Americanization

[YDV offline]

sdfdsjfhfdsfds

How I <i>loathe</i> thee, Americanization! Dx Why can't they just admit that the show was not made in the US? Like, what, do they think people will go move to France or something? Gods. I mean they (usually) don't bother with making people think otherwise about shows in Japan, but the second it comes from a European country where the differences aren't as obvious, it's automatically Americanized. WTF.

Like okay I was browsing through the galleries on CL.fr and I saw this.

Whereas in the American version, it is clearly marked <b>H</b>ermitage. (Sorry I couldn't get a picture >>; The internet is being dumb.)

This is, to me, one of the most obvious and blatant devices of Americanization in Code Lyoko. Other than, of course, Milly (or was it Tamiya?) talking about the "foreign" exchange program with France. And Jim mentioning "NASA" instead of the ESA. And the "FBI," rather than the Police Judiciare. I understand that the latter two were probably to avoid confusion, but COME ON.

It's hard to avoid the fact that it is <i>not in America</i>, though. I mean. Ulrich was flipping a Euro. The city is obviously Paris. There are maps of France onscreen many times. Almost every French name is pronounced with an appropriate accent. Why try to hide it? I mean. It's not going to confuse the kiddies and it would make certain fans (like me) a <i>lot</i> happier.

So, CN or Moonscoop or whoever's in charge of this treachery, you have earned yourself another giant "WTF." I hope you're happy.

*rants*

[. offline]

cause the target audience is little kids, who will have an easier time following the plot if it's more american.

They'd reconize NASA not ESA, ect.

[YDV offline]

<s>little children should be more culturally aware</s>

Yeah, I know. It sucks. >>;;

[MewmiC offline]

I think they mentioned ESA once, either that or I wasn't paying to much attention. Hmm that's pretty odd to change a sign slightly, but at least they didn't go 4kids and remove all the writing showing just one big blank sign >_<. Wonder if their are any other Americanizations...

[Carth]

WE'RE ALL LIVING IN AMERKIA, AMERIKA, IST WUNDERBAR...

I never noticed the Hermitage thing. Though I think I noticed something they missed.

On the back of some newspaper, it says "Gup?". I don't know what this means, but I assume it's in French. ^-^

...that's all I can think of for now. Except for...do they have April Fool's Day in France?

[JesusFreak offline]

Um, these are little kids. they wouldn't understand Ermitage. The other stuff is acceptable except for the foriegn exchange program.

[Tekirai offline]

Washington Street and Franklin Avenue, anyone? >.> If you look closely though, you can see a smudge on the sign before the E that looks like an H... |D

And to Carthy becuse I'm too lazy to make a quote: April Fools Day in France is basically called 'the Fish of April' or 'April Fish'. There's this tradition of putting fish on people's backs and screaming POISSON D'AVRIL LOLOLOLFRANCAIS. I like their way better. D: Although they can do any pranks like us, it all started with the fish. Word.

[Carth]

That. Is SO much better.

Yes...suspicous American president street names for the win. I heard those and was like AW SHADDAP.

Caught one more thing they DIDN'T Americanize- in Common Interest, when Duncan is breaking into the nuclear truck, the personnel are trying to hold him off with guns. GUNS.

[Taelia offline]

Plus, they had Americanization i S1 too. Washington Street? Frinklin Ave.? COME ON!!

[YDV offline]

That. Is SO much better.

Yes...suspicous American president street names for the win. I heard those and was like AW SHADDAP.

Caught one more thing they DIDN'T Americanize- in Common Interest, when Duncan is breaking into the nuclear truck, the personnel are trying to hold him off with guns. GUNS.

Yeah seriously. .......I suddenly have a violent urge to pull that on someone. xDDD;

I know. >>; <s>Despite the fact that the street on which the <i>real</i> school is located is named after Roosevelt</s>

I dunno about the guns thing... besides maybe it being censored?

[Lyoko SA80 offline]

Well the lack of passion in the dubbing .Amercian amine is totally crap .anime is japanese and so should stay in the japanese ponit of veiw .CL is french and has just got passed the mark .but still . Not a lot of the us stuff passes the 26 ep mark at all .I'm I right

[timekitten offline]

Yeah seriously. .......I suddenly have a violent urge to pull that on someone. xDDD;

I know. >>; <s>Despite the fact that the street on which the <i>real</i> school is located is named after Roosevelt</s>

I dunno about the guns thing... besides maybe it being censored?

Guns wouldn't be censored if they shot lasers instead of bullets. Or if they were bazookas. >_>

[YDV offline]

And yet gigantic flying heavyblades aren't. xD;;; Hmm~

I dunno. Maybe they were. Stun guns. Or something.

[Carth]

Yeah seriously. .......I suddenly have a violent urge to pull that on someone. xDDD;

I know. >>; <s>Despite the fact that the street on which the <i>real</i> school is located is named after Roosevelt</s>

I dunno about the guns thing... besides maybe it being censored?

Guns wouldn't be censored if they shot lasers instead of bullets. Or if they were bazookas. >_>

Lazer-shooters are okay because 1) they're not realistic (name me ONE lazer gun), 2) whenever people in cartoons are hit with lazer guns, they're just burned a little, not blasted to bits, and 3) they nearly always miss.

Bullets, on the other hand, are real, terrifying, and...stuff.

And then, take into account that ADULTS were holding the guns, and ADULTS were pointing them at an ADULT. If kids had been substituted in any of those situations, bye-bye goes the whole episode to us Americans.

[Mewberries151]

And to Carthy becuse I'm too lazy to make a quote: April Fools Day in France is basically called 'the Fish of April' or 'April Fish'. There's this tradition of putting fish on people's backs and screaming POISSON D'AVRIL LOLOLOLFRANCAIS. I like their way better. D: Although they can do any pranks like us, it all started with the fish. Word.

...Actually, that reminds me of something they didn't Americanize or change.

When the reporter says "April Fool's" in "Hot Shower", a picture of a fish appears behind her, representing "April Fish".

[Lyoko SA80 offline]

if there is a change with weapons as there said earlier guns could be a form but fire's laser so .we are talking about RPG Machine gun and rifles. I think these should be fixed onto the vechines .Due to fact there are just moving taget with no denfense.

[Carth]

And to Carthy becuse I'm too lazy to make a quote: April Fools Day in France is basically called 'the Fish of April' or 'April Fish'. There's this tradition of putting fish on people's backs and screaming POISSON D'AVRIL LOLOLOLFRANCAIS. I like their way better. D: Although they can do any pranks like us, it all started with the fish. Word.

...Actually, that reminds me of something they didn't Americanize or change.

When the reporter says "April Fool's" in "Hot Shower", a picture of a fish appears behind her, representing "April Fish".

http://www.codelyoko.fr/images/galeries ... er_110.jpg

That is one dern ugly fish.

[Taelia offline]

That's one ugly fish!

[timekitten offline]

Ew, I wouldn't eat that thing even if I liked fish.

Lazer-shooters are okay because 1) they're not realistic (name me ONE lazer gun), 2) whenever people in cartoons are hit with lazer guns, they're just burned a little, not blasted to bits, and 3) they nearly always miss.

Bullets, on the other hand, are real, terrifying, and...stuff.

And then, take into account that ADULTS were holding the guns, and ADULTS were pointing them at an ADULT. If kids had been substituted in any of those situations, bye-bye goes the whole episode to us Americans.

Yup. That and they don't want to chance some kid thinking 'let's get daddy's gun and recreate that!'

[Lyoko Wario offline]

I only clicked "yes" because I thought you meant in an overall sense.

But you only mean in CL and other shows. So now I choose "heck yes!"

There is one thing that especially bothers me about Americanization in animation. The first is that it shows very little respect for the work of other artists. I would rather not watch an anime series (or any other kind, for that matter) at all than to have it butchered and watered down, degraded from the original artist's intention, all for the fear that people ignorant to either the subject at hand, the art form, or the foreign culture itself will be displeased. You know what they ought to say to these people? Get a friggen education! And watch something else if it really bothers you that much.

But some of the changes made to CL were a tad necessary, I think, to understand certain scenarios.

EDIT: Some of you are saying that this show is intended for little children.

Please show some respect. It is a great television program that little kids can enjoy.

[zex marquise offline]

Americanization sucks . Part of the beauty of foreign TV shows is that they expose you to other cultures. I even learned about some silly game they play over in Japan just by watching the Nanashi fansubs of Eureka seveN. It's those little things that make the experience that much more enjoyable. Americanization just ruins stuff like that. What about all the other CL/anime fans in the UK who watch the English versions of the shows? Do they get the same Americanization crap to put up with? It must seem even dumber over there.

Seriously though, they really felt they needed to add an H in front of Ermitage? That's just stupid.

but lol April Fish! Now I really want to go run up to some random guy on the street and slap a fish on his back, like Dane Cook and his ice cream. "You will remember me!" Yay fish-slapping!

[Overcaffeinated Sloth offline]

Well, the H in hermitage is really difficult to say in french, because H is a soft consonant. They may've cut it out for better fluency.

Either way, it sounds the same.

[Tekirai offline]

I honestly never noticed the fish in that episode! xDD This topic is now back to about <s>fish again</s> what the TC said. :X

What about all the other CL/anime fans in the UK who watch the English versions of the shows? Do they get the same Americanization crap to put up with? It must seem even dumber over there.

Americanization is nothing to us, really. We get the exact same things you do when it comes to anime (we barely get any but anyway), cartoons and video-games (Ape Escape is an exception :B)- just later. A lot later. We're used to Americanization in everything, because we've been that way for so long it's become part of our culture too. >_>

[Mewberries151]

And to Carthy becuse I'm too lazy to make a quote: April Fools Day in France is basically called 'the Fish of April' or 'April Fish'. There's this tradition of putting fish on people's backs and screaming POISSON D'AVRIL LOLOLOLFRANCAIS. I like their way better. D: Although they can do any pranks like us, it all started with the fish. Word.

...Actually, that reminds me of something they didn't Americanize or change.

When the reporter says "April Fool's" in "Hot Shower", a picture of a fish appears behind her, representing "April Fish".

http://www.codelyoko.fr/images/galeries ... er_110.jpg

That is one dern ugly fish.

^^; I think it's a sort of catfish... ;

[YDV offline]

Well, the H in hermitage is really difficult to say in french, because H is a soft consonant. They may've cut it out for better fluency.

Either way, it sounds the same.

...Are you sure the H just isn't there? xD;; Hermitage = Ermitage in French? (Yeah, it's just not there. I checked.)

I mean. Okay. I'll admit it-- some methods are necessary to avoid confusion, but you really shouldn't <i>blatantly change things</i> to make it seem more American. >>;;;

For instance. A few years ago I went to this summer camp where there were a bunch of kids younger than me, and this one kid I was talking to liked CL. I mentioned the fact that it was French and it completely blew him away. Apparently he thought it was in America the whole time.

That just. Makes me want. To headdesk. Repeatedly. Dx