An anime localization that was adapted to live action winds up on TV streaming instead of theaters
If anybody's familiar with the Voltron cartoon of the early 80s, they surely know that it's actually a localization and combination of 2 anime maxi-series from 1981-82, Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, which, much like several other anime localizations up to the turn of the century, underwent heavy censorship just because the localizers didn't have the courage to market for adults, even as I admit there's at least one violent scene in the former that was disturbingly jarring for its time.
Now, as I've been aware for a few years, a live action film adaptation of the western Voltron localization was developed, and looks like its completed, but as Decider now announces, it won't be released theatrically, and is only going to streaming, or perhaps video, as may have been the custom up to the turn of the last century:
Fans of Voltron anxiously awaiting the release of the upcoming live-action remake will not be heading to theaters to watch it.Notice though, that they don't seem to mention the Japanese origins? What's up with that? Just because the twosome may not have been the most popular series in Japan at the time, as this website notes (and this one), they have to leave that all out? Make what you will of what they're adapting, but that's no excuse to conceal the origins of the 2 cartoons combined into one, which I think was meant to provide a sufficient amount of episodes so that networks would buy it according to expected quotas for marketing at the time, which was something like 80 parts.
Amazon MGM Studios’ live-action remake of the ’80s animated series will head straight to streaming on Prime Video upon its release, Collider reports. According to the outlet, the move was announced by the studio on Monday (May 11). The exact release date has yet to be announced. [...]
Voltron: Defender of the Universe, which aired from 1984 until 1985, followed “five lion robots and their pilots as they fight the evil forces of King Zarkon and Prince Lotor,” per IMDb. Among those in the voice cast were Peter Cullen, Michael Bell, Jack Angel, Neil Ross, Lennie Weinrib, and B.J. Ward.
But as this news suggests, the new live action movie may not be the exciting adventure they're making it out to be, otherwise it probably would've gone to theaters more easily. Or, they may have estimated the finished product will not do well enough theatrically to justify its release there. And if this news from 5 years ago said anything, the Japanese audience would possibly have passed on it, and surely wouldn't be pleased if they knew a lot of USA press sources were failing to acknowledge the country of origin both anime series came from. That's the reason this may not be the big event some were hoping it'd be.
And lest we forget, the Saint Seiya adaptation from 3 years ago was certainly a dud.
Labels: censorship issues, Europe and Asia, licensed products, manga and anime, msm propaganda, sales, violence







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