Welcome to another bad news addition of this blog! I'm your Navigator Richard J., the seething evil at the bottom of your sneakers has nothing on me.
So, as you may have heard, Bandai Entertainment has licensed Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens. Of course, they didn't license it for you dub fans out there. Just for sub fans.
Shh, Bandai doesn't want you to know they're in financial trouble and sources say they'll be under in less than two years! (Note: Those sources are the voices in my head.)
See this article for some gibberish on the subject.
I'll summarize for you with quotes (and commentary) here:
Ken Iyadomi, President of Bandai Entertainment Inc. says the DVDs will be sold exclusively at Rightstuf.com and Amazon Marketplace. (Note: This is because they'll be producing extremely small runs, so expect EVEN MORE of disc failage as they seek the least expensive producers!)
“We hope fans will support our effort to bring this series to them on the day we announced the acquisition.”
Yeah, you're not supporting me as a fan so, I won't support you!
“This is our way of answering the challenges of a changing marketplace to see how streaming episodes helps DVD and we are making both available at the same time to beat bootleggers who are hurting the industry just as much as the illegal downloaders.”
Translation: We're desperate and we're selling legal versions of the cheaper sub-only bootlegs, hope you like our subs better than that subbing group you've been watching all along!
“North American anime companies have suffered unexpected heavy returns from general market retailers in recent years but if we can sell moderate quantities exclusively online where no sales returns exist, I believe we can acquire more anime for the US market to be released in this pattern. This is a very different business model and a new challenge."
Translation: As long as the idiots at the online retailers don't start cutting back on their orders we can. . . oh shit!
Yeah, take a moment and think about this my friends. This is literally a top officer of a company saying that they will be relying on minimal sales and orders that won't be shipped back to them. Now, take a moment and ask yourself this: What's to stop Rightstuf and Amazon from simply cutting the size of their orders? What if Bandai doesn't sell "moderate quantities?" What if the online retailers go "hmm, this companies stuff isn't selling like it used to, lets cut our orders?"
What happens to Bandai Entertainment then? Well, I'm sure Mr. Iyadomi doesn't quite know since apparently he doesn't realize sales will be even less without dubs.
Of course, I know lots of people are swooning over this move! NO MORE DUB TAX!
Those fans, of course, will largely just stick to fansubs and "imports." This is the problem, catering to fans who aren't buying already. Makes sense in an insane way I guess.
Let me run down a list of things Bandai Entertainment has done wrong lately. Not couting Bandai Visual being allowed to exist since that wasn't their choice, though it damaged their brand.
First: Inconsistent dub choices. Bandai used a variety of studios for dubbing, some favored by fans some not so much. They also changed studios for several projects related to earlier ones. For instance, the use of Ocean for the Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex compilation DVDs. Not a big deal at the time but telling.
Second: DVDs that didn't work. I think we can all remember discovering multiple Bandai DVDs that just plain didn't work. I was fortunate enough to have a simple and basic enough DVD player that I didn't have most of the problems others did. However, we remember the Code Geass DVDs that wouldn't play and that's just one series. One series with many releases. Which brings me to my next point. . . .
Third: Multiple SKU releases of the same title (Note: This is why they got so many of their titles returned from retailers.) Bandai released standard editions, limited editions and even re-releases of the same series at the same time. They flooded retail shelves at a time when anime fans weren't even sure their DVDs would play! (Also remember that the Geneon Panic was going on not too long ago.)
Fourth: LE items people didn't want. Lucky Star comes to mind instantly. Now, I bought the Lucky Star LEs because I wanted the CDs and the crayon art covers. (Wow, I got screwed in the end didn't I? No volume 6 LE at all! Thanks Bandai!) The T-shirts were horrible. I have yet to see anyone who liked the T-shirts.
And all of these things are only related to DVD releases. Behind the scenes, we know they had to absorb the financial problems of Bandai Visual when the two were merged and that Bandai in Japan is in trouble. (Note the creation of a specific department at the parent company just for Gundam. The rest of their anime will eventually cease to exist, mark my words.)
Essentially, Bandai Entertainment, in my opinion, screwed themselves and is now saying to English dub fans "screw you." Well, personally speaking, I say "no sale" to them.
Which, given the state they are in, might be a death sentence.
I admit, I'm going to be a little bit of a hypocrite and finish some English dubbed Bandai titles like Lucky Star (just volume 6, if I can't fight the urge to see it I'll DOWNLOAD the OVA! Hah! Take that Bandai!) Code Geass R2 and assorted Gundams.
I'm sad and disappointed I won't get to buy Haruhi's new episodes from them (trust me, they won't be dubbed without a TV deal unless they sold a lot better than I think they did.) I'm depressed that yet another anime company has decided to marginalize themselves.
Apparently, this dub will never talk about any anime that isn't coming out of Funimation or VIZ the way things are going. (Heck, if rumors turn out to be true, I could end up talking more about Media Blasters than Bandai Entertainment! How twisted is that?)
Well, that's it for this ranting rant of rantiness edition of Blog of a Heritcal Dub Lover. Let me know what you thought of my thoughts and if you think I'm being too harsh or not harsh enough. (Before anyone starts crying "niche is niche and must be sub-only, I point you toward Funimation. You just try and tell me Sasami Magical Girls Club is mainstream.)
Bye-ni!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Manga Review: Bamboo Blade.
Manga Review # 001
Title: Bamboo Blade
MSRP: US $ 10.99 (CAN $ 11.99)
Hello again my few and scrappy fans! I'm your Navigator Richard J., deranged and twisted as ever.
Today I am reviewing Bamboo Blade by writer Masahiro Totsuka and artist Aguri Igarashi! This one is a lot of fun and quite lovely. Here's the manga front to back!
The front cover features our heroine, Tama-chan!
The back cover does too as well as Kojiro-sensei but more on him later!
Now, on to the main event! As you know, we here at Blog of A Heretical Dub Lover like to have special guests for reviews and this one is no exception!
However, my guest reviewer is late getting here. (She probably overslept.) So I'll start us off!
First, let me tell you about this manga! Bamboo Blade is the story of Kojiro, a teacher at Muroe Private Senior High School. He's lax, not very pulled together and, as a fellow teacher describes him "an enthusiastic, sort of dim-witted teacher" who may be able to "shake things up."
Kojiro is also the comedy relief of the series. In spades.
The series starts, however, with our heroine Tamaki Kawazoe. After showing off her Kendo skills briefly, we switch to Kojiro as he makes a bet with his sempai, a fellow teacher. They will take their respective Kendo clubs' female members and conduct a match. If Kojiro wins, he gets a year's worth of free-sushi from his sempai's father's restaurant! (What does Kojiro give up if he loses? You'll have to read to find out!)
Realizing only afterward that he has only two girls in his Kendo club, the hyper Kirino Chiba and the ever-absent Saya, he quickly comes to the conclusion that it's time for new recruits! Unfortunately, his sudden EXTREME enthusiasm for Kendo scares people more than anything else but he soon learns of Tama-chan from Nakata, a boy who wants to join! She's a childhood friend and someone he's tried to get to join school Kendo clubs before.
Tama-chan lives at a dojo and sees Kendo as more of a chore than anything else. However, it's a chore she's mastered. Without breaking a sweat, she can take down anyone. Kojiro tries to gain her membership but her complete lack of interest early on may mean his dream of easy sushi might not come true!
Bamboo Blade is a well-balanced mix of slice-of-life, comedy and Kendo badass-ary. The fight scenes are extremely energetic and very well drawn in my opinion. The humorous moments with Kojiro are spastic enough to easily draw a laugh. However, what makes this series worth reading are the quiet moments.
One of my favorite scenes is a simple one. Tama-chan had tried to record a show but recorded a comedy routine instead. As she watches it anyway, she gets a little smile on her face. It's just a few panels but that smile tells you so much about her. It's also a decided contrast from her Kendo stance face, which would be at home on Musashi Miyamoto.
This is a Yen Press title so you can expect color pages. This series is no exception from the norm. Here's the lovely color page (the next page is also color but it's a table of contents, not a nice shot of Tama-chan so who cares right?)
Also, the paper quality is good, the pictures are very clear with stand out ink, even in shade and line heavy scenes of Kendo. The writing is fluid and easy to get into. Another quality product from a quality company.
The character designs are distinctive within the manga, meaning you can easily tell characters apart. More attention is given to the cute girls in this manga but don't underestimate the men. Kojiro and Nakata each get to look good and the first not-so-nice character gets multiple images of his SADIST face.
The contrast between expressions in general in this series is quite well done. The characters are very expressive, even Tama-chan in her own stoic way.
I already mentioned that the writing can pull you in. It also has a flowing plot that advances at a natural pace. The jokes don't feel out of place and the characters have plenty of personality.
Ah! My special guest has just arrived! What the heck kept you?
Yurie Hitotsubashi: Sorry. I fell asleep.
Richard J.: Why do you have a cat in your hands?
Yurie: This is Tama-chan. I thought you wanted to review her.
Richard J.:. . . .
Yurie: I'm just being silly. Please, let me start by introducing the characters now!
Richard J.: Well, I kinda did that but okay.
Yurie: Thanks! Here is Kojiro-sensei. He's in it for the sushi. He's our debt-ridden hero.
Yurie: This is Tama-chan. She's our disinterested heroine and goddess of victory!
Yurie: Here with have Kirino. She reminds me of my friend Matsuri. She's our energetic heroine!
Yurie: Oh, here's a Kendo scene from the manga.
Yurie: That's all!
Richard J.: Wait, aren't you leaving out a character? Where's Miya-miya?
Yurie: Oh. . . um. . . do I have to? I do, don't I.
Yurie: I'm glad I'm on this side of the manga. She scares me. She's our dark goddess of victory?
Richard J.: Thanks for the helping hand Yurie!
Yurie: Thank you for inviting me! Kamichu!
Will our heroine's heroic fighting spirit be awakened? Will she join the club and use her bamboo blade to kick some villain's butt? Will any other girls join? What does Kojiro's sempai want if he loses? Who is the mysterious Saya? Who is Miya-miya?
Find out most of the answers in the first volume of Bamboo Blade!
Also, check out the anime when Funimation releases it! 26 episodes of Kendo and cute girls! (You can also find more of Yurie by checking out Kamichu!, once available from Geneon but now coming at you from the same awesome company bringing us the Bamboo Blade anime!
The first volume of the manga is available now Robert's Anime Corner Store, The Right Stuf, Amazon and Books-a-Million! Don't hesitate to buy this one folks!
Oh, since no one entered, no one won the contest for the Afro Samurai Resurrection DVD.
Bye-ni!
Title: Bamboo Blade
MSRP: US $ 10.99 (CAN $ 11.99)
Hello again my few and scrappy fans! I'm your Navigator Richard J., deranged and twisted as ever.
Today I am reviewing Bamboo Blade by writer Masahiro Totsuka and artist Aguri Igarashi! This one is a lot of fun and quite lovely. Here's the manga front to back!
The front cover features our heroine, Tama-chan!
The back cover does too as well as Kojiro-sensei but more on him later!
Now, on to the main event! As you know, we here at Blog of A Heretical Dub Lover like to have special guests for reviews and this one is no exception!
However, my guest reviewer is late getting here. (She probably overslept.) So I'll start us off!
First, let me tell you about this manga! Bamboo Blade is the story of Kojiro, a teacher at Muroe Private Senior High School. He's lax, not very pulled together and, as a fellow teacher describes him "an enthusiastic, sort of dim-witted teacher" who may be able to "shake things up."
Kojiro is also the comedy relief of the series. In spades.
The series starts, however, with our heroine Tamaki Kawazoe. After showing off her Kendo skills briefly, we switch to Kojiro as he makes a bet with his sempai, a fellow teacher. They will take their respective Kendo clubs' female members and conduct a match. If Kojiro wins, he gets a year's worth of free-sushi from his sempai's father's restaurant! (What does Kojiro give up if he loses? You'll have to read to find out!)
Realizing only afterward that he has only two girls in his Kendo club, the hyper Kirino Chiba and the ever-absent Saya, he quickly comes to the conclusion that it's time for new recruits! Unfortunately, his sudden EXTREME enthusiasm for Kendo scares people more than anything else but he soon learns of Tama-chan from Nakata, a boy who wants to join! She's a childhood friend and someone he's tried to get to join school Kendo clubs before.
Tama-chan lives at a dojo and sees Kendo as more of a chore than anything else. However, it's a chore she's mastered. Without breaking a sweat, she can take down anyone. Kojiro tries to gain her membership but her complete lack of interest early on may mean his dream of easy sushi might not come true!
Bamboo Blade is a well-balanced mix of slice-of-life, comedy and Kendo badass-ary. The fight scenes are extremely energetic and very well drawn in my opinion. The humorous moments with Kojiro are spastic enough to easily draw a laugh. However, what makes this series worth reading are the quiet moments.
One of my favorite scenes is a simple one. Tama-chan had tried to record a show but recorded a comedy routine instead. As she watches it anyway, she gets a little smile on her face. It's just a few panels but that smile tells you so much about her. It's also a decided contrast from her Kendo stance face, which would be at home on Musashi Miyamoto.
This is a Yen Press title so you can expect color pages. This series is no exception from the norm. Here's the lovely color page (the next page is also color but it's a table of contents, not a nice shot of Tama-chan so who cares right?)
Also, the paper quality is good, the pictures are very clear with stand out ink, even in shade and line heavy scenes of Kendo. The writing is fluid and easy to get into. Another quality product from a quality company.
The character designs are distinctive within the manga, meaning you can easily tell characters apart. More attention is given to the cute girls in this manga but don't underestimate the men. Kojiro and Nakata each get to look good and the first not-so-nice character gets multiple images of his SADIST face.
The contrast between expressions in general in this series is quite well done. The characters are very expressive, even Tama-chan in her own stoic way.
I already mentioned that the writing can pull you in. It also has a flowing plot that advances at a natural pace. The jokes don't feel out of place and the characters have plenty of personality.
Ah! My special guest has just arrived! What the heck kept you?
Yurie Hitotsubashi: Sorry. I fell asleep.
Richard J.: Why do you have a cat in your hands?
Yurie: This is Tama-chan. I thought you wanted to review her.
Richard J.:. . . .
Yurie: I'm just being silly. Please, let me start by introducing the characters now!
Richard J.: Well, I kinda did that but okay.
Yurie: Thanks! Here is Kojiro-sensei. He's in it for the sushi. He's our debt-ridden hero.
Yurie: This is Tama-chan. She's our disinterested heroine and goddess of victory!
Yurie: Here with have Kirino. She reminds me of my friend Matsuri. She's our energetic heroine!
Yurie: Oh, here's a Kendo scene from the manga.
Yurie: That's all!
Richard J.: Wait, aren't you leaving out a character? Where's Miya-miya?
Yurie: Oh. . . um. . . do I have to? I do, don't I.
Yurie: I'm glad I'm on this side of the manga. She scares me. She's our dark goddess of victory?
Richard J.: Thanks for the helping hand Yurie!
Yurie: Thank you for inviting me! Kamichu!
Will our heroine's heroic fighting spirit be awakened? Will she join the club and use her bamboo blade to kick some villain's butt? Will any other girls join? What does Kojiro's sempai want if he loses? Who is the mysterious Saya? Who is Miya-miya?
Find out most of the answers in the first volume of Bamboo Blade!
Also, check out the anime when Funimation releases it! 26 episodes of Kendo and cute girls! (You can also find more of Yurie by checking out Kamichu!, once available from Geneon but now coming at you from the same awesome company bringing us the Bamboo Blade anime!
The first volume of the manga is available now Robert's Anime Corner Store, The Right Stuf, Amazon and Books-a-Million! Don't hesitate to buy this one folks!
Oh, since no one entered, no one won the contest for the Afro Samurai Resurrection DVD.
Bye-ni!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Ani-Father's Day (Okay, Not Really) But The Contest Isn't a Lie.
I didn't have time to think out a good fun list of anime fathers like I did for Mother's Day so instead, for Father's Day, here's two things that make fun of Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass.
As your Navigator, I apologize for failing to put together an awesome list of Ani-Dads but I got distracted by the addiction of being able to play The Sims 2 without it crashing. (Ooh, Apartment Life rocks my socks!)
First, a personal favorite scene ever:
And here's what may be the funniest damn fansubber error of all time! (My they are really so professional ;) )
You can't imagine how much laughter that one generated.
Now, since I failed to come up with a great list of Ani-Dads, how about you, my readers, tell me who I missed?
I'll even reward one lucky person! Yes, this will be the first minor prize giveaway! Yah! Banzai!
Rules: You must give me the name and series of the Ani-Daddy you think is a great father in his series. You must write at least a decent four sentence paragraph explaining why you think he's a good daddy.
I'll pick a winner at the end of the month. (I want maximum time for entries.) The Prize will be a copy of Afro Samurai Uncut on DVD.
Don't forget that Funimation themselves are doing an awesome giveaway with HipHopDX. Go here for details.
That's it for me this time folks. Go tell everyone you know about the contest please!
Bye-ni!
As your Navigator, I apologize for failing to put together an awesome list of Ani-Dads but I got distracted by the addiction of being able to play The Sims 2 without it crashing. (Ooh, Apartment Life rocks my socks!)
First, a personal favorite scene ever:
And here's what may be the funniest damn fansubber error of all time! (My they are really so professional ;) )
You can't imagine how much laughter that one generated.
Now, since I failed to come up with a great list of Ani-Dads, how about you, my readers, tell me who I missed?
I'll even reward one lucky person! Yes, this will be the first minor prize giveaway! Yah! Banzai!
Rules: You must give me the name and series of the Ani-Daddy you think is a great father in his series. You must write at least a decent four sentence paragraph explaining why you think he's a good daddy.
I'll pick a winner at the end of the month. (I want maximum time for entries.) The Prize will be a copy of Afro Samurai Uncut on DVD.
Don't forget that Funimation themselves are doing an awesome giveaway with HipHopDX. Go here for details.
That's it for me this time folks. Go tell everyone you know about the contest please!
Bye-ni!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Lucky Star Not So Lucky.
Hello my few and faithful blog readers. It looks like I must report some very unfortunate news to those who may not have heard it yet. As your Navigator, sometimes I must do these things.
I have just learned that the Lucky Star OVA, something I personally was looking forward to very much, will be sub-only. Here is an excerpt from Robert of the Anime Corner Store's news letter addressing this harsh reality:
As an English dub fan, I am appalled by this turn of events. Recently I have become increasingly certain that English dubbing is about to become a thing of the past with Bandai, with the possible exception of very high profile series. (Even there this may not happen as recent economic conditions, which I fear will grow only worse as predictions of even greater loss of jobs are made, dictate ever weaker productions to attempt to maximize profits.)
So, I am afraid that rather than charge a little more and put out a truly worthy release, Bandai will release the Lucky Star OVA sub-only. As a fan who waited patiently for the dub and the DVD rather than watch a fansub, I feel cheated. No, more than that, I feel betrayed. Bandai shot themselves in the foot by saturating stores with multiple versions of the same series, poor replicators and production issues and now they punish fans again after reversing their plans for Hayate the Combat Butler and other series.
I personally will not buy this title now. I require an English dub to truly enjoy my anime.
Well, sorry for the bad news friends. Hopefully this trend will not engulf Funimation as well but I fear that too shall come to pass.
Sad to say bye-ni this time and, apparently, for the last time.
If I do add regular reviews, it appears that they will increasingly be only from Funimation until the end of dubs themselves.
I have just learned that the Lucky Star OVA, something I personally was looking forward to very much, will be sub-only. Here is an excerpt from Robert of the Anime Corner Store's news letter addressing this harsh reality:
as well as getting a firm date for the Lucky Star OVA (though the release will be subtitled only, which has caused a bit of consternation among fans)
As an English dub fan, I am appalled by this turn of events. Recently I have become increasingly certain that English dubbing is about to become a thing of the past with Bandai, with the possible exception of very high profile series. (Even there this may not happen as recent economic conditions, which I fear will grow only worse as predictions of even greater loss of jobs are made, dictate ever weaker productions to attempt to maximize profits.)
So, I am afraid that rather than charge a little more and put out a truly worthy release, Bandai will release the Lucky Star OVA sub-only. As a fan who waited patiently for the dub and the DVD rather than watch a fansub, I feel cheated. No, more than that, I feel betrayed. Bandai shot themselves in the foot by saturating stores with multiple versions of the same series, poor replicators and production issues and now they punish fans again after reversing their plans for Hayate the Combat Butler and other series.
I personally will not buy this title now. I require an English dub to truly enjoy my anime.
Well, sorry for the bad news friends. Hopefully this trend will not engulf Funimation as well but I fear that too shall come to pass.
Sad to say bye-ni this time and, apparently, for the last time.
If I do add regular reviews, it appears that they will increasingly be only from Funimation until the end of dubs themselves.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
New Blog Features: Blog Needs Input Badly!
Greetings and maulings my few and frisky readers! It is I, your Navigator Richard J. (I never get tired of the Lucky Star homage opening and closing of this blog!) I've decided, in an effort to hopefully expand my readership, to ask you what you want to see here and if you could please go bug someone with extra time to come by and get eye strain reading my rambling.
By the by, executive summary of recent licensing activities: Funimation nabbed Spice and Wolf. (Yah for wolf goddesses and trade economics!)
Read about the show here!
Sentai/ADV did some license rescue work and added Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, Kannazuki no Miko (They're re-titling the series Destiny of Shrine Maiden), Dokkoida?! and Darkside Blues.
Why the re-title for the Yuri mecha title? It may have to do with Geneon's past sales being a little poor or just that people like having a title they can understand. Probably a good move though I'd prefer a straight title translation. (Tell me having an anime with "Godless" in it's name wouldn't spark some discussions?)
We can only hope the re-licenses and re-releases will get ADV back to being profitable enough to start doing English dubs again. There are some rumbles about that being a possibility so consider writing to them about it!
The other companies are still alive. That's good news.
Anyway, here's the real point of this paticular blog entry! (You were wondering when I'd get to the point, I know, I know, say no more.)
In terms of providing content and a reason for people to actually read this blog, I'm a bit lost. You see, I really have no idea how to do this. I suck at interpersonal stuff normally so it's not a surprise I'm a little off here.
So, I ask you, my readers for input! Tell me what you think might help me in terms of regular features. (Eventually I plan to add video reviews but I currently lack a camera for doing it the way I really want to do it.)
Things I'm contemplating: Contemplation 1) A monthly series review (new, old and maybe even a legally subbed one every now and then for the fun of it.) Doing a weekly review would mean dedicating myself more than I have so far and also would require me to start trying to actually pass judgement on a series. I tend to be easy to please though so I'm unsure my review skills will pass muster. However, I think I can be very unbiased in terms of genre. I'm not easily offended and I really don't care if something is formulaic or radically original. I only care if it entertains me.
Contemplation 2 the Sequel) A monthly anime giveaway contest! This would obviously require some money to make it happen and while I'm not a broke man without anything, I'm not rich either. (Oh to have the income of HyugaHinata of ANN's user base! I mean, just look at this order!) Contests would consist of me asking readers and others to do random things, could be drawing fan art, could be making a promotional YouTube video, could be fan fic and it could be lottery. The main limit here is my wallet and my refusual to put sub-only DVDs in the prize pool.
Contemplation 3.75 on a disc) Personal rant time. (Yes, I know, you're wondering why that would be appealing to anyone right?) Basically, under this feature I'd rant once a month about whatever is bugging me in the anime fan community, the industry or just life in general. This might be fun since I'd take off all self-restraint and just go nuts with it.
Contemplation 4 score and seven years ago) I join forces with someone who volunteers to do the drawing to put up a monthly (possibly bi-weekly if things go smoothly) web comic. If this option happens, things will depend on who I can work with for the art. The two ideas in my head are a strip following a cat girl's life as she deals with life in a not-so-sweet life or a strip featuring humans with the powers of monsters battling to be the only one left alive at the end. (One would be more shojo-ish and the other more shonen-ish. I'm sure you can guess which would be which.)
So, that's the options and that's what I'm thinking of right now. Let me know what you think and please, I beg you, pester some of your friends to come here and give me their opinion too. I'd love to see the readership of this blog become high enough to justify my self-delusional belief in my own worth.
Well, that's it for this addition of Blog of the Heretical Dub Lover. I can only hope that one day I'll have the money and power to get some dubs made.
Bye-ni!
By the by, executive summary of recent licensing activities: Funimation nabbed Spice and Wolf. (Yah for wolf goddesses and trade economics!)
Read about the show here!
Sentai/ADV did some license rescue work and added Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, Kannazuki no Miko (They're re-titling the series Destiny of Shrine Maiden), Dokkoida?! and Darkside Blues.
Why the re-title for the Yuri mecha title? It may have to do with Geneon's past sales being a little poor or just that people like having a title they can understand. Probably a good move though I'd prefer a straight title translation. (Tell me having an anime with "Godless" in it's name wouldn't spark some discussions?)
We can only hope the re-licenses and re-releases will get ADV back to being profitable enough to start doing English dubs again. There are some rumbles about that being a possibility so consider writing to them about it!
The other companies are still alive. That's good news.
Anyway, here's the real point of this paticular blog entry! (You were wondering when I'd get to the point, I know, I know, say no more.)
In terms of providing content and a reason for people to actually read this blog, I'm a bit lost. You see, I really have no idea how to do this. I suck at interpersonal stuff normally so it's not a surprise I'm a little off here.
So, I ask you, my readers for input! Tell me what you think might help me in terms of regular features. (Eventually I plan to add video reviews but I currently lack a camera for doing it the way I really want to do it.)
Things I'm contemplating: Contemplation 1) A monthly series review (new, old and maybe even a legally subbed one every now and then for the fun of it.) Doing a weekly review would mean dedicating myself more than I have so far and also would require me to start trying to actually pass judgement on a series. I tend to be easy to please though so I'm unsure my review skills will pass muster. However, I think I can be very unbiased in terms of genre. I'm not easily offended and I really don't care if something is formulaic or radically original. I only care if it entertains me.
Contemplation 2 the Sequel) A monthly anime giveaway contest! This would obviously require some money to make it happen and while I'm not a broke man without anything, I'm not rich either. (Oh to have the income of HyugaHinata of ANN's user base! I mean, just look at this order!) Contests would consist of me asking readers and others to do random things, could be drawing fan art, could be making a promotional YouTube video, could be fan fic and it could be lottery. The main limit here is my wallet and my refusual to put sub-only DVDs in the prize pool.
Contemplation 3.75 on a disc) Personal rant time. (Yes, I know, you're wondering why that would be appealing to anyone right?) Basically, under this feature I'd rant once a month about whatever is bugging me in the anime fan community, the industry or just life in general. This might be fun since I'd take off all self-restraint and just go nuts with it.
Contemplation 4 score and seven years ago) I join forces with someone who volunteers to do the drawing to put up a monthly (possibly bi-weekly if things go smoothly) web comic. If this option happens, things will depend on who I can work with for the art. The two ideas in my head are a strip following a cat girl's life as she deals with life in a not-so-sweet life or a strip featuring humans with the powers of monsters battling to be the only one left alive at the end. (One would be more shojo-ish and the other more shonen-ish. I'm sure you can guess which would be which.)
So, that's the options and that's what I'm thinking of right now. Let me know what you think and please, I beg you, pester some of your friends to come here and give me their opinion too. I'd love to see the readership of this blog become high enough to justify my self-delusional belief in my own worth.
Well, that's it for this addition of Blog of the Heretical Dub Lover. I can only hope that one day I'll have the money and power to get some dubs made.
Bye-ni!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Re-Dub in the Name of the Moon in a Car?
Welcome to another blog post by me, your Navigator Richard J., and today I have news that might not be news to anyone who pays attention to a certain other blog run by a certain company that is certainly awesome right now to English dub fans.
I'm talking about the possibility of a Re-dub of Sailor Moon and Initial D anime!
Funimation's rep on the blog posted a survey with a Re-Dub of these two series as possible choices. Now, I don't know about anyone else but that really gets me fired up!
As you may know, the English dubs produced for both Initial D and Sailor Moon were not of the high standards we expect.
For anyone familiar with G.I. Joe, you don't need to know about the censorship and poor editorial choices made with Sailor Moon to be unhappy with Dic Entertainment. Anime fans know that the first two seasons of this EXTREMELY popular magical girl anime series were treated badly by Dic. Six episodes were outright cut and two were merged, a practice we would all see put to even more abhorrent use by 4Kids Entertainment when that company acquired One Piece. Also the theme song was altered from a love song to a superhero anthem and the dub itself has been described as "indifferent" by British authors Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements.
Several minutes of show were removed by editors to make room for commercials, to censor plot and visual elements that they arbitrarily deemed inappropriate for children and to allow "Sailor Says" edu-tainment segments to be added to the end of each episode. (Again, those familiar with G.I. Joe may be suffering a flashback or three. And knowing is half the battle in the name of the moon?)
Additional series from the mega-hit meta-franchise were picked up by Optimum Productions for Cloverway, which while not skipping or merging episodes made a number of other changes, such as removing a lesbian romance theme between Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. They became cousins. And, since the visuals were largely unchanged, romantically inclined lesbian cousins. (Mild incest is better than just good old lesbian love?)
The fifth Sailor Moon series, Sailor Stars, has never been legally adapted in English for proper release. Reasons why don't matter but I would mention that bootlegs of this series are quite big sellers. Expensive big sellers.
For a fun? note, apparently the franchise is considered something EVIL to Mexican Catholics as a group there forced the anime and manga off the off the market. I'm not kidding, check Wiki.
Sailor Moon had the deck stacked against it with retailers not supporting the DVD release, poor time slots for the TV airings and an "indifferent" dub. Perhaps Funimation will show us all how truly great this series can be? We must vote and then wait and see.
On a different note, for anyone who is a fan of cars and racing, Initial D is a standout series. Or at least it was before Tokyopop got a hold of it. Sadly, an in-house "musician" DJ Milky was allowed to change the series music from Eurobeats to rap and hip-hop of dubious quality. Additionally, changes were made to characters names and to information about the cars and the racing done in the series. With a heavy dose of out-of-date right after recording slang talk in the dub too, there was no reason to expect this series to succeed.
Hoping to capitalize on the success of Hollywood depictions of street-racing, Tokyopop sent out Initial D after trying to make it less like an anime and more like The Fast and The Furious, which would be fine except. . . no, actually massive editing and censoring of anime is never a good idea. Even if it is only changing a few characters' names and screwing up the details of racing. (Okay, you can hear my sarcasm right? The sarcasm accent is so think you can cut it with a machete.)
Tokyopop, hoping to convince anime fans that this release was packaged golden awesome by referring to it as the "Tricked-Out" version of the show.
This strategy didn't work so good and some cite the botched Initial D release for the rapid end of Tokyopop's anime licensing venture. Others say it was just one of those things. Either way, perhaps DJ Milky should remember he isn't why we watch anime. Yes, Stuart J. Levy, founder, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Tokyopop, you really need to stop trying to make things "better."
Anime fans want "Original and Un-Cut" with an English dub that isn't filled with poor localization choices. We also want other things that tend to be a bit more negotiable. Screwing up on "Original and Un-Cut" isn't.
Didn't you're mother ever teach you: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT!
For fans of both Sailor Moon and Initial D, we may have hope of a Re-Dub and a return to awesome! Vote in Funimation's survey. Contact them about your fandom desires.
Bye-ni!
I'm talking about the possibility of a Re-dub of Sailor Moon and Initial D anime!
Funimation's rep on the blog posted a survey with a Re-Dub of these two series as possible choices. Now, I don't know about anyone else but that really gets me fired up!
As you may know, the English dubs produced for both Initial D and Sailor Moon were not of the high standards we expect.
For anyone familiar with G.I. Joe, you don't need to know about the censorship and poor editorial choices made with Sailor Moon to be unhappy with Dic Entertainment. Anime fans know that the first two seasons of this EXTREMELY popular magical girl anime series were treated badly by Dic. Six episodes were outright cut and two were merged, a practice we would all see put to even more abhorrent use by 4Kids Entertainment when that company acquired One Piece. Also the theme song was altered from a love song to a superhero anthem and the dub itself has been described as "indifferent" by British authors Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements.
Several minutes of show were removed by editors to make room for commercials, to censor plot and visual elements that they arbitrarily deemed inappropriate for children and to allow "Sailor Says" edu-tainment segments to be added to the end of each episode. (Again, those familiar with G.I. Joe may be suffering a flashback or three. And knowing is half the battle in the name of the moon?)
Additional series from the mega-hit meta-franchise were picked up by Optimum Productions for Cloverway, which while not skipping or merging episodes made a number of other changes, such as removing a lesbian romance theme between Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. They became cousins. And, since the visuals were largely unchanged, romantically inclined lesbian cousins. (Mild incest is better than just good old lesbian love?)
The fifth Sailor Moon series, Sailor Stars, has never been legally adapted in English for proper release. Reasons why don't matter but I would mention that bootlegs of this series are quite big sellers. Expensive big sellers.
For a fun? note, apparently the franchise is considered something EVIL to Mexican Catholics as a group there forced the anime and manga off the off the market. I'm not kidding, check Wiki.
Sailor Moon had the deck stacked against it with retailers not supporting the DVD release, poor time slots for the TV airings and an "indifferent" dub. Perhaps Funimation will show us all how truly great this series can be? We must vote and then wait and see.
On a different note, for anyone who is a fan of cars and racing, Initial D is a standout series. Or at least it was before Tokyopop got a hold of it. Sadly, an in-house "musician" DJ Milky was allowed to change the series music from Eurobeats to rap and hip-hop of dubious quality. Additionally, changes were made to characters names and to information about the cars and the racing done in the series. With a heavy dose of out-of-date right after recording slang talk in the dub too, there was no reason to expect this series to succeed.
Hoping to capitalize on the success of Hollywood depictions of street-racing, Tokyopop sent out Initial D after trying to make it less like an anime and more like The Fast and The Furious, which would be fine except. . . no, actually massive editing and censoring of anime is never a good idea. Even if it is only changing a few characters' names and screwing up the details of racing. (Okay, you can hear my sarcasm right? The sarcasm accent is so think you can cut it with a machete.)
Tokyopop, hoping to convince anime fans that this release was packaged golden awesome by referring to it as the "Tricked-Out" version of the show.
This strategy didn't work so good and some cite the botched Initial D release for the rapid end of Tokyopop's anime licensing venture. Others say it was just one of those things. Either way, perhaps DJ Milky should remember he isn't why we watch anime. Yes, Stuart J. Levy, founder, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Tokyopop, you really need to stop trying to make things "better."
Anime fans want "Original and Un-Cut" with an English dub that isn't filled with poor localization choices. We also want other things that tend to be a bit more negotiable. Screwing up on "Original and Un-Cut" isn't.
Didn't you're mother ever teach you: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT!
For fans of both Sailor Moon and Initial D, we may have hope of a Re-Dub and a return to awesome! Vote in Funimation's survey. Contact them about your fandom desires.
Bye-ni!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Ani-Mother's Day!
Hello again to all of my readers (my oh so precious, precious few readers) and welcome to a very special edition of Blog of a Heretical Dub Lover. I'm your navigator Richard J., here to talk about something special!
Today is Mother's Day for American culture! I'm not sure how many other countries celebrate a day like this, though really shouldn't all nations and peoples celebrate their mothers? After all, without our moms we'd never have been born at all. Mothers provide some of our earliest memories and very often teach us how to be what we ultimately are. Many people learn kindness and proper behavior from their mothers! (In fact, it is often issues with bad mothers that make people into monsters too!)
So I hereby declare on this blog that this is Ani-Mother's Day!
I've selected a few anime mothers I feel deserve a little kindness and love today. Hopefully, you won't think my choices suck royally. Series chosen are fairly recent and I decided to consciously avoid mothers who died early in the series. (Really, if they are only around in flashbacks, they aren't so much a mother in the series as a memory.)
Also, I chose to categorize each mother, so hopefully the list is extra fun! Here goes everything!
There may be spoilers here and there and I don't know how to hide them! So please be careful in reading! (I'll try to be vague.)
Mother #1: Akiko Minase of Kanon (Homemaker Mom.)
Children: Nayuki Minase (daughter) and Yuichi Aizawa (surrogate son.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Joanne Bonasso.
When Akiko first appears in Kanon, you see instantly that she is the source of Nayuki's beauty and you soon learn that she is also the source of her kind heart. Akiko works hard, easily showing up poor Yuichi when they work together to shovel snow and clear the path from the house.
Akiko does the household chores without complaint, fixes amazing food (though her special jam is an acquired taste) and is willing to believe even the most impossible claims. When Yuichi claims an amnesic girl is really something not-so-human, Akiko never questions his sanity but calmly considers and accepts the miraculous event. When she gets sick, she still tries to be a proper care-giver and receives deep concern from everyone, especially Ayu Tsukimiya who wears herself out trying to nurse her back to health. (Akiko is such a good mother, she treats Ayu almost like another daughter, lovingly placing a gentle hand on her sleeping head.)
She tries to carefully bring up Yuichi's past, telling him that a big tree was cut down years ago. She nearly dies just trying to buy her daughter a sweet strawberry cake.
In the end, Akiko Minase recovers and continues to be a shinning example of a good mother who keeps a home filled with love, kindness and understanding. (Maybe that's why Kanon fans wish the visual novel had an Akiko route!)
Mother #2: Masane Amaha of Witchblade (Mama Bear.)
Child: Rihoko Amaha.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Jamie Marchi.
When she's not destroying rampaging Ex-cons for her boss at Douji Industries, Masane Amaha is being protective if somewhat lazy mom. Sometimes seemingly more of the daughter in her relationship with Rihoko, Masane's motherly instincts kick into overdrive when her child is threatened. It's advisable to have a very large and up-to-date life insurance policy available when making a move to hurt Rihoko.
Although she is not Rihoko's blood family, Masane is willing to go the distance to protect her daughter, whether it means stealing a police car and chasing after her at high speed, agreeing to work for shady businessmen to provide a financial future for her or even engaging in a battle to death with clone-blade-wielding beauties. Masane fights to protect her daughter's life and future.
Although she makes a few mistakes here and there due to her belief that she's unfit to be a mother, Masane never acts out of selfishness. She fights for Rihoko and never gives in. Her final act in Witchblade evokes an almost messianic motherly tone.
Mother #3: Admiral Lindy Harlaown of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As (Adoptive Mom.)
Children: Chrono Harlaown (son) and Fate Testarossa (adopted daughter.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Unknown. Damn you Geneon!
Admiral Lindy Harlaown commanded one of the most powerful ships of the Space / Time Administration Bureau's fleet and had the respect of her subordinates. Her son Chrono was equally respected and a powerful mage with the rank of Enforcer. Yet, when Lindy saw a young girl named Fate Testarossa in need of a new home and family, she not only offered to adopt her but even retired from her position to give her new daughter more attention at the end of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As.
From sweet scenes such as telling her son Chrono to be careful as he prepared to teleport to a site where Nanoha and Fate were battling to the moment she offered to adopt Fate, Lindy never showed any willingness to place her career over the happiness of her son or chosen daughter. Lindy never pressured Fate to act like her nor did she judge the girl harshly for her past actions. She acted with all the love and compassion that Fate's former mother could never feel for her.
When Fate questioned her own humanity, Lindy quickly set her straight and never did she fail to consider that Chrono and Fate might be able to find a better solution to a dangerous problem. In the end, Lindy chose to be a mother to Fate over being an Admiral and Captain of the Asura. She left her ship in the capable hands of her son Chrono and helped to give Fate the strength to become a woman as willing to reach out to a hurt child as she herself is.
My don't we all want to see the fruits of Lindy's efforts in MGLN: StrikerS?
Mother #4: Haruko Kamino of AIR (Reluctant Mom.)
Child: Misuzu Kamino.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Luci Christian.
Some women aren't cut out to be mothers. That's what Haruko Kamino thought about herself, that she couldn't be a good mother to Misuzu. Over the course of AIR, we see both a seemingly wanton neglect and a tender heart that makes all her actions so painfully clear. Haruko is in a difficult situation, with a daughter that isn't legally her own that has a sickness that means she must always stay emotionally distant.
Yet, Haruko's actions as the saga of AIR draws to a close prove that she is truly a mother deserving of respect. She loves Misuzu and fights to make her truly her own daughter. It was only her fear of losing her child that kept Haruko from being a better mother from the beginning. As a threat slowly gathers, she fights against Misuzu's father, her child's amnesia and ultimately an inescapable fate to give her daughter all the love she can in a short few summer days.
Nothing is more heart-wrenching than seeing the struggle of Haruko when she realizes that Misuzu's destiny is not to stay with her but rather to reach her goal.
Haruko wasn't the kind of mother that wins awards. She wasn't the kind of mother who inspires praise. Yet she was the kind of mother who loved her child, reluctant though that love was, with all her heart and soul. In the end, there is no questioning that the love of this mother was true all along.
Mother #5: Kiriko Aoi of Godannar (Cool Mom.)
Child: Anna Aoi.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Laura Chapman.
Let's face it, most mothers aren't very permissive. Most mothers are protective and try to keep their children safe at home, especially their beloved daughters.
Kiriko Aoi is not that kind of mom. With an occasional willingness to zap sense into her daughter with electric shock, Kiriko is a woman willing to trust her daughter's happiness to an older man she works with and to let her daughter fight monsters in a giant robot under her command. Through the dangers of battle and marriage, Kiriko never tries to smother her daughter in protection but rather tries to teach her child to be as strong and capable a woman as her mother.
When Anna's marriage is threatened by the return of an old love of Goh's, Kiriko tries her best to keep her daughter from leaping to the wrong (or possibly right) conclusions. When she wants to pilot a giant robot, she makes Anna prove her ability first. Kiriko tries to help Goh to be a good husband and she's always available to give advice and fight to help them both.
As moms go, Kiriko is a pretty cool lady with a tough attitude and a hands-off approach to raising her teenage daughter. Yet, with a daughter as headstrong as her mother, what other approach could she take! Kiriko is always there when she's needed and accepts her daughter's unusual life choices with an open-mind. In the end, she's a mother and a leader who shows trust.
Mother #6: Michiru Satomi of IGPX (Team Mom.)
Children: Team Satomi (Especially Liz, Takeshi and Amy.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Kari Wahlgren.
Not all mothers are family! For the racers of Team Satomi, Michiru Satomi is much more than an employer. She's a capable team mom.
Early on, Ms. Satomi struggles to keep her team together by seeking out a willing sponsor for her rookie team, working as hard as she can not just because the team was her grandfather's dream but also because she cared for the happiness of the racers. Although she was inexperienced at first, Ms. Satomi grew with her team as IGPX progressed, helping them to overcome their challenges.
The speech she gives early on after her struggle to find a sponsor shows all of them how much they mean to her and her frequent caring moments toward her racers give them all a sense of family. For Amy especially, Ms. Satomi serves as a surrogate mother and the reason she has the "family" and friends she does. Without Ms. Satomi's trust, Takeshi wouldn't have had the chances he had to grow as a racer. Her willingness to seek out unusual people to help the team, like Ichi the mechanic and Andrei the coach all demonstrate her value and ability to bring others together.
Although Ms. Satomi really doesn't get played up as a motherly figure in IGPX, I think she's a good example of the leader who acts like a mother to everyone.
Mother #7: Tohru Honda of Fruits Basket (Surrogate Mom to All!)
Children: The Soma Family (Especially Yuki in the manga.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Laura Bailey.
Like I just said, not all mothers are family. Sometimes, they are just strangers who stumbble into the lives of cursed people.
Tohru Honda follows her own mother's example constantly, acting and advising in the way her own mother would have. Perhaps Tohru's mother Kyoko possesses her daughter when no one's looking? Nah, it's just Tohru doing her very best to be as good a mother to everyone as her own. No one in the Soma family picks up on this more than Yuki Soma. While at first he tries to classify Tohru as a potential girlfriend, ultimately in the manga, though the anime didn't get quite that far, he chooses to think of her as a mother figure. He needs someone to give the unconditional love and respect his own mother failed to give him.
But all of the Somas benefit from Tohru's mothering. The wild Kyo is slowly tamed by her kindness, the shy Kisa emerges from her silent shell and every other zodiac member benefits just from knowing Tohru. When Kisa follows Tohru around like a baby chick, prompting Kyo to comment on how annoying it must be, Tohru's only response is to grab Kisa, hug her and proclaim a motherly love. In the manga, she even reaches the heart of Akito!
Through all of her struggles, Tohru never fails to act in a loving manner. Fruits Basket would not be an anime worth watching or a manga worth reading without the mother's love of Tohru Honda.
Now, for the sake of balance, here is the worst mother in any anime I've seen.
Worst Mom: Shinsen Tennouzu of Speed Grapher.
Child: Kagura Tennouzu.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Pam Dougherty.
There are countless sick bastards and twisted bitches in the world of Speed Grapher and some of them are main characters. Yet only one is a pure-sick mother of one very unlucky girl. Shinsen Tennouzu might not be the one who subjected Kagura Tennouzu to the horrors of becoming the "goddess" for a perverse playground of forbidden pleasures but she surpasses the man she let into their lives by leaps and bounds.
Shinsen sees her daughter as a parasite sucking the youth out of her. She believes her daughter's beauty and youth are things to be destroyed. So she starves Kagura, going so far as to order her driver not to give her money for food or to take her to a place to eat. When a kind teacher finds out what Shinsen is up to, the mother from hell has lesbian sex with the woman and bribes her to keep quiet. She never shows signs of caring about Kagura. Even when she believes her daughter might had been involved in an "incident" at the twisted club, she only expresses anger about her man not following her rules.
Despite always having her daughter's love, in the end, Shinsen never gives her daughter true love in return. As a mother, Shinsen Tennouzu is the worst mom ever!
So remember this my readers! You're mom must be better than Shinsen! So go give her a hug or at least a nice card and let her know you think you're lucky to have been born.
Well, that's it for this post. Sorry for the long one but I hope you really enjoyed reading! Please consider buying all of these series! I strongly recommend them all for fine dubs and fine plots!
Bye-ni!
Today is Mother's Day for American culture! I'm not sure how many other countries celebrate a day like this, though really shouldn't all nations and peoples celebrate their mothers? After all, without our moms we'd never have been born at all. Mothers provide some of our earliest memories and very often teach us how to be what we ultimately are. Many people learn kindness and proper behavior from their mothers! (In fact, it is often issues with bad mothers that make people into monsters too!)
So I hereby declare on this blog that this is Ani-Mother's Day!
I've selected a few anime mothers I feel deserve a little kindness and love today. Hopefully, you won't think my choices suck royally. Series chosen are fairly recent and I decided to consciously avoid mothers who died early in the series. (Really, if they are only around in flashbacks, they aren't so much a mother in the series as a memory.)
Also, I chose to categorize each mother, so hopefully the list is extra fun! Here goes everything!
There may be spoilers here and there and I don't know how to hide them! So please be careful in reading! (I'll try to be vague.)
Mother #1: Akiko Minase of Kanon (Homemaker Mom.)
Children: Nayuki Minase (daughter) and Yuichi Aizawa (surrogate son.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Joanne Bonasso.
When Akiko first appears in Kanon, you see instantly that she is the source of Nayuki's beauty and you soon learn that she is also the source of her kind heart. Akiko works hard, easily showing up poor Yuichi when they work together to shovel snow and clear the path from the house.
Akiko does the household chores without complaint, fixes amazing food (though her special jam is an acquired taste) and is willing to believe even the most impossible claims. When Yuichi claims an amnesic girl is really something not-so-human, Akiko never questions his sanity but calmly considers and accepts the miraculous event. When she gets sick, she still tries to be a proper care-giver and receives deep concern from everyone, especially Ayu Tsukimiya who wears herself out trying to nurse her back to health. (Akiko is such a good mother, she treats Ayu almost like another daughter, lovingly placing a gentle hand on her sleeping head.)
She tries to carefully bring up Yuichi's past, telling him that a big tree was cut down years ago. She nearly dies just trying to buy her daughter a sweet strawberry cake.
In the end, Akiko Minase recovers and continues to be a shinning example of a good mother who keeps a home filled with love, kindness and understanding. (Maybe that's why Kanon fans wish the visual novel had an Akiko route!)
Mother #2: Masane Amaha of Witchblade (Mama Bear.)
Child: Rihoko Amaha.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Jamie Marchi.
When she's not destroying rampaging Ex-cons for her boss at Douji Industries, Masane Amaha is being protective if somewhat lazy mom. Sometimes seemingly more of the daughter in her relationship with Rihoko, Masane's motherly instincts kick into overdrive when her child is threatened. It's advisable to have a very large and up-to-date life insurance policy available when making a move to hurt Rihoko.
Although she is not Rihoko's blood family, Masane is willing to go the distance to protect her daughter, whether it means stealing a police car and chasing after her at high speed, agreeing to work for shady businessmen to provide a financial future for her or even engaging in a battle to death with clone-blade-wielding beauties. Masane fights to protect her daughter's life and future.
Although she makes a few mistakes here and there due to her belief that she's unfit to be a mother, Masane never acts out of selfishness. She fights for Rihoko and never gives in. Her final act in Witchblade evokes an almost messianic motherly tone.
Mother #3: Admiral Lindy Harlaown of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As (Adoptive Mom.)
Children: Chrono Harlaown (son) and Fate Testarossa (adopted daughter.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Unknown. Damn you Geneon!
Admiral Lindy Harlaown commanded one of the most powerful ships of the Space / Time Administration Bureau's fleet and had the respect of her subordinates. Her son Chrono was equally respected and a powerful mage with the rank of Enforcer. Yet, when Lindy saw a young girl named Fate Testarossa in need of a new home and family, she not only offered to adopt her but even retired from her position to give her new daughter more attention at the end of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As.
From sweet scenes such as telling her son Chrono to be careful as he prepared to teleport to a site where Nanoha and Fate were battling to the moment she offered to adopt Fate, Lindy never showed any willingness to place her career over the happiness of her son or chosen daughter. Lindy never pressured Fate to act like her nor did she judge the girl harshly for her past actions. She acted with all the love and compassion that Fate's former mother could never feel for her.
When Fate questioned her own humanity, Lindy quickly set her straight and never did she fail to consider that Chrono and Fate might be able to find a better solution to a dangerous problem. In the end, Lindy chose to be a mother to Fate over being an Admiral and Captain of the Asura. She left her ship in the capable hands of her son Chrono and helped to give Fate the strength to become a woman as willing to reach out to a hurt child as she herself is.
My don't we all want to see the fruits of Lindy's efforts in MGLN: StrikerS?
Mother #4: Haruko Kamino of AIR (Reluctant Mom.)
Child: Misuzu Kamino.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Luci Christian.
Some women aren't cut out to be mothers. That's what Haruko Kamino thought about herself, that she couldn't be a good mother to Misuzu. Over the course of AIR, we see both a seemingly wanton neglect and a tender heart that makes all her actions so painfully clear. Haruko is in a difficult situation, with a daughter that isn't legally her own that has a sickness that means she must always stay emotionally distant.
Yet, Haruko's actions as the saga of AIR draws to a close prove that she is truly a mother deserving of respect. She loves Misuzu and fights to make her truly her own daughter. It was only her fear of losing her child that kept Haruko from being a better mother from the beginning. As a threat slowly gathers, she fights against Misuzu's father, her child's amnesia and ultimately an inescapable fate to give her daughter all the love she can in a short few summer days.
Nothing is more heart-wrenching than seeing the struggle of Haruko when she realizes that Misuzu's destiny is not to stay with her but rather to reach her goal.
Haruko wasn't the kind of mother that wins awards. She wasn't the kind of mother who inspires praise. Yet she was the kind of mother who loved her child, reluctant though that love was, with all her heart and soul. In the end, there is no questioning that the love of this mother was true all along.
Mother #5: Kiriko Aoi of Godannar (Cool Mom.)
Child: Anna Aoi.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Laura Chapman.
Let's face it, most mothers aren't very permissive. Most mothers are protective and try to keep their children safe at home, especially their beloved daughters.
Kiriko Aoi is not that kind of mom. With an occasional willingness to zap sense into her daughter with electric shock, Kiriko is a woman willing to trust her daughter's happiness to an older man she works with and to let her daughter fight monsters in a giant robot under her command. Through the dangers of battle and marriage, Kiriko never tries to smother her daughter in protection but rather tries to teach her child to be as strong and capable a woman as her mother.
When Anna's marriage is threatened by the return of an old love of Goh's, Kiriko tries her best to keep her daughter from leaping to the wrong (or possibly right) conclusions. When she wants to pilot a giant robot, she makes Anna prove her ability first. Kiriko tries to help Goh to be a good husband and she's always available to give advice and fight to help them both.
As moms go, Kiriko is a pretty cool lady with a tough attitude and a hands-off approach to raising her teenage daughter. Yet, with a daughter as headstrong as her mother, what other approach could she take! Kiriko is always there when she's needed and accepts her daughter's unusual life choices with an open-mind. In the end, she's a mother and a leader who shows trust.
Mother #6: Michiru Satomi of IGPX (Team Mom.)
Children: Team Satomi (Especially Liz, Takeshi and Amy.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Kari Wahlgren.
Not all mothers are family! For the racers of Team Satomi, Michiru Satomi is much more than an employer. She's a capable team mom.
Early on, Ms. Satomi struggles to keep her team together by seeking out a willing sponsor for her rookie team, working as hard as she can not just because the team was her grandfather's dream but also because she cared for the happiness of the racers. Although she was inexperienced at first, Ms. Satomi grew with her team as IGPX progressed, helping them to overcome their challenges.
The speech she gives early on after her struggle to find a sponsor shows all of them how much they mean to her and her frequent caring moments toward her racers give them all a sense of family. For Amy especially, Ms. Satomi serves as a surrogate mother and the reason she has the "family" and friends she does. Without Ms. Satomi's trust, Takeshi wouldn't have had the chances he had to grow as a racer. Her willingness to seek out unusual people to help the team, like Ichi the mechanic and Andrei the coach all demonstrate her value and ability to bring others together.
Although Ms. Satomi really doesn't get played up as a motherly figure in IGPX, I think she's a good example of the leader who acts like a mother to everyone.
Mother #7: Tohru Honda of Fruits Basket (Surrogate Mom to All!)
Children: The Soma Family (Especially Yuki in the manga.)
Voice Actress in English Dub: Laura Bailey.
Like I just said, not all mothers are family. Sometimes, they are just strangers who stumbble into the lives of cursed people.
Tohru Honda follows her own mother's example constantly, acting and advising in the way her own mother would have. Perhaps Tohru's mother Kyoko possesses her daughter when no one's looking? Nah, it's just Tohru doing her very best to be as good a mother to everyone as her own. No one in the Soma family picks up on this more than Yuki Soma. While at first he tries to classify Tohru as a potential girlfriend, ultimately in the manga, though the anime didn't get quite that far, he chooses to think of her as a mother figure. He needs someone to give the unconditional love and respect his own mother failed to give him.
But all of the Somas benefit from Tohru's mothering. The wild Kyo is slowly tamed by her kindness, the shy Kisa emerges from her silent shell and every other zodiac member benefits just from knowing Tohru. When Kisa follows Tohru around like a baby chick, prompting Kyo to comment on how annoying it must be, Tohru's only response is to grab Kisa, hug her and proclaim a motherly love. In the manga, she even reaches the heart of Akito!
Through all of her struggles, Tohru never fails to act in a loving manner. Fruits Basket would not be an anime worth watching or a manga worth reading without the mother's love of Tohru Honda.
Now, for the sake of balance, here is the worst mother in any anime I've seen.
Worst Mom: Shinsen Tennouzu of Speed Grapher.
Child: Kagura Tennouzu.
Voice Actress in English Dub: Pam Dougherty.
There are countless sick bastards and twisted bitches in the world of Speed Grapher and some of them are main characters. Yet only one is a pure-sick mother of one very unlucky girl. Shinsen Tennouzu might not be the one who subjected Kagura Tennouzu to the horrors of becoming the "goddess" for a perverse playground of forbidden pleasures but she surpasses the man she let into their lives by leaps and bounds.
Shinsen sees her daughter as a parasite sucking the youth out of her. She believes her daughter's beauty and youth are things to be destroyed. So she starves Kagura, going so far as to order her driver not to give her money for food or to take her to a place to eat. When a kind teacher finds out what Shinsen is up to, the mother from hell has lesbian sex with the woman and bribes her to keep quiet. She never shows signs of caring about Kagura. Even when she believes her daughter might had been involved in an "incident" at the twisted club, she only expresses anger about her man not following her rules.
Despite always having her daughter's love, in the end, Shinsen never gives her daughter true love in return. As a mother, Shinsen Tennouzu is the worst mom ever!
So remember this my readers! You're mom must be better than Shinsen! So go give her a hug or at least a nice card and let her know you think you're lucky to have been born.
Well, that's it for this post. Sorry for the long one but I hope you really enjoyed reading! Please consider buying all of these series! I strongly recommend them all for fine dubs and fine plots!
Bye-ni!
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