Anime Icons/Episode 3 transcript

Prologue
Narrator: "It all started with the name."

Alfred R. Kahn: "We wrote down a list of names, And 4Kids was the third on the list - which was taken from our production subsidiary. And I said, well... it's OK." (chuckles)

Narrator: "That developed into a legacy."

Jason Griffith: "Well, when you think about the modern kids' TV and anime industries combined, 4Kids is the term. 4Kids was one of the first and one of the boldest... one of the most prominent children's television companies that ever gave anime a try."

Narrator: "At times, they were unstoppable."

Michael Haigney: "And there's a billboard with Pikachu at a Burger King near me... 'Oh my god, it's everywhere! Ugh, what have I done?'"

Narrator: "At times, filled with turmoil."

Mike Toole: "Acquiring the rights to One Piece was not a good idea. The blood spilled in the show was PG-13 level, too much for the 6-11 year old crowd the company was aiming for..."

Narrator: "And there was lots of self-awareness."

Jason Griffith: "Ultraman Tiga was interesting. Although the result was confusing, we wanted to pay homage to the campy dubbing that Peter Fernandez - the producer of Speed Racer - perfected with his English localization of the original Ultraman from the '60s."

Narrator: "This is the unbelievable true story of the rise and fall of the company that helped bring anime to the mainstream. It's the story of 4Kids Entertainment."

Part I
Narrator: "In the late 1980s and much of the 1990s, a small industry begins to evolve. Companies like ADV Films and Streamline Pictures start releasing Japanese animation, or "anime", uncut and faithful to its original Japanese version."

Eric Stuart, Voice Actor: "It was an emerging industry. And around that time, anime was only seen in video stores such as Blockbuster. Much of these titles.. network refused to air them because of their subject matter."

Narrator: "Streamline is among the first companies to get in the business, and makes waves with its release of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira in 1988.