4Kids Entertainment now currently being delisted from the NY Stock Exchange.

[Gerry]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-13/ny-stock-exchange-begins-delisting-process-for-4kids

The American licensing and distribution company 4Kids Entertainment has announced on Thursday that the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) has begun delisting procedures for the company, since its average market capitalization over 30 trading days has been less than US$15 million.

:biggrin:

 

[Tristam Green]

why is this a moment? bear in mind that ten, fifteen years ago, 4kids Entertainment is what gatewayed gobs of American youth to the anime freight train with series like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh...

 

[Gerry]

why is this a moment? bear in mind that ten, fifteen years ago, 4kids Entertainment is what gatewayed gobs of American youth to the anime freight train with series like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh...

That was before they decided to go overboard with censorship (One Piece) and just plain ignoring whatever the series was adapted from (Sonic X). That and wasting actual voice talent.

 

[Tristam Green]

I get your logic...because editing a character to not be in Blackface is a bad thing, right? Or completely omitting episodes that caused mass epilepsy outbreaks or show James of Team Rocket with bigger breasts than Jessie (and the two of them ragging on Misty for not having big breasts), or an episode where an old man pulls a gun on Ash Ketchum?

It's 4Kids Entertainment, not 4Otakobsessed Entertainment.

 

[Dancingweapon]

Fuck Misty and her small ass titties.

 

[Gerry]

I get your logic...because editing a character to not be in Blackface is a bad thing, right? Or completely omitting episodes that caused mass epilepsy outbreaks or show James of Team Rocket with bigger breasts than Jessie (and the two of them ragging on Misty for not having big breasts), or an episode where an old man pulls a gun on Ash Ketchum?

It's 4Kids Entertainment, not 4Otakobsessed Entertainment.

There's two kinds of editing though, there's the reasonable kind, and the unreasonable kind, lets use a couple examples from 4Kids in this case, as well as some others.

Reasonable: Leaving out that epilepsy episode of Pokemon.
Unreasonable: Editing a Black character to be White.

Now as an extra example:

Funimation's version of One Piece, when airing on Cartoon Network at the time, couldn't use Eneru/Enel's Title of "God" for fairly obvious reasons. Their compromise was having him "King" of Skypiea, and Eneru's "Priests" became "Knights". That is reasonable.

4Kids though have gone off the deep end and practically everyone in the anime community has wished for nothing but their demise.

 

[JP]

Reasonable: Leaving out that epilepsy episode of Pokemon.
Unreasonable: Editing a Black character to be White.

What show did they edit a black character to be white?

And that James with tits episode is still my favorite episode of Pokemon lol.

 

[Dancingweapon]

I think they know what to censor rather than some jumped up anime fan boys. Like the title of their company, it's '4Kids'.

 

[Gerry]

What show did they edit a black character to be white?

And that James with tits episode is still my favorite episode of Pokemon lol.

One Piece.

This was the scene in question.

 

[Tristam Green]

In the anime OnePiece. They edited a character in the NA localization to remove the blackface from his character, and rightfully so.

Spoiler:

You can say that "pretty much everyone" in the anime community wishes for their demise, Gerry, but you cannot deny the fact that 4Kids Entertainment really opened up the world of anime to millions of American children. If you can't come to terms with that kind of awesome, then there's simply something wrong.

 

[JP]

One Piece.

This was the scene in question.

Yeah but that looks kind of offensive. Black and big lips. It's like how they changed Jynx from black to purple. Also, he still looks kinda tannish to me.

 

[Tristam Green]

okok, back on topic please. Gerry, I can understand why you'd be upset as a purist and enthusiast of anime yourself but I can likewise 100% understand why 4Kids Entertainment did the changes they did. Just because certain types of imagery are acceptable in one culture doesn't mean they would be in another.

Case-in-point: The pantie vending machines would go over in the US like a floating turd in a punch bowl.

 

[JP]

Yeah, I agree with the skin color change.

 

[Gerry]

The problem stems a little deeper than what you think though.

4Kids entertainment had also removed entire plot lines which were essential to One Piece, such as Mr. 3's introduction in Little Garden, and Laboon the whale (Edited into an Iceberg if I remember right), which is an essential character further on down the line when Brook is introduced.

Furthermore, with you guys saying that the edit of Black face was good, would you apply the same to this character then if you worked for them?

This character was from another 4Kids licensed show, Shaman King. Funny enough, 4Kids never did anything to him, save for change his jokes so that they'd make sense. This character never got complaints.

Not only that, but these characters, both the crew member from One Piece, and Chocolove (Yes that's his name) from Shaman King in Viz's official translations were left Black, though Chocolove's lips actually were changed very slightly to avoid the stereotype in the manga, that's more acceptable.

Doesn't this strike as a little odd to you?

 

[JP]

The problem stems a little deeper than what you think though.

4Kids entertainment had also removed entire plot lines which were essential to One Piece, such as Mr. 3's introduction in Little Garden, and Laboon the whale (Edited into an Iceberg if I remember right), which is an essential character further on down the line when Brook is introduced.

Furthermore, with you guys saying that the edit of Black face was good, would you apply the same to this character then if you worked for them?

This character was from another 4Kids licensed show, Shaman King. Funny enough, 4Kids never did anything to him, save for change his jokes so that they'd make sense. This character never got complaints.

Not only that, but these characters, both the crew member from One Piece, and Chocolove (Yes that's his name) from Shaman King in Viz's official translations were left Black, though Chocolove's lips actually were changed very slightly to avoid the stereotype in the manga, that's more acceptable.

Doesn't this strike as a little odd to you?

He isn't offensive. We're not saying that they have to get rid of all anime with black people, just "blackface." Blackface usually has googly-eyes, with inky skin; exaggerated white, pink or red lips; and bright, white teeth.

 

[Tristam Green]

What JP said. 4Kids came under some fairly heavy scrutiny by the FCC for Shaman King, but I don't think it was related to that incident. As for the rest of One Piece, I can't speak because I didn't follow it enough to really care.

 

[Ravic]

Well, I think if anyone knows whats wrong with 4kids, it would be James. Lets ask him, shall we?

 

[Romper]

One Piece.

This was the scene in question.

I'M A CHARGIN MAH LAZER!!!!11!!!!!!!1

We're all thinking it.

 

[Hexx]

I'M A CHARGIN MAH LAZER!!!!11!!!!!!!1

We're all thinking it.

Rofl, honestly, looks more like he's being......orally stimulated and um......is about to.......come to fruition.....

 

[Tyrath]

Eh for once I kinda agree with Gerry. All of those censorships besides the epilepsy episode were stupid.