4Kids TV

[Danj]

Saw this on ANN (where, typically, they managed to get something wrong even though it was spelt right in the source article), taken from Digital Spy (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds26345.html):

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Another new kids station looks set to launch early next year.

4Kids Entertainment, distributor of shows such as Pokemon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Yu-Gi-Oh, has been granted a broadcast licence by TV regulator Ofcom to launch a service called '4 Kids TV'.

Details of the station are still unknown, although a spokesman told C21 that more would be announced "in the coming weeks".

The channel is one of a number of upcoming launches into the already-crowded kids market. ITV is planning a new kids offering in February while Turner has announced plans for a further two spinoff channels. Disney is also ramping up its presence by switching to the basic pack on Sky and launching a new movie channel.

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Here's the Ofcom page (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/tvlicensing/cs/1264.htm) for the channel, so it's definitely real. Hey, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll take Pokemon off all the other channels... /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

[ic14]

Urgh.....

Great, a crappy channel by the masters of crappy taking up a precious slot on our over-packed airwaves....

[Fudce]

They may be "The masters of crappy" but it is also anime. And anime on UK TV is a good thing. Maybe they'll consider some of the younger 'good' series for the channel too, regardless of who dubbed the series.

[Exelion]

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IanC said:
Urgh.....

Great, a crappy channel by the masters of crappy taking up a precious slot on our over-packed airwaves....

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/images/graemlins/relief1.gif

You know what, good on 4kids, okay so its edited and such but at least its a chance for the little uns to watch some more anime, and perhaps just perhaps some of them will like what they see and become fans when they're older. Which can only help the market in the future.

[Fort Max]

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IanC said:
Urgh.....

Great, a crappy channel by the masters of crappy taking up a precious slot on our over-packed airwaves....

[/ QUOTE ]

But now you'll be able to ignore it easily.

[Nylock]

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Exelion said:
You know what, good on 4kids, okay so its edited and such but at least its a chance for the little uns to watch some more anime, and perhaps just perhaps some of them will like what they see and become fans when they're older. Which can only help the market in the future.

[/ QUOTE ]


I have to agree with this - sure 4kids butcher anime to get it on TV, but that's not exactly new is it? I'm sure I'm not the only one here who watched Battle of the Planets as a kid. My first anime ever was Marine Boy in the early 70's and that might have been a total hack-job as well, but it got me interested.

Anime getting more exposure through something other than the ultra-violence and tentacle-porn stigma seems like something fans should be welcoming. It's unfortunate that 4kids don't show much respect for the original material they manipulate, but few others are willing to even put it on TV nowadays.

So it's not the best possible bit of progress, but it's better than nothing IMO.

[Shiroi Hane]

Hmm... potential for Mew Mew Power in the UK then?
Mind, I can't see myself sticking with it for more than the first episode of the dub anyway.

[Yashouzoid]

Why is it that the first arguments I usually hear are "Oh well they did this in the 70s so what 4Kids is doing is OKAY! *thumbs up*" and "Well the little kids have to watch it so it's okay to butcher it!"

1) Guys, we're not in the 70s anymore. We've come to a point where well over 90% of the anime being released today has some uncut alternative, and frankly, this kind of treatment isn't acceptable anymore.

2) They stop editing it down for little kids when they pointlessly edit everything they can. Sonic X and Tokyo Mew Mew were already acceptable for kids, 4Kids still thought they had to butcher the hell out of them. Lo and behold, neither one's an outstanding success like people seem to think.

3) One Piece is the worst dub ever and there is no defending it. Almost purposely miscast voices, story arcs removed entirely, probably the largest count for "cut episodes" in a TV dub TO DATE (32), music changed for no reason, the script riddled with puns and made impossibly stupid... you know, screw it, just see the light:

http://opguide.bravehost.com/

[Fudce]

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Yashouzoid said:
Why is it that the first arguments I usually hear are "Oh well they did this in the 70s so what 4Kids is doing is OKAY! *thumbs up*" and "Well the little kids have to watch it so it's okay to butcher it!"

1) Guys, we're not in the 70s anymore. We've come to a point where well over 90% of the anime being released today has some uncut alternative, and frankly, this kind of treatment isn't acceptable anymore.

2) They stop editing it down for little kids when they pointlessly edit everything they can. Sonic X and Tokyo Mew Mew were already acceptable for kids, 4Kids still thought they had to butcher the hell out of them. Lo and behold, neither one's an outstanding success like people seem to think.

3) One Piece is the worst dub ever and there is no defending it. Almost purposely miscast voices, story arcs removed entirely, probably the largest count for "cut episodes" in a TV dub TO DATE (32), music changed for no reason, the script riddled with puns and made impossibly stupid... you know, screw it, just see the light:

http://opguide.bravehost.com/

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While in principle I agree with what you are saying, if you had a choice between anime that was over-cut (One Piece being your example) and no anime, whatsoever, which would you choose?
Yes anime is better uncut. Yes some dubs are better than others. (I actually think the dub quality of Pokemon is quite high) But I'm sure I speak for a good few people here when I say my usual 'Any Anime on UK TV is a good thing!'

[abigsmurf]

Just got hold of my 4kids contact...

She can't give out any details yet

[Yashouzoid]

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While in principle I agree with what you are saying, if you had a choice between anime that was over-cut (One Piece being your example) and no anime, whatsoever, which would you choose?

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No anime. If all we're going to get is incomprehensible garbage edited down to insane levels, then I'd rather not have the medium at all.

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Yes anime is better uncut. Yes some dubs are better than others. (I actually think the dub quality of Pokemon is quite high) But I'm sure I speak for a good few people here when I say my usual 'Any Anime on UK TV is a good thing!'

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My main beef with One Piece isn't that it's dubbed or that it's edited or anything like that. You know, I can kind of see where 4Kids is coming from. I know why they would have to cut out some of the violence and tobacco. I can see why they would want to make it seem a little more "homebrewn" or "American". Replacing Japanese text with some English, changing jokes that Americans just wouldn't get? Fine by me.

It starts becoming a problem when they edit the violence when it doesn't need to be edited. Erasing swords so they're not as pointy? Fixing someone's glasses so they're "less broken"? Re-coloring guns even if they have the same function? Re-coloring pots and pans so they look less realistic? For god's sake, they leave in the most brutal of scenes and yet these are considered priorities? All they really need to do is clean up the blood and take out the cigarettes and they'd be set for content.

As I said, I can see why they would try to make it seem more American. But they cut to the action by cutting the action. They replace Japanese text with blank signs. They almost inexplicably replace every instance of the Marines with the "Navy", even visually. They replace jokes that work well in any country with jokes that can hardly be considered that. They give characters bizarre accents, and speaking of which, put no effort into voice directing. And you know, nothing stands out more (and in a bad way) than having a pirate show with Luffy rapping.

Given the successes of other shows like Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Zatch Bell!, all of which not only air on the same channel as One Piece but also came through a lot better in terms of edits and dub quality and aim at pretty much the same audience (okay FMA is a little off but it's still a "teen" show here, which hey, makes up the majority of OP's fan base! Go go logic!), I don't really think these edits are necessary and neither should any competent person. Some may argue that One Piece's designs might turn kids off so it can't be as big without localization, but I don't know about you, but I think if I thought Luffy was a freakyshit mofo then I'd still think he was one whether or not he said puns like "Hey Zolo let's GOLO!"

[abigsmurf]

oh by the way, the latest news on this channel is that it's been shelved

[Starwind Amada]

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abigsmurf said:
Just got hold of my 4kids contact...

She can't give out any details yet

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Your 4Kids contact? Right. What'd you do, click on the contact button on the 4Kids website and send an e-mail into some spam box?

And what exactly are you looking for details on?

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abigsmurf said:
oh by the way, the latest news on this channel is that it's been shelved

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Funny, because I saw it just last week.

Stop making stuff up.

[ic14]

Duh, this is the UK forum.

Cant you read.

[Tora-chan]

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Starwind Amada said:[ QUOTE ]
abigsmurf said:
oh by the way, the latest news on this channel is that it's been shelved

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Funny, because I saw it just last week.

Stop making stuff up.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ouch...

Where have you seen the channel by the way? Don't trash the guy if you're going to be just as vague. I'd like to know what's going on if anybody knows please!

I'm aware that it's definitely around in America having seen the website, but I didn't know that it had started over here in the UK so soon. These things always work slowly, even the CITV channel got put back to March(they'd better show some anime)!

I'm basiaclly saying the same thing as IanC, but I'm trying to be a bit more subtle. Did it work? /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif

[Danj]

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Starwind Amada said:
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abigsmurf said:
Just got hold of my 4kids contact...

She can't give out any details yet

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Your 4Kids contact? Right. What'd you do, click on the contact button on the 4Kids website and send an e-mail into some spam box?

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Maybe he called Mr. Simon Philips, whose name, address and telephone number are on the Ofcom website (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/tvlicensing/cs/1264.htm) as a contact for 4Kids TV.

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Starwind Amada said:
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abigsmurf said:
oh by the way, the latest news on this channel is that it's been shelved

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Funny, because I saw it just last week.

Stop making stuff up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Rubbish. I just checked the Lyngemark Satellite site (http://www.lyngsat.com) where they keep track of what channels are using what satellites and transponders and test transmissions and stuff, and there's no sign of 4Kids TV anywhere on Eurobird 1 or Astra 2A/2B/2D at 28.2 degrees east, which is where their channel would be if it had actually started over here.

I think you're getting confused with the US, this forum is for the UK. Your claim of "making stuff up" was completely unnecessary, and if you HAVE seen the UK 4Kids channel somewhere, I'd be interested to know the frequency, polarisation and FEC settings so I can go and check it out.

[abigsmurf]

Umm yeah don't go accusing people of making things up when you clearly haven't a clue what you're going on about.

1: They claimed the channel would be up and running by now
2: Nothing has happened with the channel since they submitted it to OFCOM
3: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds27890.html

Amazingly I do actually make efforts to verify the news on my site and I won't post anything that doesn't have a reliable source I know I can trust.

Also don't belittle contacts. It can be incredibly difficult getting a friendly relationship with people from companies, especially from large ones who don't care about small non-commercial sites but they are invaluable for getting news. Case in point : I managed to get the official release date for Advent children more than a week before the big games news sites were able to get it.

[cpuuk]

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abigsmurf said:
oh by the way, the latest news on this channel is that it's been shelved

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I'm all broken-up about that (not) /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Starwind Amada]

My apologies. I didn't realize this was the UK forum.

[Tora-chan]

No biggie, it's an easy mistake to make! /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif