2k3 in Japan

[AquaParade]

Well most of us know now that Japan will be getting the 2k3 series sometime soon...I'm sure someone on here knows when, but its slipped my mind. My question is, how well received do you think it will be down there? I could see the show doing pretty well, and that could actually mean a lot for the tmnt. I could see a Japansese TMNT show coming out of this a little later on...lets just hope it would be done right. But anyways, ya, how do you guys think 2k3 will do in Japan?

[AquaParade]

hmm kinda surprised no one has anything to say about this.

[Spitfire]

From experience most of if not all Asian people I have met hate TMNT. And I say Asian because every race, Chinese, Viet, Korean, actually haven't talked to a Japanese person about it yet but all those people of those races I talked to dislike or out right hate the turtles.

Their #1 reason is
"Their not really ninja like"

Coming from a group of people that ALL like anime*the people I talk to I mean* I think they just don't like it because it has a plot that makes sense and character development.

[AquaParade]

Bummer :/ hope it still does well over there though, the more fans the better. Maybe if it is well received there we could get more 2k3 over here. I could see though why they would be even more bothered then me by the un-ninjaness of the tmnt sometimes though. But yes...2k3 is loads better than most animes i have seen.

[Fledermaus]

Hmm... I wouldn't say TMNT 2k3 is better than most animes -- and maybe you need to see a little more -- but it is very different, I think, from general Japanese taste. Here, we want our characters to act and to move with personality. In Japan, I notice that while "fluidity" may be present (i.e. "Appleseed" and yeah, even Miyazaki films...) in the animation, no one really moves or acts in a unique way from the other characters.

They make up for this by meticulously crafting every frame of the animation to design perfection. I think most people over there care more for design, sparkles, and hiroshima-esque explosions. Stories and animation quality don't seem as important as how many details anime-tors can cram onto a still frame to dazzle us with glittering, or twitching lights, flowing hair and robes that are meant to impress and show off the ethereal beauty of the characters, or how sad yet poignantly beautiful they can make a character look.

TMNT does not do well in any of these areas. Not only will it feel look foreign to Japan -- it is, as we know, culturally inaccurate. They won't like the fact that Splinter is dressed like a corpse -- the right over left fashion was sometimes worn by Korean military officials, but in Japan this means the wearer of the garment is dead. And ninjas were not samurai.:|

Now the rest of Asia pretty much still hates Japan for still taking pride in their past, including the era in which they committed atrocities that even the Nazis did not do. They seem to have no problem with Japanese pop culture, but mention the past... ESPECIALLY ninjas, who often committed some of the most atrocious acts for the military... and the walls go up.

But if I remember correctly though... non-Japanese Asians seem to like TMNT pretty well, even with ninja still in the title. The kids don't remember what ninja were really like, so they are more open to the characters. I remember watching a show with my mom and a little boy gets interviewed by some reporter who is talking about renaissance art. He asks the kid if he knows who Michelangelo is. The kid responds excitedly: "Ninja Turtle!!!"

A little sad, but there you go.;) I think the show could be successful in any asian country except Japan, and except North Korea...

[Krang]

From experience most of if not all Asian people I have met hate TMNT. And I say Asian because every race, Chinese, Viet, Korean, actually haven't talked to a Japanese person about it yet but all those people of those races I talked to dislike or out right hate the turtles.

Their #1 reason is
"Their not really ninja like"
I don't think the opinions of a few non-Japanese Asian people living in America is a good indication of how well the cartoon will do in Japan. How about the fact that the original TMNT cartoon had three separate Japanese dubs? Or the fact that Japanese viewers were amused enough by it to create an OVA series based on it? Or the fact that the 2K3 cartoon will be airing on a prominent channel in a very prominent time slot? While I wouldn't go as far to say that the TMNT are popular in Japan, I would definitely say that they have a decent-sized fanbase there.

Coming from a group of people that ALL like anime*the people I talk to I mean* I think they just don't like it because it has a plot that makes sense and character development.
:roll: I can think of several anime series that have great plots and plenty of character development. Please don't stereotype.

[DrSpengler]

I honestly don't know how well American cartoons do in Japan. I hear their rather ethnocentric these days when it comes to animation; disliking most foreign cartoons and viewing their own as superior. But that's mostly "HE TELL ME!" so pay it little mind.

When I was over there, from what I could tell, most foreign cartoons were relagated to Cartoon Network Japan. On all the channels I watched I never once caught a non-Japanese cartoon.

They seem to view any and ALL American animation as children's material, though. In all the DVD stores I went into, all the American cartoons were located in the kid's section, including shows like the Simpsons.

[AquaParade]

They seem to view any and ALL American animation as children's material, though. In all the DVD stores I went into, all the American cartoons were located in the kid's section, including shows like the Simpsons.

Hey, thats really interesting:lol:

[The Master Meglomaniac]

I honestly don't know how well American cartoons do in Japan. I hear their rather ethnocentric these days when it comes to animation; disliking most foreign cartoons and viewing their own as superior. But that's mostly "HE TELL ME!" so pay it little mind.

When I was over there, from what I could tell, most foreign cartoons were relagated to Cartoon Network Japan. On all the channels I watched I never once caught a non-Japanese cartoon.

They seem to view any and ALL American animation as children's material, though. In all the DVD stores I went into, all the American cartoons were located in the kid's section, including shows like the Simpsons.

I think BTAS (which inspired the anime Big O) and Beast Wars (which recieved its own anime spin off in Japan) did well in Japan and I know they love Disney animated films. So its true that Japan does have a sense of cultural superiority towards the West, I believe they have enjoyed some of the better cartoon series that were made in America.

Of course one must consider the irony of Japan dubing a 4Kids cartoon. Perhaps in a ironic twist, the Japanese dub will completely butcher the show. Now Shredder is called "Spike Dude", he has sent Hamato Yoshi to the Shadow Realm and April is given a random Japanese name. Plus every episode with Stockman is cut out, so they don't have to deal with the whole "losing body parts" issue. :lol:

Seriously isn't ironic that TMNT has more Japanese content then any of the animes 4kids dubs?

[Drtooth]

Now the rest of Asia pretty much still hates Japan for still taking pride in their past, including the era in which they committed atrocities that even the Nazis did not do. They seem to have no problem with Japanese pop culture, but mention the past... ESPECIALLY ninjas, who often committed some of the most atrocious acts for the military... and the walls go up.

Funny thing about Japan, though... they're more willing to recall their past with the Nazis than the Germans. Why do I say this? Remember that Cartoon almost everyone in the site hated, Ultimate Muscle? 2 of the characters in the original 80's version were nazis. I am not making this up. Just wanted to point that out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken_Jr.


Of course one must consider the irony of Japan dubing a 4Kids cartoon. Perhaps in a ironic twist, the Japanese dub will completely butcher the show. Now Shredder is called "Spike Dude", he has sent Hamato Yoshi to the Shadow Realm and April is given a random Japanese name. Plus every episode with Stockman is cut out, so they don't have to deal with the whole "losing body parts" issue.

Well, considering that, wouldn't Japanese censors reedit the shows to bulk up adult themes? That would totally be a 180! I really do find it odd this is the first time they had a product they actually export to Japan!

All I wonder is if they rerecord the theme song to be as menacing as they did with the old series. I would love to have an MP3 file of their version of this themesong. I bet Krang would like it too, to put somewhere on the site.

Anyway, I wonder if it will fare well do to the content. How the series isn'
t as carefree as the older series they had. Or would it work better due to their style of animation. That's going to be the really interresting thing.

[DrSpengler]

Well, Dong Woo has animated quite a few Japanese shows, primarily as in-betweeners. Also, a few of their American cartoons, like Teen Titans and The Batman have been exported to Japan via Cartoon Network. So I don't think the animation style of Ninja Turtles will be too off-putting.

I think perhaps the biggest problem is that right now in Japan there's a HUGE "ninja" obsession going on, probably thanks to Naruto. There are tons of ninja shows on over there right now and there's a distinct possibility that TMNT will just get overlooked as "just another ninja show" and possibly even FURTHER ovrlooked because its American.

[The Master Meglomaniac]

Funny thing about Japan, though... they're more willing to recall their past with the Nazis than the Germans. Why do I say this? Remember that Cartoon almost everyone in the site hated, Ultimate Muscle? 2 of the characters in the original 80's version were nazis. I am not making this up. Just wanted to point that out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken_Jr.




Well, considering that, wouldn't Japanese censors reedit the shows to bulk up adult themes? That would totally be a 180! I really do find it odd this is the first time they had a product they actually export to Japan!

All I wonder is if they rerecord the theme song to be as menacing as they did with the old series. I would love to have an MP3 file of their version of this themesong. I bet Krang would like it too, to put somewhere on the site.

Anyway, I wonder if it will fare well do to the content. How the series isn'
t as carefree as the older series they had. Or would it work better due to their style of animation. That's going to be the really interresting thing.


I was just kidding, 4kids is infamous for dubing Japanese cartoons and taking out anything that can be seen as violent, often leaving a cartoon that makes no sense. I was poking fun that. Seriously its weird, TMNT had more violence and Japanese content than any anime 4kids has dubbed, I'm sure if the 2k3 series was dubbed in Japan they would likely make Baxter swear at shredder or something.

[TerranigmaFreak]

From experience most of if not all Asian people I have met hate TMNT. And I say Asian because every race, Chinese, Viet, Korean, actually haven't talked to a Japanese person about it yet but all those people of those races I talked to dislike or out right hate the turtles.

Their #1 reason is
"Their not really ninja like"

Coming from a group of people that ALL like anime*the people I talk to I mean* I think they just don't like it because it has a plot that makes sense and character development.

What? Are you kidding me? The TMNT were at least a huge hit in both HK and mainland China back in the day. Hong Kong got the show first, then China got it a few years later. I can't say the same for other places, but the TMNT were indeed a very big hit in China.

[Drtooth]

I was just kidding, 4kids is infamous for dubing Japanese cartoons and taking out anything that can be seen as violent, often leaving a cartoon that makes no sense. I was poking fun that. Seriously its weird, TMNT had more violence and Japanese content than any anime 4kids has dubbed, I'm sure if the 2k3 series was dubbed in Japan they would likely make Baxter swear at shredder or something.

That was my joke... instead of making the show more subtible for US audiences, they'd make it less suitable.

Anyway, I don't see how American stuff is universally dispised in Japan at all. Sesame Street (for example) they LOVE over there. In fact, they made a Japanese coproduction with new characters and it actually did worse than the original American episodes.

Tiny Toons also made it big somehow, as did Powerpuff Girls, Snoopy and (oddly) South Park... maybe because they have the same style of cuteness Hello Kitty has. I can think of several times I saw Snoopy without a mouth.

Not to mention anything Disney.


But here's the big question...

Will they open up to a different tone of turtles? Will they enjoy the original series more, being confused with the new plot lines and different TMNT personalities? Or will they embrace it's grittier edge? Will there be a crappy OVA based on the new series that rips off Japanese shows for no apparent reason (like how episode 2 of the second one copied Saint Seyia)?

And most importantly, will they have kickass Japanese 2k3 merchandise, like candy figurines?