State of Anime on US TV [Archive]

solomon

2008-09-19, 02:28

Hey all,

Just wondering how many here watch their anime on tv, and what they think about anime on tv in the states.

Technically anime has been on tv scince the 60s (astro boy) but for clarities sake I'm refering to the late 90s onward.

Ever scince Pokemon and the explosion of Toonami in late 90s and 2000, US saw a concentrated efforted to get that big eyed, "Japanamation" on the airwaves. DBZ was a big factor in this.

Unless I am mistaken, Pokemon was the first one to really hit pay dirt in US syndication.

Cartoon Network then experimented with Toonami in around 98-99.

Then around 2001, CN made a unique move with it's adultswim block with Cowboy Bebop on Sunday Nights, the first big effort that I saw being done to put anime on a popular basic cable channel.

The block expanded around 2 years later to an all anime saturday.

Later Toonami would continue showing various anime, although none approached DBZ level of popularity until Naruto came around.

At it's peak, anime was on Kids' WB, FOX Kids, and CN most notably.

Now I think the popularity is cooled off somewhat. Of course my logic may be colored by nostaligia scince I grew up in the 90s during the EXPLOSION of anime onto the mainstream scene in america.

The major terrestrial networks FOX and CW still run some anime, and CN still does. Asian American targeted Imaginasian network began running shows around a year or so ago. And Sci-Fi brought back anime to Monday Nights (I hear they used to do this in the 90s).

Still aside from Naruto, it doesn't seem to be making huge waves in the eyes of the populace anymore. AS seems to have scaled back on anime timeslots due to weak ratings as well.

What do I think they should do? Well, it's hard to say;

Anime is at least recongized by a sizable portion of the US populace, if not accepted let alone embraced.

Personally, I think companies should selectively pick anime shows that offer something to non-anime viewers more often.

The best examples I saw were when Toonami aimed at children 9-14, and in AS's early anime days. Still I think Anime has a bit of stereotypical reputation that preceeds it.

I see stuff like Nijuu Nensou no Musume that could work great for young teenage girls but such shows aren't really looked at by companies to push.

What do you all think?

typhonsentra

2008-09-19, 19:43

Yeah, Adult Swim has been gradually phasing out anime over the past year or two. Soon I wouldn't be surprised if the only anime remaining is Bleach.

GuidoHunter_Toki

2008-09-19, 22:20

Well there is still quite a bit of anime on Adult Swim just more so very late at night. Anyways there are plenty of people I know that at least watch the anime on Adult Swim so while the amount of anime being shown on TV is dwindiling in a sense the popularity has seemed to have stayed intact. I still se a lot of anime on TV, but sometimes its hard to come across. There is a channel called movieplex or something that shows the Street Fighter anime and Yu Yu Hakusho quite a bit on weekdays and thats one of the last places I'd have thought ot see anime on.

mimi_girl

2008-09-19, 22:28

The best examples I saw were when Toonami aimed at children 9-14, and in AS's early anime days. Still I think Anime has a bit of stereotypical reputation that preceeds it.

It still is.

I mean, people who never watched anime at my school think anime is stupid, they speak chinese all the time, hentai is in ALL anime shows, etc. I mean, at first the principal at my high school didn't like the idea of having an anime club. But when the club first started, anime club had the most members since it first came out in my high school. I can show proof in last years yearbook that there were like 30 kids at one time, and it even looked like it has the most members. But thats a different story.

But still, anime is still popular (heck, in the school library, all of the anime books are by the entrance now = AWSOMENESS), but not like "OMG look!" popular.

AceD

2008-09-19, 23:56

i always thought anime on TV channels was bad mainly because its dubbed....now most people either love or hate anime, and alot of people that love it...like subbed better

well with the internet how it is...watching anime on TV is just totaly pointless, unless you have an internet conn from 10 years ago and a monitor like a gameboy

i think its just because for the america and europe, the internet is far superior for anime, unlike japan where TV is better id of thought

solomon

2008-09-20, 02:45

I say unless companies get more daring in pushing anime out past little boxes like adult swim, it will stay relatively well supported by hardocore fans but little else.

Radiosity

2008-09-20, 02:50

unlike japan where TV is better id of thought

Not really, because shows don't air in every area like TV in england (where I live also). So TV is good for them mostly but anyone that wants to catch all the shows that interest them, the internet is the only way to go.

CrowKenobi

2008-09-20, 18:42

The state of Anime on US TV just got poorer: Tonight is the last night of Cartoon Network's Toonami block (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-09-20/cartoon-network-to-reportedly-end-toonami-tonight). :T_T:

:(

kk2extreme

2008-09-20, 19:16

so sad, the most cartoons and other american made animations are pretty crapy nowadays comparing to the anime on tv. I remember back then, they put rahxephon on g4 (along with other cool shows), and it was kool, and there are very cool uncensored version on internation channel (its now gone), toonami went from anime in weekdays, to saturaday and its now dead. Adult swim is not really doing any better either, they pretty much replacing the 11pm to 12 pm block to american show, and once code geass ended and bleach is gone, idk if they are gonna replace them with some new and cool shows. anime is phasing out of the american tv, now the only things that i watch on tv are documentary shows (something like history channel).

Dark days for american tv viewers like us. :sad: :(

solomon

2008-09-20, 20:16

More like dark days for causal would be fans. But anime really doesn't make any money on TV aside from kids shows.

Naruto and Pokemon will still go on, I bet. Everything else, meh.

D-KLAC

2008-09-20, 21:38

this is total disater happening to anime in u.s. tv

1.geass goes midnights showing to early morning
2.RUSH-DUB of anime like 5D
3.few anime showings

now toonami goes bye-bye ALRIGHT IT'S SO F'N OFFICAL ANIME IN U.S. TV ARE GETTING F'N SCREWED!!!

oh please let there be something to save anime in u.s. tv!!!

kk2extreme

2008-09-20, 22:06

oh please let there be something to save anime in u.s. tv!!!

hope that gundam 00 could save american tv, like gundam wing which created a legend for american to take interest in mech and anime.

Vexx

2008-09-21, 04:41

Frankly, at this point I'd say cheer the demise of anime on american tv....so far they've most proved they don't understand the product, who to market it to, or what end their ass is located at.

What we need are some globalized channel feeds and channel packages so these dweebs would have to compete directly with foreign networks -- I'd love to just be able to select channels from anywhere on the globe. Just another case of "globalization for the corporations, not for the consumer".

solomon

2008-09-21, 04:57

I can kinda understand where Vexx is coming from.

toonami and early AS were the most ambitious and experimental with how they aimed anime to an underserved demographic but after words (like everything in the nielsen game) it became routine.

D-KLAC

2008-09-21, 11:13

well maybe u.s. tv should have shown anime lucky star & haruhi besides we all going laughing f'n crazy to watch.

even beg for anime in u.s. tv but look it's THE DARK DAYS for anime in u.s. tv

oh please have something to anime in u.s.!!!

relentlessflame

2008-09-21, 15:31

toonami and early AS were the most ambitious and experimental with how they aimed anime to an underserved demographic but after words (like everything in the nielsen game) it became routine.Well, this shouldn't be that surprising, actually. No matter how good we believe (know :p ) anime is as a medium, American-born ideas will always be an easier sell to an American-born audience (especially a younger audience). So much of humour and storytelling is cultural, and while people can certainly grow to appreciate foreign humour and cultural traits (it's probably a good idea to do that, too) people are still largely inclined to gravitate to the things that "hit close to home". If you look at the "big anime sellers" in the U.S. of the past few years, they've largely been shows either produced by or produced for Americans (things like Afro Samurai, Witchblade, Devil May Cry, etc.)

What I think happened on the domestic TV front is that, for a while, anime was new, different and exciting, and pulled in a lot of interest and ratings. But in the meantime, the domestic producers picked from the things in anime that were useful, and started developing their own material with those ideas in mind. Then as interest in anime began to wane, people started naturally coming back to the American productions that are now "tweaked" to match some of anime's "cool factor" (not to mention artstyle, if you've noticed...). The other thing is, the generation that grew up watching serialized story-driven anime on Toonami have, at least in part, now moved on to mainstream American dramas which, not coincidentally, have turned a lot more serious and serialized over the last few years. So there was a sort of natural transition path away from Cartoon Network/Toonami and into the mainstream TV world.

The other thing I think that's being downplayed a bit in this thread is that I think TV networks may be seeing their older demographics continue to shift away from linear TV and towards other forms of media, including on-demand and online. When anyone with a computer can just do a quick Youtube search and pull up the next 20+ episodes for their favourite Toonami anime show, why should they even bother putting it on TV? With the Cartoon Network move in particular, this may be, in part, a move to get a bigger presence online, using the anime fandom as a starting point (since they already tend to be a bit more online-savvy). Over the next 5-to-10 years, as people continue this transition to digital, is there even a place for something like Toonami/Adult Swim in a linear format?

So these are just some factors that I can think of that may be playing into all this. As you said, ultimately linear TV is all about maximizing ratings, and I don't find it overly surprising that times have changed in that regard. But even if we are seeing the end of Anime on US TV, it may just be a sign that we're seeing the beginning of the end of specialty linear TV in general. I, for one, think we may be better off for it. We'll see what the next few years bring.

Siegel Clyne

2008-09-21, 20:43

On the flip side, ratingswise, American television animated series fare much worse on Japanese television, according to ratings data from Video Research Ltd.

For example, perhaps hoping to duplicate the success it had with Anime Major in taking away TV ratings from the doroku time slot (6:00pm-6:30pm, Saturdays) on TBS/MBS and eventually helping to eliminate it, months ago NHK-ETV will began begin airing Thursday, October 7, 2008 SpongeBob SquarePants, (http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/spongebob/) known simply as SpongeBob in Japan, opposite Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (Pocket Monster DP), which airs on TV Tokyo, Thursdays, 7:00pm-7:30pm.

As far I can gather, ratingswise, Pikachu(u) has been kicking SpongeBob's butt in the Kantou region (Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Chiba, Saitama, etc.). Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is a steady regular (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=11958) in Video Research Ltd.'s Weekly Top 10 Most Watched Animated Programs in Kantou. On the other hand, SpongeBob SquarePants has yet to crack the Weekly Top 10 even once.

Since women [and teenage girls] are reportedly the primary viewers of SpongeBob SquarePants and the main consumers of its merchandise in Japan, it remains to be seen how much TV ratings SpongeBob (which has been an unexpected commercial hit in Japan) can actually steal away from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, whose primary viewers are children, in the Kantou region.

Demographic data strongly suggest that Anime Major really hurt doroku anime series in the TV ratings among children aged 4-12 years in the Kantou region.

About the only time one might see an American TV cartoon series place in the Weekly Top 10 is during the end of the year, when many top rated Japanese anime shows are preempted by special yearend holiday programming.

This occurred during the week of Monday, December 24, 2007 to Sunday, December 30, 2007, (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=1337717&postcount=181) when an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known simply as Mutant Turtles in Japan) on TV Tokyo finished in Video Research's Weekly Top 10 Animated Programs in Kantou - with a TV rating of only 2.5%.

That particular broadcast of an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in fact, is the only American TV animated series I can recall making Video Research's Weekly Top 10 Animated Programs in Kantou the past few years I have been following and posting them.

D-KLAC

2008-09-21, 20:47

Happy_Chip

2008-09-21, 20:53

well R2 (aka RUSH-DUB ENGLISH of R2) & 00 ENGLISH still left for anime in u.s. tv in 08 it's now up those 2 anime or else 08 in u.s. tv anime will be remember as the "the dark year"

besides with the lost of toonami & as put geass & moriboto to early morning days while sci fi is "?" please SOMEONE GET A NEW ANIME CHANNEL FOR EVERYONE TO WATCH!!!

why is this a problem?

-you have animesuki for fansubs (free)

-there are many mail-order DVD services (Netflix in the US, Zip.ca for those in Canada etc) with many anime DVDs

why not take control of your own viewing, and watch what you want, when you want, rather than waiting for some network to service you?

Empower yourself ...

kk2extreme

2008-09-21, 21:28

On the flip side, ratingswise, American television animated series fare much worse on Japanese television, according to ratings data from Video Research Ltd.

For example, perhaps hoping to duplicate Major's success in taking away TV ratings from the doroku time slot (6:00pm-6:30pm, Saturdays) on TBS/MBS and eventually helping to eliminate it, on October 7, 2007 NHK-ETV began airing SpongeBob SquarePants (http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/spongebob/) opposite Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (Pocket Monsters DP), which airs on TV Tokyo, Thursdays, 7:00pm-7:30pm.

As far I can gather, ratingswise, Pikachu(u) has been kicking SpongeBob's butt in the Kantou region (Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Chiba, Saitama, etc.). Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is a steady regular (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=11958) in Video Research Ltd.'s Weekly Top 10 Most Watched Animated Programs in Kantou. On the other hand, SpongeBob SquarePants has yet to crack the Weekly Top 10 even once.

About the only time one might see an American TV cartoon series place in the Weekly Top 10 is during the end of the year, when many top rated Japanese anime shows are preempted by special yearend holiday programming.

This occurred during the week of Monday, December 24, 2007 to Sunday, December 30, 2007, (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=1337717&postcount=181) when an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (known simply in Japan as Mutant Turtles) on TV Tokyo finished in Video Research's Weekly Top 10 Animated Programs in Kantou - with a TV rating of only 2.5%.

That particular episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in fact, is the only American TV animated series I can recall making Video Research's Weekly Top 10 Animated Programs in Kantou the past few years I have been following and posting them.

american cartoons lack depth, they are kind of an on going soap opera show until their popularity goes away. that is why anime like pokemon, bleach, dbz and naruto is doing so well in us, bcuz, they are long and on going show which feature catchy scenes. Most of the anime has a definite length to it, most of them ranges from 12 to 50 ep and has quite a lot of development in terms of story and character, and has a true ending. My guess is that most american find that not suitable for their taste, and most american viewers likes on going entertainment instead of bursts of them. Me personally dont like how most american shows (drama, animations and cartoons) are set up, they are on going crap, i rarely gain any thrills and entertainment out of it. what i could say to those shows is that they lack artistic values. Take mutant ninja for example, generic story, ok fighting scenes, it was kinda cool at first like dbz, but it keep reincarnated throughout the year with the same theme over and over, and im surprise that people are still demanding new seasons for it. Dont get me wrong, im not for or against any particular types of shows, this could be apply to dbz as well, the show kinda went downhill for me after the cell arc. In rare ocasions that i find something that is consider good for the american tv, like avatar for example, i wouldn't put it as a masterpiece, but it ends and the flow of the story is quite good.

btw, pikachuu could so fried spongebob's ass with just a thunder shock, and destory the binkini bottom with a thunder :p

Siegel Clyne

2008-09-22, 01:32

After doing some more research a short while ago because I really hadn't looked into the issue before, I updated my prior post (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=1922048&postcount=17) with more accurate information.

Zeroryoko1974

2008-09-22, 12:28

According to AN news page. CN officials at AWA said that Code Geass is doing very poorly in the ratings, and they have 15 more unaired episodes of Naruto but the future of that series is uncertain. Aparently though, they are trying to aquire the rights to air PPG Z (didn't they pay for part of the japanese release or something?)

Tripfag

2008-09-22, 17:51

american cartoons lack depth, they are kind of an on going soap opera show until their popularity goes away.

that is why anime like pokemon, bleach, dbz and naruto is doing so well in us

HA HA OH WOW. Really. You should do stand-up.

Also, Anime does badly on CN nowadays because what they show lacks the appeal (or just plain isn't as good) as what they used to show.

D-KLAC

2008-09-22, 18:53

just great really F'N great hello WE ARE SO SCREWED AS HE-LL!!!

cause now anime in u.s like this close of being "sinking like the titanic" by far it going take a divine intervention for 00, r2, & etc anime on u.s. tv right now & whatever anime left for 08 to be on tv in u.s. to save us all!!!

look like wait for 09 anime in u.s. tv to the rescue or else that ANIME FANS ARE SO STARTING A F'N RIOT OF ANIME REVOLUTION!!!

4Tran

2008-09-22, 21:40

hope that gundam 00 could save american tv, like gundam wing which created a legend for american to take interest in mech and anime.
It won't. Outside of Gundam Wing, none of the Gundam shows have performed all that well, and Gundam 00 is unlikely to capture a very large audience. For that matter, if Gundam Wing were to be brought over to the U.S. for the first time today, it wouldn't perform all that well. The problem is that the viewing landscape has changed so much over the last few years that it's all but impossible for any anime work to make that much of an inroads.

well R2 (aka RUSH-DUB ENGLISH of R2) & 00 ENGLISH still left for anime in u.s. tv in 08 it's now up those 2 anime or else 08 in u.s. tv anime will be remember as the "the dark year"
With Code Geass given the kiss of death, there's going to be just about no audience for R2 aside from existing fans. You can pretty much count it as dead.

What's happened is that too much of the potential viewing audience isn't all that interested in watching anime on TV, and there are few ways to build a new one. relentlessflame covered most of the main points, but it really looks like anime on TV is going to go away for a while. I think that it's more likely to be resurrected in a different medium rather than a return to the relative boom of a few years ago.

D-KLAC

2008-09-22, 22:47

well the problems is with all the edits & censor u.s. tv is doing for anime he-ll i still that f'n stupid DISCO GUNS for GS in u.s. tv yep blame the u.s. tv to screw GS.

besides anime in u.s. need to back to it's roots year when wing, dbz, etc anime that u.s. tv like back in the day but due like tivo, tv recorder, internet tv, etc OH PLEASE SOMEONE GET AN ANIME CHANNEL FOR ALL TV IN LOCAL & ALL CABLES OR ELSE ANIME FANS ARE SO STARTING A F'N RIOT OF ANIME REVOLUTION!!!

Vexx

2008-09-23, 00:13

HA HA OH WOW. Really. You should do stand-up.

Also, Anime does badly on CN nowadays because what they show lacks the appeal (or just plain isn't as good) as what they used to show.

We also have to consider the audience the commercial cable & tv signals are chasing.... evershrinking is only part of the issue. Its what is left watching as well that contributes to the acceleration downhill.

bayoab

2008-09-23, 02:54

well the problems is with all the edits & censor u.s. tv is doing for anime he-ll i still that f'n stupid DISCO GUNS for GS in u.s. tv yep blame the u.s. tv to screw GS.
Series on TV do not fail because of a gun or blood edit or two. Editing has very little to almost nothing to do with why anime is failing on TV. It is mostly scheduling, ratings, and a changing media.

SeijiSensei

2008-09-23, 09:00

We also have to consider the audience the commercial cable & tv signals are chasing.... evershrinking is only part of the issue. Its what is left watching as well that contributes to the acceleration downhill.

Not only is the audience fractionalizing, and perhaps even shrinking overall, but the decline is largest in the key audience demographic for anime in the US, males 12-24 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E0DB103EF93BA15756C0A9629C8B 63&fta=y). Young people watch less TV than older folks, and young males have always been a hard group to reach other than through sports. Videogaming has played a big role in this decline as has computer usage overall including, one would assume, watching torrented material.

Vexx

2008-09-23, 14:12

Exactly... the people (in almost any age group) are leaving television in droves to spend their "valuable entertainment time" doing other things, be it playing Rock Band, gaming, watching DVDs or torrents, doing more live entertainment (festivals, concerts, theatre, etc), hobbies, sports, etc. Something one can participate in is going to have higher value than a passive entertainment unless the latter is especially compelling and not in a banal freak show way.

Instead of upping the diversity and/or quality of whats being offered - television and cable are racing for the bottom, scrabbling for the eyeballs that are left rather than trying to recatch eyeballs that have left the building.

Anecdote: last couple of nights, my wife has had the tv on while she was working on some papers. I can't study with the tv in visual range so I was in the dining room. In the space of 3 hours, I probably heard almost 50 blood-curdling screams of women, usually in the grips of serial killers,terrorists, etc. I finally told her I was heading to the basement because what I was hearing was just toxic. The resulting "discussion" :) kind of woke her up to what she was using for background noise.

Lets see.... we hate watching sports anymore, even college football - because instead of gettinga televised experience of what makes college football fun (crowd,band,etc) -- every possible second they're cutting away to a group of babbling idiots in suits or burying the screen in data from other games.

We hate "reality tv" mostly because it isn't. The manufactured drama alone is mostly self-centered ego prancing for the camera, never mind that the tv doesn't have an "electric shock" button to let the players or the hosts know they are idiots. I will say we found some minor interest in the summer's talent show because it actually profiled a few talented people and reminded us of the old variety shows popular in the 60s/70s.
"Nuttin but Stringz" was a good talent find for us.

The Cartoon Network..... hour after hour of dreck. There was a heyday but again... they're going for the cheapest shit they think you'll watch and then they whine when you leave.

Shadow Raven 91

2008-09-23, 19:32

Entertainment in general has changed in the last 10 years. I have been a gamer all my life but in my early years TV was still a daily form of entertainment, But know I see kids as young as 9 or 10 spending all their time playing halo online. Gaming has gotten more mainstream and more social in last few years. Also, video sharing websites like youtube have exploded in popularity. When I was 10, I had dial-up internet and online gaming was not even an option. Kids now are growing up with fast internet connection, myspace, youtube, and the ability to download tons of music for free. T.V is just not that interesting to younger kids or anyone in general, anymore. So now networks are probably trying to reach the biggest group possible and just cater to them. Since I started watching anime online and downloading podcastes my T.V has just been background noise

solomon

2008-10-24, 21:07

GuidoHunter_Toki

2008-10-24, 23:37

Has anyone been keeping up with Sci-Fi's Ani-Monday's programming?

This is the first big thing to hit cable television scince AS started. I think Gundam 00 will begin airing soon.

I admittedly haven't seen it being in college, you don't get to watch too much tv.

I haven't been watching it too much lately. I'm basically waiting for Gundam 00 to start up.

mg1942

2008-10-25, 04:10

Has anyone been keeping up with Sci-Fi's Ani-Monday's programming?

This is the first big thing to hit cable television scince AS started. I think Gundam 00 will begin airing soon.

I admittedly haven't seen it being in college, you don't get to watch too much tv.

haha I get to watch Gurren Lagann much earlier than 11 PM:p

I have SCI-FI HD channel. HD version uses eastern time schedule and SD version uses pacific time schedule.

mako1138

2008-10-25, 06:51

Toonami is what originally got me into anime, so it's kind of sad to see it go.

And yeah, I don't watch TV anymore.

todkapuz

2008-10-25, 19:39

hmmm... I've been in an out of anime for a very long time... I remember some of my first exposure was on television.. of course I had no idea it was anime... and of course now I know how edited and changed it was... but still it was some of the best stuff I remember watching back then... a few years ago when Banner of the Stars was playing on TechTV (wow I miss that station) ... but I'll admit I don't watch tv anime much anymore... but I have found a few things on IFC and ... hmm.. SciFi I think it is... and I will watch Bleach from time to time... just for fun... but rarely do I see things on tv that really interst me that much... I just dont think that most americans care enough for stations to play. I do, however, miss AZNTV ... which used to play some reasonable anime and japanese drama in subs (or no subs at all, just original) ... those were usualyl good... but some how AZN just didnt have enough fan base (I guess because they split up amongst all the groups, Japan, Korea, India.. etc etc etc.. and while I find some interest in Korean media... the others I could care less).

othera

2008-10-26, 00:45

Toonami is gone, :*(

Anime is being shown less and less...

And it just aint in america

Australia shows little to no anime at all, we get like dragon ball Z pokemon and thats it nothing else(that is worth even mentioning)

sad to see it not being shown much, and it sucks that its only in like adult swim so late at night >.>

I wan't to watch anime badly but can't DL a lot and can't watch it on TV, video stores(such as civic blockbuster and video ezy) have random episodes of anime(don't know why, but they get say episodes 16-26 of a 26 episode series, or episodes 1-4 and 8-12 of a 12 ep series, REALLY sucks >.>)

Sigh.. i miss the good old days being able to turn on the TV go to CN and there might just might be an anime on...
EDIT: Oh and 99% of people in australia(atleast were i live-) when you mention anime they go
"you mean pokemon/dbz?" and nothing else EVER >.> My entire town has never seen a non pokemon anime cause thats all they show on Tv :( (oh and they have shown yugioh and a few others years ago)

lubczyk

2008-10-26, 01:12

There has to be mechanisms installed in place that will allow the General Public to preview shows if companies hope to expand their revenue stream.

Let's say that I missed the first 2 seasons of a TV show like LOST or Dr. Who, there's no way I will pick an interest in the series or buy the DVDs if I somehow never got around to watching the show when it first aired. People are not going ot start watching shows with continuous storylines if they just so happen to watch an episode or two in the middle. There has to be a way for the general public (I'm thinking On-Demand like services) That allow viewers to view the first 2 episodes of a series for free on their TV, whether it be anime or Live-action, Eastern or Western, et cetera.

There's a lot of potential revenue lost to people who have missed a large chunk of a storyline. That's why episodic series like Simpsons or Family Guy and stand alone movies like Shrek do so well in the West - The general public does not have to worry about having missed vital material.

This goes double for something niche like anime - People are not going to watch a series (boost ratings) or buy the DVDs (boost revenue) if they miss out on the chronology of an anime series.

That's actually what P2P and the internet allow people to do, the Media Conglomerates will have to adopt to the model, and exceed it, to succeed in the marketplace.

dragon4dudes

2008-10-26, 12:33

HA HA OH WOW. Really. You should do stand-up.

Also, Anime does badly on CN nowadays because what they show lacks the appeal (or just plain isn't as good) as what they used to show.

It's sad, but i do have to agree with this statement. Actually, CN, from what I remember, is becoming less and less anime-related

Toonami is what originally got me into anime, so it's kind of sad to see it go.

And yeah, I don't watch TV anymore.

same here, for both comments. well, i watch TV occasionally. I'm just too busy, which is why I'm here. :D

I wan't to watch anime badly but can't DL a lot and can't watch it on TV, video stores(such as civic blockbuster and video ezy) have random episodes of anime(don't know why, but they get say episodes 16-26 of a 26 episode series, or episodes 1-4 and 8-12 of a 12 ep series, REALLY sucks >.>)

well, you could find some video streaming sites...

EDIT: Oh and 99% of people in australia(atleast were i live-) when you mention anime they go
"you mean pokemon/dbz?" and nothing else EVER >.>

LOL, that is amazing.

I think there was a similar thread somewhere else, i forget where.

Well, not many people have cable, digital or otherwise, but anime still does live on anime-specialized channels such as Animax.

animeboy12

2008-10-26, 16:26

It's a shame because I'm young enough to remember the good anime series that appeared on toonami, tenchi, kenshin,and outlaw star. They were such great starter anime series. I'm not surprise though kids today are so tech-savy, the average 10-12 who knows how to upload a video on youtube probably knows how to download free anime

othera

2008-10-26, 19:00

dragon4dudes i have a "gaming internet" pretty muchly goes fast, but i can't download much.

Me and my 3 brothers that live with me all agreed on fast internet over unlimited downloads... that was prior to me falling back in love with anime :(
And we can only download 25 gig a month, if i get us speed capped there will be hell to pay :p

I got normal tv - total crap on in the mornings... and foxtel which they don't show anime(THEY SUCK)

so i can't really watch much anime :( driving me insane.....

animeboy12

2008-10-26, 19:16

what kinda cap is that? I would've just gone with unlimited downloads. Unless you're a hardcore, competitive gamer there's no need for that type of cap

othera

2008-10-26, 19:27

^ Well, out of the 4 people who use the internet in the house, i play for about 5 or more hours each day and the other 3 play a lot to, and usualy 2 or so at the same time and we kinda hate lag :P

I will probably ask them if they will go to an unlimited download plan, but i would probably end up having to be the one to fork out the extra cash :/

Anyway back on topic, i think that the problem is most anime fans watch it on the net/other way, most don't like dubs. - But still doesn't explain why there is 6 hours of tom & jerry a day but no anime....

And personaly i don't mind dubbed anime(i'll watch subbed or dubbed, whatever i find first :p)

Rpgwiz99

2008-10-27, 06:25

Its becoming Obsolete, Most anime fans these days wont wait weekly for a show they can go on the net and watch whenever they want. Plus there is the fact A lot of anime fans dont even like the dubs.

Oxtail

2008-10-27, 16:53

Plus there is the fact A lot of anime fans dont even like the dubs.

Yup, I would rather not watch an anime at all than watch one that's dubbed. I watch an enormous amount of anime and yet I feel like the American anime industry has nothing to do with me.

I went to Anime Expo this year in LA and I didn't attend a single workshop. All the workshops were stuff like "talk to American voice actors who dub anime!", "listen to these American companies talk about which Japanese shows that aired last year you MIGHT get to see dubbed this year!" or "how evil fansubs are killing anime in America!"

Next year I think I'll just forget about buying a ticket to AX and hang out in the lobby and check out the cosplayers(many of whom cosplay as characters who have never appeared in an officially released American licensed anime).

Out of all my friends, I'm the "anime guy". I'm the guy they'd come to if they want suggestions on anime and I'm the guy who tries to get people who've never thought of watching anime to try shows that go beyond the scope of what they think anime is. And yet I feel like I'm not in the target audience for the American anime industry.

Craymel

2008-10-27, 19:06

Yup, I would rather not watch an anime at all than watch one that's dubbed. I watch an enormous amount of anime and yet I feel like the American anime industry has nothing to do with me.

I went to Anime Expo this year in LA and I didn't attend a single workshop. All the workshops were stuff like "talk to American voice actors who dub anime!", "listen to these American companies talk about which Japanese shows that aired last year you MIGHT get to see dubbed this year!" or "how evil fansubs are killing anime in America!"

Next year I think I'll just forget about buying a ticket to AX and hang out in the lobby and check out the cosplayers(many of whom cosplay as characters who have never appeared in an officially released American licensed anime).

Out of all my friends, I'm the "anime guy". I'm the guy they'd come to if they want suggestions on anime and I'm the guy who tries to get people who've never thought of watching anime to try shows that go beyond the scope of what they think anime is. And yet I feel like I'm not in the target audience for the American anime industry.

I know what you mean. I never watch anime on tv just because there is no channel willing to show subtitled anime. They expect me to pay 100 dollars for a box of an anime I've never seen if I wanna watch it subbed. I'd rather have commercials. Don't get me started on video games and the completely lack of any original audio track.

darkchibi07

2008-10-27, 19:29

Plus there is the fact A lot of anime fans dont even like the dubs.

And where the heck did you get this fact?

Craymel

2008-10-27, 19:39

And where the heck did you get this fact?

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of anime fans don't like dubs. I also would be surprised however, if the number of anime fans who enjoy dubs out number those who don't. I personally don't like dubs.

GuidoHunter_Toki

2008-10-27, 19:43

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of anime fans don't like dubs. I also would be surprised however, if the number of anime fans who enjoy dubs out number those who don't. I personally don't like dubs.

Almost every one of my friends and I who watch anime usually perfer the dubs over subs. You get to pay more attention to the actions on screen instead of having to look at the bottom of the screen every few seconds. A lot of dubs are not as bad/unbearable as people like to make it and infact I find a lot of dubs better than the originals as far as voice acting goes.

My philosophy is if its bearable to watch with the dubs then I'll watch the dub. Unless of course the voices are just beyond annoying. Seriously though I get sick of hearing people complaining about dubs at every corner when a lot of them are by no means terrible.

Craymel

2008-10-27, 20:07

Almost every one of my friends and I who watch anime usually perfer the dubs over subs. You get to pay more attention to the actions on screen instead of having to look at the bottom of the screen every few seconds. A lot of dubs are not as bad/unbearable as people like to make it and infact I find a lot of dubs better than the originals as far as voice acting goes.

My philosophy is if its bearable to watch with the dubs then I'll watch the dub. Unless of course the voices are just beyond annoying. Seriously though I get sick of hearing people complaining about dubs at every corner when a lot of them are by no means terrible.

I never watch dubs because I prefer to watch the anime in it's original language. This also doesn't just apply to anime alone. When watching any foreign media I'd only watch it with it's original audio. As for acting, I personally feel that the acting for original audio tracks is much better then the dub. I don't wanna get into a subbed versus dubbed debate because it's all just personal preference.

GuidoHunter_Toki

2008-10-27, 21:11

Live action films I do watch with subs because I generally find it distracting that the english doesn't match the lip movements. However that problem is absent with anime.

4Tran

2008-10-28, 00:55

Some people like subtitled anime, some people like dubbed anime, and some people don't care. There, that should handle that little bit without turning this thread into a sub vs. dub debate. Please continue the posts about anime on American TV in this thread.

xxanimefan4_ever

2008-10-28, 16:46

I think this is the reason why anime is not as popular in US compared to europe or asian countries... There's just not much anime on tv, none i want to watch anyway (mostly shonen?). Like Italy got lots in 90s i tthink, china, korea, philipines, germany. They just get more exposure and they get other types of anime besides 100+ filler shonen type shows.

othera

2008-10-28, 17:24

^ Agreed, if they achualy tried showing GOOD anime then people would watch and they would eventualy talk about it to other people and it would spread, and hopefully stop people from thinking anime stupid :) (Everyone i know hates anime, but has never seen it and everyone who i have convinced to watch atleast 1 series has fallen in love with it in an instant)

EDIT: Rpgwiz99, i would say a lot of people prefer dubs, i hate reading while watching stuff... its kinda stupid, as long as the dubs are not HORRIBlE i will prefer them or watch dubs/subs and not care which one it is.

@ 4Tran... Dubs have a major factor in State of Anime on US tv...

EDIT2:
Hey all,
Personally, I think companies should selectively pick anime shows that offer something to non-anime viewers more often.

That is a... kinda stupid idea imo 0.o... And what do you mean by that?

Vexx

2008-10-28, 18:36

Foreign material is almost unknown on American tv in *any* format - live action or otherwise. The average viewer never gets farther than those "weird British comedies and dramas on PBS". Its not like American viewers are xenophobic ... they're just xeno-unaware and the stations won't even try to broaden the horizons of their audience.

That's one reason many pundits were so shocked when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Das Boot became "crossover hits". The decision-makers still view those as flukes.

I can't get over how often producers in America will see a British show and then feel compelled to recreate it as an American show -- completely obliterating the actors and events that made it funny. Sometimes they create something interesting (All in the Family, The Office) but it rarely has the same feel.

Meanwhile, a few Americans are enjoying the hell out of things like "Are You Being Served?", "As Time Goes By", MPFC, or the various detective series totally under the radar. And even fewer get to discover nice little series and movies from other countries.

Spectacular_Insanity

2008-10-28, 18:52