Kids' WB Never Learns (Regarding Eon Kid)

T

The Funny Gay Guy

New member
The next episode of Eon Kid is "Ally's Secret", however, the previous episode was "The Journey Begins". The next episode is supposed to be "Strength Isn't Everything". Learning of this inconsistancy, I went to the Spanish Wikipedia article about the show, and confirmed what had I feared the network might do to this show. If any of you saw the previous episode, you might remember that the truck driver taught Marty some fighting techniques. That's not supposed to happen in "The Journey Begins", but rather it's supposed to happen in "Strength Isn't Everything".

What I'm trying to say is, the network ordered these two episodes to be combined into one episode (or Manga Ent. did it of their own accord; it doesn't matter either way), and now "Ally's Secret" is listed as the next episode.

Now, this show may not be anime, but it's still foreign, Korea/Spain/U.S. (bolded for emphasis) co-production or not, and I vowed that I would find out if something like this was going to happen, and of course I just did. Kids' WB just seems to never learn.

So to anyone who watches the show: are you still going to watch? I know I'm not...
 
Glueing episodes from foreign cartoons together is a favourite tactic of Kids WB and 4kids. The funny thing is, all that time and effort to "speed up" pace likely has no effect on the ratings at all.
 
So in other words, "So what? They do that all the time". Well it needs to stop, pure and simple. Just like the other times, there was reason for it to happen, KOR/ESP/USA co-production or not (again, it's still foreign). There is nothing more to be said.
 
I like Eon Kid, so I'm definately going to continue watching the series, but I do agree that that decision was really stupid. Just another reason why Kids' WB!'s getting canned in a few months.
 
This is actually a larger issue--the fact that network TV executives have so much creative control over their shows now. I'm not just talking about editing stuff from foreign-made shows, but the homegrown stuff is usually carefully neutered to meet their standards. I mean, I'm pretty sure the Legion of Superheroes could be 90% better if it was on a different station. And when Kids WB started having creative input into the production of Pokemon episodes in Japan, a lot of the bawdy humour was toned down--not just in the dubs, but in the CREATIVE PROCESS ITSELF.

Kids WB got what they deserved. This is why they haven't been able to compete with cable animation for the past 10 years. Unfortunately, we still have 4Kids who aren't much better.
 
Are you sure it's KidsWB that's re-editing the episodes, and not whatever company is producing it for the U.S. market. In most cases, they are the ones making the translation/re-editing decision. Usually, foreign programs are purchased by the syndication companies, which then localizes them for the American market, and offers them to networks like WB. It is the syndication company that is responsible for the original "TV edit" and the network only asks for further editing to meet with Standards and Practices compliance.

But I can understand why you're angry about it. It's kind of insulting for the show's owners to assume that their audiance doesn't have the attention span to stick with a paced stroyline. The sad truth is that, to a certain extent, they may be right. A generation of kids weaned away from books and raised on videogames and TV has grown too used to immediate answers to "What happens next?", and may refocus elsewhere if they don't have non-stop action.
 
Networks have more power than you think, and they don't just ask for edits based on Standards and Practices compliance

I once talked to someone who worked for Fox Kids waay back, and I found that networks tended to receive foreign-made shows which are ONLY edited for Standards and Practices compliances. The network would then proceed to ask the company to edit their shows further for creative reasons. There was one anime show, Escaflowne, which (according to the person I talked to) Fox Kids execs found a little slow for their tastes, and so proceeded to speed up the pace by glueing 4 or 5 episodes together. This is pretty much a fact, as the show had already been released on VHS completely unedited at the time of its airing.

Kids WB, aside from editing foreign-made shows, have been known to resort to other methods, such as airing episodes, both in foreign-made and homegrown shows, completely out of order, just to satisfy certain creative tastes of the executives. Like, if Kids WB doesn't want to go through the trouble of airing an episode introducing a new major cast member, they'll instead air a much later episode when the dynamics between a shows' cast members are already established.

Little creative decisions like these are made after various test screenings, focus group trial runs, and sometimes just simply the network execs' own decisions.
 
It doesn't matter either way. Both sides (the network, Kids' WB, and the production company, Manga Entertainment) are equally responsible for it. Either Manga Ent. did it of their own accord, or they entered into an agreement with the network whereby the network would be allowed to do it. OTOH, there was no reason for the network to do it either (again, ratings aren't an excuse).

One thing is certain, one of them actually did it, but at the end of the day, both sides are equally held accountable for it; it never should have happened in the first place. There was no reason for it to happen. Until one of them comes clean about it one way or the other (which may or may not ever happen, I will admit), I have to unfortunately "point the finger" if you will, at both sides.
 
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