Whamhammer Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 oh shi! better watch out!!! Im breaking into the batussi!!!!!
Whamhammer Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) I have to say, I don't get this. No matter what you do with Robotech, no matter who many times you dub it, tweak it, develop it, or change it...it will never be Americana. It will always be something that has had it's roots in Japan. It can be interesting in the way that fusion cuisine is interesting, but I don't think it's either possible or desirable to erase the roots so throughly so that none of it shows through. (For the record, as so that I don't seem like an insufferable Japanophile, I do like a lot of cross-cultural stuff. The Departed was every bit as good as Infernal Affairs, and the Bollywood musical version of the Godfather was a real kick, to cite just two examples. But if you really want an American sci-fi cartoon, you can't do it with Robotech, I don't think.) I can understand where you are comming from. What it comes down for me is I like it and see an opportunity that H.G. is going to screw up unless they are willing to put a serious effort into it that they didnt show in thier most recent release. I wouldnt be against the franchise being sold to a comany that would be willing to put a serious effort into it. What I mean by "American" is more the actual location that the product is developed and produced. Edited September 18, 2009 by Whamhammer
Whamhammer Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 I heard a lot about fans' aspirations for Robotech for a while now online, and I can understand their desire to see this thing go places. But when looking real hard at Harmony Gold, what they are, what they can do, etc., it makes what the fans want sound pretty much unrealistic. If the company was actually involved in the animation industry, then yes, I could see them come out with a 13-26 TV series. In reality though, they started out as a compromised distribution and investment company and it really hasn't gone anywhere else. That is totally different from making the anime. In fact, publicly at least, they seem to have dropped those aspects and focused entirely on Robotech. Really, that's all they're known for these days. However, to this day they don't have anything in house to really do anything with it; no facilities for animation, no animators, artists, etc. So far from what we know, all they are relying on is legal jargon, Tommy Yune, lawyers, and money (but possibly not enough to make much of what you talked about in your post) to get as much and do as much as they can with those resources. But how are you supposed to run a successful animation-focused franchise with just that? Honestly all H.G. has IS Robotech. I really would be behind a production company that is able to work on the project with a degree of effort to actually buy the franchise rights to Robotech. If that company wanted to they could let H.G. distribte it (provided they can offer the best capabilty in competition).But they need to get a real production company involved and H.G. to not being the ones with thumbs up or down on the project.
Lolicon Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 It doesn't. This is about brand protection and the international regulations involved. If a company has a brand name in use in its home country and its well known with users worldwide then another company cannot simply trademark it and exploit the name. What is important in the McDonalds case is that McD wasn't able to excersise it's trademark in SA for a while so their old trademarks were useless. For Macross these regulations mean that if BW has an older claim on the use of the name Macross in Japan, for example in the form of trademarks, then it could protest against the trademarks of HG. That is the most interesting thing that's been said in this thread for awhile. So Big West could potentially have HG's trademark overturned if they were inclined to spend the time and money in court? Since that's all HG is really doing: exploiting someone else's work. Not that it would worth the cost involved to fight it out in court, since Macross already has de facto worldwide distribution, but a man can dream...
Funkenstein Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 Also consider that licensing Macross shows would effectively require a license for both the animation and the music. Basically one for the price of two.
azrael Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 I don't think I have seen this before. It looks to me like a court order describing Bandai Visual as obligator (with BigWest as supporter) and Tatsunoko as obligee, that BV does not agree with the argument that they not be allowed to distribute "Macross" animation DVDs or promo material, etc. You need to really know your lega-lingo to read it properly, though... Great more stuff to look at. I can understand some of the legal-ise and a quick look at the conclusion seems to indicate that Tatsunoko's claims were rejected dismissed.
Seto Kaiba Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) I don't think I have seen this before. It looks to me like a court order describing Bandai Visual as obligator (with BigWest as supporter) and Tatsunoko as obligee, that BV does not agree with the argument that they not be allowed to distribute "Macross" animation DVDs or promo material, etc. I hadn't seen this before either... it looks like one of the cases where Tatsunoko tried to claim ownership of the Macross "brand", only to be shot down by the courts. In this case, the particular claim appears to be that distribution of Macross Zero DVDs and merchandise is a violation of their rights. It looks like their argument was that because Super Dimension Fortress Macross is a distinctive and well-known title, that Big West/Bandai is violating some laws with regard to preventing of unfair competition. Tatsunoko's claims were dismissed by the court, and they got stuck with the bill too. That is the most interesting thing that's been said in this thread for awhile. So Big West could potentially have HG's trademark overturned if they were inclined to spend the time and money in court? Since that's all HG is really doing: exploiting someone else's work. Yeah, given their past behavior and remarks, it looks like Big West doesn't really consider the pitifully small western market to be worth the time and effort right now. Edited September 18, 2009 by Seto Kaiba
Jasonc Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 Yeah, given their past behavior and remarks, it looks like Big West doesn't really consider the pitifully small western market to be worth the time and effort right now. The Key word is, "right now". It'd be nice if Macross grows so much, that they realize that fighting to be able to put their product out wherever is more of a bonus for them. Right now, it seems that BW is just basking in the sun of the great success they have now. One can only hope that their products make it out here on their terms. Just kinda like a "sticking it to the bad guy" sort of thing. Until then, I still support and by their products through e-tailers
terry the lone wolf Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 I think Tommy has found a new career as an IReporter for CNN. He has videos on the Burger wars between McDonald's and Carl's Jr. & the Ipod camera. This video's on Denver's Nan Desu Kan: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-330217
BeyondTheGrave Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 Yeah, given their past behavior and remarks, it looks like Big West doesn't really consider the pitifully small western market to be worth the time and effort right now. That or they watched the dub of SDFM and thought to themselves.... this is the best voice acting they have?!!!!! (Exception of Mari Iijima)
EXO Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 sorry but I thought Mari Iijima's voice and accent was really painful and the rest of the dub was awful, just like their Gachaman dub. The funny thing is they include a making of the dub recordings like it's something to be proud of and it's just so bad. And I'm not a dub snob... I happen to like the Disney and Adult Swim ones. Mari Iijima might look absolutely milfy for her age but her voice is recognizably not suitable for Minmay anymore. What's the reason for not adding subs on Japanese DVDs anyway? The US add french and Spanish to some DVDs all the time. You'd think that adding an english dub would make sense to get more people to buy it, regardless of where they are.
BeyondTheGrave Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 sorry but I thought Mari Iijima's voice and accent was really painful and the rest of the dub was awful, just like their Gachaman dub. The funny thing is they include a making of the dub recordings like it's something to be proud of and it's just so bad. And I'm not a dub snob... I happen to like the Disney and Adult Swim ones. Mari Iijima might look absolutely milfy for her age but her voice is recognizably not suitable for Minmay anymore. What's the reason for not adding subs on Japanese DVDs anyway? The US add french and Spanish to some DVDs all the time. You'd think that adding an english dub would make sense to get more people to buy it, regardless of where they are. HG would probably try to block that from happening too. Saying they have imminent domain or some other bs. Well that and buyers would expect it on more releases. Which could cause the US Anime Industry to really collapse and go under.
Gubaba Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Well that and buyers would expect it on more releases. Which could cause the US Anime Industry to really collapse and go under. I call BS. The average Japanese DVD costs about two-to-three times as much as the average US DVD. The die-hard-must-have-it-now fans will buy the Japanese DVD...everyone else would wait. And there would be translation snobs who would buy both to compare the different subs.
Einherjar Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 (edited) I call BS. The average Japanese DVD costs about two-to-three times as much as the average US DVD. The die-hard-must-have-it-now fans will buy the Japanese DVD...everyone else would wait. It's probably justified in our case, because there's definitely no chance Macross is coming back outside Japan with HG still striving. If you want to support something, you might as well send your money directly to those responsible for it. Edited September 19, 2009 by Einherjar
Wanzerfan Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 I bet there are people who think Exosquad is a future version of Macross, due to the Destroid copycat toys. Those toys are'nt copycats. It was just Playmates and Universal Cartoon Studios' way of cashing in on an easy license. It also doesn't help matters any when the Japanese government issued a law forbidding any new use of the likeness of Ichigo (I don't know if this spelling is correct, I'm going by Bleach here) Hikaru when his vocal actor bought the farm in a motorcycle crash.
Lolicon Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 It also doesn't help matters any when the Japanese government issued a law forbidding any new use of the likeness of Ichigo (I don't know if this spelling is correct, I'm going by Bleach here) Hikaru when his vocal actor bought the farm in a motorcycle crash. Say what? The Japanese government forbade the use of the image of the central character in SDF Macross because Hase Arihiro died? In what universe does that make sense?
Gubaba Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Those toys are'nt copycats. It was just Playmates and Universal Cartoon Studios' way of cashing in on an easy license. It also doesn't help matters any when the Japanese government issued a law forbidding any new use of the likeness of Ichigo (I don't know if this spelling is correct, I'm going by Bleach here) Hikaru when his vocal actor bought the farm in a motorcycle crash. Where did you hear that? First off, he didn't die in a motorcycle accident (although that's what was initially reported), he killed himself by jumping from a building. Second, since his death, numerous likenesses of Hikaru Ichijo have appeared, in the PS2 game, on merchandise, in Macross Frontier, on DVD boxes, and most recently on the new Macross website. PLEASE. Get your facts straight BEFORE you post.
Wanzerfan Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Where did you hear that? First off, he didn't die in a motorcycle accident (although that's what was initially reported), he killed himself by jumping from a building. Second, since his death, numerous likenesses of Hikaru Ichijo have appeared, in the PS2 game, on merchandise, in Macross Frontier, on DVD boxes, and most recently on the new Macross website. PLEASE. Get your facts straight BEFORE you post. I can't remember where I heard the news, and since the mortorcycle crash was the only news I've heard as the cause I've posted that. The news of the Japanese law I probably got from Robotech.com, and we all know how reliable that site is.
Gubaba Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 I can't remember where I heard the news, and since the mortorcycle crash was the only news I've heard as the cause I've posted that. The news of the Japanese law I probably got from Robotech.com, and we all know how reliable that site is. *sigh* Which doesn't really explain why you passed the information along without checking it out first... This happens so often that I'm beginning to think you're DELIBERATELY adding misinformation and lies into the mix.
Seto Kaiba Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 The news of the Japanese law I probably got from Robotech.com, and we all know how reliable that site is. Well, THERE'S your problem... when dealing with information from Robotech.com, assume that everything you read is a lie, or at the very least that it's horribly inaccurate, until proven otherwise. I still haven't forgotten the virus warning one user posted in The Lounge over there. He made a huge fuss about a new variant of the W32.Virut family of viruses, and then failed spectacularly to produce any proof that such a threat existed, finally falling back on the claim of having exclusive, insider knowledge of the goings-on at Microsoft, Symantec, and McAfee, and that he worked as a freelance viral code engineer for all three companies at the same time, and that he worked as a hotel manager for his day job just because he didn't like the corporate politics. He eventually fell back on insisting that news of the threat would be released "any day now", before the thread got locked. I can only imagine what drove him to post that... maybe he was gullible enough to believe one of the virus warning chain letters that was going around,
Whamhammer Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 HG would probably try to block that from happening too. Saying they have imminent domain or some other bs. Well that and buyers would expect it on more releases. Which could cause the US Anime Industry to really collapse and go under. Isnt immenent domain where the govt compells you to sell them your property? I know that the government is buying up everything else, but I dont think theyve gotten that far yet..... yet....
Einherjar Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Honestly all H.G. has IS Robotech. I really would be behind a production company that is able to work on the project with a degree of effort to actually buy the franchise rights to Robotech. If that company wanted to they could let H.G. distribte it (provided they can offer the best capabilty in competition).But they need to get a real production company involved and H.G. to not being the ones with thumbs up or down on the project. If someone was willing to buy all the rights from HG, they probably wouldn't do it. Like you said, all HG has is Robotech. Losing all of that for even a huge amount of money could ruin the company since they appear to be focused exclusively on it. What could they do in a post-HG Robotech controlled world? With their kind of reputation they'd be lucky if people are still interested in working with them to distribute anime, if the industry still exists by then. There's also the no in house resources to do anything problem; things have definitely changed since the 80s, and it won't be as easy for them if they decide to start business all over again.
azrael Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Isnt immenent domain where the govt compells you to sell them your property? I know that the government is buying up everything else, but I dont think theyve gotten that far yet..... yet.... It's called "Eminent domain". And yes, the it regards the government seizing property for usage. So this is not HG's territory.
taksraven Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 *sigh* Which doesn't really explain why you passed the information along without checking it out first... This happens so often that I'm beginning to think you're DELIBERATELY adding misinformation and lies into the mix. There is a word for that sort of conduct but I can't remember what it is. Taksraven
Seto Kaiba Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 There is a word for that sort of conduct but I can't remember what it is. Are the word(s) you're looking for "being MEMO1DOMINION"? Seriously tho, Wanz, check your facts before you post. Google is your friend... Babelfish, not so much... I ran one of the court documents thru it just for yuks earlier, and DAMN did it ever produce some hilarious grammar. If someone was willing to buy all the rights from HG, they probably wouldn't do it. Like you said, all HG has is Robotech. Losing all of that for even a huge amount of money could ruin the company since they appear to be focused exclusively on it. What could they do in a post-HG Robotech controlled world? With their kind of reputation they'd be lucky if people are still interested in working with them to distribute anime, if the industry still exists by then. There's also the no in house resources to do anything problem; things have definitely changed since the 80s, and it won't be as easy for them if they decide to start business all over again. Yeah, but we can definitely see Harmony Gold adopting a passive role in the creative process... rubber-stamping any old crap that Warner Bros comes up with after the live-action movie in exchange for a nice big payoff on the royalties. It's probably more cost-effective that way.
anime52k8 Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Are the word(s) you're looking for "being MEMO1DOMINION"? I'm sorry but that is incorrect. the correct answer was "shaloom"
Seto Kaiba Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 I'm sorry but that is incorrect. the correct answer was "shaloom" I like my answer better... this thread IS about Robotech after all...
VFTF1 Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Man... I am seriously tempted to post on Robotech.com and offer my latest super product: The GG-7 Five Hundred. The GG-7 Fire Hundred is a super conductor poli-optic neural net fabrication unit micro-processor that has the amazing ability to rid your computer of unwanted viruses without ever blocking you from accessing your favorite websites. It's the perfect product for computer users and I developed it all by myself, along with my cousin from Trinidad who has worked as an IT man at Microsoft, Apple, Dell, Bell, Smell and Schmell simultaneously. It was he who pioneered such common household wonders like the R.A.T. (a new take on the mouse pad that Bill Gates himself called "Out of this world awesome" in an interview for Time magazine). Anyways, because I'm such a big fan of Robotech, I wanted to let my fellow fans get the jump! So now anybody who is a member at RT.com can have this product for a WHOPPING 50% off! Yes, that's right! RT.com members get this amazing do-dad for 50% off! That means you pay only one thousand six hundreed and fourty five dollars! That's 1645 dollars! And - for the first seven buyers (since seven is a lucky number - particularly for Rem and Cabal, as all you protoculture addicts remember from episode 25 "Rem and Cabal get Lucky") - you get a FREE BRIDGE IN BROOKLYN that I'm trying to sell on ebay. Oh - and no need to worry about my credibility. After all - I'm the founde and CEO of Harmony Gold! :-) Computers and hanging out with Bill Gates are just my hobby. Well, now me, Shaloom (my Robotech fan buddy from Greece who runs the biggest Asian website in Canada!), and Memo are off to St. Petersburg where we'll be ferried to one of thos Russian rocket sites where they let space tourists launch for only a million dollars each. If you'd like to join me next time we head out on a Russian space ship - you can email me your bank account number, your home phone number, your credit card number + credit card security code and the pin number to your bank account. All this information will be filtered into a random numbers generator which - at 12 pm on Weds the 30th of December 2009 will be activated - generating the lucky winner's name and address using a revolutionary reverse technology that my brother, who works for Bill Gates, has developed. Well - as they say in Vietnam: Ciao! Pete
BeyondTheGrave Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 (edited) Isnt immenent domain where the govt compells you to sell them your property? I know that the government is buying up everything else, but I dont think theyve gotten that far yet..... yet.... In a world controlled by Harmony Gold.... Robotech is the law, life and religion of the people.... It's called "Eminent domain". And yes, the it regards the government seizing property for usage. So this is not HG's territory. And Eminent domain applies to any and everything they see and feel.... One man will rise up against all odds... His name.... Shōji Kawamori Along with band of rebels... Will inspire hope and awaken the culture within that once thought as lost. Starring Jet li as Shōji Kawamori in: Robotech: Operation: SUPER DIMENSION FORTRESS MACROSS the movie. A VFTF1 Production Edited September 19, 2009 by BeyondTheGrave
VFTF1 Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 What's the reason for not adding subs on Japanese DVDs anyway? The US add french and Spanish to some DVDs all the time. You'd think that adding an english dub would make sense to get more people to buy it, regardless of where they are. Imagine how I felt when I bought Mephisto in Berlin, thinking it would "obviously" have english subs and...lo and behold it was ONLY in German. You tell me man - I only work here... Pete
Einherjar Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 What's the reason for not adding subs on Japanese DVDs anyway? The US add french and Spanish to some DVDs all the time. You'd think that adding an english dub would make sense to get more people to buy it, regardless of where they are. What's up with that anyway, does it really cost a lot just to put subs? I'd expect that at least that if it's a cost problem. It's not like it's totally useless for them either. English is mostly a required language course in Japan. People would probably understand it.
BeyondTheGrave Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 What's the reason for not adding subs on Japanese DVDs anyway? The US add french and Spanish to some DVDs all the time. You'd think that adding an english dub would make sense to get more people to buy it, regardless of where they are. Random item: A union Voice Actor makes close to 62 usd an hour. I may be wrong on that figure but it is expensive for a experienced VA. So figure for a series such as Bleach, Dragon Ball Z or Naruto where its over 75 episodes, 3 movies and the main character has sometimes 5 minutes of lines or In DBZ's case 5 minutes of screaming. It adds up quickly. VA rate sheet
Jasonc Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 That or they watched the dub of SDFM and thought to themselves.... this is the best voice acting they have?!!!!! (Exception of Mari Iijima) A very simple part of the problem why ADV went under and is now spitting out DVDs under the Sentai name. They recycled the same actors over and over, in hopes that their small list of mostly non unioned VAs would make it work. They were non union, thus the reason they were stationed in Texas. Speaking of which, I know a few VAs who have the SAG cards who did not like ADV for that action. ADV paid their VAs less by not going union, but, sometimes you get what you pay for. While some VAs ADV used were very good, some were just annoying to hear in every DVD they put out. Random item: A union Voice Actor makes close to 62 usd an hour. I may be wrong on that figure but it is expensive for a experienced VA. So figure for a series such as Bleach, Dragon Ball Z or Naruto where its over 75 episodes, 3 movies and the main character has sometimes 5 minutes of lines or In DBZ's case 5 minutes of screaming. It adds up quickly. Being a VA can be lucrative, or at least for a select few. The one good thing HG did was use mostly great VAs in their latest feature. While the lines were very bad, the VAs did a good job.
EXO Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Random item: A union Voice Actor makes close to 62 usd an hour. I may be wrong on that figure but it is expensive for a experienced VA. So figure for a series such as Bleach, Dragon Ball Z or Naruto where its over 75 episodes, 3 movies and the main character has sometimes 5 minutes of lines or In DBZ's case 5 minutes of screaming. It adds up quickly. VA rate sheet Uhhh... when did you need VAs for subs? You should really just get someone that can translate and type... lol
BeyondTheGrave Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 Uhhh... when did you need VAs for subs? You should really just get someone that can translate and type... lol I think I said that a while back. Just pay a English major from the US and a translator.
Recommended Posts