which pretty much destroyed any desire I might have had to buy such an ungodly repetitive show.

Anyway, I'm sure we can all agree that what Funi did to DB/Z/etc. was reprehensible. By the same token, I think it's pretty hard to dispute how well they've handled Fruits Basket, Yu Yu Hakusho, Kiddy Grade and so forth, [i]especially[/i] since their early work gave people such low expectations. The Kiddy Grade starter set and subsequent DVDs are basically indistinguishable from a Geneon release--the series comes complete with pack-in extras, a beautiful sturdy artbox and an ADV-quality dub. Even in the light of the butchering of DB, I feel as though that should count for something. I'm personally very excited about Funi's release of Gunslinger Girl, and I might give Spiral a rental just to see if the English language version is up to par.

~Dagger~