Summary of How This Anime Company Lied To You | It wasn't just JelloApocalypse

00:00:00 - 00:30:00

In the YouTube video "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker criticizes anime company Disco Tech for their business practices and connections to Anime News Network (ANN), which the speaker alleges have led to dishonest content alterations and censorship. The speaker provides examples of ANN mistranslating interviews and Disco Tech censoring content, particularly related to sexuality and homosexuality. The speaker also discusses the case of JelloApocalypse's involvement in the dubbing of "Lovely Complex," where significant changes were made without the original creators' consent or knowledge. The speaker argues that anime distributors often request changes to be kept quiet to avoid backlash, and that the approval process for altering work in the anime industry is not as authentic as it may seem. The speaker uses the example of Yakuza's localization to illustrate how producers may be misled into believing changes are for the betterment of sales, even if it means distorting the original content. The speaker also discusses the impact of these dishonest localization practices, using the example of shojo artist Hako Ashihara, who took her own life due to her frustration over the mishandling of her series. The speaker encourages viewers to take action in protest against these issues, which have led to positive change for both fans and creators.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker discusses Disco Tech, an anime company that has been in operation since 2005 and is known for bringing high-quality classic content to Western audiences. However, the speaker expresses their dislike for Disco Tech due to the company's business practices and connections to other big names in the industry. The speaker reveals that Disco Tech has ties to Crunchyroll and Anime News Network (ANN), with some personnel having personal connections and money frequently exchanging hands. While some may view this as just further licensing or promotional efforts, the speaker argues that it goes deeper than that. The speaker then shares an incident where ANN, which is known for defending censorship and pushing left-wing ideology, mistranslated an interview with the Megalo Box creator, leading to a public meltdown when readers questioned their methodology. The speaker criticizes ANN for not releasing the original Japanese transcripts, which later revealed that the author's words were misrepresented, and the term "toxic masculinity" was added without justification. The speaker concludes that this is an example of Disco Tech's pattern of dishonesty and poor translation practices.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker discusses how Anime News Network (ANN) and Disco Tech, an anime licensing and subtitling company, have a history of altering content to fit certain narratives or societal expectations. The speaker specifically mentions an interview ANN hid due to the author's use of the word "toxic" in relation to social expectations and gender roles. The speaker also accuses Disco Tech of censoring content, particularly anything related to sexuality or homosexuality, in their releases going back to 2013. For example, they censored a joke about a character being a "homo" in Cat Ninden Tiande and changed "flat chest" to "tomboy" in another release, despite the character being feminine and girly. The speaker argues that these changes demonstrate a pattern of censorship and a lack of faithfulness to the original content, and that ANN and Disco Tech have been moving in lock step with the industry for a long time.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker discusses how a specific anime company, Disco Tech and Tow Animation, has tampered with the original vision of certain releases to align with their own progressive views. While the company's initial interest and efforts to bring old anime releases to a wider audience are acknowledged, the speaker criticizes them for not being respectful enough to the original creators' visions. The speaker uses the recent situation involving Jello Apocalypse and the localization of the anime "Lovely Complex" as an example. Instead of giving Jello Apocalypse a voice role, the company gave him a co-writing position, which led to significant changes in the script and animation. The speaker argues that Jello Apocalypse's incompetence and the gaslighting that followed have exposed issues within the localization industry. Despite the end result being a good dub in terms of production value, the speaker believes that the original show was problematic and that the changes made to it were not necessary or respectful to the original creators' intentions.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You | It wasn't just JelloApocalypse," the discussion revolves around the dubbing process of the anime "Lovely Complex" by the company Discotex and the controversy surrounding the removal of problematic content and the casting of trans actors. The video reveals that JelloApocalypse, a contractor involved in the dubbing, had a significant impact on the project, leading to the casting of multiple trans actors and the removal of certain problematic elements. However, when fans raised concerns, Discotex issued a response denying that Jello's changes made it into the actual dub. The video debunks this claim, stating that the entire dubbing cast was compromised due to Jello and Lenty's involvement, and that many problematic elements were played down or removed. The video also criticizes Discotex's response for not acknowledging the truth and for perpetuating the issue by downplaying the significance of the changes made.
• 00:20:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker discusses the issue of anime distributors asking for changes to be kept quiet and not advertised, even if they involve making the content more inclusive or representative. The speaker uses the example of Disco Tech, a company that was criticized for changing certain aspects of an anime without informing the public. However, the speaker argues that Disco Tech was not the only company engaging in this practice, and that many anime distributors request that changes not be advertised to avoid backlash from the anime community, which can be racist and sexist. The speaker also mentions Jell-oApocalypse, who was criticized for making changes to an anime but was not the only one involved in the process. The speaker concludes by debunking the common belief that anime localizations are approved by producers in Japan, and that the American companies purchasing the rights are the ones making the decisions.
• 00:25:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker discusses how the approval process for altering work in the anime industry is not as authentic as it may seem. Using the example of Yakuza's localization, the speaker explains that while the changes were approved by the original producers, the decisions were made by suits at the highest level who may not be familiar with the details or even concerned about authenticity. The speaker argues that these producers were misled into believing that the changes were for the betterment of sales, even if it meant distorting the original content. The speaker also criticizes the localization industry for justifying these changes by claiming that Japanese culture is "super woke" and that it's necessary to cater to Western audiences. The speaker argues that this is a lie and that the creators are also being misled, leading to a distortion of the original vision.
• 00:30:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "How This Anime Company Lied To You," the speaker discusses the impact of dishonest localization practices in the anime industry, using the example of Hako Ashihara, a shojo artist who took her own life due to her frustration over the mishandling of her series Sexy Tanakasan. The speaker notes that Ashihara's situation is not an isolated incident and that original authors have long faced issues with their works being altered without their consent. Ken Akamatsu, a member of the House of Counselors and author of Love Hina, also weighed in on the issue, expressing concern over the lack of thoroughness in contracts regarding secondary use and the need for authors to have a place to go for advice if they're not satisfied with the explanations given. The speaker expresses disdain for those who dismiss the importance of these issues and encourages viewers to take action in protest, as the controversies surrounding localization have led to positive change for both fans and creators.