No Pizza Hut!? WHY?!

[kihayo.livejournal.com]

I thought I would share with the community the answer I received from Bandai. Since some people were wondering as well.

QUESTION:
I've been a really big fan of code geass since it aired in Japan. I just
recently watched the dub on the adult swim website, and no I haven't
e-mailed you to complain about it. I noticed that all the pizza hut ads
were censored out. Will it be like that on the dvds as well or will it
have the original imagery?

Thank you for taking you time in reading this, hope you hear from you
soon.

ANSWER:
Dear Kim,
Unfortunately, the Japanese rights holders did not clear the Pizza Hut logo for outside Japan, however we did try to get permission and Pizza Hut declined to give us permission.
So, unfortunately, we were unable to provide the Pizza Hut logo for broadcast and DVD releases.
Regards,
support@bandai-ent.com

Comments

[koizumi.livejournal.com]

Hrm, I wonder why they declined it. :(

[bodyline.livejournal.com]

Pizza Hut denied having their company advertised in a popular TV show? ...alright then.

[kihayo.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's a bit foolish on their part.

[ex-defaced.livejournal.com]

Neh, Less advertisement for Pizza Hut~

[faye-naruse.livejournal.com]

Meanies at Pizza Hut >///<

Don't they see that we're amused? ;___;

[piccu.livejournal.com]

LOL very counterproductive for Pizza Hut :D

Btw, I'm amazed that Bandai has answered soo many quetions O__O

[gatekeepers-21.livejournal.com]

They probably declined because they probably didn't want to be affiliated with a terrorist kind of show? I dono if they even looked into the anime...

Anyways... I remember seeing a Cheese-kun keychain in the 1st episode where the person was snapping a photo of when Kallen and the other OotBK crash. Cheese-kun is copyrighted by KFC (who owns Pizza Hut, I believe) so I'm wondering why he's still in there, but I'm glad he is!

[csakura.livejournal.com]

yeah thank god. if they censored cheese-kun out...awkward. i mean what would they replace him with? generic plush animal? that would be tragic. though i don't watch the dub so it wouldn't affect me personally lol

[corsette.livejournal.com]

...Turning down free advertisement? Really, Pizza Hut? Really?

[kira-.livejournal.com]

Re: KFC/Pizza Hut

Yeah, you got it right. KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W, and Taco Bell are all under the same company, hence the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell and KFC/A&W combo restaurants. Pepsi used to be involved somewhere in there, but not anymore iirc.

[kamuro-ishigami.livejournal.com]

Oh my.. Pizza Hut Japan doesn't want their Western branches to benefit? INTRACOMPANY RIVALRY LOLz

[chiapetzukamori.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's that. It's most likely along the lines of Pizza Hut not wanting to be represented that way in a country other than Japan - because of cultural differences and such. Anime is much more mainstream in Japan - particularly the war/mecha type that CG is. So seeing the Pizza Hut logo is like any other ad....but in the US (especially if it's aired on tv) they might be afraid of people thinking that Pizza Hut endorses violent cartoons and such. They're afraid of the retarded people that live in this country basically...
A more extreme example is how Bandai didn't want the final season of Sailor Moon to be liscensed in the US because they didn't want the reputation of their company stained in the US by having nude scenes in such a popular series. It's not that they didn't condone the series (obviously they did or they wouldn't have done it) but they didn't think the general western audience would see it the same way.

[kaurin.livejournal.com]

I never expected anything different. I knew it would be a problem the first time I watched the series and saw Pizza Hut in it. It's a show about terrorism. American Pizza Hut wouldn't put their name on a show about terrorism. :3

[lastofthesane.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Point well stated.

[pinao88.livejournal.com]

Hold the phone, for broadcast AND DVD releases? I know a lot of stuff needs to be edited for TV; that's perfectly alright with me, but I'm expected to shell out a good $30 for a DVD with 2 episodes that's edited? No. Not on my DVDs. On Adult Swim, they can replace Suzaku with Konata and call it Lucky Geass for all I care, but never on my DVDs. DVDs are sacred, man. Sacred.

[tyg.livejournal.com]

They can't cut it! It's an essential part of the plot! DX

[rkylo.livejournal.com]

=__= I totally hate this...
SUCKS
It's like an epic FAIL

[gab-rey.livejournal.com]

Even the DVD's are going to be edited. That really sucks.
I'm not happy.

[chibifairy.livejournal.com]

Seriously? That sucks! The Pizza Hut ads actually work. I never ate at Pizza Hut until I started watching Code Geass. XD

[madhatterpan.livejournal.com]

That's what we call damn successful advertising!

I was getting all hopeful for Code Geass Pizza Hut boxes here.

[cr-balmung.livejournal.com]

They're idiots! We use our own money on those DVDs... We should get that extra benefit from them. Anyways, if I see Cheese-kun gone, then I'm no longer watching the dubs.

I really wanted to see Lelouch on a Pizza Hut box when I bought my pizza...

eep.

[wolfkat4.livejournal.com]

If thier willing to edit that out of all the dvd's...
it kinda makes me fear what else they may deem worthy to "edit-out" due to one thing or another.

On-air's one thing. they ALWAYS edit out the good stuff, but DVD's should contain the originals. hense the need for subtitles and original jap language option. T-T so not cool Bandai/Pizza Hut.

*sigh* america america... always changing what isn't yours. --*

Re: eep.

[ryans-cupcake.livejournal.com]

was that icon made for this post or did you have it before this, because that is awesome.

[ayansai.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's smart.

Hey free advertising! Let's deny it! Durr.

[ryans-cupcake.livejournal.com]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[wing-goddessxxx.livejournal.com]

They can edit the crap out of CG when it airs on TV, but i expect to get the unedited version in the DVD. This seriously disappoints me! But... what can be done? I want English subtitles AND unedited code geass on DVD... ARGH.

[kittendreamz.livejournal.com]

You know what? Screw that. I'm keeping my downloads. I want unedited as well. If I have to keep the version I downloaded online, then so be it.

Gawd. What a stupid move on Pizza Hutt USA's part. America seriously sucks sometimes. Gotta edit everything.

[saverellawish.livejournal.com]

Ok, well this answers my question if I'll be buying Bandei's DVDs or not. Guess I'll be forking over an arm and a leg for shipping the japanese DVds.

[thrumugnyr.livejournal.com]

Strange. I always thought that companies...coorporate you know o.o''

But on the other hand...it's only Pizza Hut adds. What do I care, there is no Pizza Hut in Switzerland anyway :D

[jaydesummers.livejournal.com]

I don't see why they wouldn't photoshop a new logo into the episode if it can be done for the worldwide release of the series. :S It's just really retarded that Pizza Hut/KFC/A&W/Taco Bell are declining use of the logo when it would be a shitload of profit gain for their conglomorate.

Silly companies and their politics. -_-

[saitaina]

Considering the amount of ads, they might just create a product for the show to slip into all the ad spots (perhaps a Code Geass only pizza chain, like Detective Conan/Case Closed's "Mantendo")

[gakupoid.livejournal.com]

No me gusta. I'd seriously be surprised if they even watched the entire series all the way through to find every reference with their logo. Unless Bandai got stupid and showed every one of them to the company. Oh, Bandai... sneak a few back in will ya? ;_;

YUM! FOODS NOOOOOES D:

[saitaina]

They can be sued for a LOT of money if they aired even one of the ads (though, considering how many ads there are, one or two might be mised...I never realized how many there were until I started the Code Geass Text Files).

[xhokahokax.livejournal.com]

<_< Pizza Hut what??? ok...I think Pizza Hut don't have any sense of popularity...<_< I think I will start eat in other place...LOL*joking* But I REALLY want to know why...