Invader ZiM dubbed in Japanese?

[Spacefille]

Sorry if this has been brought up already...

A couple months ago I read that apparently ZiM is being dubbed and released in Japan in June.

Can anyone confirm this?

Also if it's true that ZiM is getting dubbed is there anyone out there who is going to capture some of the episodes and distribute them? Cause I, for one, would be really amused to hear Zim speaking in Japanese.

That is all. Thanks!

[rocketgal]

ahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that would rock. truely.


and in honesty i can see japan going for that.

[rocketgal]

google. not as helpful as one would hope

http://allafrica.com/stories/200504210043.html

oh lord. the flame of love is reignited http://f25.aaa.livedoor.jp/%7Eirkenzim/

[rocketgal]

http://f25.aaa.livedoor.jp/%7Eirkenzim/link.html

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Lychii]

Love the link you posted Rocketgal. (the Japanese site) Anywho, Tankroll (owner of the "Brainbit" site) told me that ZIM was going to air in Japan in June. Also, the owner of the "READ ME GIRLS!" site (I think) said it was going to air in Japan.

...Yeah, it's true.

[Urchin]

Oh shit. The art on that site is awesome. Some of it looks like scanart, but a lot of it doesn't. :<3:

<img src="http://f25.aaa.livedoor.jp/%7Eirkenzim/irken_empic/ep2_07/ep2_07.jpg">

The warehouse page (倉庫, link on the right) has some of the best Zim fanart I've ever seen.

[BuNni!]

that japenese site is awsome, and they have a link to some powerpuff girls fan comic in japenese hehe

after looking at the japenese ppg site, they are going to kill the powerpuff girls and going to turn it in to some lame anime... i was a big ppg fan back when i was smaller...

[Dib: CSI Fan]

Oh yeah, I heard about this on Tekuri's (the owner of Capsule Z) DeviantArt website.

I wouldn't mind seeing/hearing clips from that when it comes out...

[Bloody_Gir]

I'd probably help out with fansubbing this XD

[TheTallestBlue]

Fansubbing what? We already have the episodes in english. o0

[Lychii]

I'd probably help out with fansubbing this XD
Fansubbing? No, it's officialy being dubbed into Japanese.

</mad mis-interpitation skills>

[Bloody_Gir]

Well, since it is going to be shown in japan there will most likely be a fansub group that will sub this. Theres people who watch anime who haven't seen Invader Zim, so think of it as reaching them. Then they will buy Zim stuff! You'll see..people do sub all kinds of stuff. o_o

[maxx]

Theres people who watch anime who haven't seen Invader Zim, so think of it as reaching them. Then they will buy Zim stuff! You'll see..people do sub all kinds of stuff.

Yeah wonderful, then we'll have more of those hyper zim fans running around here.

Anime fans+Invader Zim= "OMG!111! Zim iz teh asomE Shw on teh Tv, Sin petiitioon to bRg iT back. I do whatava i wAnt on a meSSage Bard, I donT ned tO folow teh rulez or liSen to anBody LOLOLLOLOOl!!1"

[MajinGir]

Yeah wonderful, then we'll have more of those hyper zim fans running around here.

Anime fans+Invader Zim= "OMG!111! Zim iz teh asomE Shw on teh Tv, Sin petiitioon to bRg iT back. I do whatava i wAnt on a meSSage Bard, I donT ned tO folow teh rulez or liSen to anBody LOLOLLOLOOl!!1"

Actually, from what I've seen, anime fans who aknow what fansubs are are usually pretty smart. What you need to watch for are the people who only watch dubs. They are your crazy, "OMG LIEK I LUV DBZ" fans. Plus, I know a lot of anime fans already like Zim. It tends to cross those boundaries.

[tass]

from what i've seen, most anime fans are stupid, but it's not because of the anime -- most people are stupid. there are idiots who think that the edited, dubbed versions that air on cartoon network are all that's out there, but then you've got the anime "purists" who think all dubs rose from the depths of hell.

[TheTallestBlue]

I still dont understand the concept of 'fansubbing' an American-Translated-to-Japanese show. It seems backwards to me.

[pendejochy]

I still dont understand the concept of 'fansubbing' an American-Translated-to-Japanese show. It seems backwards to me.

Yes, it is backwards. But, it might be fun because there probably won't be an exact word-for-word translation. Then we can find out what the Japanese Zim charactors are saying. Just like we did with that tread I made where we found out that Spanish Gir was coming onto Gaz.

"que nena!" (what a babe!)

"Lo olo!" (shake it!)

I wonder what craziness the Japanese Gir has in store for us....

[Spacefille]

But no actual news on if and when and links and such?

Ah well. I suppose I'll have to sit tight and wait to see what happens.

[canaryfarmer]

scariest image ever:
http://f25.aaa.livedoor.jp/%7Eirkenzim/irken_empic/repo/expo/gir.jpg

[MST3Kakalina]

Yeah wonderful, then we'll have more of those hyper zim fans running around here.

Anime fans+Invader Zim= "OMG!111! Zim iz teh asomE Shw on teh Tv, Sin petiitioon to bRg iT back. I do whatava i wAnt on a meSSage Bard, I donT ned tO folow teh rulez or liSen to anBody LOLOLLOLOOl!!1"
and that's when we fire the secret laser.

[Lychii]

http://www.nickjapan.com/nick_news.html
http://www.nickjapan.com/i-jim.html

Yay, it's been varified! It's offcial! Airing June 30th, I think. As for the character chart ...
ZIM= Jimu
GIR - Gaa
Dib = Dibu

EDIT Aha, it's airing on the 25th. ^^;

[pendejochy]

Yay, it's been varified! It's offcial! Airing June 30th, I think. As for the character chart ...
ZIM= Jimu
GIR - Gaa
Dib = Dibu

i wonder why zim is "jimu." Wouldn't it make more sence to call him "Zimu?" I don't know for sure, I'm only a beginner at speaking (ha, as if) Japanese. Is Zimu a swear word or something in Japn?

[maxx]

i wonder why zim is "jimu." Wouldn't it make more sence to call him "Zimu?" I don't know for sure, I'm only a beginner at speaking (ha, as if) Japanese. Is Zimu a swear word or something in Japn?

Well in Japanese accents, the letters "Z" and "J' sound alike when used in a sentence. I guess that might be the answer, but I could be wrong.

[-MV- Anubis]

Such as my name in japanese is pronounced.

US - Avicenna
JP - Abisheena


The more you know...although you already knew...and I just had to add my 2 cents.

[Abadd]

In Japanese phonetics, they don't have the "zi" syllable. It's rather odd, because they have "za", "zu", "ze", and "zo", though.

I just hope we don't see some novice english speakers asking about "Invader Jim".

[Lychii]

In Japanese phonetics, they don't have the "zi" syllable. It's rather odd, because they have "za", "zu", "ze", and "zo", though.

I just hope we don't see some novice english speakers asking about "Invader Jim".
From what I've seen the "zi" sylible has also been pronunced as "di" or something.

Dear lord, Invader JIM and Gib. (<--magical commentary-ness)

[Iodine]

DIBUUUUUUU!

[rocketgal]

In Japanese phonetics, they don't have the "zi" syllable. It's rather odd, because they have "za", "zu", "ze", and "zo", though.

I just hope we don't see some novice english speakers asking about "Invader Jim".


where as i hope we DO

[-MV- Anubis]

The crazy fucking japanese you can never know what to expect. If it catches on there, who knows what the fuck they'll churn out.

But then again, you gotta love them.

[maxx]

The crazy fucking japanese you can never know what to expect. If it catches on there, who knows what the fuck they'll churn out.

But then again, you gotta love them.

Nice racism asshole. Tell me, what is normal vocal language to you, oh wait, it's "english" right?

To many other cultures of different languages, ours ("english")is more of the "weird" trend to them too and guess what, we're in the same circle. It's not like the Japanese are stupid, they're just using the language they know of to dub American cartoons. Check out American television, we have some changes of our own:

Daisuke - Davis
Yamato - Matt
Shenji - David

[-MV- Anubis]

Cry me a river maxx.

I lived there for a year...I would know to the extent of how racist they can be.

They are EXTREMELY racist, and I mean VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY RACIST...so don't go yelling at me...you watch how the japanese treat non whites down there....then you come crying to me...I didnt call them japs...I think your looking to start something.

And I am fully aware of our language being "weird" considering my dad can speak Arabic, Farsi, English. And has been to 57 different countries...and has dealt with the racisim himself.

Plus there are plenty of reasons why english is weird..but then again. English is the only important language...its only second being japanese, but that is being exed out by the chinese.

And I never said they where stupid... I respect the japanese..but they are fucking crazy.

[maxx]

I lived there for a year...I would know to the extent of how racist they can be.

They are EXTREMELY racist, and I mean VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY RACIST...so don't go yelling at me...you watch how the japanese treat non whites down there....then you come crying to me...I didnt call them japs...I think your looking to start something.

Racism is racism, either way, you're using it. Ask me if I care what the Japanese think of what color I am? Also, I am not willing to start anyting, I'm just angry that someone just pokes fun at other people's cultural way of speaking, because it sounds differently than to what most are used to.

And I am fully aware of our language being "weird" considering my dad can speak Arabic, Farsi, English. And has been to 57 different countries...and has dealt with the racisim himself.

Well if you're so "fully aware", then why exactly were you acting like it? You made it sound as though everyone must know english in order to make "sense" to everyone else.

Plus there are plenty of reasons why english is weird..but then again. English is the only important language...its only second being japanese, but that is being exed out by the chinese.

That's still no reason to criticize someone else's language or pronunciation of words.

And I never said they where stupid... I respect the japanese..but they are fucking crazy.

Of course, I've should've realized that when you were shouting "fucking crazy". By the way, could you elaborate on "crazy" for me?

[-MV- Anubis]

They are, and thats what I respect about them...they are fanatical, honorable...they also have quite the bit of culture...but look at japanese marketing strategies and take a look around...you'll see what I mean right there...

I love to dance around touchy subjects this is quite amusing for me, the context I mean things are much different that they seem but whatever makes you are riled up to the occassion sure, I always love to tango.

[maxx]

They are, and thats what I respect about them...they are fanatical, honorable...they also have quite the bit of culture...but look at japanese marketing strategies and take a look around...you'll see what I mean right there...

America's not all "shining sun and beautiful flowers" either. Thanks to Bush's changes, we pay more here than foreigners do, we also have prisons containing harsh abuses to arrested Iraqies. I guess we're all crazy.

I love to dance around touchy subjects this is quite amusing for me, the context I mean things are much different that they seem but whatever makes you are riled up to the occassion sure, I always love to tango.

Ok, perhaps I was a little over-board on the subject. Anyway, my point was that we shouldn't treat others because of the way they speak their language. I'm willing to quit now and calling it a night if that's alright with you.

[-MV- Anubis]

I never said anything about america not being crazy, we are guntoting crazy warmongers.....and my arguement had nothing to do with their language, it had to do more with their overzealous tendancies when regarding their conduct with a "Craze"...but sure...I didn't explain myself too well....

Anyways I'll call it quits now before we start some racy, horrible, war of words that need not happen. So sorry, and goodnight.

[TheTallestBlue]

Maxx, chill the fuck out. He means that compared to what the norm is here, they're a little off their rocker. But thats what makes Japanese things great, because its so new and different to someone who has to experience America every fucking day. Just because he pointed out that alot of the stuff they have is odd and interesting, doesn't mean he hates the culture.

[maxx]

Yeah I know, just a mis-understanding. Oh by the way Anubis, I forgot my apologies, sorry for taking your post too seriously.

[pendejochy]

Yes, they are just crazy by U.S. (or where ever) standards, but then again, al people are. It cultiral diferences, blah, blah, melting pot, blah, blah, world peace, blah, blah.

yo maxx (or anyone else reading this), if you want to see some Japanese "craziness" (not in a racest way, of course,) check out this link.

http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher47.html

It is about a large, black man who teaches english in Japan. Funnyness ensues.

[μ-tant]

Maxx, shut the fuck up.

please.

[Bloody_Gir]

yo maxx (or anyone else reading this), if you want to see some Japanese "craziness" (not in a racest way, of course,) check out this link.

http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher47.html

It is about a large, black man who teaches english in Japan. Funnyness ensues.

haha I love reading his experiences in japan. The earlier stuff was hilarious.

[-MV- Anubis]

Maxx, Its ok dude, no problem.

[Lychii]

Words cannot describe how disturbing (and funny) that link was that you posted, Pendejochy. That's very intresting though ... and pretty creepy too. ;_; *shudders at the thought of kancho* >_<;

[eveofdusk]

Btw: if you use a translator to read the japanese site, ZIM = GYM.

[CrazyRoxi]

Well, back on to the original idea of the topic, these are my thoughts:

Oh.
My.
Freaking.
God.

YES! This is going to be awesome. Can you imagine it? I've always dreamed of hearing Zim talk in Japanese. "Inbaderederu Jimu"?
I bet 20 bucks his voice will be done by a woman.

By the way, I know Katakana and Hiragana, so Dib's name (roughly translated with the Katakana) the syllables are De-i-bu. I guess they didn't do the same for Zim (With Ze-i-mu) because they thought it sounded too alike, maybe?
Jimu. SHJEE-mu. Heh heh. It sounds cool.

I've dreamed of this all my life.

[Lychii]

I bet 20 bucks his voice will be done by a woman.
Everyone knows that ZIM and Dib will be VA'ed by women. I mean, why wouldn't they? GIR would have been included in that list but rumor has it that he's being VA'ed by some guy in a band.

I've dreamed of this all my life.
Pretty much how I feel. *gooshes* I'm wondering if anyone has a teaser, commercial, etc.? I'm dying to hear their voices. @_@

[DairyMan88]

I bet 20 bucks his voice will be done by a woman.

I bet another twenty it's Ogata Megumi.

[Dib: CSI Fan]

Well, it premiered there last night. I wonder how they sound now...hope someone eventually posts clips from it.

[CrazyRoxi]

Yeah, according to Wikipedia.org, he was definetly voiced by a woman. No surprise there, eh?

I must hear Zim's Japanese voice.

[I am Madness]

Oh, I'm just peeing my pants with excitement.

PS hey dib

[Dib: CSI Fan]

According to what I've read, Zim, Dib, AND GIR are all voiced by women. I wonder if Purple is too? Hell, everyone of the main characters besides Professor Membrane and maybe Red could be played by girls.

ps hey madness.

[Lychii]

The voice actresses are as follows:

Zim: Nao Nagasawa
Dib: Ayumi Kida
Gir: Wasabi Mizuta

Let's all thank Tekuri for these. :>

[chupa]

Nice racism asshole. Tell me, what is normal vocal language to you, oh wait, it's "english" right?

To many other cultures of different languages, ours ("english")is more of the "weird" trend to them too and guess what, we're in the same circle. It's not like the Japanese are stupid, they're just using the language they know of to dub American cartoons. Check out American television, we have some changes of our own:

Daisuke - Davis
Yamato - Matt
Shenji - David
I think he was talking about the tendency Japanese culture has to churn out beautiful little images such as this:

http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/3859338/477628

Actually I just think that's a hilarious picture and I want to post it everywhere I can.

[Lychii]

I think he was talking about the tendency Japanese culture has to churn out beautiful little images such as this:

http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/3859338/477628

Actually I just think that's a hilarious picture and I want to post it everywhere I can.
You know what, the thought of a Japanese IZ fan wantng to make some Zim fan-art like that gives me the heebee-jeebee's and makes want to cry my eyes out. :(

[Vile]

Zim Hentai. yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes

[Human Dog Monst]

Maybe Japan will finish the last unfinished episodes and later on they will be translated into Englsih. What do you all think? Because I hope to god it will happen. If it does think of the ratings Invader Zim will get and Nickelodeon will have no choice but to air it again.

[chupa]

Maybe Japan will finish the last unfinished episodes and later on they will be translated into Englsih. What do you all think? Because I hope to god it will happen. If it does think of the ratings Invader Zim will get and Nickelodeon will have no choice but to air it again.
I want you to stop, think about what you just said, analyze the statement and find every single implausibility, then <em>leave this website and never come back.</em>

[Human Dog Monst]

Dare I ask why you are already jumping down my throat?

[Vile]

Because you're a moron and we deal with people like you on a daily basis. We're jadddeedd.

[maxx]

Maybe Japan will finish the last unfinished episodes and later on they will be translated into Englsih. What do you all think? Because I hope to god it will happen. If it does think of the ratings Invader Zim will get and Nickelodeon will have no choice but to air it again.

No, no, no, no, see, Nickolodeon(Viacom) isn't going to give the rights to any other network because they want to milk every ounce of money they can from it, just because it's in Japan doesn't mean Nick gave anything to anyone except dubbing scripts to the show. The original IZ crew packed up and fled long ago when the show was cancelled and don't seem to be showing any interest in coming back, namely Jhonen. Without them, don't count on it being as "funny" or "amusing" as you've witnessed yourself in the past, and I don't think anime drawn characters and extra explosions is going to do the show any good.

I don't see how it will get any ratings at all.

[Human Dog Monst]

Because you're a moron and we deal with people like you on a daily basis. We're jadddeedd.

I guess we have that in common then. I've dealt with your kind before myself. Unless I am banned I don't plan on leaving anytime soon.

As for my message I do admit it was a bit random. It was a mistake, what did you expect out of me? Perfection?

[Vile]

Actually, I like you. Just.. you know. Don't talk about zim coming back. We're all so angry here.

What's up, new friend?

[Human Dog Monst]

Not much and I do apologize, I just hate it when members of message boards I joined start jumping on me like I'm public enemy number one. I, myself am too angry. For the past few days I haven't been able to decipher nicktoons new f***ed up schedule. Because of that I've missed Invader Zim for the past 3 days. Hopefully I'll be able to watch it tonight if nicktoons finally decided on their schedule.

[Vile]

Aha. I bought a betta fish! His name is bastien and I do love him. Don't google his name though. You get hot gay porn. :(!

[chupa]

...what did you expect out of me? Perfection?
<em>preeeeeetty</em> much.

[Lychii]

Zim Hentai. yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes
HAY NOW. Just because you look gangster or something dosen't mean you can go around saying things like that.

...Ok, maybe it does but still! ;_;

[Human Dog Monst]

After thinking about it, it would be funny to hear GIR speak in japanese. Especially when I already know most of his lines :D

[DairyMan88]

you and the rest of the shirts at Hot Topic.

[Vile]

haha.

zzzzzprt.

[Spacefille]

Okay! Back to the topic at hand, I now know that Zim has premiered in some way, shape or form dubbed in Japanese.

Does ANYONE have a clip or have taped it? I'm dying to see it. Please someone help?

[Trogg]

MARIE

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN

[tass]

i'll keep checking the anidb and anime-source to see if anyone fansubs it.

[Spacefille]

Around.

Thanks Potassium, I appreciate it. I also really like your sig, because it's so true! Who made that up may I ask? :)

[tass]

eheh, thanks. i really can't remember who made it up. i just remember i read it at an fma livejournal community or something back when people were waiting for episode 51 to be subbed. (at least, i assume you were talking about the fma quote)

[Spacefille]

Yup! I've watched a whole two episodes of FMA, but my roommates are absolutely obsessed with that anime, so much that I actually can get your sig and enjoy it incredibly.

[Spacefille]

*bump* Any luck?

[KLEIN]

FMA is better than Zim.

[Rory Storm]

You know, I don't really like anime all together. Well, jap anime, it just doesn't look at all entertaining, and I am so glad that I missed that fad or I might have missed some money that I need. For books. And other stuff, like gasoline. And other stuff. Like food. And my teacher has just entered the room. :(.

[tass]

no luck, sorry. i've been checking though.

rory, you say you don't like it at all, but then you say it just doesn't look entertaining. meaning... you haven't actually seen much, if any of it, have you?

[UnionofDarkness]

Hey 'Tass... been awhile. The Babble's on the look out too, just to let you know. Man, posting here after all this time brings back memories. Painful repressed memories.

[chupa]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit, i was looking for that picture. sweet.

[Chakan]

FMA is better than Zim. No, no it is not.

[Shadowfox]

They're totally different categories. Zim never even really pretended to have a continuous plot, just a few ongoing themes (eg: Dib opposes the alien menace, the Tallest have no interest in Zim, etc). It's pretty much pure comedy. Take FMA in that vein and it's terrible, the favorite recurring humor theme is "Ed is short and his brother is tall" (...and I find I have some trouble mocking that...). Take Zim as a plot-oriented show and it's terrible, the Tak episode and maybe the first episode are the only things that might pass as such.

Accurate and meaningful comparison is impossible!

<small>FMA is better.</small>

*edit: Ah crap. I just discussed Zim in the Zim discussion forum. ...I'm gonna go take a nice searing hot shower now to scald away the shame...

[Chakan]

<small>FMA is better.</small> Only if you think Zim needed more needless violence, irony, painfully obvious political commentary about the Crusades (and the War in Iraq?) and good ol' Deus ex Machina (aka "A wizard did it!"). I've never seen a show that is so consistenly bipolar. One minute, something great or good is happening, the next, a bunch of people are murdered or decapitated or something similarly violent or depressing. It's a hard show for me to take seriously when you can pretty much predict when something horrible is going to swoop down and take all the good that had happened in the episode away, making everything you saw previously meaningless. That and the fact that you can't really tell which characters you should like or hate, because again, everything is so bipolar they will make one guy look like a saint one minute, the next he is the anti-christ. This all makes for a show that is highly unlikeable and depressing and pointless all at the same time.

[KLEIN]

I don't think we're talking about the same show, here.

Your analysis makes no sense. Please explain further. And without spoilers.

[Davey Rootbeer]

that's the POINT of FMA though.

you don't know who to trust. you don't know who's the good guys, and who's the bad guys. all of which makes for more interesting extracurricular discussion. it goes to prove that in humanity, there IS no black and white. humans aren't all good, o0r all evil.

I mean, think about it. Zim's going to do the same things in ever episode. Gir's going to do the same things too. Roy Mustang is a good guy. no, wait, he's a bad guy. no, wait, he did something to help the main characters out. No, wait, he's working for the military 's purpose. you don't KNOW what he's going to do next. which is why you watch the next episode to find out.

FMA is more insightful, and Zim is more topical.

There, i said it.



bt you really can't compare them when they are positioned two completely different ways.

[KLEIN]

I think you're missing some letters there, davey.

But you're basically right. Even the villians are complex characters. Every character on the show acts in ways that real people do. The number of stock characters and villians is basically zero.

I accuse chakan of not having actually watched the show.

[J.T. Wasabi]

I found it a little slow paced at times, but over all a good show.

I'm almost done the series. I think I have like 4 episodes to go.

[KLEIN]

Compared to what? Dragon ball Z?

There's 51 episodes total.

[J.T. Wasabi]

no dragonball was the most ridiculously drawn out show ever.

I just found myself getting bored with the series at times. This was more in the second half of it.

[Shadowfox]

I don't like the pacing of some of the episodes. Because of the number of threads they follow, you don't get a lot of info each episode. Back in the early episodes when there were basically only two characters we cared about, whatever they were doing could be completed in a few eps and they'd move on to the next town or whatever. At the point I'm at in the series now, we're following twenty-five thousand different threads so if we want progress on all of 'em, we only see a little happen in each, and some of them get left hanging for a pretty long time. I think they do a pretty good job of balancing it, and I certainly don't want them following FEWER threads, that would kill the complexity, but it does make for pretty slow going.

However, I can get any given episode with a two-minute download off the Cornell DC++ hub and am watching them basically back-to-back, so slow pacing's not going to bother me so much in this situation.

I'm only up to ep 38, by the way. So. Y'know. Watch what you say.

The sequence of ten or so flashback episodes at the beginning bothers me. I know why they did it, and yeah, I appreciate not having to follow the pair around for four years while they do only a few things that affect things we care about later, but it was so simple it was dull. They just pounded these really simple themes every episode, I guess so the real point stayed hidden for a while, and we were only following one thread so the complexity was only in the flashback-within-a-flashback bits and while later in the series everyone fleshes out, early on we don't know anything about 'em and to make things worse, in the early eps they DID use stock characters. Villains mostly. Like the tubby priest and the whiny corrupt military guy in the mining town. Y'could've drawn those two from early Trigun eps, and those've got the worst one-sided villains in the known universe. Yeah, they involved Lust and Gluttony right from the start, but they weren't onscreen enough for me to care much (plus Gluttony's not exactly... I can't say this without punning... not exactly well-rounded). And considering the less-involving episodes are in a nice long sequence right at the beginning of the series, they're probably driving away some of their viewers. Like the Wraiths, here at Cornell. Some idiot showed them episodes two and five or something like that. Rather killed their interest.

Klein, I'd like you to know that this stupid show caused me not to finish my stupid web design project and now it's late. I blame you.

However, it did stop trying to force-feed me equivalent trade every five minutes or so, so I guess you're clear on that.

[tass]

Only if you think Zim needed more needless violence, irony, painfully obvious political commentary about the Crusades (and the War in Iraq?)
there is no political commentary about the crusades. this proves you haven't watched past where the dub is, let alone finished the series. also, the war in iraq began in, what, '03? yeah, that's what wiki says. the fma manga began in february of '02. so... (no.)

and good ol' Deus ex Machina (aka "A wizard did it!").
i'm now convinced you haven't watched more than a couple random episodes of the dub. you've got the wrong series there, that's harry potter.

I've never seen a show that is so consistenly bipolar. One minute, something great or good is happening, the next, a bunch of people are murdered or decapitated or something similarly violent or depressing. It's a hard show for me to take seriously when you can pretty much predict when something horrible is going to swoop down and take all the good that had happened in the episode away, making everything you saw previously meaningless. That and the fact that you can't really tell which characters you should like or hate, because again, everything is so bipolar they will make one guy look like a saint one minute, the next he is the anti-christ. This all makes for a show that is highly unlikeable and depressing and pointless all at the same time.
so what you're saying is you would rather either the entire series to be light and fluffy, or dark? but then see, if it was always fluffy and happy, it couldn't be taken seriously. if it was always dark and depressing, then it would get boring and stupid. you sound like you would be much more content with watching something like love hina..

and after thinking for a moment, i remember no decapitation. a few exploding heads here and there, but no decapitation. then again, it's been a good while since i've seen the series, so maybe my memory's just a little rusty.

with that out of the way... i loved the anime. it's one of those series that you want to watch at least twice. characters at the beginning that you think aren't important become some of the most important characters toward the end. what i liked about it most though was it was mysterious and suspenseful. you don't get to hear very often, if at all, what the characters are thinking. they've figured out something, but they don't say it out loud, so you're left on your own for about a dozen episodes to figure out what's what (or who's what) before it's actually said outright. then there's the character development that you mentioned, only i don't hate it, i love it. yes, some guys who appeared good turn out to be not-so-good, and some villians turned out to not be pure evil and all that shit. that's good, not bad. having a clear line between the good guys and the bad guys is unrealistic, and boring.

it's funny. the anime was really good, and still the manga >>>>>>>>>> the anime.

[implode]

IT SUCKS MAN FUCK FMA FUCK IT FUCK IT FUCK IT YOU FUCKERS.

ZIM 4 EVAAAAAAAAAA

[J.T. Wasabi]

I bet you're just upset cause you got Gaz tattooed instead of Al.

[implode]

who the fuck is al? i wouldn't GAY UP MY LEG LIKE THAT SORRY.

<small>the idea is that i want to be included in the conversation, even though i have no idea what i'm talking about. this is how i figure people should act in situations like this.</small>

[J.T. Wasabi]

So, like does anyone else think Lust gets Gluttony to use that super powerful tongue of his for extra curricular activities?

HE'D BE LIKE A DOG WITH PEANUT BUTTER, ONLY INSTEAD OF PEANUT BUTTER SHE USES HUMAN INTESTINES!

[KLEIN]

The manga is alright. I would recommend reading it only AFTER the series is completely watched, since it will spoil things. And the Show is much better. It's worth reading for the homonculi stuff alone. Also, Scar kills a lot of additional people.

I only found that there were a couple slow bits. A bit in the beginning, and about 5 episodes near episode 27. The pacing certainly gets much faster as the series progresses.

There's really nothing to say about this. Everyone who's anyone agrees that this is a sweet show.

The only thing I want to know is when a version of the movie will become available. One not taken by a camcorder in a movie theater.

[Chakan]

I accuse chakan of not having actually watched the show. You would be mistaken. I've watched anywhere in the range of 10-20 episodes, although I know it's a little less than 20. You could accuse me of not having seen the entire series and that I don't "understand" or "get" it, but again, I don't have to watch the entire series to know I don't like it.

Potassium, you're accusation that I would rather the show be either light hearted or dark hearted rather than both misses what I was saying. It's not that I mind a show having both, infact, I love that dynamic, it is when it is so consistent that it starts to aggravate me. Having every episode have some happiness followed by something absolutely horrific kills any enthusiasm for me. That is what I meant when the show is consistently bipolar. One second, you love everybody, the next you discover they've all killed a litter of puppies with their bare hands. That and the slow pacing of the show makes every episode I have seen thus far a chore to watch.

I don't want to slug through 20+ episodes just to have something very simple or easily explained kept until the very last episode. I might just have a short attention span, but I slugged through 120+ episodes of Dragonball Z, and that show has the worst pacing and characters I have seen in years. I know some of this ties into the politics of the show, and how some characters discover things they would rather keep quiet or that are forgotten until something brings it back to the surface, but when you mix in the constantly shifting characters and alliances, it makes everything hard to swallow. I especially don't like how they can make inhuman, almost monstrous beings who are centered around the Seven Deadly Sins seem likeable or tragic.

Yes, I know they are nothing more than meat puppets, tools being used in a game we(I) don't yet understand, but I can't feel anything for a giant ball of flab that eats things and PEOPLE and is so mindless it is hard to believe it could have been human. I actually like the very human and touching elements of the show sometimes, the tragedy the characters face, but I feel the violence is both too numerous and graphic. It bothers me that this violence might be to get the tragedy across. It just disturbs me that a show that might have a very good message has to squander it on graphic violence. I find this funny considering I've seen many an anime with graphic violence in it and it didn't turn me off. Hell, I even liked X the Movie and everyone in that film was killed in ways that are far more graphic than FMA can be at times.

Also, if you don't think the show has commentary about the crusades in it, then who do you think the Ishballans represent? Kind of funny how their culture(Ishbal?) sounds strikingly like "Islam", that they are portrayed as living in desert like regions on occassion and have a darker skin tone then those of the other factions, the Military and the State Alchemists. Also notice that the Military is centered in a culture that is very European, and that the Military has gone on crusades against the people in the past and you have the commentary I spoke of. It might seem hidden or even non existant because you have all the alchemy and magic being thrown around in a fantasy setting, but when you consider that alchemy is a concept born in the medieval era, it becomes slightly more obvious what the message might be.

You also did not understand what I meant by saying "A wizard did it!", Potassium. That was a "funny" way of explaining what Deus ex Machina means without going into a huge rant about it. The reason I mentioned that was because some things in FMA seem awfully convenient in the series, especially the more tragic elements, which can only be explained through some sort of literary device.

Having said all of that, that is merely my opinion. I don't care if you like it, I just don't have to. I have the right to me opinion. I know some of this comes off as an attack or even extremely harsh, but I have a way of phrasing things in a very blunt manner, even if I wish not to.

I have my opinions, you have yours, now lets not throw fighting words around because I don't like the show. I would rather have a mature discussion about this rather than have everyone on my throat over my overreaction to Klein's comment about FMA being better than Zim. They are both two very different shows, and any claim of one being better for whatever reasons is nothing more than an opinion in the end.

[KLEIN]

That was a sarcastic sentence.

And also ineffectively communicating the fact that when fans of a show talk about a show, there's nothing meaningful being said.

[Shadowfox]

There is when one of 'em's brand new. I know <i>I</i> haven't discussed it to death, yet. But I haven't quite finished it yet, either.

I dun like manga. Comic book format makes me unhappy. No movement!

[Chakan]

I have removed your comment from my post, Klein, seeing as how my rant about it is meaningless now.

[Spacefille]

I have yet to see more than a couple episodes of FMA, but I imagine both it AND Zim are good in different ways.

<small>All I want to see is Zim translated into Japanese.</small>

[Shadowfox]

You would be mistaken. I've watched anywhere in the range of 10-20 episodes, although I know it's a little less than 20. You could accuse me of not having seen the entire series and that I don't "understand" or "get" it, but again, I don't have to watch the entire series to know I don't like it.

Did'ja make it through the endless flashback sequence?

I especially don't like how they can make inhuman, almost monstrous beings who are centered around the Seven Deadly Sins seem likeable or tragic.

I don't like that they named them like that. It gives them associations they really shouldn't have. It also gives them an implied maximum number which... doesn't really make sense with what I've seen so far. This is subject to change, I'm only in the early forties in episodes and they do throw a lot of twists, but as of right now, I can't come up with any reason why there should only be seven. They're <i>not</i> the seven deadly sins, they're just named for them. Lust and Sloth in particular don't strike me as particularly accurate names for the characters they depict here. Envy and Wrath seem like they should be switched. And naming them that way at all kind of draws attention away from the themes actually portrayed in favor of the mental associations the audience has for the seven deadly sins. It's kind of poetic, I guess, but it's also inaccurate and distracting.

So far.

We'll see if they tie that in more strongly later.

Yes, I know they are nothing more than meat puppets, tools being used in a game we(I) don't yet understand, but I can't feel anything for a giant ball of flab that eats things and PEOPLE and is so mindless it is hard to believe it could have been human.

...Gluttony's the exception to my annoyance, up there. He absolutely fits his name. He's very dull, though. That's the trade-off?

Chakan, you seem to be complaining that they're too human and not human enough in the same breath.

"I especially don't like how they can make inhuman ... seem likeable or tragic.
...but I can't feel anything for a giant ball of flab that eats things and PEOPLE and is so mindless it is hard to believe it could have been human. "

Zuh?

Also, if you don't think the show has commentary about the crusades in it, then who do you think the Ishballans represent? Kind of funny how their culture(Ishbal?) sounds strikingly like "Islam", that they are portrayed as living in desert like regions on occassion and have a darker skin tone then those of the other factions, the Military and the State Alchemists. Also notice that the Military is centered in a culture that is very European, and that the Military has gone on crusades against the people in the past and you have the commentary I spoke of. It might seem hidden or even non existant because you have all the alchemy and magic being thrown around in a fantasy setting, but when you consider that alchemy is a concept born in the medieval era, it becomes slightly more obvious what the message might be.

Heh. War against cultures of different appearance and religion is hardly limited to the crusades.

I have my opinions, you have yours, now lets not throw fighting words around because I don't like the show. I would rather have a mature discussion about this rather than have everyone on my throat over my overreaction to Klein's comment about FMA being better than Zim.

Aww.

*edit: Turns out it's not a doublepost at all. Stop with the on-topicness, spacefille. Sheesh. =P

[Chakan]

Did'ja make it through the endless flashback sequence? Yep. Wasn't so bad.

Chakan, you seem to be complaining that they're too human and not human enough in the same breath.

"I especially don't like how they can make inhuman ... seem likeable or tragic.
...but I can't feel anything for a giant ball of flab that eats things and PEOPLE and is so mindless it is hard to believe it could have been human. "

Zuh? Well, that's exactly it. At times, the characters come off as very human, which I like. Other times, they seem like tools or very one dimensional. This is especially a problem when the characters flit between being awesomely good and awfully bad. It's just very disconcerting. It also makes them too human, in a way. Humans are known to contain and show both good and bad sides, and sometimes the characters in FMA seem to change between them on the drop of a hat or when it is convenient for the story. Also, given the subject matter and the setting, it would seem odd to me that these people would be dealing with very human problems when they have alchemy, but who knows. :p

Heh. War against cultures of different appearance and religion is hardly limited to the crusades. I know that, but some of the similarities are very striking. I don't mind political commentary or even nods to real human events in fantasy series, I just thought it was odd giving the timing. I mean, the phonetic similarities between Ishbal and Islam, the wars between the State Alchemists/Military and the Ishballans seems to be a parallel to the War in Iraq. It just seemed very well timed to me, hehehe.

[KLEIN]

It's more about the definition of a human being. And the commentary on that just ties in with racism. I'd quote some of Kimbley's lines, but I wouldn't want to spoil too much stuff.

Most of the homonculus names are accurate. The seven deadly sins aspect is just a really cool way to name them.

[Shadowfox]

Yep. Wasn't so bad.

The feel of the show kinda changes afterwards. I think I switched from interested to obsessed somewhere in the late teen episodes. But I watched 'em so close together that it's kind of hard to tell.

Well, that's exactly it. At times, the characters come off as very human, which I like. Other times, they seem like tools or very one dimensional. This is especially a problem when the characters flit between being awesomely good and awfully bad. It's just very disconcerting. It also makes them too human, in a way. Humans are known to contain and show both good and bad sides, and sometimes the characters in FMA seem to change between them on the drop of a hat or when it is convenient for the story. Also, given the subject matter and the setting, it would seem odd to me that these people would be dealing with very human problems when they have alchemy, but who knows. :p

I'm not sure if this is quite what you're getting at (ok, I'm pretty sure it's not, but the bipolarness seems pretty real to me. Mebbe I'm just some kind of crazy romantic "everyone is capable of great good and great evil" type. =P) but Ed's pretty darned emotional. I'm not sure what's doing it, the facial expressions or the music or what, but even when he reacts to something by standing still and expressionless (which he almost never does) he's rather radiating emotion. He's not the only one, either. Even the quiet characters, like our buddy Roy, there, make it pretty evident what they're feeling most of the time, even if we don't know what they're thinking. ...for Roy, that tends to mean we zoom in on his eyebrow, since the rest of his face doesn't react much, but hey, whatever works. It kinda makes 'em seem more human. If "too human"'s the problem, that might be part of it. Or it might just be something completely unrelated that I'm pointing out because I like it. Take your pick. =P

Alchemy doesn't seem to be much of a cure-all. Well. It sort of is in some of the flashback episodes. The mining town one comes to mind. But really it just plays the same role as technology (in a slightly more mythical sense, where the inner workings don't really need to be explained). Just flashier. What Lust and Gluttony et al can do (super powers!) is still making me wonder, though. ...I'm seven episodes from the end now, they'd better (finish) explain(ing) those guys soon.

I know that, but some of the similarities are very striking. I don't mind political commentary or even nods to real human events in fantasy series, I just thought it was odd giving the timing. I mean, the phonetic similarities between Ishbal and Islam, the wars between the State Alchemists/Military and the Ishballans seems to be a parallel to the War in Iraq. It just seemed very well timed to me, hehehe.

Eheh. Yeah, I caught the Iraq parallel too. I doubt it's deliberate, the Ishibal thing's too big (the further you get into the series, the more it spirals out of control and the less it looks like any given war in the Middle East) but it certainly got a raised eyebrow out of me, anyway. If the choice of a desert enemy was <i>entirely</i> not deliberate, the timing was eerie.

Hey. Y'know what's been bothering me? Retconning. I'm not sure it actually is, but... Well, most of the things they reveal later are alluded to, or at least had the groundwork set up earlier. A few of 'em (Al's blood seal comes to mind) pop out of nowhere in episode X and are important forever after. But were never even present, (as far as I can tell), before. So. Did they <i>actually</i> plan that from the beginning? I want to say yes because the one or two things that feel retconned are pretty important later and it's obvious that almost everything else in the series connects the whole way through, but the complete absence, then sudden appearance kind of makes me wonder.

[Shadowfox]

It's more about the definition of a human being. And the commentary on that just ties in with racism. I'd quote some of Kimbley's lines, but I wouldn't want to spoil too much stuff.

Most of the homonculus names are accurate. The seven deadly sins aspect is just a really cool way to name them.

I'll grant you Pride, Greed, and Gluttony, but Wrath and Envy really should be the other way around. And the last two just don't make sense at all.

[KLEIN]

Well, the blood seal is certainly <i>there</i>. It's just not important. I don't know. I saw the anime twice before thinking too much about that.

Gluttony is certainly better explained in the manga. Forget any kind of conclusion in regards to him in the anime. Not gonna happen.

A lot of the retconning arises right about where the anime and the manga split. There's a few minor cracks that are better explained in the manga's continuity.

The anime is miles better, though. The characters are much more developed. Especially the military types.

[KLEIN]

I'll grant you that.

But Lust is explained. Her name is certainly the best it can be, under the circumstances.

But if you have 6 homonculi in existence... You've gotta use that last sin. You know?

[Shadowfox]

Heh. Yeah, I guess. Lust bothers me mostly because she doesn't fit the pattern. Gluttony's gluttonous, Pride... I guess is proud, though he's pretty unresponsive, so it's hard to tell, and Greed makes a big point of telling us how greedy he is. Lust isn't lustful, she more seems to induce it in other people. Sloth is just the leftover.

It had a pretty abrupt intro (the blood seal), I'd've been happier if they'd at least given us a good glimpse of it earlier so we could wonder or something. There's only a very few things they do that (appear to be retconning) with, though, and considering the length of the series, that's pretty impressive.

Yeah, I kinda figured the anime wasn't going to delve very far into Gluttony. The only ones it really seems to be concerned with on a connection with past lives level are Lust, Sloth and Wrath, and of the rest of 'em, only Envy really joins those three in the character development department.

On a side note, Rose has a REALLY noisy baby. The thing spends all its screen time crying.

[KLEIN]

It's a <s>prop</s> baby. That's what babies do.

What about the blood seal is abrupt? It introduced over the course of two episodes in the 5th warehouse. Not so much. We do see him creating the blood seal with the blood from his leg. I don't understand where you're coming from on this.

Side note, you have the original theme songs, right? The american TV release only uses the 2nd season opening, which is a crime unto itself.

It'd be kind of hard to make it past the censors if lust were really lustful. The thief woman was kind of pushing it. (though very funny).

[J.T. Wasabi]

be happy they left any of the origenal opening sequences intact. Naruto got a mish mash of a couple, and some crappy cuts from the episodes.

And the dub was horrible!

It sounds like it was done by a group of internet kids using crappy mics.

...

no... no the internet kids would of done a better job.

[ssjvaporeon]

you havent seen the fan dub of naruto, have you

[J.T. Wasabi]

Oh shit, with the sex ed thing?

ha ha! That's right! They DID do a better job of it!

[Shadowfox]

It's a <s>prop</s> baby. That's what babies do.

What about the blood seal is abrupt? It introduced over the course of two episodes in the 5th warehouse. Not so much. We do see him creating the blood seal with the blood from his leg. I don't understand where you're coming from on this.

It was introduced in one episode, then elaborated on to make sure we got it over the course of the other. There were no allusions to it before and that flashback sequence with Ed making the seal didn't show up until they needed the seal to be there in order to give walking armor a weakness. Almost everything else gets a sneak peek long before (eg: their teacher's mentionned way back in the single-digit eps, when her actual intro isn't til the twenties) but the seal was out of nowhere with the flashbacks tacked on after the fact.

Side note, you have the original theme songs, right? The american TV release only uses the 2nd season opening, which is a crime unto itself.

Yeah. They're really long and not all that good. The third closing theme in particular really annoyed me. The second opening's the one with the random English tagged on to either end? "Ready, steady, go,"?

It'd be kind of hard to make it past the censors if lust were really lustful. The thief woman was kind of pushing it. (though very funny).

Eheheh. I dunno. I think they could've gotten away with it if they were careful. I've only seen a few episodes of Samurai Champloo, but it gets away with some remarkably lustful females. 'Course, I also haven't seen the American version of the series, so I have no idea if they get aired over here. Don't get me wrong, I like FMA's Lust better the way she is, but if she's supposed to fit her name...

[KLEIN]

The 3rd closing is, of course, completely wrong in context of the series.

But all 4 of the opening theme songs are good. And good compliments for the episodes. The second one is the ready steady go.

I haven't seen most of the episodes in several months. You could be right about the blood seal.

[chupa]

p.s. i was recently linked to the full version of that picture

if you do not like laughing out loud DO NOT CLICK PLZ

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v398/5h4wn/men.gif

[chupa]

sweet, i killed a whole board this time

[feather-wind]

Yes! it is dubbed in Japanese! I just ordered the first disk which has English and Japanese on it. And I have evidence...on wikipedia! Here's the link (it's in Japanese of course...^^; )...
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%99%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%8 3%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A0
it has the voice actors and everythin'...I'M HALF JAPANESE(I have no idea why I said that..oh, well, whatever...)

[Chakan]

That's good to know but...this thread is over 3 years old. :/

[implode]

<b>I'M HALF JAPANESE</B>

[Chakan]

APPARENTLY SO AM I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frotteurism#Chikan:_Groping_in_Japan)