Has anyone been to Japan and seen...

[PikaJames2004]

...any American series (like "The Flintstones", "SpongeBob SquarePants" or "The Simpsons") in Japanese? Please opine.

[Cuno03]

While I was working over there for 3 months this summer, and when I got time to watch tv (not very often) I saw Lilo and Stitch the series (on TVTokyo station) and at the hotel I worked at, they have fox channel which shows The Simpsons, Malcom in the Middle, Buffy, Alley McBeal, ER and even Survivor. All the shows can be viewed in either Japanese or English.

[Dogasu]

I didn't have cable during the year I was abroad, so I didn't have that many channels to surf through. However, one of the stations I did receive played, of all things, a Japanese dub of that sitcom that Amanda Bynes does for the WB. They just dubbed over the voices while keeping everything else (including the laugh track) intact.

The big department store in the area had this big wall of TV's, with each TV tuned in to a different TV station, and one day I happened to see Mucha Lucha! playing on the Japanese Cartoon Network. I couldn't hear it at all (the TV's had no sound), so I have no idea what any of it sounded like. I also saw CN play Superman: TAS on the Japanese Cartoon Network's Toonami, Toonami intro and all.

[Razola]

For anime, they should have japanese dubs of the american dubs. Just to blow people's minds.

[Archaic]

Outside of a few cable networks, American shows don't get much exposure here in Japan. This is something to be thankful for. Japanese TV is generally bad, but American TV is worse.

[The Muffin Man]

Outside of a few cable networks, American shows don't get much exposure here in Japan. This is something to be thankful for. Japanese TV is generally bad, but American TV is worse.

The Simpsons, South Park, Venture Bros, Justice League(Not unlimited), Batman Beyond, Batman:TAS, Superman:TAS, House, Seinfeld, Family Guy, Futurama, Firefly(sadly off the air), X-Files(also completed)...

Well I think I've pretty much made my point. If I didn't, then that's 2 reasons why you're an idiot.

Oh wait, 3.

[Last Exile]

The Simpsons, South Park, Venture Bros, Justice League(Not unlimited), Batman Beyond, Batman:TAS, Superman:TAS, House, Seinfeld, Family Guy, Futurama, Firefly(sadly off the air), X-Files(also completed)...

Well I think I've pretty much made my point. If I didn't, then that's 2 reasons why you're an idiot.

Oh wait, 3.

1. Mike, need I rmeind you why you were banned?! I don't want to again. No flame wars!

2. American TV IS BAD! You can't refute it. End of story.

[The Muffin Man]

1. Mike, need I rmeind you why you were banned?! I don't want to again. No flame wars!

2. American TV IS BAD! You can't refute it. End of story.

I was banned because you got everyone I'd ever insulted and complained.

Besides, I think showing your post is reason enough for them to ignore it you're obviously biased against me because I said American TV does not suck. Sure, some American TV sucks, but saying Japanese TV is superior? That's just pure fanboyism.

[Last Exile]

As I've said in my PM to you, that is not true.

If you get banned again or Raz gets demodded or banned, I'm quitting TPM.

I don't want you doing anything to get you banned because TPM will turn boring all over again with you gone.

As for American TV, after 22 years of it being 99% of non-news and non-sport shows, I got tired of it. Nothing coming from the US excites me anymore. I watch sport or Iron Chef because 10 versions of the same reality TV show or 20 different versions of the same crime show or endless Simpson and Seinfeld and Friends repeats are all that's on. I quit because my brain would have died if I stayed with it.

And as for my opinion on anime Mike: 99.99% of anime is pure crap. I simply rave on about the 0.01% that is decent. I jsut think that 99.9999% of American TV is crap. So overall, I think they're both crap but that one is just slightly better overall.

EDIT: Mike and I have made up and called a truce. We have cleared up our misunderstandings of each other. Damn time difference makes it hard to communicate on a regular basis.

[Razola]

As for American TV, after 22 years of it being 99% of non-news and non-sport shows, I got tired of it.

We're talking about the United States of America. You know, the place with like five 24-hour sports networks and twenty 24-hour news networks.

While on a downfall lately, a good chunck is still good. I wish I had top-notch cable so I could watch Carnivale. Saw one episode at a hotel and it was intriuging.

I also need to get off my ass and pick the 24 DVDs, if only to be able to enjoy the new season.

And I just finished X-Files season 1 last night.

Family Guy's new season starts in a few months.

Hmmmm...I guess that percentage you pulled out of your ass just means that America has a shitload of programs to begin with. Because there certainly isn't a lack of quality stuff to choose from.

But we all know Britain is the real winner.

[Last Exile]

Britain has quality TV?!

Please explain!

EDIT: On your other points...

X-Files got boring from the 4th or 5th season onwards

Family Guy was relegated to a weekday 11am timeslot over here (i.e. When eveyrone is at school or work)

People turned off from 24 of the first season in droves. I saw 3 seasons and after the 3rd one I don't even want to bother with the 4th.

Seinfeld has great highs but absolutely painful lows.

The Simpsons became a disease after the 3rd season. Now it's a pandemic parasite draining the brain matrer out of modern society.

Frasier was great until Niles and Daphne got married. Then it lost its spakle a fair bit.

Friends...was it ever good?

Malcolm in the Middle - Funny until last season. Now I just don't care anymore.

Law and Order - Now that Jerry Orbach is dead and Sam Waterson grew a beard, I'm wondering whether the original one will still work at all. Orbach was one of the few great remaining actors in acting full stop. SVU is topsy-turvy, Criminal Intent can get irritating because it's all about Goran. As for the Trial By Jury one, I'll try it when it screens later this year.

CSI (all 3 versions), NCIS, Crossing Jordan - yawn. The crime glut sucks. Without A Trace has grown on me a bit but if they do it without Jack Malone (played by Anthony La Paglia, a very fine Aussie actor) as least season's ending suggested, not even Poppy Montgomery's pretty face (another Aussie actor) will keep me watching.

As for all those bloody reality shows, I don't even bother. Hell, I didn't even watch one second of the Vanuatu Survivor series. Reality TV should die already! And what did humanity do to deserve (insert your country here) Idol?!

As for all the other new shows they're promoting for 2005 in Australia (Lost, Desperate Housewives, etc.), only The 4400 sparked any interest in me.

As for Britain TV, Keeping Up Appearances, Yes Prime Minister, The Goon Show, Goodnight Sweetheart and As Time Goes By are all long gone. Now it's just drama and The Bill, which has turned into a mere soapie in police uniforms now.

Mind you, back when The Pretender was on, I never missed that. Now that was a damn fine US show. Pity the ending was so rushed.

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

How *is* the dub of B:TAS, anyway? I can't imagine anyone even coming *close* to Mark Hamill as the Joker...

[Animelee]

No one can match Hamill's Joker, no one! *Runs off crying*

Oh yeah, Last Exile, get ready for a show called Lost. It's coming to Australia soon. The word "crack" gets thrown around a lot these days, but... I forgot how the rest of that saying goes. Just watch Lost.

[Razola]

Simpsons didn't turn to shit until around the 9th season. And even then there's still the occassional gem to be found (well, at least until this season, where the animation look wonky and advertsing seems to have reduce showtimes to like 15minutes).

I also see that, according to you, shows are immediately shit if they start to decline after a few good or even great seasons. I call bullshit on that one.

And Mark Hamiill is a voice acting GOD. That epsisode of Simpson's he guest starred is one of those gems I'm talking about,