Fairy Tail to air on FUNimation Channel

[Mohji]

According to FUNimation Channel schedule listings, Fairy Tail will be premiering on the channel this Tuesday November 22nd with two episodes airing at 8:00pm EST.

Source: http://funimationchannel.com/schedule/2_e11122.htm

 

[RockmanDash]

....I...want the Funimation Channel...

 

[Sketch]

It's official. If it's not named Dragon Ball Z or Fullmetal Alchemist, FUNimation can't get it on any channel but their own.

What a waste. I'm counting down the days until SGT Frog airs on FUNi Channel.

 

[Takao]

If I'm a Japanese licensor who wants my property to get on TV in the US, I would know who not to send it to. This is like the 5th "Should've been on a real TV channel but isn't" series Funimation has picked up.

 

[Divinenega]

This will probably forever remain the one part of licensing where I have infinently more respect for Viz. I know Funi claims that they "try to get everything they license on cable" but I think we all know at this point it's a load of crap. I know not everything they have is gonna attract a big audience but you can;t honestly tell me out of the probably 100+ titles they have by this point only 5 or 6 of them (2 of which were remakes) were considered "mainstream" enough for regular cable.

 

[zeo1fan]

Guh

For god's sake, where do you want it? Do you really want them to have to tone it down for kids? Or are you complaining that it's not on Adult Swim, where a SMALL MARGIN OF PEOPLE WOULD SEE IT? -_-'

 

[Divinenega]

For god's sake, where do you want it? Do you really want them to have to tone it down for kids? Or are you complaining that it's not on Adult Swim, where a SMALL MARGIN OF PEOPLE WOULD SEE IT? -_-'

Short answer: YES 100% I would love to see it on a kid's channel. Why? IT'S A KID'S SHOW(not trying to offend the show since I love it but I;m just telling it like it is). You'd think a company like Funi would be interested in bringing in a bigger audience for the anime scene but then they keep making decisions like this....

 

[jlaking]

According to FUNimation Channel schedule listings, Fairy Tail will be premiering on the channel this Tuesday November 22nd with two episodes airing at 8:00pm EST.

Source: http://funimationchannel.com/schedule/2_e11122.htm

Just to note that this is a special presentation for its DVD/BR release since Chaos;HEAd will be having the same presentation the following Tuesday.

If I'm a Japanese licensor who wants my property to get on TV in the US, I would know who not to send it to. This is like the 5th "Should've been on a real TV channel but isn't" series Funimation has picked up.

This will probably forever remain the one part of licensing where I have infinently more respect for Viz. I know Funi claims that they "try to get everything they license on cable" but I think we all know at this point it's a load of crap. I know not everything they have is gonna attract a big audience but you can;t honestly tell me out of the probably 100+ titles they have by this point only 5 or 6 of them (2 of which were remakes) were considered "mainstream" enough for regular cable.

Or maybe it is because those channels that FUNimation have offered Fairy Tail (plus others) don't want it (them). It is not like FUNi can force any channel to air their licenses.

Airing it on the FUNimation Channel is better then not being aired on any channel.

 

[Beat]

Airing it on the FUNimation Channel is better then not being aired on any channel.

Considering the people who get it, it's pretty much the same thing.

 

[macattack]

I'm not even sure if FUNi even tries to get things on mainstream TV anymore. What little I've heard is that their marketing division is pretty despondent about trying to get anime on American TV.

 

[Takao]

Short answer: YES 100% I would love to see it on a kid's channel. Why? IT'S A KID'S SHOW(not trying to offend the show since I love it but I;m just telling it like it is). You'd think a company like Funi would be interested in bringing in a bigger audience for the anime scene but then they keep making decisions like this....

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum, I don't believe Funimation knows how to market a show towards children anymore. Of the 2 shows they've managed to get on a real TV channel in the recent past, they've supported both rather poorly in my opinion. Dragon Ball Kai is a top rated television series on both Nicktoons, and Toonzai, yet if you go to a toy store can an American child buy a Goku action figure? The answer is no.

For Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, there's the question of video games. Even Europe received a localized Brotherhood game, but North America? Nothing, unless you count some Facebook/iOS trading card game Funimation's put together themselves.

Things like this is why I cringe when people say Funimation should pick up Digimon, or Yu-Gi-Oh! or something. They wouldn't know how to handle series like that since it's clear the people who made Dragon Ball Z into a merch phenomenon no longer exist at Funimation.

Or maybe it is because those channels that FUNimation have offered Fairy Tail (plus others) don't want it (them). It is not like FUNi can force any channel to air their licenses.

Actually, as Bandai and Manga know, you can. It just requires money, and guess who has the most money in the North American anime game?

 

[Harmonie]

This is news?

Does anybody actually have that channel?

 

[Mohji]

This is news?

Does anybody actually have that channel?

The channel is slowly expanding, but is still largely unavailable. I agree that airing Fairy Tail on their own channel won't do FUNimation any good in trying to branch out to a new audience, which is kind of the point of a television broadcast. Especially with a series that has so much mainstream appeal, this is disappointing to see.

 

[Gorbash]

Actually, as Bandai and Manga know, you can. It just requires money, and guess who has the most money in the North American anime game?

But wait; since anime is still a niche market, wouldn't this be like measuring who's the richest among the poor? I doubt whatever money Funi has is enough, and we're not even sure a lot of these shows would be hits, so that's money flying into the unknown.

 

[straw_hat]

Well if your going to license a 100+ episode series you might want to make sure you can reach a wider audience then anime fans who order DVDs online. Does this really need to be another One Piece scenario or worse Case Closed?

 

[firecrouch]

I'm not even sure if FUNi even tries to get things on mainstream TV anymore. What little I've heard is that their marketing division is pretty despondent about trying to get anime on American TV.

What did you hear and where'd you hear it?

 

[Shozuka]

God damnit, that's a huge shame.

 

[macattack]

What did you hear and where'd you hear it?

Years ago, back in 2009. There was some kind of fistfight between Adult Swim representatives and Greg Ayres at a con that got hush-hushed. Shortly afterwards a marketer got quoted as saying "there's no point anymore" because they lost their primary TV outlet, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim due to a changing of the guard (and a 180 in attitudes towards anime), and this Ayres fight was an exclamation point.

I think what happened to Chrono Crusade had to be demoralizing too. FUNi sold that one and then Syfy shifts the block multiple times and then kills it.

 

[Sketch]

Greg Ayres and Adult Swim reps fought... physically? That seems pretty far-fetched but I'm not saying I don't believe it.

 

[Takao]

Err, why would Adult Swim representatives even be at a convention that Greg Ayres would be at?