Gundam in the US / Canada

[Phantom-Takaya]

Originally Posted by D-KLAC

hello gs series got literally screwed by u.s. tv & FCC besides they include this garbage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Guns that stupid DISCO GUNS!!!

besides this is not the 70s & also edits, censors, cuts of opening & endings songs, etc edits garbage that fact is that gs series got SCREWED by the u.s. tv networks & FCC!!!

Uh... I'm in the US so I have to watch that kinds of stuff (when I have the time to now-a-days), and I don't recall that scene being a standard. In fact, the only time I've seen that be displayed is on April 1. In translation: It was an April Fool's joke by Cartoon Network or maybe during the reruns of the series.

[Pepperidge]

Yes, that was a standard edit during the US broadcast of the series. And while it didn't impact the plot, I can understand why such a glaringly obvious act of censorship could turn viewers away. Also note that pretty much every reference to death or killing was nullified for the version aired on Cartoon Network, and even Miriallia's knife was digitally removed during a certain scene. Not to mention that removing the element of Flay having sex with Kira really muddles up a lot of character motivation.

You really can't deny that the show lost a lot of its impact in the Cartoon Network edit, and cutting away to a custom ending theme when the song had already begun playing over the end of the show didn't exactly do much to to suggest that the show had retained any integrity. Although I do agree that the timeslot and general apathy towards mecha in the US did more to kill it than anything else.

[Ryuujin]

Originally Posted by D-KLAC

besides how wing get unedit while gs & other gundam got edited?!

Wing was edited (in the daytime run at least), it just needed a lot less. I mean, SEED tended to go overboard at times, especially on violence *coughCyclopscoughGenesiscoughNicolcoughTollecough *...

Originally Posted by Pepperidge

You really can't deny that the show lost a lot of its impact in the Cartoon Network edit, and cutting away to a custom ending theme when the song had already begun playing over the end of the show didn't exactly do much to to suggest that the show had retained any integrity.

iirc Wing, G, and MSG all had similar TV-airing EDs as well...

[supperrfreek]

yeah? but seeing as it doesn't work and is only offered to people with advanced cable packages it's kinda exclusive

[Pepperidge]

Originally Posted by Ryuujin

iirc Wing, G, and MSG all had similar TV-airing EDs as well...

Well, none of those shows actually had the ending theme song overlap the end of the episode.

[Phantom-Takaya]

As far as I know, most of the anime has been moved up to the night time scheduling since Cartoon Network may be catching on that most anime isn't good for children by US standards. The problem with that is that the later at night the show is, the less audiences there are.

[supperrfreek]

Clearly according to shaolo and other's who've posted here I'm getting proven right (sadly). The way they treat Gundam is Atrocius.

[shaolo]

Originally Posted by supperrfreek

Clearly according to shaolo and other's who've posted here I'm getting proven right (sadly). The way they treat Gundam is Atrocius.

I didn't mind the editing of Gundam Seed, but I didn't care for the series anyway. As for Gundam in general, it wouldn't reach the popularity it had with Wing and Bandai and CN knows this. Bandai is thinking on how to bring back Gundam to the state while CN just don't care anymore. What Bandai could do is remarket Gundam through good well done video games and the not games like Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire. As for CN if they care, the timeslot that they use Adult Swim they can show a hour of any of the Gundam series.

[supperrfreek]

I guess so but even the video games don't seem to sell well.

[shaolo]

Originally Posted by supperrfreek

I guess so but even the video games don't seem to sell well.

Not the current video games, but future video games might have a chance.

[supperrfreek]

Yes but it might require a pretty huge overhaul and plenty of questionaires to consumers (something many companies refuse to do).

[shaolo]

Originally Posted by supperrfreek

Yes but it might require a pretty huge overhaul and plenty of questionaires to consumers (something many companies refuse to do).

I don't know about the overhaul, but the questionaires to consumers is easy to do ether on the enternet or that questionaires that comes when buying a video game that no one care about.

[hobbes_fan]

Originally Posted by Pepperidge

Not to mention that removing the element of Flay having sex with Kira really muddles up a lot of character motivation.

Oh come on, she's in his bed and If I remember correctly it jumps to Kira the morning after zipping himself up in the same room as she's sleeping in. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to figured out she got pounded like a rusty nail. Unless you have no idea what goes on between men and women behind closed doors at night which is what the edit was designed to do.
The CN network aired this version here as well in its complete edited entirety I asume this is the same version, I doubt that CN would bother editing a new a version for Australia. The language in the edits are less than impressive (threats lack intent) but still I find that a bit difficult to believe that for 1st time viewers that this is a major issue. I only found it an issue once I saw the boxset version Honestly, I've seen it twice, once on CN Australia and once on the DVD boxset. I didn't feel that there was a lot lost in the edits. Sure the language could have been more direct, but the threat still came across. I'm not a real smart guy so I assume that a lot of people can read between the lines better than I.

Actually I take it back I think it is too late for Gundam outside Japan unless they take a massive gamble, they'll pickup the odd new fan, I think they missed the boat in 80's and early 90's to build a hardcore regenerating fanbase. Look at NGE there seems to be an ever growing army of fans. There's just too much anime for it to be dominant. Had they really hammered the point home in the 80's and 90's their only real competition in the west was Robotech/Macross and Transformers as THE robot/mecha franchise. I look at the people in this forum and other forums and I see the majority have grown up wth the Gundams of the 80's and 90's and follow every series no matter how bad. I very rarely see a "new" fan. Yeah Yeah shows were on in the late 80's and 90's but they were little more than token efforts. Unless Bandai is really willing to take a risk and edit the living daylights out of a gundam series for children's TV (editing for a specific demographic) and airing it on a kid friendly time and pushing the toys not just models and merchandising (see the Robotech merchandise/marketing in the 80's) all out the gundams will somewhat be a niche market. Not to take a shot at Pokemon but if that can gain widespread popularity in the general population of school age children I don't see why Gundam can't do it

[TheRurouni]

I think SEED would have enjoyed far more success unedited and aired at night, just like it was. Pokemon like success of gundam is extremely unlikely in my eyes, gundam is just more mature and followed a by a more mature audience. Instead of butchering it in the editing process, they could have at least salvaged success, even as much as Inuyasha imo, had they just left it unedited and aired when they did or during Adult Swim.

[D-KLAC]

Originally Posted by Ryuujin

Wing was edited (in the daytime run at least), it just needed a lot less. I mean, SEED tended to go overboard at times, especially on violence *coughCyclopscoughGenesiscoughNicolcoughTollecough *...


iirc Wing, G, and MSG all had similar TV-airing EDs as well...

yeah thanks for reminding the cyclops & genesis cause it make people pop like a exploding blood burst balloons!!!

tolle's head chopper was shown upclose in gs special edtion & nicol guts slash was violent as well the exploding face!!!

cause that was the blood & gore of gs series that also got athrun's bloody face in gsd & others.

but u.s. tv & FCC jumped the gun too much on gs series to ruin it!!!

bring back gs series unedited!!!

[HazardNights]

Honestly I don't think editing had anything to do with why Gundam SEED wasn't a success. I think it comes down to in the end the actual content of the show and what viewers outside of Japan, US in this case, take to and find interesting. What the viewers in Japan will enjoy and take to in terms of story telling and actual content can and will be different and what those in the US and other places will enjoy.

Honestly I think a Gundam with the US audience in mind first is what it will take for Gundam to be huge here. Realism I don't think has anything to do with it. Hardcore fans might have an issue with it but I don't think the average viewer willhave an issue with it as long as the show is entertaining. Pacing is an issue as well. If you are going to show the show once a week fine but make sure that a lot happens in that episode.

Part of the reason DBZ was so huge I think was because it was shown every single day during the week and even on the weekends at some points. That show moves insanely slow majority of the time but when you are watching it every day, Monday thru Friday week after week it's forgiveable and you are able to tolerate it more. When you have a show that moves slowly until say the last few episodes and many anime shows are this even Gundam and you only get it once a week you will run into a problem. Gundam Wing I think had a good amount of pacing. That show can out swinging from the very first episode and only really slowed down in the middle but it quickly picked up steam once again. The other shows that followed were pretty slow in a lot of places I think. Not that character development and dialogue is a problem (Wing had a LOT of talking) but it's about finding a balance and presentation.

MSG was almost canceled in Japan when it first aired. Why anyone would think it would do better many years later with dated animation is still something I'm wondering about. G Gundam I think was a victim of bad advertising (didn't even know this was coming out until a week before it aired and I was watching Toonami a lot back then as I relaxed after school and classes). That and I think it was simply a interest and content situation with G Gundam. Not sure about the shorter series since they were usually shown at night or on for a short amount of time and weren't full series so most dont' talk about them in regards to Gundam success the way they do the other series.

I still think, and others have said this, that they should have released Gundam X after Gundam Wing. It was close enough to Gundam Wing in terms of style and feel but at the same time it was similar to UC styled gundam that it was a better gateway to the UC type of Gundam. It was the best of both worlds. After that they should NEVER have shown the Gundam 0079 series. They should have only aired the movies. I thought that back when I heard the series was going to be shown and when it was on. I still think that now.

UC and many of the AUs are pretty neutral in terms of their presentation of who the shows are aimed nationality wise. Most of the shows things are looked at as Space, Earth, or colonies. Or fake names like the Sanc Kingdom, etc. G Gundam represented a good number of countries pretty interestly with the type of Gundams, especailly for the main Gundam team.

Though I think the SEED series have a very Japanese focus if not a bit of anti-US bias in them that was and is picked up on to some degree. Perhaps in a feel some one simply can't describe when they think about the shows. At least this is what I picked up on and even more due to how the Atlantic Federation and many on Earth were presented compared to how Coordinators were showcased, etc.

[Pepperidge]

Originally Posted by hobbes_fan

Oh come on, she's in his bed and If I remember correctly it jumps to Kira the morning after zipping himself up in the same room as she's sleeping in. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to figured out she got pounded like a rusty nail. Unless you have no idea what goes on between men and women behind closed doors at night which is what the edit was designed to do.
The CN network aired this version here as well in its complete edited entirety I asume this is the same version,

No, that is not the same version. The version of that scene aired in Australia was exactly as it appeared in the uncut version. The version that aired on US television removed any and all implication that Kira and Flay had even had sex.

Originally Posted by D-KLAC

but u.s. tv & FCC jumped the gun too much on gs series to ruin it!!!

The FCC had nothing to do with the editing. They have no jurisdiction over content on cable networks.

[Phantom-Takaya]

Well, either way, if this new Gundam 00 is as interesting as it appears, Gundam may have a shot at revival in the US, though I never really saw Gundam as a dying anime here.

[Destinyblade]

IMO, the reason Gundam hasn't been successful in the US has been its inability to find the correct audience for it, and unfortunately, I doubt it ever will. Most Gundam shows wouldn't be interesting enough for kids with all the politics and war themes talked about in most, if not all, of them. For Gundam to be successful among children, I am going to bet that it would have to be something along the lines of Dragon Ball Z or Power Rangers to be popular. So I believe that Gundam really doesn't belong on Cartoon Network or even Toonami.

In terms of Cartoon Network, the best fit for Gundam would probably be Adult Swim. IMO, though, Gundam would be best aired on another network that targets teens (or adults maybe) because of the drama and relationships that are presented. Still, I can't say that for certain because Gundam has certain themes in it that I'm not sure would appeal to a particular audience. For example, the relationships and seriousness of Gundam makes it a drama, but the audience that likes drama may not be able to handle the gore and violence presented in the show. And those who watch the show for its action may find it difficult to watch the episodes that involve only the characters. It's possible that Gundam may have too many parts to it that make it impossible to have a solid audience in the US, at least in terms of broadcasting.

[D-KLAC]

like move gs series to another network & unedited?!

that sound ok.