Anime and how it made me say "This is what the BBC/NBC/AMC/CBC should be making!"

[Rahan]

It's funny, I am of the other opinion. I only recently went into western live action shows and it's making hard to watch animes for me.

When I watch Walter White, Omar Little, Jimmy McNulty and many others, I think "this is what the animes studios should be doing" instead of feeding us with more lolis and middle schoolers ... (but then, if the lolis and kids were that well written, I probably wouldn't mind ...)

Okay, I am a bit biased since I have started only recently to marathon american masterpieces and I'll probably find out the hard way that not everything is The Wire level. (which is now my favorite fiction) just like not every anime is Mushishi level

[HasuMasu]

You living under a rock? British Broadcasting Corporation. It's the largest Broadcaster in the world, is the state broadcaster of the UK, operates international television and radio stations across the world, and has no ads whatsoever. Top class.

tsk tsk, i may be living under a rock

but under this rock you only find the future

television is well...compared to the internet is well...

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Kyuu

And I know the likes of Lost and Heroes was big a couple years back. Throw in House and Futurama. Maybe even a few other shows. I don't know what else people have been raving about lately.

Supernatural (ymmv), Rome, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, The Pacific, How I Met Your Mother, Breaking Bad, etc....

And you know, from late 1990s to 2000s, Malcolm in the Middle have been airing and I think it is one of the best live-action comedy since Married with Children.

I am of the opinion that both mediums are fine, but will eventually need to accept tropes and narrative codes from each other and make it their own to be able to deal with the changing demands of the viewers.

[IronWarrior]

Can I ask you what you been taking to think that the BBC would EVER or should do something EVER anime related?

[solomon]

People please.

The last great era of animated tv (in america anyway) was the 90s. The last great era for ANIME on American TV was the late 90s to the mid 2000s.

It's never coming back. Budgets are slashed and you can't expect big returns from niche programing like anime, why do you think Cartoon Network and even Adult Swim are deemphasing it?

It's too late in to expect anything from the old networks, they're going to guard whatever mass market neilsen demos they can. Little room for experimentation there.

I'm speaking for US TV here as we don't believe in public broadcasting like you Euros do.

(More subjective thoughts next)

What's more frankly few anime shows can be effectively marketed outside the otaku demographics. A lot of anime is either originally aimed towards Japanese youth (you know how that turns out, look at One Piece) or asian otaku. Few anime even in it's native country is marketed toward AVERAGE viewers above the age of say 14, good luck selling it to US.

[Ermes Marana]

Originally Posted by Kyuu

Unfortunately, Western TV has been going down the tubes for the past 10-15 years.

The "Golden Age" of Western TV started in 2002!

The Wire (2002-2008) (best television show ever made)
Arrested Development (2003-2006) (personal favorite comedy ever)
Dexter (2006-) (first 2 seasons are perfection)
The Shield (2002-2008)
Community (2009-)
Breaking Bad (2008-)
Firefly (2002-2003)
Futurama (1999-2003 and 2008-)
Scrubs (2001-2010)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-)

That's just a quick top ten. These are the best years of television in history.

[ddwkc]

They could have something similar to World Masterpiece Theater. They are great for kids and for "non-otakus".

[Bonta Kun]

Originally Posted by Haak

Having an animated version of Top Gear would be pretty damn hilarious...

LOL fund it!

They could really big it up for the Stig in this way

I'm with James here tho, as much as I love anime it shouldn't be shown on the BBC, would be weird.

Gotta say that it's nice to hear others say that the BBC does make the best documentaries shown on TV. Nothing bests a good doc from the BBC.

They should just throw up another channel that shows anime and call it Pete or something

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Bonta Kun

Gotta say that it's nice to hear others say that the BBC does make the best documentaries shown on TV. Nothing bests a good doc from the BBC.

Except some documentaries from Channel 4 :P

Though for Channel 4 it's best for more independent and risqué stuff. Channel 4 doesn't have the BBC's output though.

[Kyuu]

Originally Posted by Ermes Marana

The "Golden Age" of Western TV started in 2002!

That's just a quick top ten. These are the best years of television in history.

Child. The Golden Years of TV were born either you and I were born ... like around the 50's and 60's. It trickled off in the 70's a little bit, then picked itself back up in the 80's and into the 90's.

The same time period in the 2000's. That's when Reality TV kicked in. And when that happened, it's a clear sign of network TV falling down the toilet. Sure, some of the shows you listed were good. Futurama is quite a personal favorite.

But still... overall quality was pale compared to other time periods.

Firefly (2002-2003)

Never seen it. But I've heard it was good. Too bad FAUX messed up by dumping it. The show must've been too liberal for them, or something.

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Kyuu

Child. The Golden Years of TV were born either you and I were born ... like around the 50's and 60's. It trickled off in the 70's a little bit, then picked itself back up in the 80's and into the 90's.

The same time period in the 2000's. That's when Reality TV kicked in. And when that happened, it's a clear sign of network TV falling down the toilet. Sure, some of the shows you listed were good. Futurama is quite a personal favorite.

But still... overall quality was pale compared to other time periods.

I remember TV from the 90s. Asides from a few exceptions, the vast majority of it was awful. Now obviously that's true of any time, but I find that the volume of quality TV being produced right now is higher then the 90s. And it's volume that's important, because I don't have to watch the multititudes of awfulness on TV. In fact it's easier to avoid then ever before. But generally, even if the absolute percentage of good shows have gone down, the actual number of good shows has gone up in my opinion.

Now of course there is a lot of awful Reality TV being produced, but Reality TV is not so new as you think, it has plenty of antecedents that were just as bad.

Think of the masses of terrible Game shows, inane Talk shows and "freak" talk shows (Jerry Springer? Montel? Ricki Lake?). Hell look at soaps, they're just reality TV with paid actors. Reality TV is just a cheaper way to make the filler that is always on TV.

Even the famous X-factor/pop idol type show is not nearly as new as you think. If you go back to the 60s and 70s there was a proliferation of "talent shows" whereby members of the public would display their talent on television.

While the 90s was the decade of Seinfeld, the Simpsons and Friends, it was also the decade of such hits as Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch, Melrose Place, and more.

I can think of good comedy from the 90s, but no good drama.

And lets not get into the 50s. I've watched 50s television, and found it pretty dire (movies on the other hand...). Sure it was succesfull. But "Golden Age" television is about the same quality level as "Golden Age" Comics - not very high at all. In fact most television from then is lost because they believed it had no worth for keeping to posterity, and it didn't beyond as a curiosity.

[Ermes Marana]

Originally Posted by Kyuu

And when that happened, it's a clear sign of network TV falling down the toilet.

Are you not including channels like HBO, Showtime, FX, and AMC as "network TV"?

I will agree if you don't include those, TV has been pretty weak. But if you do include them, it has gotten better.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Kyuu

But still... overall quality was pale compared to other time periods.


.

Are you fucking kidding? Just because there is shit like Big Brother and American Idol in this decade, it doesn't mean that this decade IS worse. You may be unable to name shit series and shows from the 1950s to 1990s because, well, shit gets forgotten.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by Ermes Marana

The "Golden Age" of Western TV started in 2002!

The Wire (2002-2008) (best television show ever made)
Arrested Development (2003-2006) (personal favorite comedy ever)
Dexter (2006-) (first 2 seasons are perfection)
The Shield (2002-2008)
Community (2009-)
Breaking Bad (2008-)
Firefly (2002-2003)
Futurama (1999-2003 and 2008-)
Scrubs (2001-2010)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-)

That's just a quick top ten. These are the best years of television in history.

Good list. Especially the ones in bold. Tobias, Larry, and Fry meeting and interacting... now that would be hilarious. My friend has also sung praise of The Wire so I'll have to check that one out.

[Miko Miko]

Originally Posted by Taufiq91

When i finished watching Code Geass S1 yesterday, my thoughts said:
"This is the type of stuff the BBC should be making with its license fee instead of making crap sitcoms and reality shows!"

But anime, in this country at least, is not to everyone's favour. We love our reality tv shows and as you said 'crap' sitcoms.
I personally wouldn't like it if they started showing anime on BBC. [I don't know the other channels]
Plus.. erm.. why would they anyway?! It's the BBC not Cartoon Network.

The should have a designated anime channel imo.

[DonQuigleone]

Britain should continue to produce what it's already good at, which has been eloborated on before. Likewise, if they're to do new things, they should create something of their own rather then ape the ideas of others.

Create and maintain our own media identity, rather then become "the other USA".

Frankly, I think the UK does a great job. I watched House of Cards a while back, and thought it was fantastic. It really couldn't be made outside of Britain.

[tugatosmk]

Originally Posted by DonQuigleone

You haven't watched enough BBC! BBC Sitcoms are rarely long runners (Last of the Summer Wine I suppose...). However BBC Comedies are still episodic (well it is a comedy...). But anyway, I don't see how Western TV has been going down the tubes for the last 15 years, even in America it's better then ever, bar the proliferation of Reality TV. 80s television was awful, and 90s not a whole lot better (though the BBC was as good back then as now...). If we talk american shows, you didn't find shows like the Sopranos, Dexter, Mad Men, Arrested Development etc. etc. 20 years ago.



You living under a rock? British Broadcasting Corporation. It's the largest Broadcaster in the world, is the state broadcaster of the UK, operates international television and radio stations across the world, and has no ads whatsoever. Top class.

Am I a BBC fanboy? Yes I am. And I don't even pay the license fee! I wish i could though, instead we have to pay to RTE... Which is waaay worse then the BBC.

The BBC even broadcasts the Formula One World Championship!... Can't get better than that. I wish I could watch BBC (F1 in Portugal is now broadcasted in Sportv only, a cable pay-per-view channel).

But BBC also has, for example, Top Gear and Dr. Who, great shows. And BBC4 "reeks" of culture, it's amazing.

[shaolinx]

Originally Posted by Rahan

It's funny, I am of the other opinion. I only recently went into western live action shows and it's making hard to watch animes for me.

When I watch Walter White, Omar Little, Jimmy McNulty and many others, I think "this is what the animes studios should be doing" instead of feeding us with more lolis and middle schoolers ... (but then, if the lolis and kids were that well written, I probably wouldn't mind ...)

Okay, I am a bit biased since I have started only recently to marathon american masterpieces and I'll probably find out the hard way that not everything is The Wire level. (which is now my favorite fiction) just like not every anime is Mushishi level

I agree... it works both ways.

A lot of anime these days focus on loli, ecchi, and randomness. Can't say there are too many masterpieces out there like code geass to justify that anime > tv. Only shows that i recently enjoyed and can recall(besides from naruto/bleach) is Kore wa Zombie Desuka and Index.

[ahelo]

The only luck you'll get from Code Geass is a late night time slot in cartoon network's Adult Swim.

[Ludrio D. Zoki]

I do not think American television is practical enough to make good TV shows.
They can barely handle anime.

So I doubt anybody watching those networks would expect something so different.
I am afraid I disagree, and believe that if crappy shows are going to be made, why not just let the producers learn their lesson when all their retirement funds dry up?