Thanks for the post blueshiftfour at least someone attacking the show isn't doing so as a troll :)
Everyone of course is welcome to their own opinion, but you will find the people returning fire are aiming at those who simply troll for a reaction and not those who have legit concerns about the show. Since you seem to be up to speed on the imdb you must admit in any given forum there are a lot of people who simply don't get what the movie/show is about and resort to either "worse ever" or "your (sic) an idiot for watching it". I quite often wonder if these individuals have actually seen the movie/show they are referring too.
Bro'Town is a phenomenon in New Zealand. It constantly rates highly and is into it's third season over there. I would assume TV3, the channel funding the show, are seeing a good return via advertising. I made the exact same point you have in your final paragraph, the show is limited due to it's kiwi-centric nature, in my episode guide.
For the benefit of the thread starter, Bro'Town hasn't made any impact in the U.S or Europe, and most people l speak to from those regions of the world have never heard of it. Surprisingly a few Brits are aware of it and have caught up with the show, but here l am going to assume they caught it on visits downunder, and are in the minority.
In short the show has won audiences in New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and with the ex Pat Kiwis over here in Oz. A wider audience may be a bit difficult for the show to achieve due to it's content and nature. Equally hampering the show's appeal is the limited number of episodes each season. The U.S audience for example, are used to 22-24 episodes per season and expect that. It would be risky for even an indie network to go with a limited number of shows imho.
In terms of Bro'Town being the South Pacific's "South Park", guess that's the nearest comparison people can make. Both are totally un-PC, and yes both have tiolet humour etc covering their actual targets. "South Park" is of course in a different animation style.
blueshiftfour l am going to assume you aren't a kiwi mate, apologises if this is not the case. If you have spent any time in South Auckland the accents, and voicing is very true to the local population.
I would agree some of the timing can be slightly off, and there are a few weak points in season 1. Once again this maybe a kiwi-centric thing, as my kiwi mates are generally a lot more relaxed than my aussie mates.
If anyone can remember back to season 1 of "The Simpsons" this franchise also had huge problems with the first season, but found it's feet pretty quickly in season 2.
At the end of the day l am happy to have seen season 1, will definitely dial into season 2, but would expect the show to lift it's game by the end of the second second.
As to character development ... say what !!! Point out to me the character development in any of "The Simpsons", "Futurama", or indeed "South Park".
Bro'Town at best is going to appeal to New Zealanders and anyone who has spent some time in New Zealand. It's less appealing to other cultures, and if wanting a global market then it will need to refocus somewhat.
At least someone is prepared to make something which is not American. Full marks to the Naked Samoans for doing this.
www.mangogals.com - film review, discussion, and articles.
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blueshiftfour
18 years ago
I acknowledge your views and presented facts about the show.
"If you have spent any time in South Auckland the accents, and voicing is very true to the local population. "
I agree that the voices sound just like the accents with the phonetics being appropriate. The message I conveyed in my previous post was that sometimes the acting, the 'emotion' of the voice just doesn't match the expressions and feelings which are emoted in the animation. I remember for example, that when Valea's dad or when one of the kid's mother gets angry and cries, the voicing just sounds like incessant wailing.
On occasion, bro town does have some very amusing scenes of humour but usually they fail to achieve their full potential due to the inadequate voice-acting on their part.
I can't emphasize enough just how much the voice-acting (with the exception of the main 5 child protaganists of the show) really lacks depth - many times one must rely solely on the animation to understand what emotion/feeling a character is experiencing or trying to express because the voicing doesn't match the feel of it. Valea's father for example, is usually loud-mouthed and often only the slightest variation of emotion is detected in between different feelings such as anger, sorrow and happyness - there's just not enough difference in the voicing to accurately convey each individual feeling the character experiences.
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jeff-1250
18 years ago
Thanks for the clarification blueshiftfour.
Am going to have to concede the point there, you are correct. Wasn't something l picked up on as l was more interested in the first season and how it established itself with a view toward future seasons.
The secondary characters, and l'm assuming a number return in season 2 and 3, are undeveloped by and largely. But equally if you review season 1 of the Simpsons the same could be said there.
More emphasis on detail would help this show imho, as most long running cartoon franchises have well developed secondary characters by the third season.
The feedback l'm getting from a number of non kiwis, (Brits, Americans), who have watched the first season is that they are somewhat amused by it, but don't get a lot of the references. As we both, l think, agree this show is limited by it's kiwi-centric nature. Not entirely sure if the Naked Samoan team can change focus to gain a wider international audience or not as this would lose a lot of what makes Bro'Town what it is.
Generally our approach is to be far less critical of a franchise's first season, than subsequent seasons. A lot of shows do take sometime to find their own voice. Overall l found the first season amusing, and in some cases downright side splitting. At the end of the day l am glad l was sent the DVD to review, and think Bro'Town is a lot better than some people think, but not as good as the hype coming out over the ditch.
To write this one off as simply racist with tiolet humour shows people are missing the underlying messages involved. Bro'Town is very much a social satire, and in parts is very very clever. Would love to interview the writer and see if what l am taking from the first season is what he intended.
www.mangogals.com - film review, discussion, and articles.
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