# Is it just me or are all the Cartoon Network cartoons the damn same? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373 "2005-12-13T04:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/41 "2005-12-14T16:17:03Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > **MGibson** , **Pochacco** - Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh are not actually anime. I’ve seen real anime (Cowboy Bebop, GetBackers, Yu Yu Hakusho, Elfen Leid, etc.) and learned about others (Bleach, Naruto, RahXephon) from people who spend almost all their free time getting the stuff fansubbed straight from the land of the rising sun. Pokemon and its ilk are the result of American marketing techniques applied to the anime visual style. The key difference is that every real anime is a finite story, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. After it ends, it’s done, no more episodes. The overwhelming majority of them are just 13 or 26 episodes. > > By contrast, American TV shows are designed to continue for as long as they make money, with the writers coming up with new, bigger and better story arcs to draw in viewers, while the boys over in marketing design action figures, lunchboxes, etc. > > Real anime is literature (not always _good_ literature, mind you, but literature nonetheless). What you see in Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon, B-Damon, and other shows designed to transfer directly to purchasable games and action figures is marketing for boys. What you see in shows like Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, designed to transfer directly to purchasable music and dressable dolls, is marketing for girls. Most anime are for kids. Compared to American animation, it has a wide range of genres. True, there are mature anime titles like the ones you mentioned but Pokemon, Cardcaptor Sakura and YUuGiOh are examples of kid anime and existed in Japan, way before being dubbed. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/42 "2005-12-14T16:27:07Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > What _was_ the episode that consisted of some guy with big teeth reciting a poem while scaring Courage? That was so surreal and his voice was so creepy . . . or did I just dream it? No, you did not halucinate it. [Here](http://groups.google.com/group/alt.slack/browse_thread/thread/caa8e29b499449c/7e2b3d965efb659b?lnk=st&q=courage+the+cowardly+dog+%2B%22Freaky+Fred%22&rnum=1&hl=en#7e2b3d965efb659b) is a cite from usenet. P.S. **smiling bandit** , it’s nice to hear there is another fan. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/43 "2005-12-14T16:27:22Z")
> [@BluePitbull](#): > > Most anime are for kids. Compared to American animation, it has a wide range of genres. True, there are mature anime titles like the ones you mentioned but Pokemon, Cardcaptor Sakura and YUuGiOh are examples of kid anime and existed in Japan, way before being dubbed. I think some pf the problems people in America have with the crappier anime, is that American importers took anime that was designed in Japan for little kids (3-10, or so) like Pokemon, Dragonball-Z, Digimon, etc… and marketed them towards a wicer, and many times odler, audience. FOr instance, Pokemon may still be considered a little kids cartoon in America, but Dragonball-Z seems to be marketed towards the same block of people as Justice League Unlimited, which seems to be the 15-30 crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/44 "2005-12-14T17:15:53Z")
What has Gennady Tartakovsky been up to lately? For a few years he was all over CN and since the end of Clone Wars - nothing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/45 "2005-12-14T17:17:43Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > **MGibson** , **Pochacco** - Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh are not actually anime. Dude, I own the manga that the two series are based on. Don’t go telling me they’re not anime. They’re original Japanese shows dubbed into English, just like Hamtaro and Magical DoReMi. Anime = Cowboy Bebop, Duel Masters, One Piece Not Anime = Teen Titans, Code Lyoko, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/46 "2005-12-14T17:19:41Z")
Nothing? He’s been writing the script for the Astro Boy wide release film. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/47 "2005-12-14T17:30:52Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Nothing? He’s been writing the script for the Astro Boy wide release film. Nothing on CN, I mean. And is there a website for the movie? IMDB hasn’t updated the listing for it in over a year and there are about 1 million Astro Boy hits on google. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/48 "2005-12-15T00:15:49Z")
> [@Pochacco](#): > > Frankie is HOT, too. Or maybe I just have a thing for [Grey DeLisle’s](http://www.greydelisle.com/) voice. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so. And I wouldn’t have guessed it was the voice, but DAMN! I just listened to some clips on that page you linked to, and I have to get her albums–she’s amazing! Thanks! (Actually, maybe it isn’t the voice. She does Mandy on TGAoB&M, too. And Mandy’s just not my type. Of course if she were older…) ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/49 "2005-12-16T14:28:33Z")
> [@wiki](#): > > Recently, Genndy has been made creative president of The Orphanage, an animation studio fabricated of Lucasfilm veterans. The company hopes to one day rival animation giant Pixar, and believe that Genndy can get them there. They hope to release their first movie in late 2007. > [@MGibson](#): > > Grim used to be combined with a show called Evil Con Carne about a mad scientist who has his brain and stomach in a bear. It wasn’t a bad show but it didn’t get anywhere. General Skar, Billy’s neighbor, is from that program. > > Marc I thought you might like an update/elaboration on this. [QUOTE= Ultra Mike] To Rayman: Those image that you are showing are from the “3rd Season” Of Hector Con Carne. It’s kind of hard to clarify but here’s an explanation that I think should help set things straight. Billy and Mandy in 2000 won the Viewer’s pick award for Cartoon Cartoon Summer, the first of only two officals picks (the other being Kids Next Door. Megas XLR won it unoffically next year) before CN discontinued the pratice. In 2001, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy launched with Evil Con Carne, another series Maxwell Atoms (B&M creator) did. Although CN really liked B&M they didn’t care much for ECC and felt the later was drager B&M’s ratings down. After about one season (split into two pile of episodes, one in 2001 and one in 2002) B&M and ECC were offically seperated into two shows. Although B&M would go off to produce new episodes and became a top rated CN Original, ECC’s new eps were just holdoers from when “Grim And Evil” were paired up. The plan was for them to run the episodes and then be offically done with the show. However, when B&M premiered with a new style in 2004, someone at CN was generous enough to give ECC a similar plan. They commissed about 4 or so episodes to be done in the 11 minute style with different character designs and brighter colors. The episodes aired in October 2004 and didn’t do well enough to pick up more. In 2005, CN offically cut all ties to B&M and ECC being together by recutting B&M eps to only have “Grim” segments in them and no “Evil”. So nowadays the only chance you have of seeing any of the ECC episodes is on the new Cartoon Cartoon show. Hope that helps you out. [/QUOTE] Taken from [here](http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=155413) ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/50 "2005-12-21T05:01:22Z")
If I’m wrong I’m sure someone will let me know, but I was under the understanding that Dragonball Z un-cut is a pretty violent, vulguar anime. They changed the one guys name when they dubbed it because his name was satan or some such. I’ve also been told that One Piece and Samari Champloo are good un-cut. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/51 "2005-12-21T07:51:53Z")
> [@Kricket](#): > > If I’m wrong I’m sure someone will let me know, but I was under the understanding that Dragonball Z un-cut is a pretty violent, vulguar anime. > They changed the one guys name when they dubbed it because his name was satan or some such. It’s not OUTRAGEOUSLY more violent and smutty, but it is somewhat. The characters get bloody when they fight and occasionally the camera will linger on a dead body or a wound, but we’re not talking entrails and gibs. There’s some cheesecake – Bulma taking a shower, for example – but nothing explicit. There’s a couple of storylines in Dragonball that revolve around Bulma’s panties and Master Roshi’s efforts to catch a glimpse of them. That’s about as far as it goes. Oh, Hercule’s name was originally Mr. Satan. I think they realized this wouldn’t play well in certain American markets. But they didn’t change his character at all, just his name. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/52 "2005-12-21T08:01:31Z")
Nor did they change his daughter’s name (Videl), although the joke no longer made sense. There’s a few scenes where the dub of Dragonball puts underpants on the nekkid little Goku (or puts a bush in front of him), 'cuz, apparently, his kinder-butt is going to insight people’s passions or something - but that’s just stupid editting, not the original being less-than-tame. There is the Home For Infinite Losers, which was, actually, I think, rather clever, although completely transparent. (T-shirts reading HFIL with a gap between the i and the l…I’m sure everyone can figure out what they read before editting.) ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373/53 "2005-12-21T19:10:55Z")
I forgot to mention my post was in reguards to Bouv’s post about Dragonball Z being marketed to children. Here yes, but there? And then you guys came in and cleared it up. Yay! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-all-the-cartoon-network-cartoons-the-damn-same/335373.md?page=2)