Haku is no girl.

[tyr.livejournal.com]

Hello, everyone (and happy birthday to Naruto-kun)! It has come to my attention recently that everyone's favourite Mist nin Haku might was considered to be changed to a FEMALE character in the English Naruto dub. Why? Because North American TV companies fear exposing the little kiddies to anything remotely... "genderly unorthodox."
I believe a Movement is in order. *shuffles papers officously*

EDIT: I already know various sources assure us that Haku will be kept male, and this banner is to show approval of not sticking to common English anime ideals, not to complain about Viz Media turning Haku into a girl (which probably isn't happening). Thanks. :)



Screw North American anime ideals. Show your support for Haku's androgynous maleness.

<center><img src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b126/this_tyranny2/hakuisnogirl.jpg"><br><small><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/this_tyranny/18308.html">Screw North American anime ideals. Show your support for Haku's androgynous maleness.</a></small></center>

Comments

[deathpicnic.livejournal.com]

If you click on characters onYTV's Naruto page (http://www.ytv.com/programming/shows/naruto/index.asp?showID=342), they called Haku a he multiple times. Guy he stays! And I think this would go for America as well, I'm just too lazy to find CN's Naruto section.

[tyr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I actually know about the YTV characters page. :) But I the fact that rumours spread about this and the fact that North American anime continually gives gender switches to androgynous characters (i.e. Zoicite in Sailormoon) makes me want to DO something. I guess I'm trying to butt heads with the N.A. anime ideals. ^^;

[billypilgrim.livejournal.com]

Gender changes seem to be the work of 4Kids and older, or smaller companies. Plus, those were usually aimed for the 7-9 demographic (while Naruto is tween/teen.) I don't think Viz has ever done a gender change, anyway,

[tyr.livejournal.com]

That's good, but the way they're marketing Naruto in North America right now gives it great resemblance to an almost Pokemonesque show aimed towards 8-year-olds. Which worries me considerably.

[shinobi-genius.livejournal.com]

...

I give you my support!

[omnikaze.livejournal.com]

I give my support and will use that banner!

[billypilgrim.livejournal.com]

How so? Naruto has had the PG-TV rating, which is the highest before you get to TV-14, which doesn't really air on CN until Adult Swim. All other Toonami shows are G. Sure, there's some blood edits, and there's always weird rules on TV about using the present tense to kill, and dead, but still.

And from the merchandise? The only company right now to produce merchandise (clothes, etc), as far as I know, is Hot Topic. Hot Topic is probably even older then the tween/teen age. They have some violent stuff in there for eight year olds. So if they were marketing towards them, would they really offend their parental buyers by making them enter a potentially offensive store?

[turnip-girl.livejournal.com]

*takes hands off Haku's private parts*

[tyr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's true that the show's rating is suitably high (but of course that isn't going to stop lots of younger kids from watching it. :P) And I'm not really referring to apparel and merchandise either. From everything exterior - the trailers, websites, opening/ending songs - the show isn't given the level of... professionalism and maturity it deserves. I'm assuming you've seen Viz Media's Naruto site (http://naruto.viz.com/site_1024.html)? It's a well-made site, but simplistic nature of the site text/narration and online games that let you "train to be a Ninja just like Naruto (Maybe you'll be the next great Hokage!)" don't seem to me to be specifically directed towards teens and tweeners. *chuckles*

Well, in any case, that's just me. :)

[splintered-soul.livejournal.com]

asdhaikjlda

It was confirmed months ago that Haku was going to stay a male.

[heron-advocate.livejournal.com]

Did they make Jakotsu from Inuyasha a girl? I don't normally watch the dub, but I was watching it the other day...I think they may have made him a girl. I was somewhat peeved. x.x I don't want it to happen to Haku. :(

[ex-duelist.livejournal.com]

We have been told multiple times that Haku will STAY MALE.

Please stop spreading this rumor.

[i-own-boysluts.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was watching IY the other day! I don't really watch the show but I have a really good idea who you're talking about--his voice was really girly, but they referred to him as a 'he' :O

[rasenth.livejournal.com]

STOP THE PARANOIA! D:

[kylara.livejournal.com]

"Screw North American anime ideals. Show your support for Haku's androgynous maleness."

Uh, what? Haku's still a guy. And he still looks like a chick. As you state you already know. Was Haku ever really even put up for consideration to be changed into a girl? I think that was just a fandom fear and nothing the dubbing companies ever really said they considered.

So why the attack on an institution that clearly isn't doing what you're attacking it for doing? What movement is needed for this besides showing our support for keeping with canon? The above quoted statement isn't support -- it's an attack. The words in the image aren't supportive, either -- they're also an attack.

I find your post is very contradictory. =/

[andrew-jp.livejournal.com]

As far I know, there hasn't been a gender-change in a major English-language dub since Sailor Moon SuperS, and even way back then that dub was considered inferior and unnecessarily edited.

You're kind of behind the times, here. It's like complaining about Funimation sucking.

[aldriena.livejournal.com]

They didn't make him a girl, but they don't make it obvious that he's a guy. He has a very womanly voice. x_X I hadn't seen that part in the subs, so after about a billion episodes of him being in it and they finally referred to him as "he", it was very "wait... wtf? O_o;"

[heron-advocate.livejournal.com]

Well, I remember even in the sub it took me a while to catch on. Heh. At first I didn't know if he was a guy or a girl, but I think (it's been a while) that they made it pretty clear in the first episode he was in. I just randomly happened to catch an episode of the dub the other day, and I was like, "Did they make Jakotsu a girl?"

Thanks for replying. ^_^

[origami-paper.livejournal.com]

Haku would be a female just like Naruto and Sasuke are Nathan and Sean. :)

[narutomonkey.livejournal.com]

ACTUALLY, in both versions of Inuyasha, both VA's are girls, Jakotsu has a very boy-humping-love personality in him, that's why he loves inuyasha and even said Miroku was sexy!

Back on topic, yes, Haku is going to stay a boy. I'm so glad he will be because it would be kinda odd for Haku to be a girl...I mean, when I first read the manga and saw Manga Haku, I thought that was girl until I kept seeing the he's and such.

[vixankit.livejournal.com]

*supports Haku's maleness*