Anime Unleashed on TechTV

da3dAlus writes "Beginning December 30, the first series of a new anime block will start on TechTV's new "Anime Unleashed" program. As billed by TechTV, "Anime Unleashed focuses on the science-fiction elements of anime--titles that imagine what our near or far future will be like, investigate the relationship between humans and machines, dream of what alien civilizations could be like, and more." The block will premiere with single half-hour episodes airing Monday through Thursday at 1am EST, followed by a two-hour block of anime on Friday from 11pm to 2am EST. Some of the series slated to be shown include Crest of the Stars, Serial Experiment Lain, Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure, Betterman, and Silent Mobius. Additionally, a contest is being held until the first of January 2003 by TechTV to create a new logo for the program."

Comments

Lain

[Andorion]

"Serial Experiment Lain"

One of the strangest series I've ever seen... It doesn't seem like something American audiences would like at ALL (lots of slow, moody scenes, lots of 'wtf is going on') but I'm glad TechTV is brave enough to carry it =)

-Berj

Re:Lain

[spice_mauve]

Yeah, the series was strange, it was slow-moving in the beginning, but it makes you think about how we are all judged by the memories ppl have about you.

Re:Lain

[aardvarkjoe]

I liked Lain -- but "deep"? Come on. It's pretty much by-the-book cyberpunk stuff. It's got a few interesting ideas, but nothing that made me say "wow" when I was done.

BUT, my favorite thing about the series was the artwork. If Van Gogh had done anime, I'm sure that Lain would have been the result. If you enjoy the artistic aspect of anime, you ought to check it out.

Why?

[K8Fan]

TechTV keeps getting further and further away from it's roots. "Thunderbirds" and now anime? What's next? A TV movie? What's wrong with being the TV network about computers and technology?

Re:Why?

[Bios_Hakr]

Remember way back in the day, when Discovery and TLC used to be all about cool shit. Remember Connections? It was 'turn on the TV and learn about the mysteries of the universe'. Now it is 'turn on the TV and watch cops chase a criminal in a homemade vehicle while some lady with bad teeth gets liposuction and her house is redecorated'.

The problem is that Connections doesn't sell anymore. And you have to be willing to put up with a weeks worth of 'On the Inside' US military propaganda in order to see the one cool show you want to see. Whatever they need to do to stay in buisness is OK with me.

The only thing I watch on TechTV is 'The Screensavers'. Well, that's not true, I also watch 'Extended Play' and some kinda musical show. I could give two shits what else they play. If they need to play reruns of 'While you were Out', so be it. So long as I still get the shows I like.

Re:Why?

[kableh]

Its roots? Whats that, taking /. and fark links and regurgitating them, all the while making us endure bad puns and horrible graphics and a total lack of production values?

Sorry. I can't stand TechTV, especially the Screen Savers. Max Headroom is good stuff though, there's something they can't fuck up too bad.

Re:Why?

[istartedi]

Remember way back in the day, when Discovery and TLC used to be all about cool shit. Remember Connections?

Boy howdy. You know what trumps Discovery and TLC now? George Mason University classes. No fooling. Some of the professors rock. I've had good reviews of stuff I learned in physics, calculus, and even economics. It's a little slow, but it's truly educational and along with the stuff that has "production value" like physics demos and slick charts/graphs you get real education.

One of the other channels I randomly surf too was running a course where you learn French just by watching videos with very little English in them. I'm not interested in this enough to actually tune in, but when I've stumbled accross it I've found myself wanting maybe to brush up on my French (4 years in highschool, long enough ago to have forgotten most of it).

Then of course there is the ARTS channel, which shows excerpts of symphonies, ballets, etc. It's almost like teasers for the classical music business, which needs all the help it can get. Honestly; orchestras really are strapped for cash. If you napster that stuff you should be shot then drawn and quartered.

Anyhow, the point is, high culture and truly educational material really can be found on cable, just not all on one channel, and not as a hugely successful commercial business.

Now let's go build some robots and smash them to see if the Brits or the Americans will win a contest. It's educational. :)

Re:Why?

[grumpygrodyguy]

TechTV keeps getting further and further away from it's roots. "Thunderbirds" and now anime?

I agree completely.

I'm still waiting for the old G-Force cartoons(known as gatchamon in Japan). Noone has them on Kazaa, they are so hard to find. But they were hands down my favorite show when I was young. Really wish I could see it again...

our animeic lives

[asliarun]

I'm glad to see we're having an animeated discussion.

they must have left out..

[domninus.DDR]

and Friday, at 2 AM EST is the Hentai hour. Featuring the best bondage, tenticles and perversion japan has to offer. ...please?

2 hours?

[nateb]

two-hour block of anime on Friday from 11pm to 2am EST

so that's 11pm cst to 2am est?

Re:2 hours?

[Zigg]

two-hour block of anime on Friday from 11pm to 2am EST

so that's 11pm cst to 2am est?

Maybe Daylight Savings Time hits in the middle?

Yeah, Sure...

[Goldberg's Pants]

I bet Tech TV Canada will stick to it's usual shit of running crappy Canadian shows and Screensavers re-runs.

We don't even get Max Headroom up here, which is fucking stupid given I think Max Headroom was ostensibly a Canadian production...

Re:Yeah, Sure...

[msobkow]

It'll never happen. Anime doesn't meet Canadian Content regs. Even if it did, you'd get the Quebecois crying that there isn't a french translation.

Re:Yeah, Sure...

[LostCluster]

In Canada, cable networks must get a license from the CRTC in order to operate, and those licenses must be specific in describing the format of the network.

TechTV Canada asked for a license based on the TechTV of 2001, which was entirely a news and infomation channel. Therefore, they declared that TechTV Canada would be entirely nonfiction programming, mainly drawing on the TechTV content from the USA, with a few additonal Canadian-made shows to satisfy the CanCon rules.

Therefore, when TechTV USA realized that the all-day TechLive format wasn't going to survive, the flagship network could change directions without having to ask for permission. Canada couldn't, so they're stuck replaying what nonfiction the USA group is producing over and over again to fill their day.

In order for Thunderbirds, Max Headroom, or Anime Unleashed to make it to Canada, they need to clear that regulartory hurdle first.

Re:Yeah, Sure...

[LostCluster]

The requirement isn't "news" but "non-fiction". Any purely fictional show is straight-out no matter what its origin.

Eye Drops always contains one profile of an artist who designs the animation that is seen in the show, therefore barely salvaging a "non-fiction" claim. TechnoGames is a made-for-TV competition, but it's not fictional at all so that works too.

I think TechTV Canada's requirement is at 20% CanCon right now, increasing 10% each year so that in its 5th year of operation they'll need to be at 50%.

Language

[__aafkqj3628]

I'm assuming that it's all English dubbed anime, bad, very bad.

Re:Language

[Genom]

Actually, Dual was pretty bad no matter what language you watch it in.

Actually, I didn't think it was *that* bad, if you take it as a pseudo-satire of Eva...Eva-Lite, if you will.

Of course, the ending completely sucked, but then again, so did the ending to .hack//Sign...

It's good thing...

[acehole]

it's good they're bringing anime to the masses that want to watch it for the artistic and entertainment vaule.

One thing that really really really gets up my nose is the uneducated trolls (to put it nicely) that whine about how Japanese Anime is nothing more than tentacle rape and hentai with gracious panty shots and fanservice inbetween.

Now for each example you'd be giving me of such things, I could come up with at least 20 or more mainstream anime that contains none of that.

It's better than the unoriginal crap that disney puts out. It's also done for entertainment with a twist on artistic value, not just an excuse to churn out merchandise.

Re:It's good thing...

[Moridineas]

What are some examples of anime that don't give fanservice? (not counting kids anime, ie pokemon, etc)

I'm just thinking of my favorite series...Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Kenshin, Love Hina ;)

Of those the least fan service would be Kenshin (pretty rare), but all the others are full of it :)

I have to take issue that disney is crap too.

and if you think they don't churn out the merchandise, you'd be wise to check out sites that do japanese imports, or go to an anime store in the states even (there are a couple near me, not a big metropolis) and see the commercialized crap--it's worse in japan too from what I understand.

Re:It's good thing...

[Golias]

Fan service on Trigun??? The only two regular female characters are always wearing heavy dusters over loose clothing.

Cowboy Bebop is also not terribly gratuitous. Yes, Fay Valentine dresses and acts kind of slutty when she is working her cons, but that's just following the "lovely pickpocket" that goes back to Lauren Bacall in "To Have or Have Not." It serves the story, not just young perverts looking for cartoon T&A.

Re:It's good thing...

[Moridineas]

Right good point, I wasn't thinking much of Trigun when I wrote my message.

That's the thing that gets me about a lot of anime though. Yes, Cowboy Bebop has great art, good storyline (honestly, I liked it while watching it, but now don't like much at all--didn't age well for me), GREAT music, yet it's got Faye too who imho is all about the T&A. And tell all the people who have Faye wallscrolls etc that it's not about the T&A ;) (myself included)

Re:It's good thing...

[Moridineas]

I haven't seen a lot of those series but one thing in my mind--I consider most of the Miyazaki works childrens. I also seem to be about the only person who didn't like Mononoke :)

As for some of those, like Kanon, I believe it was a bit racier in manga form.

You do a good list, though MOST of what you listed is not exactly what I would call mainstream (outside of jpn at least).

Another thing that strikes me (on an unrelated tangent), is that a lot of people seem to think that anime like DBZ, Pokemon, etc are driven solely be American idiots. But otoh, these series (some of them at least) have 100's of episodes and afaik are in Japanese first always--so they've got to be popular in japan too, not like all the anime that shows there is pure and good. It bothers me when there are people woh claim to like anything that is anime. That's like saying I like any American cartoon. Cowboy Bebop and Kanon are nothing alike--and neither of them are like Castle of Cagliostro. A lot of the people who claim to like all anime, imho, need to get over their japanese obession and realize that they just want to be counter-culture (less so today) or in with whatever group thinks anime is cool today (not saying this is you at all).

Another side note, what's your opinion of the artwork in Lain? I couldn't watch a single episode because I HATED the artwork. Really bothered me (I hated FLCL too).

thanks sorry for rambling :p

Re:It's good thing...

[GTRacer]

Better wake up, mouseketeers. These anime companies are getting ready to eat your lunch.

Or better yet, the Mouseketeers better look behind them because Disney is eating itself. Who has the exclusive U.S. distro rights to Miyazaki? Disney. Who has alrady released to theatres and video three of his best (IMHO, need to see more)? Disney.

Who winds up looking like shit when Dismey releases Miazaki's work? Disney.

Excluding Pixar's excellent fare, there's not much in Disney's recent catalog to be proud of. I mean, damn! I saw Spirited Away at Pleasure Island and couldn't escape the sheer vividness and variety of the character design. Or the plot. Or the atmosphere. Or the smooth high-quality ink & paint.

While I applaud Disney for bringing us such bounty, someone in the Mouse's House needs to borrow some of the DVDs...

GTRacer
- No subs for me, thank you!

Re:It's good thing...

[Genom]

I have a few friends that refise to believe anime is anything other than hentai stuff...sad, but true. Their first exposure was Urotsukidoji (aka: Overfiend), and I guess it scarred them for life.

As for the kids-crap anime...a lot of it isn't as bad as it looks on american tv. My fiancee and I kind-of got into Yugioh, mostly laughing at the "seriousness" of it all (We used to be heavily into the Magic card game, back when it was popular - we knew people who took the game as seriously as that show...and we laughed at them too ;P ). Then we decided to order some cheap subbed versions on Ebay...HUGE difference (if you can get around the sometimes-amusing "engrish" subbing job).

Evidently japanese children can understand such concepts as "mystery" and "that will be explained later" - whilst american kids get the "everything laid out" version, with extra "special effects" added in to fill the time cut out by removing any halfway-intelligent scene. Sure, the first season is all about selling cards. Lots of cards. The later seasons start to get rather odd, though...and some of the episodes are quite enjoyable in japanese.

DBZ, though, is completely mindless action. I'll agree there =)

Re:It's good thing...

[Didion Sprague]

What exactly is the problem with 'gracious panty shots?'

Re:It's good thing...

[Moridineas]

Yeah, I saw it. I had indeed gotten it mixed up thinking it was a H-manga rather than an H-sim. You're right though.

Re:It's good thing...

[Moridineas]

I don't know what it is, but the style of the people--specifically the way their faces looked in both FLCL and Lain really bothered me. I really don't know why--I do tend to like a more cartoony style I guess--Mahoromatic's style I enjoyed a lot, Love Hina of course ;) and Eva was good too. Cowboy Bebop I definitely appreciate, but it's not something I particularly like stylistically.

cheers

Narrowing it down SO much

[Robotech_Master]

"titles that imagine what our near or far future will be like, investigate the relationship between humans and machines, dream of what alien civilizations could be like, and more."

So that's, what, most of it?

anime galore

[katalyst]

I'm fond of animations, but the amount of anime out there is IMPOSSIBLE to keep track of. A question tho, how does one differentiate between conventional animation and anime? Are all japanese animations anime?? (and i aint talkin abt huntai)
I loved stuff like Robotech, Force Five features , but then I liked stuff like the Transformers too. Stuff like Dragon Ball Z didn't grab my attention. I haven't heard of these animes which TechTV is plannin to screen...

Re:anime galore

[Erik Hollensbe]

Blame the creator, not the format.

Generally the production value goes up in movie publications, but there is a lot of crap out there too, so it's hard to judge. Granted it's none of that touched up CG stuff that disney does. All animation chops framerate when possible.

Re:anime galore

[Fulcrum of Evil]

Are all japanese animations anime?

Well, anime is simply the French word for animation, so yes. It's also easier to say than Japanese Animation or the incredibly hackneyed Japanimation (Ick).

some good anime

[dav]

Serial Experiment Lain is one of the best productions of any sort that I've seen in a long time. I actually have not seen the entire series yet, but I think it is a fantastic example of cutting edge animation, and so far not a single tentacle rape scene! Tivo has been sporadically grabbing Lain episodes for me for awhile now, I might have to look into getting Tech TV just for that.

I also have come to enjoy Cowby Bebop. It's an odd mixture of sci-fi anime, westerns and late 50's jazz beat. There's a lot more to anime than what I had assumed at first. There's a lot of potential in this artistic medium that is only now surfacing in The States.

Re:some good anime

[Fulcrum of Evil]

the end of the series has the most spectacular tentacle rape scene ever.

Ah, there's no tentacle rape, just a lot of tentacles. And a big bloodshot eye.

(sort of) OT: Why?

[xanadu-xtroot.com]

Can I please ask what the big draw of Anime is? I mean the actual animation isn't terribly great (I think the OLD Transformers cartoons were drawn better), and from the little I've watched, the story lines aren't terribly great either. Is it just me that doesn't get it?

Re:(sort of) OT: Why?

[gl4ss]

trolling?

the old transformers are anime of sorts.
there's bad western cartoons too.. and few good.

but there's so much more cartoons in east, that there's more good stuff there than in western.

it's not like all anime was drawn by 1 guy. of course theres bad stuff in it when theres so much of it. some of it is done very cheaply, for little children. you except that to be comparable to stuff done with big money for adults?

Re:(sort of) OT: Why?

[gclef]

A few thoughts:
1) it depends on the anime you watch. Cowboy Bebop, for example, is worshipped because the stories are well done, and the characters interesting. Yes, there's some formulaic crap out there....don't try to tell me there's no formulaic crap on normal shows as well.
2) The stories can do things in anime that you can't do in reality...sure, you could try to do this with computer effects and real actors, but for some of the shows, it would end up almost entirely computer-generated....so why not just animate it?

Now, it's entirely possible that you just don't like animated stuff...I know a couple folks that are like that. I'm tempted to think it's some sort of disability...it helps me feel better for them.

Re:(sort of) OT: Why?

[zaren]

If I may continue on a theme:

Can I please ask what the big draw of football is?
Can I please ask what the big draw of Quake is?
Can I please ask what the big draw of professional wrestling is?

Different things appeal to different people. That's the way it's always been. Some people "get it", some don't.

And as it's been pointed out in another response, you've watched "little" anime - possibly some snippets of DragonBall Z, Transformers, Pokemon, maybe some Yu-Gi-Oh! (the last two are crappy examples of anime, IMHO) - so it's possible that you might have about as much of a base to form an opinion about anime as people that haven't seen pro wrestling since the days of The Ultimate Warrior have to base an opinion about modern wrestling - another entertainment form that I frequently have to defend :p (Run-on sentence? I excel at those here... :)

I highly recommend tuning into Cartoon Network's Adult Swim to check out shows like Cowboy Bebop (or rent something like Trigun or Lain) for some higher quality animation and writing.

Re:(sort of) OT: Why?

[freeweed]

Anime is just like any other art form out there: some people like it, most people don't. The 'big draw' you refer to is that Anime fans tend to be rather fanatic about it, so you hear a lot more about it than you normally would - and when you do hear about it, you hear it LOUD.

The Anime community here is also composed primarily of two groups of people:

1 - those that got into it in the 80s/early 90s, when very little was available in North America. Here you get the 'I discovered this before anyone else did' superiority complex. A decade ago, Anime was hands down the best animation being produced anywhere in the world - it was certainly a style never seen in the west. Now that it's a lot more recognized over here, these folks have the edge by being on the bandwagon first (a la 'I listened to band X years before they had a top40 hit').

2 - those that got into it more recently, and are on the 'Anime is like cartoons for adults' trip. Because we all know a lot of violence and sex, and vaguely mature themes, make for adults-only entertainment. Again you get a bit of a superiority complex here, as to this group, anyone who doesn't like Anime 'doesn't get it'. A lot of these folks also haven't been exposed to a very broad range of entertainment, so they compare their favourite Anime to Friends and proclaim "everything made by the west sucks! look how shallow it is! in Anime, the characters question their motives.. sometimes!".

Oh, and for the anime-loving mods who just want to mod this as a troll, let me state for the record that I am a proud memeber of group #1 :)

aliens?

[lingqi]

I may not be *the* most avid Anime-fan out there (but I do live in Japan so maybe that should raise the credibility somewhat?), but it really does not seem to me that anime discusses much about aliens / civilizations and our relationships with them.

I mean, I think the genre can be categorized into a few (rough) parts, but non of them are really the "explore new land meet new people" sort of (startrek like, I suppose) way.

I mean, the only ones I can think of on top of my head that goes near the subject is:
1) Robotech (actually a soap opera and you know it)
2) Nadesico (which is anime talking about anime - but the aliens turned out to be human (oops did I spoil this?) who are all anime freaks)
3) pokemon / and the like (but that's no alien civilization now, right?)
4) sex-starved monsters (won't get into this)

What I am trying to say is that anime to me, at least, seem to use "aliens and their civilizations" more often as a background story than as a focus. Besides most of the "alien (read: forign / non-human biological)" stuff is usually mystical (magical powers, etc) rather than factual.

but there are a lot of human's relationship with technology / machines. Ghost in the Shell, Zoujin-Z, Lain, just to name a few "on the mark" ones.

just my 2 yen.

Re:by definition...

[bryanp]

You don't think that Chobits and El Hazard are SF? Chobits with androids available for public purchase in streetcorner windows? El Hazard with "Priestesses" who get their powers from ancient hi-tech that has been inherited? Or a "villain" who is just powerful ancient tech herself?

Okay, okay. So they're powerful sexy androids. :) This is anime after all.

Now the true f'ed up thing is me. I'm watching Chobits and I'm supposed to be wanting a Chii, right? No. I want a little Sumomo. The first time I saw her I thought "Damn but she'd make pulling cable through ceilings easy." I had a mental image of Sumomo with a miners helmet and a flashlight pulling fiber through ceilings and conduits. :)

Someone has to take over for SciFi

[msobkow]

Seeing as SciFi has decided to become the "schlock horror flick of the week" channel, someone has to pick up the slack. It's good to see TechTV doing something other than running the same half hour show (e.g. Extended Play) 3-4 times per day.

Besides, how many techs are into anime? How many "regular" people are into anime? So TechTV is catering to a significant segment of their audience, while other stations would be catering to the fringes to try the same thing.

Not on basic cable here

[dieman]

I figure the extra $25 dollars they want for it is worth me buying DVD's instead.

Anime == Geek culture

[MamasGun]

Actually I think that this new Anime bloc on TechTV is great. I have been waiting for someone to pick up Serial Experiments: Lain, and was actually hoping that MTV would be the ones to do it. However, TechTV is a great venue for this to show up on. Lain in particular is all about the same stuff that is TechTV's stock in trade: it's all about people's place in a world of accelerating technology.

Now if they'd pick up .hack...that would rock. Plenty of room for the kind of synergies they love there, especially when you consider that Sony is putting out a translated .hack MMRPG this coming year. Extended Play, anyone? .hack on The Screensavers' LAN Party (powered by NVidia)? It would be a suit's dream.

I'd also like to see Excel Saga there, but I doubt it would fit the TechTV format. Actually I can't think of a cable channel off-hand where it would fit. Comedy Central? Too wild for them. Sundance? IFC? Maybe there, but I've never seen Anime on either. Oh well.

Non-H Anime

[Fulcrum of Evil]

Evangelion gives fanservice? More like a donkey punch followed by a boot to the head. Sure, there's implied nudity (like when we meet Asuka), but it's always followed by something depressing or violent. Not a lot of fun.

Now, if you want anime without excessive, or even any fan-service, it does exist:

• Gasaraki: Military intrigue mixed with bullshit science and japanese legends.
• Inu-Yaasha: didn't see the whole thing, but it seems more concerned with doing a coming-of-age story with a mythological backdrop.
• Escaflowne: shoujou-mech crossover
• Excel Saga: Depends on the episode, as each episode parodies a different subgenre of manga.
• Kare Kano (aka his & Her Circumstance): (Each episode begins with a message about proper viewing habits) romantic comedy. more sappy than anything else.
• (just for fun) Geobreeders: They're cats, so it doesn't count.

and if you think they don't churn out the merchandise, you'd be wise to check out sites that do japanese imports.

Sturgeons law: 90% of anything is crap. Yes, there's a great big pile of stuff that's utter garbage. There's also a smaller pile of stuff (like Seraphim Call) that's got a marginal audience. There's also a lot of really good stuff. About half of the stuff I like comes from Gainax.

Re:Honestly i am just sick of Disney's....

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I really haven't seen the anime makes it to Cartoon Network these days, but, IMO, the USA cartoons of late simply don't look good to me. The Tenchi, BeBop and Outlaw Star on CN looks better to me than most of anything else I've seen on there, except for the cartoon classics, I suppose. The recent USA stuff sometimes makes Simpsons look like high art. YuGiOh and some other anime does look like crap.

BTW, I do like Simpsons, Futurama and did like the one episode of Invader Zim that I caught, I guess the last two are on CN.

I guess animation in general is just crap, but I don't mind so much as I can and do pick and choose what I watch.

As for animation vs. drawing style, I guess I prefer good drawing style animated not so well than a simpler drawing style animated well.

Ha! Good luck.

[jcsehak]

A whole season of The Simpsons (22 episodes) is $40. The complete Cowboy Bebop (26 episodes) is $100. Escaflowne (or the first season of Farscape for that matter) is $150. Okay, you win--I won't watch your goddamn show.

Obviously, any anime/sci-fi fan is freakishly addicted and will buy a DVD at any cost. No need to price our shows low enough to be attractive to the casual buyer. We have no faith in our product. Suck them dry, dammit!

Unleashed???

[istartedi]

I think maybe I'll wait for "Learn Anime in 21 Days".

Re:Lain artwork

[Moridineas]

I can't 100% put my finger on what I didn't like or why, but I think it was the way faces are drawn. Really bothers me. I know that bothered me in FLCL.