Comments on: Manga Drama

By: Lori Henderson

Lori Henderson — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:12:51 +0000

I think the best value of audio dramas would be to reach the non-fan audience. There are millions of people out there who buy audio books and dramas for themselves and their kids. To them, they could just be more books in whatever genre, which is what I want to see. I don’t see this as building an industry from nothing. It’s adding to an already mature industry – audio books and dramas – and just getting the stories from a different place.

Of course, to make it work would require something of the anime companies that I don’t think they are capable of – intelligent marketing and good voice acting.

It’s more wishful thinking, but that’s what blogs are for, rignt?

By: Lianne Sentar

Lianne Sentar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:17:57 +0000

I would love audio dramas in English, but I don’t see it happening. The visual aspect of anime and manga is disproportionately important to Western fans. You know how awesome manga with bad or even just out-dated art sells like crap? Western anime fans are art-centric. Light novels (with all their lack of art) took a while to get decently popular over here, and we have a huge, developed prose industry already. A Western audio drama industry is practically non-existent. Any company trying to release anime/manga audio dramas would be taking a huge risk and trying to build an industry from nothing…and I don’t see it happening.

By: Brian Henderson

Brian Henderson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:15:22 +0000

Unfortunately, you hit the nail on the head with the bad quality of modern American dubs. I wouldn’t watch a dub if my life depended on it, I’d choose to never see a series rather than be forced to watch the same group of whiny, obnoxious, untalented American voice actors trot through their lines. So long as our voice acting industry is so horrid, there’s no point in trying to do radio dramas since we know it’ll just be more of the same.

The only people who do good dubs is Disney and that’s because they can afford to hire actual actors, not down-on-their luck waiters who wish they could get an acting job.

By: Tiamat's Disciple

Tiamat's Disciple — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:05:45 +0000

I agree with you Lori. They whine and moan, but don’t really offer a proper alternative. GONZO are the first to take the inititive with releasing on BOOST and Crunchy, and it seems to be working.

It’s sad how far the DUB industry has fallen though. When i was a kid and anime was just starting to take off in the west, the DUBs were pretty damn good. On a few shows i’ve found the DUB better than the original. These days however it’s like no one cares, they turn up in robot mode, read the script and go home.

Sad really, since it was a dubbed anime that got me into anime in the first place

Adam, the problem i’m seeing is that the people doing the DUBing are to full of themselves. THey feel they’re doing the best job in the world and don’t care to hear anything to the different.

I agree with Lori that radio drama could be a huge source of income. The UK has had several huge hits with radio dramas, some still going on now that have a huge following. Look at The Archers, over 15,000 episodes and it’s been running since 1950.

The difference is the motivation of the actors doing them. In anime they don’t care, in true raido drama they do. Mayube that’s where they should look for new VA’s, forget actors all together and look at the radio drama pool??

By: Lori Henderson

Lori Henderson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:28:11 +0000

Tiamat – I do agree with you on the quality of dubs. I haven’t listened to an actual dub, except to see just how bad it is, since Yu Yu Hakusho was first playing on Cartoon Network. I don’t know if it just because they don’t think kids/fans deserve good actors, or if good actors wouldn’t do it unless a big name studio is involved (ie Disney), but I do admit that the voice acting would have to improve greatly for this to succeed.

I see it as a “put up or shut up” move. These companies and actors keep going on about how people just want to steal their product, and never consider that some of us just don’t want their product. Now, they have an opportunity to prove just how great of actors they are, and let the market speak.

By: Lori Henderson

Lori Henderson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:20:21 +0000

Adam – It isn’t necessarily the cost of the dubs that killing anime. It’s that there are alternatives to dubs that people are more than happy to take, and the licensing of anime has gotten very expensive. I doubt the license of an audio drama would cost a 1/4 of what an anime does, per episode. Take that out, and the cost becomes minimal (I’m guessing. I’m no industry expert, but the way the industry goes on about costs do seem to be most around licensing fees and lip syncing, neither of which I believe woudl be issues).

As for the expense of voice and sfx, ask any of the podcasts that do it and offer them for free download. If it was so expensive, they wouldn’t be doing it in their off time.

By: Tiamat's Disciple

Tiamat's Disciple — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:35:13 +0000

I did a post to give my full thought’s on this, but the crux of it is that as the dubbing industry stands at the moment, it hasn’t any cance of reviving with radio drama.

99% of dubs are horrid and painful to listen to, i’ve only found maybe 3 or 4 anime in recent years that i could stomach as a dub, and with 1 exception (Fruits Basket) none since after 2000.

To make drama’s work they’d need to scrap the dubbing they have now and start from scratch, build it from the foundations up.

By: Adam Arnold

Adam Arnold — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:56:38 +0000

This is an interesting idea, but as much as I love those Big Finish audio dramas they have in the UK, I just don’t see Japanese audio dramas ever taking off in America. The biggest factor is the cost of dubs are already where some anime releases can’t even justify having anything other than a sub release. And for a product with only have voices and sfx, that makes this a very expensive product to produce. Yes, selling them on iTunes and Amazon would be perfect…I just don’t see companies jumping to license any of the popular, existing Japanese audio dramas and dubbing them.

By: jun

jun — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:00:55 +0000

While I’m not personally interested in anime dubs, I would be willing to buy audio dramas of manga, especially if there isn’t an anime of it available.

Me, too!