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Want Anime Network on Your Cable System?
ccnull writes "The Anime Network has launched a "tell your cable company to carry this station!" campaign on its web site. Just enter your ZIP code at the top of the site's home page (it looks like a banner ad) and you'll be that much closer to Samurai X 24/7. In case you hadn't heard, the network launched in late 2002." No support via DirecTV. I filled out the form already- I crave this channel.
Oh, but I forgot. People would rather bitch and moan than take some initiative.
Jeez, if people don't like anime, they don't have to watch it. There are, what, more than a hundred channels on cable now? And over 500 on satellite? I'm sure there's something your parent poster can find that will make him happy.
"People should be allowed to keep midgets as pets."
- Gov. Jesse Ventura
I'm sorry, but as must as I respect educational channels on television, a 24 hour mathematics channel seems to be devoid of almost any entertainment value. Solving differential equations has nowhere near the entertainment value of say, a series on African wildlife. Your remark on childish TV comics is justified with a great amount of anime. I can't say Dragonball Z or Yu-Yu Hakusho is much more than an excuse for violence. But like in most cases, generalizations can often be proven wrong and proves for a weak argument. Take Rurouni Kenshin on Cartoon Network. Before watching the show I had no idea what the Meiji era was, or what Japan was like in the 1800's. I came out of watching the show with a good deal of knowledge about the Tokugawa and Meiji eras of Japan. Then there are animes like Graveyard of the Fireflies, or many of the films by Miyazaki. These are anything but "childish TV comics", and have a maturity that many stateside films lack. Also, i doubt that watching anime cripples one's ability to read in any way. It is my experience that a good deal of anime fans read on a regular basis, though I'll admit many of them read science-fiction or philosophy for the most part. On the other hand, among those I know that rarely read for recreation, almost all of them never watch or have even heard of anime. I'd have to say I would enjoy a 24-hour anime channel much more than the vast amount of crap on television right now.
Just a guess, but I'd bet most of them prefer the romantic soap-operatic stuff (eg: another post mentions Maison Ikkoku) rather than the giant transforming space robots and sailor suited magical teens attacked by tentacle-things.
I'm male, but personally I can't stand most anime fans because they're just in it for the multifaceted over-the-topness that many animes feature. I used to go to a club movie day, watch the Gunsmith Cats and go home...
Over here, in England (and I guess the rest of Europe), Cartoon Network did exactly that: they call it CNX. It has the complete ToonAmi line-up, and then some; all the Adult Swim stuff (although it was never called that over here); and a load of other stuff that suits its (I hate to say this) key-demo' perfectly (somewhat questionable asian action B-movies, that Swimsuit Edition thing, etc...)
Christopher Harrison
The fault of the stigmatation of animation as kids stuff lays not so much with Disney, as with childrens programming on TV. Animation was much cheaper then any alternatives. That is why Saturday morning TV has historicly been dominated by crude animation. Everyone in the US has grown up with this shit. Disney is also constrained by the radical Christian Right, who watch them like a beat cop watching a begger, looking for any excuse to rail them out of town. Remember the furor over "The Lion King", "Aladin", and "Pochihontis", not to mention Disneys ownership of Touchstone. Disney does in fact do a good job of producing bi-level films. I realy enjoyed "Lilo and Stich". As far as Anime, I think even the kid stuff is more mature in some regards then what would be done in the US. A very good example of this is "The Return of Mewtoo". I am not to sure why this is so. It might be due to the unimaginative marketing droids that have been responsible for most kids programming in the US. Fortunatly this has changed with no going back. Disneys "Gargoyls" had some fairly deep stories and some well developed characters. The Cartoon Network has done wonders. I am addicted to "Samarai Jack" even though it is episodic. But there is still a lot of crap like "G.I.Joe" and "The Justice League" (the later has some hope). Even the monster of the week Anime like "Dragonball Z", "Yu Yu Hakisho", and "Yu Gi Oh" have better character development then these. BTW, there has been a measurable amount of Animation targeting adults in the US. For example, "Wizards", "Fritz the Cat", "Lord of the Rings", all from Ralph Bakshi, in addition to the "Heavy Metal" movies.
Um. The english closed caption would TRANSCRIBE the horrible dubbing, not the actual subtitles.
You do realize that an American TV signal can carry up to four caption channels, don't you? Put English dubtitles on caption 1 and the real English subtitles on caption 2, and then put Japanese audio on SAP, and you've satisfied most viewers.
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