Dubbed anime ain’t so bad when Conan O’Brien does it
Newly-anointed host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show”, literal and figurative behemoth Conan O’Brien, has always been pretty damn funny – lately he’s been getting a bit more buzz in some online circles after his set was recognized to look like a level in Super Mario – and now, he’s made his foray into the anime industry. Turns out their studio is not far from Bang Zoom, one of the companies that does the English dubbing for anime, so in true Conan fashion, he and co-host Andy are put to work voicing none other than… Ghost in the Shell.
Of particular interest is a cameo from Tenjou Tenge chibi Maya’s rocket tits; also, I would’ve liked to hear them tackle Gurren Lagann instead – but then again, watching Conan shout “I WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS WITH MY DRILL” might have been the end of all anime in the English-speaking world…
July 28, 2009 at 9:15 pmstarss
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*First Comment Dance*
OMG I laughed so hard. Is BangZoom! really redubbing the Ghost in the Shell movie, or did they just sample that for Conan’s appointment?
July 28, 2009 at 9:22 pmAmatsu
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NO MATTER WAT DUBS ALL SUK
July 28, 2009 at 9:25 pmAerojohn
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Conan should be familiar with animation since he was once a member of the Simpson production team.
July 28, 2009 at 9:28 pmMidnightTide
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I want those wall scrolls!!!
July 28, 2009 at 9:34 pmcamarilla
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That was amazing, would have been really good had they used Gurren Lagann.
July 28, 2009 at 9:36 pmJello
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Oh god. I laughed so hard.
MMAAAAANNNNGGAAAAAAAAAAA!
July 28, 2009 at 9:37 pmBaki
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Conan should makes his own Abridged series
July 28, 2009 at 9:37 pmkiyoheha
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i have some mixed feelings although that was very funny it make me feel more like an outcast for liking anime.
July 28, 2009 at 9:41 pmGene
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LOL I can’t stop laughing =)
July 28, 2009 at 9:42 pmpanaghoy88
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Since I’ve been watching some abridged series this video was right up my alley. The voice overs were funny! Crack dubs FTW!
July 28, 2009 at 9:44 pmalex
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LOL loved it
July 28, 2009 at 9:51 pmfrubam
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that ab-libbed GitS part with the two guys was HILARIOUS!!
July 28, 2009 at 9:53 pmNegativeZero
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Would the universe implode if Conan dubbed Detective Conan?
July 28, 2009 at 9:58 pmAnna
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I absolutely loved that. I really should watch Conan more often…funny, funny guy.
Thank you so much for posting this!!!
July 28, 2009 at 10:01 pmSissy
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Amatsu, TRIGUN dubs never sucked!!! It’s the number 1 series where dubs were good! Code Geass wasn’t terribly bad either, but TRIGUN was the best. I actually prefer it in english rather than japanese.
Also, LOL!!! XD Those guys were hilarious! Kudos to their adlibs.
July 28, 2009 at 10:05 pmpuyomon
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@ Amatsu
get the fuck out!
July 28, 2009 at 10:07 pmThrashy
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“Your neighbors have informed us that you have fish here. Fish that are hungry! Fish that haven’t been fed! Days, days they have not been fed!
July 28, 2009 at 10:11 pmkhan
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haha… holy crap that GitS dub was great. xD
July 28, 2009 at 10:14 pmmahaha
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The fish! Its the fish! Shoot the fish!
July 28, 2009 at 10:47 pmtonbo
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earthquake!!! “woa—-” a wonderful experience, no less, haha… fish and cats
July 28, 2009 at 10:49 pmkadian1364
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I audibly said, “Oh no!” when Conan asked for the synopsis of GiTS. It’s funny because it’s true!
July 28, 2009 at 10:54 pmvirus86
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MANGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I love Conan!
July 28, 2009 at 10:56 pmpockets
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What’s conan saying in the manga part?
July 28, 2009 at 10:58 pmNaYa
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Hahaha that was awesome, especially the part with fish.
I think Conan should really do some dubbing jobs. He’s good. (and funny!)
July 28, 2009 at 11:07 pmSilivious
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Good lord…I haven’t laughed so hard in so long…XD
July 28, 2009 at 11:15 pmfragbet
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Hehe good stuff.
“I have a wallet! No one with a wallet should ever be interrupted!”
I’d watch the entire GiTS dubed by Conan if it were possible.
July 28, 2009 at 11:30 pmAD
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“FISH THAT ARE HUNGRY. FISH THAT HAVEN’T BEEN FED…DAYS…in days they said…”
This and everything after that was pure gold. xD
July 28, 2009 at 11:33 pmGod~Knows~
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His “lets go disturb the guys next door” attitude is just annoying.He could have at least taken things more seriously.
July 28, 2009 at 11:53 pmTerra
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I been watching Conan on late nite for a long time already… this guy is so lovable and a genius, great at what ever he does too, for a Harvard alum …. the video was funny as hell…
July 28, 2009 at 11:53 pmsealouse
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Think comedy show
July 28, 2009 at 11:57 pmSesshu
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I hope those dubs are in the DVD release. HAHAHAHa
July 29, 2009 at 12:08 amShadowFox
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Cool. They have the same headphones I have.
July 29, 2009 at 12:29 amJessica
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THAT’S A GIRL.
I WOULD JUMP THAT.
July 29, 2009 at 1:00 amKaitune
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@kadian1364
It is the same with me too. LOL. (GiTS is one of the titles that is really hard to explain to others if they are clueless about it.) I wonder whether they pick that title intentionally (even though, it isn’t one of the ‘weirder’ animes out there, which I am thankful for… )
It would be funny if they pick a hentai title, but that definitely can’t go on the program.
July 29, 2009 at 2:36 amExia
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LOLED so hard at the MANNGGGAAAAA part.
July 29, 2009 at 3:02 amFullMetalQAF
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its kind of awkward to hear people laughing about all of their shenanigans, especially when I understood every reference made in this video, and each and every anime they talked about, and each poster and trinket they showed, I knew them all.
i don’t really consider myself an anime EXPERT, but things like this kind of open your eyes to how truly cluless most people are about anime. -_-
July 29, 2009 at 3:06 amAkiyama
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“The fish! Woah. Boobies!’
July 29, 2009 at 3:17 amZen
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This video gave me great laughs… while also feeling like a Trekkie being asked if I had a light saber. Bittersweet feeling, yeah…
Thank you, Conan, for giving one of the funniest dubs ever. While also alienating us by showing the short skirts and bobbing boobs.
July 29, 2009 at 3:56 amDarknessheal
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LMFAO
July 29, 2009 at 4:25 amScamp
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Oh that poor soul. Having to explain the plot to Ghost in the Shell
July 29, 2009 at 4:40 amschwegburt
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That was really funny. Conan and his buddy, definitely had a “mess around with the folks” attitude, but instead of laughing at them they were willing to make them a part of the humor and Conan put himself out on a limb too.
For those that are offended by Conan’s sketch, anime’s like anything people are really into. Looking from the outside in, especially anime’s really, really hard to get a grasp of, unless you grow up in the culture or just get used to it. Let’s face it, step away and think about the facts, anime DOES has some of the most bizarre shit out there. There’s a reason anime has so many stereotypes . . . cause it’s usually true. I still love anime but I’m not afraid to admit it has a bunch of unique aspects that open itself up to being poked fun at.
July 29, 2009 at 6:05 amoutcast
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they can’t show manboobies rofl.
July 29, 2009 at 7:15 amhellknight
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Dubbed anime super SUXXXXX
July 29, 2009 at 7:32 amsupermario
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Eh, Ghost in the Shell’s plot is actually quite simple, really. That fatass probably didn’t watch the film, didn’t pay attention, or has a severe case of ADD. Either way, those glaring mistakes he made in his explanation almost made my head explode in pure rage. (The Major’s not an android, she’s a full cyborg!)
July 29, 2009 at 7:37 amRex
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hahaha that was awesome! and he did a surprisingly good job. I dontreally know much about what conan o’brian did before his show, but he looks like he knows how to voice-act.
July 29, 2009 at 7:44 amJ-970
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Funny, but I died a little inside at the same time. It kinda showed some problems in the industry too, I mean you should at least be able to give a better description of what you’re working on, even if it is GITS. Oh, and GODDAMN PRONOUNCE THINGS RIGHT!
July 29, 2009 at 7:57 amBROOKLYN otaku
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never can make enough money!! HAHAHAHAAH!
July 29, 2009 at 8:00 amShiroiRyu
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YEY !
Poster of Vandread. :)
And i loved !
July 29, 2009 at 8:54 amSilentmanX3
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Conan O’Brien should do voice acting for anime and stuff
July 29, 2009 at 9:49 ammegalith
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AHAHAHAAH!!!!!! I miss Conan O’Brien
July 29, 2009 at 10:10 ammegalith
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Does anyone know where I can watch the full video? We lost the channel that shows Conan O’Brien here a long time ago. :(
July 29, 2009 at 10:13 amTuuli
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They really should have tried some Gurren Lagann. xD I have no idea how helarious they would have had then…
July 29, 2009 at 11:17 amAnt
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“THE FISH! SHOOT THE FISH!”
July 29, 2009 at 11:55 amleoh
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MAAAAAANGAAAAAAA!!! rofl Conan at his best. But really, those weeaboos saying all dubs suck even though there’s occasionally good ones make me RAEG. On another note, he really should dub comedic anime! :D
July 29, 2009 at 12:41 pmredlupine
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wow… could that have been a more confusing description of Ghost in the Shell?
July 29, 2009 at 1:46 pmyea
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I am surprised that all these people are actually enjoying such mockery of basically being called a freak. You would think this pri ck could at least show off one good segment of anime within his show instead of doing nothing but turn it into a bigger stereotypical nerd/freak hobby.
I AM SORRY I DONT ROT MY BRAIN OUT WATCHING MINDLESS GARBAGE LIKE THE CONAN O BRIEN SHOW AND TRY TO ENHANCE MYSELF AS A HUMAN BEING BY WATCHING SHOWS WITH GOOD PLOTS, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, AND EMOTIONS.
July 29, 2009 at 1:48 pmKazuhide Aeiji
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I don’t understand why anyone is taking this seriously. I thought it was the funniest thing in the world XD
July 29, 2009 at 1:56 pmAeneid
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Lol, so much rage.
Even if I have been watching anime for a long time, I found it so funny. I lol’d so hard at his antics. XD
Conan is good at voice acting. :D loved it!
July 29, 2009 at 2:51 pmNamu-chan
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I don’t get the big deal either. Anyone who knows Conan knows his sense of humor. Of course he’d go make fun of it, but that doesn’t mean he’s dissing it or anything. The guy makes fun of himself more than anything else.
Besides, even if I don’t like it, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that based on what anime makes the news, people think we’re either perverted freaks or immature. I doubt Conan taking this seriously would’ve done anything to change that.
July 29, 2009 at 3:34 pmRickyMack
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@ Rex
well after graduating harvard he went on to be a writer for snl and in the early 90s the simpsons, if you remember the monorail episodes he actually wrote that one! he’s always been a funny guy but prior to the late show he had ZERO time in front of a camera which is why he sucked the first few seasons. which is why i have very little sympathy for fallon’s current suckage seeing as how that guy was in front of the camera and already has had time to develop a comfort level which after all these years is still missing.
very glad he moved to the west coast now i have a chance to go to studio tapings!
July 29, 2009 at 3:43 pmRickyMack
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@ yea
you seriously think ALL anime/manga is gold?! do you actually consider character designs with overinflated breasts something that enhances humanistic inquiry? you reminded me of another interview conan did with his executive producer (sorry for those outside the US couldn’t find a mirror) http://www.hulu.com/watch/58368/late-night-with-conan-obrien-conans-dinner-with-jordan
stop acting like a pretentious prick and understand it’s okay to laugh at yourself sometimes
July 29, 2009 at 5:01 pmyea
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@rickymack
do you seriously think all tv shows are gold?! do you actually consider shows like american idol enchaning humanistic inquiry? I don’t say hey look at this american film(insert your most hated movie) what a bunch of freaks and losers they watch movies so that must mean they like blah(insert your most hated movie).
The difference between doing something like making fun of american idol is that everyone knows what it is and what it is based on and they can easily form their opinion on the show because they know what it is. The genre of anime is not one that is known to the majority of the american community therefore this really is just flat out making fun of the entire community of fans.
Honestly, he couldn’t say one good thing about it? I don’t mind laughing at myself, but I also don’t care for people who don’t understand what they are talking about to make fun of it. Do you think anybody watching that segment said to themselves “oh man that looks pretty cool I might try and watch it”?
July 29, 2009 at 6:16 pmAzure
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rofl @ everyone who is taking this video personally. you don’t have anything to prove. just sit back and enjoy it – it was funny. don’t try to justify a deep quality in figurines with bobbly boobs. chill the heck out.
July 29, 2009 at 6:41 pmMelchior
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@yea
Maybe you should listen to the Berserk Dub Outtakes, or the commentary on the End of Eva dvd. Dub actors screw around just as much as Conan and Andy did, *especially* on the serious series. For the End of Eva one, you should hear how much Spike Spencer and Amanda Winn made fun of Shinji and Rei. The people actually in the industry mess around like this just as much as these two did. Doing VA work can get pretty demanding, so they like to mess around a little to keep their spirits up. This was nothing new to the dub company staff.
If you don’t think Japanese VAs don’t do this too, you’re deluded.
They’re just having fun here, and people who take it too seriously and can’t laugh at their own hobbies or interests need to learn to not to take life so seriously, they’ll live longer.
July 29, 2009 at 7:16 pmZanibas
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It just makes me laugh and cringe at how they pronounced Gurren Lagann, it’s like they’re putting a French accent to it!
But anyways, I demand that Conan dub for Sunohara!
July 29, 2009 at 7:23 pmsquirrel
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@megalith
nbc has all the full eps online, http://www.tonightshowwithconanobrien.com/
and this is a comedy show, Conan makes fun of everything on the show, including his friends and support cast…if you’re expecting it to be an interesting and serious expose into the world of anime (when the majority of his general audience probably never even heard of the word) you’re probably looking in the wrong place
July 29, 2009 at 7:57 pmSavofenno
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I don`t usually write dirty language, but: that was shit, as dubbing anime to english usually is.
July 29, 2009 at 8:03 pmdra.
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I don’t see why a few people are so sensitive. You don’t always have to defend the things you enjoy. Enjoy them for your own reasons and leave it at that. Conan does hilarious stuff from time to time and this segment in particular was very funny. I enjoy anime and manga and am aware of the stigma around such things with the uninitiated. Not everyone has to like what I like.
July 29, 2009 at 8:32 pmyea
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and the endless cycle of hate goes on
July 29, 2009 at 8:48 pmuh-huh
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@Savofenno
To each his own. It obviously didn’t appeal with you. Though I agree that sometimes, dubbers completely miss the point…
July 29, 2009 at 9:17 pmRyunatta
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Usually I hate english dubs with all my life but omfg i laughed soo hard i had a headache. anime will never be the same again…
July 29, 2009 at 9:28 pmRickyMack
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@yea
it was you, not me, that was inferring that the only worthy forms of entertainment must be of the utmost cultural significance or do you not remember hitting the billy mays button and typing “I AM SORRY I DONT ROT MY BRAIN OUT WATCHING MINDLESS GARBAGE LIKE THE CONAN O BRIEN SHOW AND TRY TO ENHANCE MYSELF AS A HUMAN BEING BY WATCHING SHOWS WITH GOOD PLOTS, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, AND EMOTIONS.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugk37TvIR8E – triumph the insult comic dog and star wars nerds;
maybe if conan and andy were doing something like this you might have a point about trying to ridicule a specific group. i’m not saying you need to find the skit funny; what i am saying is that you’re reading FAR too much into it. i agree that there can be negative implications from the portrayal, but to suggest that he had malicious intent? he openly mocked himself for a few weeks because he bore a resemblance to Finland’s *female* President, even making a trip to the country because of his impact on the actual elections. i highly doubt he’s trying to paint anime fans as lesser people when he frequently insults and refers to himself as a little girl.
July 29, 2009 at 10:42 pmTyphonsentra
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Those of you complaining about the “Mocking” need to get a clue. Being considered geeky in the same vein as Star Trek is actually a step forward for this business, not a step back. He did these guys a huge favor with this segment.
July 29, 2009 at 10:55 pmSissy
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Guys, calm down! You can’t tell me you’ve NEVER made fun of yourself or your own hobbies? I’m with Kazuhide, Azure, dra and uh-huh. Try and relax. You can’t change peoples opinions by getting angry with them. Just sit back and enjoy the show. I enjoy watching debates, but this is getting a little out of hand. We all know that everyone can make a good comment about this, but just take things for what they are and learn to accept things. (waves Italy’s surrender flag)
July 29, 2009 at 10:57 pmSissy
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That was an APH reference at the end, btw. Which shows how little I care about personal insults that may come, since the series is on world crack.
July 30, 2009 at 12:21 amAnony
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LMAO MAAANGGAAAAAAA!!! It’s all about that sound effect before the logo came up. xD
July 30, 2009 at 1:49 ammegalith
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WOW… Suddenly this turned to a place full of hate. Why the rage people? Lighten up….
@squirrel
Thanks for the heads up but I tried that already. Not available in my area. :(
July 30, 2009 at 3:55 amTyrenol
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Dubbed anime wasn’t so bad BEFORE Conan O’Brien did it.
The fact that there’s second thoughts over an O’Brien+Lagann pairing proves that the Red Sea is only good for being split in half.
July 30, 2009 at 8:39 amTan-Tan
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Perfect! Let’s have them make an abridged series XD
July 30, 2009 at 10:18 pmChimasternmay
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it was funny, but so what.
as long as i can will always watch original.
July 31, 2009 at 12:14 amspike
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Everyone angry at Conan is missing the point, as a couple other people mentioned the main culprit here is the incompetent Manga entertainment rep. He obviously doesn’t know enough about what he’s working on to properly articulate GITS to other people. You don’t go around trying to explain a play-by-play of the plot to describe a movie, you summarize the main themes and how the main characters fit into that. I’d love to see that guy explain the Matrix:
“well you have this computer hacker and he sees random messages on his computer, then he meets this woman who tells him she can take him to see this guy called Morpheus, but all this happens while the computer hacker is in a computer program the machines running human society control…”
July 31, 2009 at 12:02 pmAwesome.
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The best part when they improvised. :D
July 31, 2009 at 11:09 pmKei
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Why so serious?
July 31, 2009 at 11:30 pmCharlo
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YES. YES. I LOVE CONAN. Oh, Conan…you will never fail making me laugh every weekday night.
That improvisation bit was golden. Just…amazing.
And anime IS weird to begin with (I laughed when they pointed out the skirt, ahaha~) don’t think that outside people will immediately get into the stuff (maybe the cutsie innocent stuff).
August 1, 2009 at 9:30 amDK
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IMHO, it’s not Conan O’brien who gives anime a bad name, but it’s YOU GUYS who take offense at anyone or anything out of the loop that tries to talk about what anime is. Think about it: you get angry at non-anime-watching people who talk about your favorite anime just because they don’t have the level of “knowledge” you do, even when they don’t actually slander said anime. You jump at the slightest bit of misinformation any media outlet gives about certain aspects of the anime culture, even minor typographical ones. Worst of all, you chew yourselves out when some fanatic idiot does something incredibly stupid (and anime-related) and the mass-media catches on and broadcasts it for everyone to see (to the embarrassment of the anime community at large).
August 1, 2009 at 2:25 pmyea
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you’re an idiot
August 1, 2009 at 4:31 pmDK
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No, seriously, it’s self-hating pricks like you who don’t wanna spread a single good word about anime and that it’s a valid form of entertainment anyone can enjoy. That’s why the rest of the world labels you as insecure, autistic perverts.
I’m gonna laugh so hard when Conan decides to make fun of your types in another segment… Oh, wait, he already did!
“PIERRE BERNARD’S… RECLINER OF RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE~!!!”
August 1, 2009 at 6:31 pmyea
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The spreading of a word from a nobody such as me or you is irrelevant. The power comes from those who are seen everyday via the media or anything else. The majority of people follow in the footsteps of those who have power. This is pretty much the reason why the world is doing nothing but going down hill. The cycle of hatred never ends.
August 2, 2009 at 10:48 pmLLmarquee
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lol silly neckbeards and their hatred of dubs.
August 6, 2009 at 1:37 amk2000k
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Robot with boobs came to life…you want me to go smaller?! Conan you made my day.