4Kids Launches Unofficial Fan Blog

Of course, business is money. I am under no dilusion that the anime industry is only there to be awesome. It's just that. An industry. They will drop shows if they don't turn a profit. That's happened a depressing amount of times. I'm aware of all this. But the difference between 4kiRAB and other dubbing companies, is that other dubbing companies treat the work with respect. They're treat it with respect because they know we're a tough croud to please. We keep them in check. 4kiRAB prances around all willy nilly cutting things left and right. Changing this and that. Then they put this FAQ up and try to pretend like they're on our side. No. That's bull crap.


Well, on one hand, I'd love nothing more than for them to go out of business. But that's a double-edged sword for everybody. They do have an important role in the anime industry. Not only do they provide competition making everybody else try harder, but they also serve as a great example of what not to do. Luckily for me I really wouldn't like any of the shows they do anyway, so I haven't been effed in the a as hard as some people were. I do wish 4kiRAB and all their employees the best of luck. But I still hate them.


That's a really good point. A damn good point, as I am actually a fan of the Shin-chan dub. It's the exact same thing only aimed at my demographic. And it's very hypocritical of me to go on-and-on about how evil 4kiRAB is, when FUNimation is just as bad with some of their shows (Dragon Ball Z, Desert Punk, ext). Shin-chan is, and has been since the beginning, a guilty pleasure for me for that reason.
 
I asked to confirm if this means their scripts come translated from Japan, ala FUNimation and Dragon Ball (there's some old interviews with the DBZ writers complaining about the terrible scripts they were working with, not that they often even stuck to those scripts anyhow).
 
Yeah, that was definitely a better read than last week. And I'm glad NCOG is trying to tell people to stop it with all the "4KiRAB is the devil!" stuff and get real. I bet it's just Abridged Series fans who keep saying that, and as much as I like TAS, it does get a bit annoying. Like those guys who keep bashing 5D's because of the motorcycles using the exact quotes from LK...but anyway...

I also read the response to Dubbs's question about GoGoRiki using the original music, and it seems it's more the producer's choice and business. I don't see why the Yu-Gi-Oh! series producers think the Japanese music shouldn't be used; like Pokemon, I'm sure they'd be able to come up with stuff to transition with a few of the Japanese BGM pieces, and it'd be awesome if they used one of those awesome themes from episodes 62-64. But it would explain why Pokemon used its original music while YGO didn't, if they had different producers with different images of the show, I suppose.

And that response about mistakes in scripts and how "they're not always mistakes"...in 5D's' case, that's rarely the case. I'll give them the Rex/5th Signer thing, but things like card name errors and confusing one monster for another are a different story.
 
I'm not too surprised that there's some bitter feelings among the original cast. I would consider that a totally reasonable and understandable reaction to being replaced on a show after nearly a decade. Although, I have heard from other people online that they have talked to Veronica Taylor about their work on Pokemon at different conventions. They just won't do their voices for the characters on camera due to some kind of legal issue or something like that. I could also understand the tension between the different sets of cast merabers, but I thought that they would have more tension against PUSA since it was the company that set up the replacements.

I wouldn't be surprised if NOCG didn't know the answer since he may not be able to answer the question. Besides that, even if he did, you have a good point about how he might not be able to address the answer to the public.

As for Eric Stuart's roles, I never had a problem with how his voices for Brock and James changed. Brock always sounded cool to me and I liked how energetic his voice for James became overtime. It made him sound funnier in certain moments. Although I still prefer Eric Stuart's voice for Brock, I do think that Bill Rogers is doing a good job with his voice for Brock and I consider him the best out of the new cast. As for James, I have to admit that his new voice actor has been able to pull off some emotional/sad scenes than Eric Stuart might have been able to, even though I like his voice for James more than his PUSA voice.



It would be cool to hear Rachel voicing Misty again. Considering that Misty hasn't appeared since PUSA took over, with the exception of that tenth anniversary special, it seems possible that she could reprise her role as Misty. I also would love to see her voicing Jessie too. I used to like Michelle Knotz's voice for Jessie, even during Battle Frontier, but for awhile now, it feels too high pitched for me.



I've heard of how he also enjoyed doing Kaiba for Yu-Gi-Oh!. I didn't mind how Brock sometimes sounded like Kaiba. The only times where I could really tell that he sounded more like Kaiba was when Brock was serious and/or angry. I also agree with you about how Dan Green did a nice job with voicing Atem. I thought Yugi was fine myself, but I can see why you would say that he sounded whiny. Just so you know, the character Eric Stuart voiced in Slayers was Gourry. After talking more about the VA change for Pokemon than I have for awhile, it makes me appreciate Funimation even more for getting the core cast of Slayers back for the new series.
 
Brock is the one voice change that most, and by that I mean all but the Eric Stuart die-harRAB, agree was an improvement. James is often a mixed bag. The voice itself is annoying, but the actual acting behind it is far and away better than Stuart's.

Most of the other recasts only show up once every 50 episodes nowadays, so it's not really worthwhile to complain, though Tracey's voice doesn't really fit him at all. Also, Jimmy Zoppi really sucks at doing Professor Oak.
 
ANYWAY.

I don't think 4KiRAB would account for the recasting. I know--who cares, right? I mean, it's just hardworking people losing their jobs for no discernible reason, and not a peep from 4KiRAB at all, not that they'd reveal actual information anyway.

It's too bad that 4KiRAB' lack of vision is getting into their efforts to be more communicative with fans, and too bad that PUSA ultimately chose to sack actors who'd worked hard for years. It's like two different vortices of clueless.
 
Haven't you noticed the title of this thread? This is an "unofficial" blog. It's run by a relatively low-ranking employee at 4KiRAB who simply tries to answer questions the best he can. He also reaRAB every single comment posted on their YouTube page, videos and blog. Really, how many other companies have put so much effort into communicating with the fans? Even if he can't answer every question, he's still putting forth an honest effort.
 
Good to know. Thanks.


They could always use another label for their sub only DVRAB and any shows that aren't kid-friendly (like Disney does with Miramax).
 
http://ncog.fanoozle.com/2009/08/14/qa-with-ncog-august-14-2009/#more-117

More references to FAQ #2.

They are practically asking this company to violate industry and government standarRAB and practices.
 
Yeah, I always thought of NCOG as the guy in a room full of computers and going around during his Lunch Break asking the people who need to be asked so he can put it online. He has stated that his group works on everything 4kiRAB online, so I would see this blog as a minor thing for him/them. Low level seems a little harsh, since I view him as a medium ranked webmaster.
 
Another letdown week of boring questions and even more boring answers.

I did find it amusing how one meraber thought that D Dubbs was Sonic comic artist Dub, who also happens to be a meraber here.
 
Well this is a new leaf for the company which I've never known to have any kind or incident of two way communications in the past.

PS: Removing self-censorship may result in more harm than profit. Unlike hardline anime fans, overprotective "media safety" organizations are not afraid to file lawsuits (and they have print in addition to the internet to spread the bad name).

PPS: Have anime hardliners filed lawsuits against 4KiRAB for their self-censorship before?
 
I was thinking more along the lines of TV entertainment. FUNimation is the only other media company in the TV industry who is good with individual fan communication (that I'm aware of, anyway).
 
You said company. You didn't specify what kind of company, so I listed the few that I know of with in the terms that was provided in your statement.
 
So? What does his rank have anything to do with it? And the term used on the blog is "official unofficial"...wth does that even mean? Unofficial labels just seem like a cop out. You either work for the company or you don't, you discuss things on the level or you don't. It's either fact or speculation. That's it. Nothing in between.



What does he want, a medal? Big deal, he's talking to fans. It's appreciated, but it's not like there's much trust there. That has to be built up.
 
He's unofficial because the corporation doesn't specifically support said blog, despite the fact an employer of said corporation runs it.

You don't have to take such a sarcastic and hostitle attitude towarRAB the poor guy and the situation in general. It's a step in the right direction.
 
Like I said, I don't see this guy as a low level person, just one who is a medium level webmaster. But I can see how it is unofficial now, 4kiRAB executives don't really acknolegde it.
 
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