tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post6244901852472871850..comments2024-03-19T02:27:08.584-05:00Comments on Ghibli Blog: Studio Ghibli, Animation and the Movies: Ice Cream For Crow, or How to Sell a Mononoke Salad to a Junk-Food Eating PublicDaniel Thomas MacInneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-68304741950270370162011-01-22T22:06:08.863-06:002011-01-22T22:06:08.863-06:00can't use words like china? master and command...can't use words like china? master and commander was originally set against the americans- director comments in 300 he had to argue to keep the 'pursians' being called the pursians.. this cultural conditioning does not stop at anime me thinks. it is a scary thought if this is the regualar turf a creator has to fight over- i bought blue sky once (original name: wonderfull days) the english/american release cut out a fantastic sharron apple type holgraphic musical performance out of an anime that had no appeal to younger viewers because it had a bit of boob in it! this is at a time when you could find a hentai triligy compolation sitting in plain sight in the anime section!<br />but this is the work of individual arseholes or marketers rather than creater/dubbers i bet, akira got a great re-dub for its renewal, and i find most english/american dubs have done well to keep my eyes on the action. Some like Nausicaa and Whisper of the Heart will always be japanese for me- as long as we don't get drowned in pokemon (this sort of thing is possibly more worrying these days- a deluge of crap anime and a mass of 'i like anything anime so i watch all things anime got hold of me once) Anime too, can be made for specific cash cow purposes but most movies remain as individual art pieces to be appreciated by those who can. Surely by now the worl has got the message:We Want/Love anime! (uncensored please)ItchyScratchyUrrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08126253523561014484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-23272252131549886472011-01-22T11:12:34.463-06:002011-01-22T11:12:34.463-06:00Okay, it's now official: this post did not com...Okay, it's now official: this post did not come out the way I wanted, and should have been thought out a little more. And it certainly should have been less bitter and judgmental.<br /><br />Here's what I think were the greater questions in my mind as I was writing about the Miramax poster designs: How do you sell a foreign movie like Mononoke Hime to an American audience, how do you sell Japanese anime to Americans in the late '90s, and why should compromises be made to the art in order to reach that audience?<br /><br />And then there's the history of anime in America, which struggled for years to earn respect. It's easy today to forget just how alien this idea of anime was. It is a paradigm shift in the art form, and now what was once seen as a universal language has emerged with many different voices. We have to relearn how to communicate (now there's a topic for discussion).<br /><br />And then there's the question by art-house and foreign movie fans: Why must any compromises be made at all? Why should the filmmakers try to meet the audience halfway? Shouldn't the audience be responsible for knowing about the world around them? What's not to understand? I think what lies behind this is the frustration of failing to connect, to communicate.<br /><br />I don't know why I mentioned John Ford. I like John Ford. He's one of the great American filmmakers. Heck, Princess Mononoke is a child of Ford and Kurosawa. And I like Star Wars, too.<br /><br />Okay, then. We're going to try this again and do a better job next time.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-26769505293023401302011-01-21T23:09:15.997-06:002011-01-21T23:09:15.997-06:00What's wrong with John Ford Westerns?What's wrong with John Ford Westerns?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-29202821512773907512011-01-21T18:33:19.549-06:002011-01-21T18:33:19.549-06:00Jeez man, I'm not even American and I'm fi...Jeez man, I'm not even American and I'm finding these rants tiresome. Do you have anything positive to say about Ghibli that isn't a backhanded slap to Americans?Cory Grosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12141983255020503557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-81630776941551239102011-01-20T21:13:49.331-06:002011-01-20T21:13:49.331-06:00While animation may not quite be over the 'bab...While animation may not quite be over the 'babysitter' image in the States, I think we are getting more sophistication in content, even if it's only little by little. Fantastic Mr. Fox, I think, is a very good example. So should've won instead of Up, in my opinion.<br /><br />And what's hard to understand about 'The Star Wars of animated films'? Star Wars was a big epic adventure, and a huge hit, and so was Mononoke.greenteahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962166241088875078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-19437240498376895632011-01-20T18:07:24.198-06:002011-01-20T18:07:24.198-06:00@mike: Excellent points all around. The question ...@mike: Excellent points all around. The question of who is to blame for the "dumbing down" of the movies, the Hollywood studios, the filmmakers, the producers, or the American public, is an endless mystery. I suspect the debate will never end.<br /><br />In my younger days, I've been quite cranky about dubbing (vs. subtitles), and it's one area where I'm working to mellow out a little and relax. As long as everyone enjoys a movie, it shouldn't matter what language they hear. And as I mentioned when my posts on Warriors of the Wind, anime dubs in the US have vastly improved since the 1980s.<br /><br />For this post, my goal was to be sympathetic towards Miramax and their work on the Mononoke dub. It was, after all, an unprecedented move on their part, and they spent a great deal of time and money that they never earned back at the box office.<br /><br />I really need to write a post or two about Neil Gaiman's script for Mononoke. I watched the movie last night, in fact, because I haven't heard this soundtrack in many years. My opinions reflect the impressions left on my mind over time, and we know how memories have a way or mutating and distorting. All of which is to say I find a lot to appreciate about the Mononoke dub. It has a certain literary flow which is very different from Disney's later Ghibli dubs.<br /><br />Of course, I also have my own list of issues with the dub, my own personal quirks, really. But I was pretty fine with things back in the late '90s. I'll have to add this topic to my to-do list.<br /><br />As always, I enjoy the compliments and the constructive criticisms alike. They help to keep me honest.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-26306138059942984682011-01-20T16:23:08.554-06:002011-01-20T16:23:08.554-06:00You know, Daniel, every time I read one of your fa...You know, Daniel, every time I read one of your fantastic articles that take this approach - that Americans are too stupid to understand things that must somehow be ingrained in the souls of people of other cultures (specifically, Japanese), it angers me. I've stated this in the past, and I'll say it again - I think you give far too little credit to the American people. <br /><br />The problem with American movies - at least, the modern ones - is that producers - the ones with the money - don't make decisions to dumb down scripts for Americans, but rather decide to dumb them down for what they perceive as "America's tastes." That's why we have independent film. Never forget that, underneath the veneer, Americans have dreams (and souls) just like everyone else.<br /><br />I don't think there's anything wrong with Gaiman's translation or the English line readings - in fact, I'll admit I prefer the English dub on this particular film. I think niggling over minute details, such as what we call the Tatari Gami, is petty, and does a disservice to the film and its audience. Regardless of how I choose to view this film, it still leaves me questioning the choices and compromises mankind has had to make in its path of progress...the fact that I may have missed a few minor concepts by only watching the film in English doesn't change the profound effect this film has had (and continues to have) on me.<br /><br />In any case - please keep up with the great content! Glad to see you back in action after a considerable amount of time away.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15786129403934139067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-86745965592740482222011-01-19T18:24:19.147-06:002011-01-19T18:24:19.147-06:00Harsh. Just wondering, what about Neil Gaiman'...Harsh. Just wondering, what about Neil Gaiman's refurbished script don't you like?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18289865515434691660noreply@blogger.com