Anime Time Warner to co-produce new anime

[Dagger]

I saw this article over at ANN, and thought it seemed pretty interesting.

[quote]Time Warner and Itochu Corp (C. Itoh & Co.) have announced that they will jointly produce new anime to be broadcast simultaneously on Cartoon Network in Japan and North America.

By April 2006, the joint venture is expected to be producing weekly episodes for three shows, at a budget of 20 million yen ($US 190,000) per episode, 20 to 50 percent higher than the current average budget for anime TV series. The added budget will be spent on higher-than-average quality animation using more animators and other staff than is typically used in anime.

By June 2005, the joint venture is expected to be set up with a fund of 3 billion yen (US$29 million) and will seek funding from other partners including broadcasters, animation studios, and toy manufacturers.

In addition to producing the anime, the companies expect to profit from the development and marketing of related merchandise. Guaranteed spots on the American and Japanese Cartoon Networks, combined with the worldwide popularity of anime, is expected to insure better than average returns on investment, enticing investors.

The anime series will also be marketed to international broadcasters in Europe and Asia.[/quote]
Higher-quality animation is always a good thing. But what's really ground-breaking, assuming this show does end up looking and feeling like "anime" (as opposed to Teen Titans, Totally Spies and so forth) is the idea of a simultaneous broadcast. Simultaneous Japanese/American DVD releases are at best extremely rare, and a simultaneous broadcast of a presumably flashy new anime series is just totally unprecedented.

Regardless of the anime's target demographic, and even regardless of how good it actually is, I think this could pave the way for closer collaboration between forces in the Japanese and American industries. People often complain that anime will get diluted by American influence, but based on my experience with shows co-produced by American companies, that shouldn't be a huge concern (though it certainly may affect Time Warner's project).

Thoughts?

~Dagger~

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]*nods disapprovingly* Foreshame, Dagger, foreshame. I can't believe you would make a thread just like that. Where's the supplemental information I'm used to seeing? Who are these two companies, and what were their previous products (anime or otherwise)?

I think this is a neat topic, but I've never heard of either company (too lazy to google as well), and add the fact that I have no idea where they are planning to go with it. That's very pivotal: they say "TV series," so it's obviously going to air on a channel. Which channel they choose could make or break them.

So, do you have more info for members to sink their teeth into? :p[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Well, here's some info on Itochu Corp:

[QUOTE=Anime News Network][url="http://www.itochu.co.jp/"][color=#0000ff]ITOCHU[/color][/url] Corporation, Ishimori Shotaro Pro Inc. (copyright holder of famous Manga author Shotaro Ishinomori's works), one of the major Manga productions in Japan, and Ishimori Pro Inc. have signed an agreement to establish Ishimori Entertainment Inc., a joint venture company that introduces the so-called "Ishimori World" to its fans. ITOCHU will hold 49% of its shares, Ishimori Pro and Ishimori Shotaro Pro will own 41% and 10%, respectively.

The new company, Ishimori Entertainment Inc., is planning to produce movies, TV programming, publications, and to develop merchandising business based on the titles of Shotaro Ishinomori. Ishimori Entertainment aims to achieve a turnover of 1.5-2.0 billion Yen every year.

Up until now, Ishinomori Manga has entertained many Manga fans for over 45 years. Shotaro Ishinomori's works consist of more than 300 titles, including his most important works such as"MASKED RIDER", "Cyborg009", "HOTEL", "KIKAIDER", and "GORENGER". In particular, MASKED RIDER is one of the most popular heroes among the children in Japan.

At present, ITOCHU has developed and expanded its contents business through Sky PerfecTV!, Space Shower TV, and Excite. Also, ITOCHU has strengthened its focus on the field of consumer and retail related markets through Family Mart and brand business. ITOCHU regards this alliance as a big step to produce and distribute entertainment contents both in the Japanese and overseas markets. Investment amount of this project will be approximately 5 billion Yen over the next 5 years.[/QUOTE]So that's what that means, pretty much. And Time Warner broadcasts (or have broadcasted) Pilot Candidate, Sailor Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho. Specific details about what kind of anime it would be haven't been released yet but judging by their histories, my guess would be some kind of sci-fi action thing.[/COLOR]

[EVA Unit 100]

SUPER MILK-CHAN SEASON 2!
THE REST OF PILOT CANDIDATE!
DRAGONBALL AF!

No, seriously, my guesses for what the three anime series will be about:

Miguzi will get either a shojo or an ultra-toyetic series
Toonami wll get a mecha (IGPX, anyone?)
Adult Swim will get some sort of high-action sci-fi somewhat-comedic intellectual show (This is only wishful thinking but perhaps a Bebop prequel?)

If these work out, CN might order 3 more series from the company. As for what those future series would be about if they were made, I'd put my money on a series that would be either thing Miguzi didn't get the first round, something about as avant-garde as Samurai Jack, and maybe an anime comedy.

[Dagger]

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]So, do you have more info for members to sink their teeth into? :p[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote]
[url=http://www.timewarner.com/corp/][u]Time Warner's main page[/u][/url]

Time Warner (aka AOL Time Warner) is the gigantic conglomerate that encompasses America Online, New Line Cinema, Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros. and Time Inc. (which publishes Time Magazine). Essentially, Time Warner owns Cartoon Network, along with such cable channels as TNT, TBS and CNN. In other words, they're [i]huge[/i]. As you mentioned, I should have made this clear in my initial post, heh. :sweat:

~Dagger~

[Rick Hunter]

Well I think this could be quite interesting actually, look at other co-produced things they actually went on to be big hits. Prime Example of this would be Big O season 2 which was co-produced by CN and Japan. Overall it came out pretty good, and thanks to time warners resources this actually might be completely hopeless. As for the person that said another DB series......don't hold your breath ;) time warner and Japan are not really interested in that sorta of venture.

[QuincyArcher]

Im really not sure anything will come out of this joint venture for a international anime, and i think many of the reasons for it relate back to this thread:

[url]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=45135[/url]

if its an anime with an american target audience in mind i don't think the end product will be the same or as good. There are a lot of common things in anime that just wouldn't fly in america and visa versa for american animation in japan, so the end result just may be kind of awkward.

[EVA Unit 100]

[quote name='QuincyArcher']if its an anime with an american target audience in mind i don't think the end product will be the same or as good. There are a lot of common things in anime that just wouldn't fly in america and visa versa for american animation in japan, so the end result just may be kind of awkward.[/quote]

There once was a really good anime that had lots of homages to American movies and had virtually nothing Japanese in it. It was called Cowboy Bebop.

[Dagger]

[quote name='QuincyArcher']if its an anime with an american target audience in mind i don't think the end product will be the same or as good. There are a lot of common things in anime that just wouldn't fly in america and visa versa for american animation in japan, so the end result just may be kind of awkward.[/quote]
At the same time, it's good to keep in mind that a lot of anime [i]are[/i] produced with a foreign audience at least partially in mind. Licensing fees are an important source of income for Japanese companies. Some series co-produced by American companies have turned out really well--Kino's Journey, Hi no Tori, Kaleido Star, Paranoia Agent and Koi Kaze are all great examples of this. The situation will probably be somewhat different when big corporations like Time Warner are involved (as opposed to, say, ADV or Geneon), but as Rick Hunter pointed out, CN was basically responsible for getting us the second season of Big O II.

Though I'm not expecting a masterpiece or anything, I think it's too early to totally write this off. So far everything seems to indicate that they're bent on making anime, not a hybrid. The stated intentions piqued my interest; the end result might not be something I have any interest in... but hope springs eternal, ne? I'm just slavering over the idea of what a studio like Kyoto Animation, BONES, Madhouse or Gonzo might do with all that money. ;)

~Dagger~

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]Whatever it'd be, I doubt it'd be a Cowboy Bebop sequel. There's no need to really make another one. If anything was to be continued it'd be Big O, but I reckon they'll try and go for something new and original to try and catch people's attention.

Hopefully, it'll also add to an increase of new animes being dubbed and broadcast (or at least brought to DVD) in the Western markets. The UK's still only getting the very bare bones of an anime collection- Cowboy Bebob Volume 1 [i]just[/i] hit our shelves, and even then there's precious little else to be able to buy- even if a series is available you'll be bloody lucky to find a video store which has anything of worth.

But I think this'll be an interesting venture- I've no idea whether it'll be good or bad but I don't think it's fair to suggest that just because America's involved it'll somehow 'taint' the project. After all, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away wouldn't have had the US releases they did without Miramax. Not all American companies or evil or crap...[/color]

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]*looks at listed anime* Cyborg009? Kikaider?! Ah geez, it's screwed already!

I really think the whole thing is going to flop - if not all of them, then definately the first product/series. I am very interested to see what they are coming up with, though. Also, is this just a financial joint process? That is, this big thing called Time Warner is just funding Itouchu's vision for an anime? Or is it more like a joint venture (a group effort) to create anime?

Secondly, speaking from a gamer's perspective, I don't know if a lot of money is going to equate to anything great, especially if the company's previous... "successes" were not all that noteworthy. I doubt having more money is going to address the genuine problems with those series. In fact, were the biggest problems with their previous anime series really ones of animation, sound, or something that is proportional to the amount of income? Not really: they were secondary to the terrible story, plot, and characters.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[You Don't Care]

[quote name='Rick Hunter'] As for the person that said another DB series......don't hold your breath ;) time warner and Japan are not really interested in that sorta of venture.[/quote]

However, Akira Toriyama actually considering making a new DB series, because of the great success and popularity it has in the U.S.(he actually liked the idea of DBAF). It hasn't been officially announced yet, but its possible that Akira is considering using American "talent and inspiration" from Dragonball for this series. However, I doubt that they are going to use the title. But it is, indeed, a continuation of Dragonball.

The reason I brought this up in this thread was because the staff of the new series might be using the combined force of Time Warner and Itochu Corp. as one of its first projects.

[EVA Unit 100]

[quote name='Rick Hunter']As for the person that said another DB series......don't hold your breath ;) time warner and Japan are not really interested in that sorta of venture.[/quote]

That was sarcasm. I doubt anyone would want to see DBAF (or more Milk or PC, for that matter).

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Actually, Eva Unit 100, I would like to see more of Pilot Candidate. It ended so abruptly. While it was obvious that the story wasn't going to go anywhere special, the story was very incomplete. It didn't even finish starting, nevermind concluding, haha.

But anyway, I think doing sequels is a big no for this conglomerate (hehe, Mishima Conglomerate... brings back bad memories). Think about it: the moment you do a sequel, you will split the existing fanbase into those who believe the sequel was loyal to the original, and those that felt the other way. So, in my opinion, trying to draw attention by building on a previously established fanbase is a bad idea, especially considering the previous animes Itouchu made.

So, I'm guessing there weren't a lot of other anime companies rushing to Time Warner, haha.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Rick Hunter]

Actually now thinking about it.....maybe they are going to do a revival of that 5 part, five minute short ova series awhile back that aired on toonami. It actually did very well in the ratings, it was called something like Grand Prix 5 or something *which was american made*. Anyone that remembers those shorts please -.- remind me what the title was called. If anything were going to be made into an anime targeted at audiences of foreign nature it would be something similar to that.

Also a lot of people have failed to factor in that a company like Time Warner would give anime studios access to digital animation. An animation process used in Vampire Hunter D: BloodLust, and Blood the Last Vampire. So I believe we really shouldn't sell this merger short. After all certain titles in the past have proven successful.....and some also dismal.

Prime Example was Robotech 2: The Sentinels, Harmony Gold merged with an Anime Studio that did some work on Macross. However the 1:25 minute ova/movie did horrible.....so all in all this could be a toss up.