Blog Talkback: Toons of the 2000s: Anime We Hope Never Come to America

[GWOtaku]

Welcome to the talkback thread for Toons of the 2000s: Anime We Hope Never Come To America.

Ah, bad anime: truly something we can be thankful for lacking. For this feature, we take on some of the most unpromising unlicensed anime out there. May they continue to be ignored!

Many thanks to everyone who helped put this together, especially Karl Olson for his contributions.

[Beat]

Nice to see the abomination known as UG make the list, since it's the only one on the list that actually bankrupted a company. I really have to wonder who that thing was intended for.

[Juu-kuchi]

Ha, well-made list, interesting that all of them are of the loli/moe variety, which is really unneeded in this day and age. But ah if only Strike Witches and that... Witchblade or whatever (the one where you strike clothes off of scantily clad women or something) were unlicensed, I woudl assume they'd be on the list as well.

[Beat]

You're not thinking of Witchblade in regards to that second premise (Will defend Witchblade from most haters). Queen's Blade?

[Juu-kuchi]

Ain't a hater, just a confuser. Queen's Blade is what I'm talking about.

[Rud]

I must say my ignorance is incredible, i thought School Days had already been licensed a long time ago for some reason, surprise surprise.

[Karl Olson]

I await people telling me I'm a hater, even though I've given favorable reviews to other shows with similar content, but with higher-quality, less-exploitative execution.

Edit: It's already been down voted 12 times. Sweet

Edit Edit: Make that 22 times.

[Duke]

Ain't a hater, just a confuser. Queen's Blade is what I'm talking about.

Queen's Blade was licensed, so it is, in fact, coming to America.

[Juu-kuchi]

Queen's Blade was licensed, so it is, in fact, coming to America.

But recall that I said...

But ah if only Strike Witches and that... Witchblade or whatever (the one where you strike clothes off of scantily clad women or something) were unlicensed, I woudl assume they'd be on the list as well.

[Karl Olson]

Before Queen's Blade was picked up, it was on the list. That show is a new low for broadcast animation. School Days wouldn't have made if MB hadn't bought QB. Strike Witches would've been a debate as while it's just service-over-story as some of the other loli titles on the list, it feels to me atleast like it tried harder than the botched, exploitative manga adaptations that make up 3/5th of the list. We'd be better off without it, but top 5 worst of the decade? I'm skeptical.

[soundmonkey44]

Before Queen's Blade was picked up, it was on the list. That show is a new low for broadcast animation. School Days wouldn't have made if MB hadn't bought it. Strike Witches would've been a debate as while it's just service-over-story as some of the other loli titles on the list, it feels to me atleast like it tried harder than the botched, exploitative manga adaptations that make up 3/5th of the list. We'd be better off without it, but top 5 worst of the decade? I'm skeptical.

Queens Blade is a Pretty BAD series. Im suprised it got picked up for a US release, given its MB that did it, but it still stinks...


I hate the fact I live in a country where SMUT Like Queens Blade will get dubbed, & Yet I still can't get a Dub of Dr.Slump or a Rerelease of Older series Like Lupin III or Sailor moon...Its just.....SAD!

But yea, It really never should have come to the US, also I don't think too many more ecchi anime made between 2007-now should come to the US. There nothing but genaric Jugfests, At least Older ecchi shows tried to tell a story, but these newer ones just...well they don't & if they do, they usually fail at it.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I'd replace School Days with something like Queen's Blade as well. While I have no desire to buy the School Days DVDs, the ending is still unlike anything most anime fans have ever seen and while it may be a reprehensible ending, it's definitely different. It gets points for that. There are far, far, worse shows that have made it over here IMO.

[Zipp_Rezzeppa]

Are you sure this wasn't the top five unlicensed wish list from a different anime board?

P.S. Hilarious how so many people have given it a thumbs down so far.

[garfield15]

I'd be interested to see a dub for any of these shows just to see if any company could pull it off.

Yeah, I might not have put School Days in this. It's a stinker but a surpriser if anything.

[Karl Olson]

Are you sure this wasn't the top five unlicensed wish list from a different anime board?

I am very aware that certain parts of the internet may want my head on a pike now. I also find that hilarious, especially since they think it's purely a moral thing. I gave glowing reviews to Gunslinger Girl, Strawberry Marshmallow and Koi Kaze. It's not the morality, it's the quality and intent. You can loli it up all day if you're really funny or genuinely dramatic, and the same goes for any other trope or fetish. However, when your fanservice can't get out of the way of the story and characterization when it counts, you're doing it wrong.

P.S. Hilarious how so many people have given it a thumbs down so far.

Thanks /a/!

[GWOtaku]

You know what, good. Their hate means that we are pretty much dead on correct.

I'd replace School Days with something like Queen's Blade as well

You know I agree and I would have found it very difficult to overlook, but then Media Blasters had to go and license it.

Admittedly, School Days is not quite as severe a case...hence me wanting it at #5 and no higher. Still, I don't think uniqueness is enough. Innovating is great, but is it good if your innovations are maddening? I also found it a bit different type of entry from all of the moe stuff we took on.

[Karl Olson]

You know what, good. Their hate means that we are pretty much dead on correct.


You know I agree and I would have found it very difficult to overlook, but then Media Blasters had to go and license it.

Admittedly, School Days is not quite as severe a case...hence me wanting it at #5 and no higher. Still, I don't think uniqueness is enough. Innovating is great, but is it good if your innovations are maddening? I also found it a bit different type of entry from all of the moe stuff we took on.

Yeah, as our "top 5 anime we want in america" will show later, there is a way to be crazy, violent and sexual, but stick it and make it interesting.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

You know what, good. Their hate means that we are pretty much dead on correct.


You know I agree and I would have found it very difficult to overlook, but then Media Blasters had to go and license it.

Admittedly, School Days is not quite as severe a case...hence me wanting it at #5 and no higher. Still, I don't think uniqueness is enough. Innovating is great, but is it good if your innovations are maddening? I also found it a bit different type of entry from all of the moe stuff we took on.

I agree with you, I was just wondering if it really was "bottom 5 worst of 2000s" calibre bad. Oh well. I honestly don't pay too much attention to the bad anime so I won't waste time splitting hairs over what anime is worse than another. :anime:

[Undrave]

Its a fun list but... I think it would have been more fun and interesting to see bad shows that are bad for OTHER reasons you know? Its not like these shows don't deserve it but it would ahve been a more interesting exercise with more variety no?

[Karl Olson]

I agree with you, I was just wondering if it really was "bottom 5 worst of 2000s" calibre bad. Oh well. I honestly don't pay too much attention to the bad anime so I won't waste time splitting hairs over what anime is worse than another. :anime:

Truthfully, a lot of what might be considered worse made it over, oddly enough, almost exclusively because of Media Blasters. Queen's Blade, Eiken, etc. With Sentai picking up a bunch of the mediocre maid shows, the bottom of the barrel gets even thinner for unlicenced, horrible shows. A lot of faith has been put into "fanservice sells" in America, even though it doesn't if it's overpriced and/or poorly made.

I mean, I guess we could have traded it out for Sky Girls or Rizelmine, but the list is already 3/5 garbage loli titles. Plus, I atleast lol'd at Rizelmine. It knows it's messed up and runs with it for laughs. Messed up laughs, but rapid fire laughs. Sky Girls is sorta mute too since Strike Witches snuck over. The jarring rape and callous response from the male lead in Hand Maid Mai makes it a contender, but since the company that was making it went belly up, it can't come over, period.