Would you like to see Hetalia licensed?

[squeaky-spooky.livejournal.com]

Funimation is conducting a poll right now asking fans what shows they would purchase and recommend to friends if licensed. Hetalia is on both lists. Vote now!

Comments

[neocloud9.livejournal.com]

There's been a tremendous response in Hetalia's favor, so hopefully a license is in the near future...

[pseudo-shigure.livejournal.com]

If it's licensed, then will it still be shared online for free?

[squeaky-spooky.livejournal.com]

It's possible. Funimation does stream some of their titles. They just started streaming the dub for Ouran High School Host Club.

[electricfool]

i hope to god they license hetalia. i want it!

[m-clancy.livejournal.com]

I'm rather interested in the manga getting licensed, not the anime.

[hardysmidgen.livejournal.com]

Seconded. I would prefer to see the manga licensed before the anime.

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for posting this! I voted and hope others do, too :)

I also really want the manga to be licensed.

[sakurita.livejournal.com]

Voted! ^^

Hope both the anime and the manga get licensed. :D

[saintbargabar.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of stuff getting licensed. (Especially if Vic does one of the voices *stabs Vic*) But if they manage to do a good job with it then yay. Plus it means Hetalia merch will be easier to find in america.

[hardysmidgen.livejournal.com]

So does that mean it would definitely be dubbed if licensed by Funimation?

[theerokappa.livejournal.com]

Good point.. Even if the voices suck- Hetalia merchandise will be easier to get. :3

[hardysmidgen.livejournal.com]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention! :) I sincerely hope we get a manga license in addition to an anime license. I would actually prefer the manga to be released first.

Does anyone know if the licensing Funimation is speaking of pertains to creating an official subtitled version, or whether they are seeking to license it to produce an English dubbed version? I know Funimation has dubbed in the past, but I believe it may also have taken to subtitling series sans dub. Can't double check that right now though because my work server blocks access to its main site and information. XD

I have mixed feelings about this. I personally do not want a dub of the anime produced, but if Funimation's goal is to release an official subtitled version on DVD, that would be fantastic (and I do hope that survey is correct in meaning actual DVD in place of their streaming videos).

My other concern would be if the license would affect the availability of material produced by subbing groups. In the case of shows like Bleach and Naruto, it does not affect the subbing itself (new Japanese episodes continue to be fansubbed despite a standing license), but it does affect availability on online in viewing/streaming sites such as Youtube. When shows are not licensed, fansubs are not targeted because no official license exists, so videos on Youtube tend to enjoy a longer shelf life.

If it does become licensed, I hope Funimation wouldn't take forever to release it onto DVD and just lord the rights. I don't know what Funimation's release schedule is like, so maybe that's not something we'd have to worry about at all with this company. :) I've watched that happen with some other company releases (manga mostly), however, and it was really a shame. Some really wonderful manga series were not given an official release because the companies that bought the rights all but ceased production, then refused to surrender the rights to other companies.

[vysnia-cerasus.livejournal.com]

I've got mixed feelings on the matter too, but I just noticed you brought up a good point in the "rights lapsing" department:

If Hetalia is brought here and the sales don't perform as high as FUNimation expects, there's the possibility they would drop the series and leave the rest of it unreleased. It happened with Kodocha, and many fans of that are still sore that FUNi won't release the second half of the series.

(tangent~)

Shin-Chan apparently has been dropped too (if rampant rumors are to believe and the lack of comment on its dub status), but in that case, that series was a BIG risk for FUNi to handle: Hundreds and hundreds of episodes, the series having a lot of Japanese culture jokes, the tone of the series, and marketability (among other things). They actually had to "raunch it up" to get it on Adult Swim, and they couldn't release it bilingual on DVD as they couldn't get clearance for a sub track. But with how they edited segments from various episodes together and kind of picked-and-chose what ones they wanted, I think a sub track would have been sort of a headache to figure out. And from interviews, it seems the Japanese licensor only let FUNi choose from a certain amount of episodes to handpick, too (no pre-1995 episodes).

For what it's worth, I found the Shin-Chan dub HILARIOUS, but I can understand why the purists and sub-fans were sore about a few things too. Especially since they couldn't get the sub track they wanted in the end.

(/tangent)

Mm, but from what I know of FUNimation, I haven't really heard much of them doing sub-only releases. That's actually ADV's kind of market right now, due to their financial issues. I actually think Hetalia would have possibly been a good potential ADV license, had the Sojitz breakup and other issues not come up.

[cheiranthus.livejournal.com]

I think this has already been posted (http://community.livejournal.com/hetalia/1961967.html).

To be honest, I'm not interested in a dub, but I did vote for some other series in the survey.

[shigureblack.livejournal.com]

ohh man Hetalia is not going to be underground anymore...
I am mixed on the issue of Dubbing Hetalia. I like dubs but I hope they do it well & Funimation tries & has had successes....so i am mixed

I loled @ Dubbing Detroit Metal City I wonder how they will do that LMAO XD
& Also redubing-Sailor Moon? Umm no, even though it was not that great it was part of my child hood.

[kasumicc.livejournal.com]

Wow, some of my other fandoms are promoting this very same survey =P -coughSailorMooncough ;O;-

While I'm not interested in a dub, I'm certainly VERY interested in a release in the States. Honestly, I'd buy the japanese DVDs; but since I don't know a single word of japanese, they would be useless for me. So, I'm really hoping to get a subbed version.

And I'm relieved it's Funimation xD At least, I liked what they did with FMA...

[kyo-starr.livejournal.com]

I can certainly understand fears about having the series licensed; however... readily available R1 DVDs. >D I make a point of purchasing series I watch fansubbed (which, granted, is limited to a only handful) once they're available in the States. FUNi also includes the Japanese language track on their DVDs with professional subs, so even if dubs aren't your thing there's that.

I'm not sure how I feel about the boost in popularity the series would get if it were licensed... as is the fandom is growing rapidly stateside, and in a way I like being part of a smaller fandom. It wouldn't be a tragedy, though.

[mitsukirox101.livejournal.com]

woah I get what you mean about the popularity thing... small fandoms are nice

[shigureblack.livejournal.com]

uhhh Vic was at my College recently -___-
i lol @ your icon xD

[dark-persian.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see Hetalia licensed to Funimation (their dubs are generally not as terrible as many other dubbing companies), but only on the condition that Vic Mignogna goes absolutely no where near it! ¬___¬

[lynn-pryderi.livejournal.com]

Who was Ayame in Fruits Basket? I bet anything that they'll cast that guy as France.

[happy-francis.livejournal.com]

I don't know...


when Funimation supposedly liscensed Reborn, (or not, I'm not sure, but funimation did something) thet stopped posting it online. They might do that for Hetalia, too...

[exiled-wolfy.livejournal.com]

That was a really weird situation.

I think Funi was thinking about possibly licensing Reborn! but never went through with it. It was really weird because several different sub groups got C&D letters from different companies, and nothing ever became of it. Lo and behold, we have our Reborn! back. :/ That was a really strange situation; it was like they just sent out C&D letters for the hell of it. >:C

...I'd dread Funi getting Reborn! though... Eugh... D. Gray Man was kind of a flop. Not as bad as the OHSHC OP/ED dubover though. *groan*

[mitsukirox101.livejournal.com]

licesned? that's my anime enemy ;_; i was sad when they licesned kirarin revolution and it got taken down, and i don't really want hetalia dubbed, wouldn't be the same without Namikawa Daisuke

i'd rather like the manga translated

[garlikku-chan.livejournal.com]

Nnn... I'd prefer if someone were to liscense the manga; as dubs can really go both ways in terms of quality... Even though Funi is a pretty trustworthy company, it's had it's share of bad dubs too... (I'm afraid that they'll give all the characters Bad!accents...)

[osakakitty.livejournal.com]

It would be interesting to see what they would do with the dub, but I am worried that the characters will have stereotypical accents. (PLEASE GOD NO)

[dragon-tearz.livejournal.com]

I personally wouldn't want to see that as for the most part, the accents would be fake and honestly, as a Chinese person, a fake Chinese accent isn't... very funny to me, nor does it add anything to China's character. (Personally, I like the fact that all the countries understand each other because they're countries and not bound by their language, so I feel like adding accents would dampen that idea somewhat.)

[kawaii-fungus.livejournal.com]

Not by Funimation, no.

[lovekills91.livejournal.com]

amen.

[panda-general.livejournal.com]

I demand the manga comics to be compiled into a book and shipped over. >____< None of this probably painful dubs you people speak of.

Plus, I'd rather have the original Japanese DVDs, even if it is ridiculously expensive, and not playable on any R1 machine I have.

[manicrabbit.livejournal.com]

my main wonder is if the characters get accents.

To be honest, I think it'd be the coolest thing if they got a voice actor from every country that knows English to do the characters. That way, their accents would be accurate XD

but I know that might be complicated and expensive :/
but still a cool though IMO

[runika-mori.livejournal.com]

FFFFF I'm too ajusted to the Japanese voices/English fandub Italy to want to see the English version. If they do dub it and there are a lot of people who say it was at least decent then I'll consider it.

[narcomanic.livejournal.com]

I would... rather not. If it gets licensed before the second season is out Funimation will crack down on all fansub groups and tell them to stop distributing it for free. :\