Viz Shows Kilari, Monster, Nana at Global TV Trade Con (Anime News Network)
Viz Media Showcasing ‘Kilari,’ ‘Nana’ Anime (ICv2 News)
Recommended reading. The Kirarin Revolution anime, which features Morning Musume’s Kusumi Koharu as the main character, has been licensed for distribution in the US by Viz Media. This is pretty big news, and it has the possibility of raising Morning Musume’s popularity here in America. The title has apparently been changed to “Kilari”. Keep in mind, however, that as it says in the news articles, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will actually be released here- but if it’s licensed, I’d say the chances are pretty high.
IndigoSkies • Apr 9th, 2008
News, Noteworthy, Recommended
20 Responses »
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I promised myself I wouldn’t do an anime convention again. Too many politics among the cosplayers, and the otaku who live off of pocky and ramen (while not showering for the entire three days), but if Koharu is there. I’m there.
We’re one step closer to “Koharu Kusumi and Her Morning Musume” appearing at an Anime Expo or Otakon…
Ugh! *shudder* That is the LAST way Morning Musume should ever be marketed anywhere!
That anime needs to burn in hell, for what it’s worth.
While it is a possibility that we can expect Koharu and Morning Musume (really, I’d figure just Koharu; why bring the whole lot of them when only one has anything to do with the anime?) showing up at a convention or two, it’s not something we should fret over. If it’s licensed here, it’s likely to be released here, which means that they’ll have to dub it in English. Which means hiring English-fluent voice actors. Which means someone who isn’t Koharu will be voicing “Kilari”. The English voice actress will be more likely to make appearances at a ‘con than Koharu, since she’ll be someone they can recognize/pander for the autograph of.
Yoshimi, you do have a point, however Koharu does sing the opening and closing themes for the anime. Many groups have come to the US to play at anime conventions based on this fact alone. L’arc~en~Ciel was brought to Otakon on the idea that they sang ‘READY STEADY GO!’ for Full Metal Alchemist, Koda Kumi sang the themes for Final Fantasy X-2, HIGH AND MIGHTY COLOR sang an opening for Bleach. If Kirarin Revolution does succeed, which it very well might considering it’s immense popularity in Japan (I believe it seconds only to Pre-Cure), there is a much higher possibility that Koharu will be coming to the States. Yes, there will be a dub, but thankfully the anime business has gone beyond dubbing over opening and closing themes like they did back in the old days of Sailormoon and Dragonball Z.
With Kirarin being brought to the US, and possibly released, there is a small chance. With the Asian expansion of Morning Musume, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility. H!P’s involvement with anime presents them with that chance to perform in the States, if only for a convention. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but there is a much better chance it will than if this were to happen about ten years ago.
I’m actually not 100% sure if they’re going to keep the original opening and ending themes. Viz, who licensed the series, has sometimes kept the original (Death Note, Bleach) but sometimes they’ve replaced it with something else. (Naruto, Prince of Tennis) If this airs on TV, and it could (but I have no idea when/what channel it would air), there’s probably a higher chance of them dubbing the opening themes. A DVD release has a higher chance of keeping the original songs, but it’s not a 100% guarantee- for example, the so-called “uncut” Prince of Tennis DVD sets still use the crappy English opening.
However, even if they do dub the theme songs and everything, it’s still a possibility that Morning Musume or at least Koharu could come over to a con. Cons bring over Japanese voice actors, don’t they?
It’s about the music licensing more than anything. If the US can strike a deal with H!P/UFA/Zetima about using Koharu’s music, there’s a small chance it could happen. The anime revolves around an idol who sings and dances. So it’s risky business in the sense that the US could just re-do a bunch of songs if they have intentions of showing it on TV. Because most Americans don’t want to listen to music in a language they don’t understand. While there have been songs in foreign languages to succeed on the charts, it doesn’t happen often, and it’s mostly from Spanish speaking countries. That’s the trend that I’ve noticed. We can ‘hope’ that the music for Kirarin has been licensed in addition to the anime. I wouldn’t think Kirarin would be a show for the TV, though who knows, it might destroy the whole ‘Bratz’ trend (ugh), though I doubt it. I can see it receiving a DVD release.
Cons bring over a lot of people. They also bring over a lot of famous faces from the manga industry as well. Anime Expo got CLAMP to come. Who knows with the Asian expansion, given how many fans that Morning Musume has in Korea as well as Taiwan, they could do a convention. It’s not a concert tour, but it would be a good way to test the water and not just limit it to fan club members only. I do see a higher chance of Koharu coming to the US as a solo act for an anime more than I would Morning Musume itself.
@ Zeeny: …K, so North America is suddenly part of Asia. Good to know!
I think Viz would be getting a lot of hate mail from American MoMusu/Koharu fans if the songs were redubbed or substituted. I know I’d be pissed. Their getting the rights to Kirarin Revolution here has to be due, in part, to the band’s growing cult popularity here in the US.
Or because anime is popular
@ Yoshimi. I didn’t say it was part of Asia. I just said that with Morning Musume expanding into the rest of Asia, it does leave a possibility that Koharu could come to an ANIME convention in the States. Anime conventions are capable of getting artists from Japan to come to the States, so with Momusu expanding, I would think hearing an interest from a large group gathering like an anime convention, they might at least think about it. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it’s possible. Or more possible than it was five years ago.
I sense a Buono II… remember how excited everyone got when we learned that Honto no Jibun would be released here or something like that? Did it gain H!P any popularity in the U.S.? No. Why is Kirarin Revolution any different? Besides, even though I can’t stand Momoko’s voice, and Miyabi and Airi aren’t much better, Koharu is a terrible singer. That will not please the majority of the American public.
Also, I don’t want Hello!Project to come to America just for stupid animes. One thing that pisses me off to the extreme is when people say that they like Japan and/or J-Pop because they like anime and/or anime theme songs. Anime =/= Japan and/or J-Pop. So if Hello!Project’s MUSIC (key word, music, not anime) is going to come to the ‘States, please, not for a television program. Please, for the music….
…Why can’t Kirarin Revolution just go away? D:
@Kowai: Honto No Jibun never came out here as rumored. That news report turned out to be bullshit.
Well the Buono US release was just a rumor that had a LOT of confusion. Buono was featured in Newtype and somehow that translated into Buono getting an American release. Nothing ever came out of it because it was just a rumor. This is a completely different situation. It’s been explicitly stated that Kirarin Revolution has been licensed.
But that’s all it says. Everything else being discussed is pure speculation. It a little too early to start seriously discussing convention plans for Koha when there aren’t even plans for a DVD of Kirarin, let alone a TV deal.
Then again, the speculation is just for fun - and you can make some valid arguments with all the other Japanese music acts that have performed under conventions. I wouldn’t make that argument though. The anime that these acts have been associated with are typically targeted towards the teenage and older crowds. Kirarin isn’t going to be targeted at that heh.
As for not wanting Koha/Momusu traveling “just for stupid animes.” Come on now. When push comes to shove, if it ever were to happen, would it really gonna matter WHY H!P is performing in the mainland.
@ Zeeny sed: “I just said that with Morning Musume expanding into the rest of Asia, it does leave a possibility that Koharu could come to an ANIME convention in the States”.
But…their expansion into Asia has absolutely nothing to do with increased likelihood of Koharu coming to an ANIME!!!!!! convention in the United States. If they were trying to expand into America? Yeah, I could see Morning Musume (or Koharu…) trying their hand at a ‘con. But this isn’t America they’re trying to “expand” into.
@ Broomhead: Thank you for making sense.
Firstly: Everyone just chill out.
Broomhead has it right. Everything I know from Viz leads me to believe that Kilari will indeed get a DVD release, if not a TV one (most anime released on mass TV these days is done through Adult Swim, and Kirarin Revolution is hardly fare for that…). This is an anime convention veteran speaking (mostly for cosplay…I have no idea what these crazy kids watch these days, although the most amazing thing about the article to ME was the fact that ‘Monster’ has been licensed - it’s worth anyone’s time, especially those who decry Stupid Anime), and I can say that both Shugo Chara! and Kilari are not going to bring any members of H!P over. It’s a pipe dream. Their target audience is too young in North America. It is likely that the songs MIGHT stay, just because Kilari (yup, I’m trying to get used to calling it that) will be pretty impossible to “Westernize” considering the influence of music (non-English music) throughout the series. This makes it not-as-relatable to kids, and, sadly, probably destined for the bargain-bin.
Now, let’s see Morning Musume randomly record a song for, say, a CLAMP series or some other shoujo juggernaut, then we might see an AX appearance that is not, in fact, based upon their ties to anime (several bands - Laraku and AAA included - have appeared at conventions based more on the merits of their own musical credibility than their connection with an anime).
Now…I have to go to work. Play nice.
I didn’t mean for my comments to be taken as aggressive, so I’m sorry if they were. And broomhead, thank you for making that point, I didn’t think of it that way.
Zeeny, you’re fine. Healthy debate is never a bad thing, especially when your points are expressed in a levelheaded manner.
I honestly wasn’t under the impression that anything was escalating beyond normal discussion barriers.
I think that Kirarin☆Revolution is a sort of odd anime to want to bring over to the ‘States. The series has such roots in Koharu and idols, and those are two things that just aren’t a reality in America at the moment. They’re probably going to end up pulling everything apart and putting it back together again with a lot of new pieces so it’s more translatable. (Already, Kirari’s “kira-kira” imagery has been lost with the changing of her name to “Kilari”.)
@Yoshimi: I haven’t watched a lot of the series, but I think Kirari’s dream to be a famous singer isn’t all that different compared to the dreams of some American/European/whathaveyou girls. The idol culture isn’t quite the same over here, but I think we still do idolize entertainers. Maybe not something Viz would put on TV, no, but I don’t believe the series is that far off the mark, personally.
As for Koharu and her role… Viz is usually pretty good about DVD releases these days. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a Japanese-language-only release (and there have been a few of them lately, though not necessarily from Viz… I THINK the series Galaxy Angel-ru is Japanese with subtitles only). And the Japanese tracks will still be on the disc, I’m certain, so the dub is just an option. But either way, I’m sure Viz recognizes the importance of music in this series. In Full Moon wo Sagashite, another music-related anime, Viz actually left Changin’ My Life/myco’s songs all untouched in the dub. If Kirarin appears on TV, that same approach may not work, but the DVDs would likely still be raw and unedited.