English character songs/CDs

old hat · July 15th, 2012, 11:06 PM

This is something I tried to ask both Vic Mignona and Greg Ayres at Ani-jam last year but never got to ask. Listening to the soundtrack for Bakemonogatari reminded me of it.

Why aren't there any character songs or character CDs in English released for dubbed anime like there are released in Japan? There were a whole slew of Beat Collections released for Bleach in Japan with the Japanese actor who played Ichigo on several. Nothing like that has come out for the dub even though Bosch, who plays Ichigo, fronts his own band and could certainly handle a few songs as Ichigo. I haven't been to may dub voice actor panels but they all seem to be involved in music somehow. Mignona was selling his own CDs. I wouldn't say he's a great singer but he's at least as good as most of the people who did the Bleach Beat Collections in Japan. I'm sure he could do a Tamaki Suoh character CD or what have you.

On a related note, why aren't there any drama CDs either? There are lots of them released in Japan but I haven't seen any done in English for the US market. That would be even easier since most of it would be just a spoken word audio drama with them doing the same sort of thing they did when the show was being dubbed.

**John** · July 16th, 2012, 09:49 AM

Judging by past sales, anime CDs just don't sell in America. DIC did release one or two CD collections of original American vocals for the Sailor Moon anime. But notice that every American publisher that's ever released anime CDs in America has stopped releasing CDs. If DIC, AD Vision, Pioneer/Geneon, Bandai, Anime Toonz, Tofu Records, Rhino, and probably others that I can't recall have all decided that there's no profitability in domestically releasing anime CDs, I assume that there's just no sustainable market in America for anime CDs.

magicalgirlj · August 5th, 2012, 05:52 AM

No I dont think there are english charachters songs by US VA's
But I know Bandai brought over the Suzumiya Haruhui and Lucky Star charachter songs CD's to the US

Meson · August 5th, 2012, 01:02 PM

Television soundtracks rately sell in America, and this is the main problem as almost all anime CDs are for television series.

However, movie soundtracks do sell. We theoretically could have character song CDs for anime movies.

old hat · August 5th, 2012, 02:25 PM

I'm not talking about soundtracks. I mean something like this
http://www.animenation.com/pio5222.html
or
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Character_Song_Album_1
but done in English. I have seen them in the US but they were all one produced for the Japanese market with songs done by the original Japanese voice actors in Japanese. I mean something like that but with new songs done in English by the English dub VAs.

Meson · August 5th, 2012, 03:30 PM

Those are still consered soundtracks. It's only anime fans that split character songs into a genre of their own.

old hat · August 5th, 2012, 03:40 PM

Perhaps they are considered soundtracks by you but they aren't soundtracks and aren't generally classified that way. What splits character CDs from soundtracks isn't anime fans. It's the dictionary.

July 15th, 2012, 11:06 PM	#1
old hat Like my cool ride? Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The fairy tale land of Aztlan. Posts: 14,744 Blog Entries: 162	English character songs/CDs This is something I tried to ask both Vic Mignona and Greg Ayres at Ani-jam last year but never got to ask. Listening to the soundtrack for Bakemonogatari reminded me of it. Why aren't there any character songs or character CDs in English released for dubbed anime like there are released in Japan? There were a whole slew of Beat Collections released for Bleach in Japan with the Japanese actor who played Ichigo on several. Nothing like that has come out for the dub even though Bosch, who plays Ichigo, fronts his own band and could certainly handle a few songs as Ichigo. I haven't been to may dub voice actor panels but they all seem to be involved in music somehow. Mignona was selling his own CDs. I wouldn't say he's a great singer but he's at least as good as most of the people who did the Bleach Beat Collections in Japan. I'm sure he could do a Tamaki Suoh character CD or what have you. On a related note, why aren't there any drama CDs either? There are lots of them released in Japan but I haven't seen any done in English for the US market. That would be even easier since most of it would be just a spoken word audio drama with them doing the same sort of thing they did when the show was being dubbed. __________________ http://myanimelist.net/animelist/oldhat "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."-George Mason your=belonging to you. you're=contraction of you are For sake's people this stuff is not complicated.

August 5th, 2012, 05:52 AM	#3
magicalgirlj super cool Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 1,208	No I dont think there are english charachters songs by US VA's But I know Bandai brought over the Suzumiya Haruhui and Lucky Star charachter songs CD's to the US __________________ I like honofics in my subtitles manga companies- please try licensing a manga based on a bishoujo game for once avatar-Futaki Kanta from Little Busters

August 5th, 2012, 01:02 PM	#4
Meson Hockey is back! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 905 Blog Entries: 1	Television soundtracks rately sell in America, and this is the main problem as almost all anime CDs are for television series. However, movie soundtracks do sell. We theoretically could have character song CDs for anime movies. __________________ ToonRadio Anime music whenever you want it. Now serving up AN's podcast every Friday. <BernardM> For the record Eureka Seven is the Two Girls one Cup of mecha Series

August 5th, 2012, 02:25 PM	#5
old hat Like my cool ride? Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The fairy tale land of Aztlan. Posts: 14,744 Blog Entries: 162	I'm not talking about soundtracks. I mean something like this http://www.animenation.com/pio5222.html or http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Character_Song_Album_1 but done in English. I have seen them in the US but they were all one produced for the Japanese market with songs done by the original Japanese voice actors in Japanese. I mean something like that but with new songs done in English by the English dub VAs. __________________ http://myanimelist.net/animelist/oldhat "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."-George Mason your=belonging to you. you're=contraction of you are For sake's people this stuff is not complicated.

August 5th, 2012, 03:30 PM	#6
Meson Hockey is back! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 905 Blog Entries: 1	Those are still consered soundtracks. It's only anime fans that split character songs into a genre of their own. __________________ ToonRadio Anime music whenever you want it. Now serving up AN's podcast every Friday. <BernardM> For the record Eureka Seven is the Two Girls one Cup of mecha Series

July 16th, 2012, 09:49 AM	#2
John Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,112	Judging by past sales, anime CDs just don't sell in America. DIC did release one or two CD collections of original American vocals for the Sailor Moon anime. But notice that every American publisher that's ever released anime CDs in America has stopped releasing CDs. If DIC, AD Vision, Pioneer/Geneon, Bandai, Anime Toonz, Tofu Records, Rhino, and probably others that I can't recall have all decided that there's no profitability in domestically releasing anime CDs, I assume that there's just no sustainable market in America for anime CDs.

August 5th, 2012, 03:40 PM	#7
old hat Like my cool ride? Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The fairy tale land of Aztlan. Posts: 14,744 Blog Entries: 162	Perhaps they are considered soundtracks by you but they aren't soundtracks and aren't generally classified that way. What splits character CDs from soundtracks isn't anime fans. It's the dictionary. __________________ http://myanimelist.net/animelist/oldhat "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."-George Mason your=belonging to you. you're=contraction of you are For sake's people this stuff is not complicated.