Ramblings of a Crowe

FMA is NOT for kids!!!!

My Otaku friend has shown up again...donning to otaku logic and even calling ME an otaku! *laughs* When I was new to anime fandom, there was a time I started down the road to Otakudom, but I saw the light and ran like hell...Thank goodness!

Anyway...

Here's what he/she had to say today, after my post about those stupid, whiney, FMA fans irked him/her:

Erm... yeah. You have an interesting way of making people feel welcome. And if I'm an otaku then you are too because you also download fansubs and watch them in Japanese instead of English.

Are you new to anime fandom? I'm obviously not an otaku. And who ever said I JUST watched subtitled anime? If you bothered to read, I pointed out earlier that I PREFER DUBS...but I'll watch subtitled anime if the dub sucks, or if it's not availible in english yet. Doing this doesn't make me an otaku. See, this is what otaku do. They only see what they want to see, and think it makes their argument infallible. Go HERE to learn why it is so bad to be an otaku. You might get help before it's too late.

And yes, I am a bit harsh...but I'm sick of seeing otaku insanity everywhere. Message boards are flooded with crap like "This show isn't for kids", "All dubs suck", "They changed such and such", etc...I'm not going to explain why, since I've touched on all of this stuff NUMEROUS TIMES. Otaku have no common sense. They ruin fandom. If you don't like what I have to say, don't come to my blog and post the crap that obviously pisses me off...Really, I don't like being mean, but stuff like this just really irritates me.

In any case I am glad that you brought up Kenshin because you couldn't have picked a worse example to say that animes are all kids' shows. It ran on CN- heavily censored. And it still got good ratings, enough to sustain it. But then it got cancelled- why?

CN checked, and the people watching were older than CN's "target audience" for advertisers. Instead of finding new advertisers for this new age group, they simply got scared and dumped the show. This was even admitted by some CN person a while ago. I watched Ruroni on CN and liked it, even heavily censored, and it got me into the DVD's and other stuff.

But if Ruroni is a kid's show made for children, why didn't children watch it in numbers and why did so many older audiences watch it in their stead instead?

Oh? So Kenshin wasn't created for children? Then why did the manga run in 少年ジャンプ？A magazine that serializes young boys comics?

And why did it do so poorly even after it was put on late night CN? Hmm? Because Kenshin is a niche show. It didn't appeal to kids OR adults here in the US due to it's very Japanese theme. That's why. While anime fans could relate, the general public couldn't　（the Japanese aren't the only people who are Xenophobic). I believe that was stated as well, and CN made a wise business decision. The shows they put on CN need to appeal to everyone, and Kenshin was proof that just because something is popular with the small market of anime fans, it wasn't popular for the mass majority, hence, your comment on "They dumped it". Also, you may want to look at what aspect of Adult Swim is doing better in the ratings. Last I heard, it wasn't the anime block...

Oddly, I'm a bit surprised Inu Yasha has done as well as it has, with it's awful scripting and obvious Japanese tone. Then again, unlike Kenshin, which was a historically based manga with various plots that involved people and events that are a big part of Japanese culture and history (Okita and Saitou were real people, so was Sanosuke Sagara...also, the Tokyo Harbor event happened during the war, and the Shinsengumi and Ishinshishi were real groups), Inuyasha seems to prevail on it's "Fantasy theme". Demons, time travel, magic, etc. People here like that kind of stuff and are willing to overlook the "Japaneseness" of the show. Oh, Inu Yasha is a HUGE hit with the kiddies in Japan...just like FMA, Naruto, and One Piece (which rivals Dragonball over there).

The general population in the US wants to see stuff like Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Wolf's Rain, Trigun, One Piece, Shaman King, etc. See the theme? Shows that have very little reference to Japanese culture and themes...sad but true. So no, Kenshin wasn't a poor choice for me to make. It was made for children, IN JAPAN...I'll say that again...IN JAPAN...Japanese children...just because big kids here in the US like it doesn't change that one bit...

BTW...I never ever said all anime are kids shows. Stop putting words in my mouth. I said FMA, Naruto, Kenshin, and the like target kids, which is true, no matter how much you try to deny it. I'd be hard pressed to say a show such as Texnolyze is appropriate for children...or something as complicated as Kino's Journey (a show that is far more emotionally deep and introspective that FMA can ever hope to be)...shows like these target an older audience, usually teens.

I'm expecting One Piece to do well in the US. I think kids will like it. It's a kids show too. Plus, it's about pirates (one very goofy pirate *heh*), and kids here will be able to relate to something like that better than a bunch of samurai. Still, I could be wrong, since this is the day and age of robots and technology and kids may not be too interested....*shrug*

Another interesting tidbit for all the otaku out there....your fooling yourself is you think Japanese adults are crowding around televisions to watch anime shows. Especially shows like FMA, Naruto, Kenshin, etc...Doesn't happen folks...sorry...They view their cartoons much like we view ours. For thier kids...

As to why do our kids not like some shows that come from Japan? The answer is so obvious...Upbringing. Kids in the US are brought up on cartoons like Scooby Doo, Jabber Jaw, looneytoons, etc. These shows require very little thought and no interaction. Though certain programs are starting to break that trend (Dragon Ball, Yugioh, Teen Titans, Justice League etc.), but they are still shows that require very little thinking. (Another reason Kenshin failed on CN) Television doesn't think that children in the US are capable of remembering a show past the 30 minute time slot (4Kids stated this as did CN). We think our kids are stupid, and we bring them up to be that way. They simply aren't interested in watching shows with complex themes, ongoing plots, etc., because they are not conditioned to do so. Only when they get older do they gain interests in deeper shows...another sad truth. (My son, thankfully, has been watching all sorts of cartoons since he was small, anime included. He loves longer, complicated programs like FMA and Naruto, but he also likes simple showes like Ed, Edd, and Eddie and Grim and Andy. His conditioning to television was very different from other children here in the US.)

When I say that I believe kids would love shows like FMA and Naruto, I still have no doubt that they'd be popular if the trend continues to change and our kids are exposed to interesting, more complicated shows, which is exactly what is happening (as I stated above). They are, after all, shows made for children...just because Americans underestimate thier kids doesn't change that fact. With proper conditioning and a loosening of television laws, shows like FMA and Naruto would be a big hit here too.

What the Japanese show their children compared to what we show our children is very, very different. Violence and nudity in cartoons is okay over there (though they have limits too), while here it's taboo. Parents in the US are too lazy to teach their kids reality and morality at an early age. They expect schools, television shows, and major media to do it for them...so any show for children that require some thought and explaination isn't welcome here (infact, it's considered BAD), something no otaku seems to consider.

Bottom line:

FMA is a show made for children. Just because adults in a different country happen to love the show doesn't change that fact. Kids in the US (and other countries) are perfectly capable of loving it too but social structure dictates restriction.

Why does it bother you so much that this show (and many others) are made for kids? What's the big deal? Are you embarrassed for liking a show for children? Is this just a way to try and rationalize your insecurities?

Like I said before. It's okay for adults to like cartoons. It's no one's business but your own. If people talk shit to you about it, screw 'em. I'm 28 and I love cartoons! I'm not ashamed, so you shouldn't be either. Just stop with the otaku drivel. It's incredibly irritating. Nothing is worse than an otaku...Otaku are narcissistic...they lack any common sense what so ever...they make fandom impossible for sane, normal people...

A great article on ...why anime(otaku) suck.

(Oh, No...this certainly isn't targeting children...I'm sure every adult is just rushing to get this nifty piece of merchandise)

(A toy obviously made for adults)

(I'm sure this was a big hit with the 'salary men' in Japan too)

Oh, look more Keshin TOYS for your mom!!!.

(FMA Trading Cards for Grandma and her friends!)

Every grown up should have a set of chibi Naruto Figurines!!!.

(The newest office apparel!)

If you want to see how many more items are out there, just waiting for those silly adults to go buy and play with, do a Google search for "___________ Toys". You'll be amazed at what comes up. (I came up with some great christmas ideas! So I DIDN'T waste my time arguing with an otaku!)

Posted by Zoso at August 14, 2004 11:24 AM