B: The Beginning Anticipation

[Jetzero Infinity]

Looks like Production I.G. is doing an anime original series for Netflix

Director: Kazuto Nakazawa

Synopsis: The 12-episode series is set in the future where scientists have tried to create the “perfect human” in hopes of keeping peace in the universe. After nearly achieving their goal through several children, the scientists send their “new humans” for further training where they are kidnapped by an evil organization set on using their powers to implement their own concept of a new world order.

[aakun4]

Well that sounds wonderful.

[bastek66]

I don't want Westerners to mess up with anime. We watch animation for Japanese people, not western shit.

[Utsuro no Hako]

After what Japan's done to anime over the last decade, I don't have a problem with Western companies waving money around and saying, "We'll give you this if you make stuff like Bebop and GiTS again."

[LG-MAX 2.o]

I want another psycho pass and Rainbow.

anyway, lately the number harem shit has been decreasing, at least this year we have good series (Berserk, Drifters, Mob, DGM).

GiTS?????

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by bastek66

I don't want Westerners to mess up with anime. We watch animation for Japanese people, not western shit.

Actual content aside, it's a fact the anime industry can't survive with just their internal market. They have gotten this far by overpricing their products and paying slave salaries to their animators, but they can only go so far like this, specially with the economy getting worse.

I'm not saying Western companies getting involved would necessarily be a solution. But the fact is, anime needs to find other markets if they want to survive.

[Wandering Soul]

Looking forward to see how a western anime works out.

Originally Posted by LG-MAX 2.o

GiTS?????

Ghost in the Shell.

[LG-MAX 2.o]

Originally Posted by Wandering Soul

Looking forward to see how a western anime works out.

Ghost in the Shell.

humm, I love this anime, just did not know that this was the abbreviation used.

anyway, Netflix will only distribute, right? the studio / directors / writers still be Japanese, right?

so I do not see a problem, I just want to see a good anime.

[Marcus H.]

I'm not saying Western companies getting involved would necessarily be a solution. But the fact is, anime needs to find other markets if they want to survive.

That's ironic, considering some anime-related industries (e.g., the LN industry) are trying to shut down publishers of localized anime series in favor of globalized releases from Japan. (A few weeks ago, Funimation's home video and streaming rights for FMA:B and the Shamballa movie was announced to expire next month. There's also BookWalker Global.)

But then again, this may play in Japan's hand since it somehow secures incomes that would be lost through intermediaries.

Anyway, I'm not really hot about Japan-West collabs. It's a clash of work standards and principles that always costs both sides of the fanbase anyway.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Well in the last few years we've had Kill la Kill and Space Dandy, which were pretty explicitly made with the US in mind, the latest Lupin which was made for Italy, and now Dimension W which is co-produced by Funimation. I'm not seeing any reason to worry.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

That's ironic, considering some anime-related industries (e.g., the LN industry) are trying to shut down publishers of localized anime series in favor of globalized releases from Japan. (A few weeks ago, Funimation's home video and streaming rights for FMA:B and the Shamballa movie was announced to expire next month. There's also BookWalker Global.)

There's nothing ironic about it. It's part of what I'm saying.

Think about it. It's one thing for Japanese companies to accept funding from Western companies. That's good because what's lacking in the anime industry is money. But licensing is another thing entirely. When a Japanese publisher or anime producer licenses their product to a foreign company for distribution, they actually lose money. So it's a good thing that they want to distribute their own products. They should have done so from a long time ago.

[Marcus H.]

That's good because what's lacking in the anime industry is money.

When a Japanese publisher or anime producer licenses their product to a foreign company for distribution, they actually lose money. So it's a good thing that they want to distribute their own products. They should have done so from a long time ago.

Considering that some overseas publishers often suffer from issues in delivering their product (production delays, translation errors/inconsistencies, etc.) and Japanese animation companies are still suffering from quality problems, I guess it's time for Japan to get more money directly. They (the animators and original concept makers) do deserve it anyway.

[Stark700]

It's going by the name 'B: The Beginning' now.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...etflix/.117393

[Marcus H.]

Sheeit. So K, C and now B is taken. Twenty-three letters to go.

[Tenzen12]

Well Marvel and Japanese animation studios was quite productive cooperation. TV shows less then movies alrigh,t but outside of Disc wars there wasn't any explicitly bad.

That aside First squad was also great. And western world more or less manage deal wit anime material not that badly either (RWBY/Ladybug ect)

So I am quite curious how it will go this time.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Sheeit. So K, C and now B is taken. Twenty-three letters to go.

I really hate it when they just use one letter for a name. Makes it ridiculously difficult to google search.

[konart]

Originally Posted by bastek66

I don't want Westerners to mess up with anime. We watch animation for Japanese people, not western shit.

For japanese people involved in production or japanese characters?

Either way - this is pretty funny, because anime these days is heavily outsourced to korean and chinese studios and characters... well, that depends on setting, obviously.

[moodie]

Originally Posted by konart

For japanese people involved in production or japanese characters?

Either way - this is pretty funny, because anime these days is heavily outsourced to korean and chinese studios and characters... well, that depends on setting, obviously.

That's irrelevant. Having animation work outsourced doesn't take away from being a Japanese product. However having western influence in the creative process does.

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by moodie

That's irrelevant. Having animation work outsourced doesn't take away from being a Japanese product. However having western influence in the creative process does.

Eh, there's already a lot of foreigners working in the anime industry on the creative level, and they're in fact adding a lot to anime instead of taking anything away. Just to say a very recent example, both the OP and ED for Atom: The Beginning were created by foreigners. The (ridiculously awesome) OP is by Bahi JD (you also might want to check out the animator names), and the ED features cute art by Saskia Gutekunst, a German illustrator for whom it was her first anime job.

As far as I'm concerned it's when the influence happens on the executive level that the balance starts tipping. In my experience shows made specifically with western (= US, unfortunately) audience in mind have an unfortunate tendency to fall into the trap of thinking way too much about whatever they think that the US audience likes - Is it dark & edgy enough? Is it quirky and "anime-esque" enough? Are there enough OTT action scenes with gore and blood? Does it have enough tropes that (we think) US audiences like? etc. And so the creators' original ideas get compromised by this sort of meddling and the show ends up being too hackneyed or tryhard. (Unless of course the creators' original vision was "let's make a show for Amerian viewers!"...) It's not an inevitable occurrence, but in my experience it it happens more often than not.*

With actual cooperations like this... I guess in the end it depends on the creative talent involved on both sides, and their chemistry with the higher-ups. As long as the creators' vision is 1) interesting and 2) they're able to carry it out the end result might just well be great. With this show, though, the premise itself is already filling me with the exact opposite of hype.


*Not quite an example, for obvious reasons, but the way I tend to see this tryhardness is well illustrated by the Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust movie, where the English and Japanese dub versions are worlds apart - I'm talking about the script, not the voice acting, btw. One is crammed full of (eye-rollingly bad, IMO) jokes, one-liners, overwrought monologues that the poor voice actors audibly have trouble keeping up with; the other is a perfectly normal anime script. One was made for the US audience, the other for the Japanese audience. Then again, US audiences do seem to like this sort of thing, considering other dubs made for the US.
(Also, before someone tries to mention how the English version came first, no - the English dub came first. But the movie was animated for the Japanese script, that much is obvious from the lip flaps, dialog & scene lengths, etc.)

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

Well in the last few years we've had Kill la Kill and Space Dandy, which were pretty explicitly made with the US in mind, the latest Lupin which was made for Italy, and now Dimension W which is co-produced by Funimation. I'm not seeing any reason to worry.

You sure on that bit? I always thought KLK is an 80s Japan TV (Sukeban Deka, various tokusatsu) homage...