Corruption or not, I hate to see a source of anime for kids go down the toilet like Toonami. My nephews loved the shows :(
I disagree with the whole "4Kids deserves it for all the anime they ruined!" mentality. When I was a kid I didn't noticed the censorship or voice acting. I think some people need to realize that 4Kids was made for kids, not all y'all teens. And unlike Japan, as others have already stated, America is more strict regarding what we show to kids. I'd feel a little better knowing my kids were watching "clean" stuff, if you will (even if it were little things like smoking lollipops)
I will always remember 4Kids for taking Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Ho and making them marketable to middle-America and approved by the networks. Later on, they flipped to prioritized new projects to be approved by middle-America and marketable to networks and they've been stumbling ever since.
4Kids seemed to learn with each hit they took and got better little by little after the One Piece fiasco. I hope this doesn't do them in after they seemed to have found their stride.
I doubt it's a matter of shutting down business. For, it's just about losing license to a franchise a company did not produce.
Hopefully, 4Kids will just stick to producing originals instead of dubbing anime after the lawsuit, and I think we can all agree that the U.S. still needs new kid-targeting American-made animated shows to fill the Saturday morning slots, otherwise American Saturady morning animation may unfortunately turn into a thing of the past.
Last edited by stararnold at 8:06:36 PM CDT on March 31, 2011.
Ah, yeah. That would definitely be breach of contract in that case. Not that I imagine Gameboy Advance Video actually sold very well, but it's still money that should have gone back to TV Tokyo. I still think the bile spewing is a bit heavy, but it sounds like there's definitely merit to this suit.
I would have checked the source, but this new layout still has me boggled and I can't seem to find the link to it.
A Fiery Spirit (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
Oh wow... regardless of whether this is true or not, the allegations alone have put a nail in the coffin for 4Kids. Part of me is kinda sad that a company like this might go out so poorly.
Say what you will about their decisions, and I'll probably agree with a good chunk of them, but it was due to their dubbing of Pokemon that got me started down that path of watching anime and reading manga. It's like loosing a friend or a someone who inspired you in your youth but find out years later that they've done so bad choices and are not likely to make it.
From what I gathered from the Hollywood Reporter article (which is linked in the jump, there), they have allegedly skimped out on their deal with TV Tokyo by making deals on just how much money was to be made off DVD sales with FUNimation. All the extra money went to 4Kids and they didn't report it.
Also, remember those GBA cartridges that had videos on them? 4Kids didn't give TV Tokyo any of that money from the YGO sales. There are some other little bits, but I can't remember them right off hand. Still, if what TV Tokyo found in 4Kids' accounting is true, I'd say the suit is pretty justified.
"I adore children. A little salt, a squeeze of lemon--perfect." -Harry Dresden
lol I agree. ^ ^
If not for 4kids's horrible dub attempt at Tokyo Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power) which I sooo thought was amazing when I first watched it....then it would have taken longer for me to be an otaku. I might not have become one until much later....or maybe...not even at all. D:
I find it a little sad...
Sure 4kids did not do the best dubs....but at least they tired...and got a bunch of people into anime...it's a process that hold true for most anime....Lured in by dub....watch the original. :D
And now who will we make fun of? JK
Now come on, guys. I pretty much owe it to One Piece for my current interest in anime. On that front, I'm fully aware of how incredibly terrible the 4Kids dub was and I've been known to take this particular company down a peg or two in the past, but I really think that the whole "they deserve this for their baby-eating evil" mentality is taking it a bit over the top.
4Kids is a company. Just like any other company, they like money. They like it so much that they're willing to make risky business ventures on shows that they don't know if people will like for the chance at making more money. Personally, I also like money. Do you like money? I think you do.
The problem is when they take a show and go overboard in editing it so it loses the charm that made it popular in the first place. Most of these shows they get a hold of are children's shows in Japan, but Japan has a somewhat more lax policy on certain types of content in kids' shows, so it's no surprise that there need to be some cuts. However, 4Kids has a bit of a history deciding that kids are dumber than a drawer full of spoons. They edit out actual objectionable content, like blood and excessive cleavage, but they also do weird stuff like removing anything remotely resembling a cross and taking text off of signs for no apparent reason. Scripts are changed drastically and what comes out the end of the Dub Machine (TM) barely even resembles what went in.
This is bad, to be sure, but I still think that basking in Schadenfreude is uncalled for here, especially since 4Kids has been getting better in recent years. Most of their original programming is actually pretty good, and they've even been slipping some Abridged Series references into the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX dub. They learned their lesson with stuff like One Piece, which blew up in their faces spectacularly, and they were actually churning out some decent stuff. Really, the part that's most sad about this particular turn of events is that it happened after they were trying to get better, not when they were massacring plotlines left and right.
And besides, most of the stuff everyone here hated 4Kids for was done under the supervision of CEO Alfred Kahn, who jumped ship months ago (with several million in severance and probably his own gold-plated mansion yacht or something). He's the one who claimed that kids don't read. I'd say he's the most responsible for the various nerdy grievances we have with the company.
On topic, I'd like to know more about these alleged "secret deals". It's hard to make a call on whether or not this suit is justified if I don't know what exactly 4Kids and those other companies were supposed to be negotiating.
Most of the anime 4Kids has dubbed is meant for the same demographic in Japan as they edit it to be appropriate for in the US, Yu-Gi-Oh! included. The only reason it can't be shown as is here is because Americans have stricter standards in regards to violent or suggestive content in childrens' shows.
Last edited by Ace at 3:39:31 AM CDT on March 31, 2011.
YES. YESYESYESYESYES. They get what they deserve! Their unnecessary sensoring of a show originally made for teens may now cost them 4 million? I have 2 words for 4Kids.
I may not like how 4Kids modified the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" anime for the North American youth audiences and I maybe mad about those poor Japan-based companies not getting their financial share, but I have to say I feel bad for the voice actors and actresses who took part in the cast of the Americanized edits 4Kids produced for them because they may be left out of a job after the legal battle, unless another U.S.-based anime distributor is willing to hire them for voice acting work for dubs of other anime.
Plus, what is to become of future North American otaku generations? I hope that another company takes over the North American rights to this awesome action/adventure franchise, because no North American otaku should be permantly deprived of something awesome. After all, being deprived of something awesome forever was almost the case with the "Sailor Moon" manga, which got relicensed this year.
4Kids was doing pretty well a year or two ago. They had Huntix, Chaotic (before it turned into a wannabe anime), Ninja Turtles, etc. Some really good shows that I actually enjoyed watching. But then they got rid of them just because they "ended." That doesn't mean they had to get rid of their originals. But they kept SonicX, YuGiOh 5D's, and other anime shows long over that didn't even need to get butchered because they were bad enough shows as it was (for once, not 4Kids' fault. That saying something?)
That aside, it's kind of a shame. They were the only ones providing us with Saturday morning shows anymore :/ Not sure if the Hub can be considered a replacement yet. CN has pretty much died (but I see hints of redemption). I don't watch 4Kids anymore, but if they had a new CEO that actually knew what they were doing, things might have gotten better for them.
Last edited by Sora-Mage at 8:10:37 PM CDT on March 30, 2011.
do you think this means Yu-Gi-Oh will be available to watch online again and won't be blocked every single blumming time by 4kids and their demon censors?
I would have to agree with you both, 4Kids needs to find their own material and their own franchises instead of ruining anime. Look at what happened to One Piece and the Yu Gi Oh series.
I agree with Cougersama... they should leave the anime alone and get their own shows instead. Granted I know they all come from somewhere, but as touchy as the anime industry is they should just stay out of that department.
I hope Funimation doesn't get in trouble for this though. If they weren't aware of what was going on then they should be left alone about it.
Oh well. You win some you loose some. I'm just glad that littlekuriboh didn't get in trouble. He's gotten terminated 5 times already in like a few mounths, all because of TV Tokyo. But it's just 4kids! No big deal right? Now kuriboh has some material to joke at them with. Revenger for the abridgers! >:3
MaraNekoyasha13
Otakuite++ | Posted 04/10/11 | Reply
My life is complete.
LAW SUITS ON MOTORBIKES (fail)
RedJ
Otaku Eternal | Posted 04/08/11 | Reply
....
LAWSUITS ON MOTORCYCLES!!!!!!1
*mauled*
Alchemic Mushroom
Angel (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 04/06/11 | Reply
Corruption or not, I hate to see a source of anime for kids go down the toilet like Toonami. My nephews loved the shows :(
I disagree with the whole "4Kids deserves it for all the anime they ruined!" mentality. When I was a kid I didn't noticed the censorship or voice acting. I think some people need to realize that 4Kids was made for kids, not all y'all teens. And unlike Japan, as others have already stated, America is more strict regarding what we show to kids. I'd feel a little better knowing my kids were watching "clean" stuff, if you will (even if it were little things like smoking lollipops)
KeenHavoc
Grand Otaku | Posted 04/01/11 | Reply
I will always remember 4Kids for taking Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Ho and making them marketable to middle-America and approved by the networks. Later on, they flipped to prioritized new projects to be approved by middle-America and marketable to networks and they've been stumbling ever since.
4Kids seemed to learn with each hit they took and got better little by little after the One Piece fiasco. I hope this doesn't do them in after they seemed to have found their stride.
byakuyarox1
Golden Phoenix (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 04/01/11 | Reply
yeah. lol
stararnold
Otaku Eternal | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
@KYOKUNROX584:
I doubt it's a matter of shutting down business. For, it's just about losing license to a franchise a company did not produce.
Hopefully, 4Kids will just stick to producing originals instead of dubbing anime after the lawsuit, and I think we can all agree that the U.S. still needs new kid-targeting American-made animated shows to fill the Saturday morning slots, otherwise American Saturady morning animation may unfortunately turn into a thing of the past.
Last edited by stararnold at 8:06:36 PM CDT on March 31, 2011.
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
@Kei:
Ah, yeah. That would definitely be breach of contract in that case. Not that I imagine Gameboy Advance Video actually sold very well, but it's still money that should have gone back to TV Tokyo. I still think the bile spewing is a bit heavy, but it sounds like there's definitely merit to this suit.
I would have checked the source, but this new layout still has me boggled and I can't seem to find the link to it.
KYOKUNROX584
Senior Otaku+ | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
So 4Kids is finally going to be shut down?
IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME. :D
DemonKingAtticus
A Fiery Spirit (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
Oh wow... regardless of whether this is true or not, the allegations alone have put a nail in the coffin for 4Kids. Part of me is kinda sad that a company like this might go out so poorly.
Say what you will about their decisions, and I'll probably agree with a good chunk of them, but it was due to their dubbing of Pokemon that got me started down that path of watching anime and reading manga. It's like loosing a friend or a someone who inspired you in your youth but find out years later that they've done so bad choices and are not likely to make it.
Arctic Summer
Otaku Legend | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
Wow, just wow. I'm speechless.
Kei
Hell-bound Heroine (Ceiling Cat) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
@Ace:
From what I gathered from the Hollywood Reporter article (which is linked in the jump, there), they have allegedly skimped out on their deal with TV Tokyo by making deals on just how much money was to be made off DVD sales with FUNimation. All the extra money went to 4Kids and they didn't report it.
Also, remember those GBA cartridges that had videos on them? 4Kids didn't give TV Tokyo any of that money from the YGO sales. There are some other little bits, but I can't remember them right off hand. Still, if what TV Tokyo found in 4Kids' accounting is true, I'd say the suit is pretty justified.
"I adore children. A little salt, a squeeze of lemon--perfect." -Harry Dresden
jimmisocha
Otakuite | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
Well, we'll see how this turns out...it's really hard for me to take sides - even though 4Kids has disappointed me time and time again.
MaraNekoyasha13
Otakuite++ | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
Finally something close to my heart!
MewChero
Neko Girl (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
@Ace:
lol I agree. ^ ^
If not for 4kids's horrible dub attempt at Tokyo Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power) which I sooo thought was amazing when I first watched it....then it would have taken longer for me to be an otaku. I might not have become one until much later....or maybe...not even at all. D:
I find it a little sad...
Sure 4kids did not do the best dubs....but at least they tired...and got a bunch of people into anime...it's a process that hold true for most anime....Lured in by dub....watch the original. :D
And now who will we make fun of? JK
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
Now come on, guys. I pretty much owe it to One Piece for my current interest in anime. On that front, I'm fully aware of how incredibly terrible the 4Kids dub was and I've been known to take this particular company down a peg or two in the past, but I really think that the whole "they deserve this for their baby-eating evil" mentality is taking it a bit over the top.
4Kids is a company. Just like any other company, they like money. They like it so much that they're willing to make risky business ventures on shows that they don't know if people will like for the chance at making more money. Personally, I also like money. Do you like money? I think you do.
The problem is when they take a show and go overboard in editing it so it loses the charm that made it popular in the first place. Most of these shows they get a hold of are children's shows in Japan, but Japan has a somewhat more lax policy on certain types of content in kids' shows, so it's no surprise that there need to be some cuts. However, 4Kids has a bit of a history deciding that kids are dumber than a drawer full of spoons. They edit out actual objectionable content, like blood and excessive cleavage, but they also do weird stuff like removing anything remotely resembling a cross and taking text off of signs for no apparent reason. Scripts are changed drastically and what comes out the end of the Dub Machine (TM) barely even resembles what went in.
This is bad, to be sure, but I still think that basking in Schadenfreude is uncalled for here, especially since 4Kids has been getting better in recent years. Most of their original programming is actually pretty good, and they've even been slipping some Abridged Series references into the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX dub. They learned their lesson with stuff like One Piece, which blew up in their faces spectacularly, and they were actually churning out some decent stuff. Really, the part that's most sad about this particular turn of events is that it happened after they were trying to get better, not when they were massacring plotlines left and right.
And besides, most of the stuff everyone here hated 4Kids for was done under the supervision of CEO Alfred Kahn, who jumped ship months ago (with several million in severance and probably his own gold-plated mansion yacht or something). He's the one who claimed that kids don't read. I'd say he's the most responsible for the various nerdy grievances we have with the company.
On topic, I'd like to know more about these alleged "secret deals". It's hard to make a call on whether or not this suit is justified if I don't know what exactly 4Kids and those other companies were supposed to be negotiating.
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/31/11 | Reply
@kyouyarenge:
Most of the anime 4Kids has dubbed is meant for the same demographic in Japan as they edit it to be appropriate for in the US, Yu-Gi-Oh! included. The only reason it can't be shown as is here is because Americans have stricter standards in regards to violent or suggestive content in childrens' shows.
Last edited by Ace at 3:39:31 AM CDT on March 31, 2011.
kyouyarenge
Grand Otaku | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
YES. YESYESYESYESYES. They get what they deserve! Their unnecessary sensoring of a show originally made for teens may now cost them 4 million? I have 2 words for 4Kids.
EAT IT.
stararnold
Otaku Eternal | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
I may not like how 4Kids modified the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" anime for the North American youth audiences and I maybe mad about those poor Japan-based companies not getting their financial share, but I have to say I feel bad for the voice actors and actresses who took part in the cast of the Americanized edits 4Kids produced for them because they may be left out of a job after the legal battle, unless another U.S.-based anime distributor is willing to hire them for voice acting work for dubs of other anime.
Plus, what is to become of future North American otaku generations? I hope that another company takes over the North American rights to this awesome action/adventure franchise, because no North American otaku should be permantly deprived of something awesome. After all, being deprived of something awesome forever was almost the case with the "Sailor Moon" manga, which got relicensed this year.
Sora-Mage
Grand Otaku | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
4Kids was doing pretty well a year or two ago. They had Huntix, Chaotic (before it turned into a wannabe anime), Ninja Turtles, etc. Some really good shows that I actually enjoyed watching. But then they got rid of them just because they "ended." That doesn't mean they had to get rid of their originals. But they kept SonicX, YuGiOh 5D's, and other anime shows long over that didn't even need to get butchered because they were bad enough shows as it was (for once, not 4Kids' fault. That saying something?)
That aside, it's kind of a shame. They were the only ones providing us with Saturday morning shows anymore :/ Not sure if the Hub can be considered a replacement yet. CN has pretty much died (but I see hints of redemption). I don't watch 4Kids anymore, but if they had a new CEO that actually knew what they were doing, things might have gotten better for them.
Last edited by Sora-Mage at 8:10:37 PM CDT on March 30, 2011.
thejayster
Senior Otaku | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
do you think this means Yu-Gi-Oh will be available to watch online again and won't be blocked every single blumming time by 4kids and their demon censors?
Wakusei Aoshi
Otaku Eternal | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
Yay~! Justice has been served~! ^ ^
SwordsManIV
Otakuite | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
I would have to agree with you both, 4Kids needs to find their own material and their own franchises instead of ruining anime. Look at what happened to One Piece and the Yu Gi Oh series.
ChibiHanyou
Ochibi~ (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
I agree with Cougersama... they should leave the anime alone and get their own shows instead. Granted I know they all come from somewhere, but as touchy as the anime industry is they should just stay out of that department.
I hope Funimation doesn't get in trouble for this though. If they weren't aware of what was going on then they should be left alone about it.
cougarsama
LDS Fangirl! (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
Let's just call it vengeance for all the anime 4Kids has goofed up and be done with it.
Romanos Vixen
Grand Otaku | Posted 03/30/11 | Reply
Oh well. You win some you loose some. I'm just glad that littlekuriboh didn't get in trouble. He's gotten terminated 5 times already in like a few mounths, all because of TV Tokyo. But it's just 4kids! No big deal right? Now kuriboh has some material to joke at them with. Revenger for the abridgers! >:3