Analyze how the adaptation of anime by American developers has maybe changed the meaning or message of the original content. Such as how does the English translations of anime series change what the character may have meant. You could also look at how do the adaptations of anime into American film change the content, or if they do at all.
Great topic. I think you could also add how an American audience might view content found in the original source material. For example, Evangelion features Christian imagery and so Americans may find this content offensive or enjoy Evangelion more because it incorporates something from American culture. – Jiraiyan8 years ago
Chronicle and explain how the Pokemon franchise exploded from its birth until the present day, including any speedbumps and mistakes along the way.
Some things to consider: innovative gameplay, use of new technology to reward interactivity, cross-media integration. – Austin9 years ago
This article could also have an opinionated end drive: "so... when should pokemon STOP?" As a child who grew up on pokemon and still loves the games as an adult, I find the tv show just silly. There are only so many adventures to be had, until they just redo them with new characters and different pokemon. And the pokemon they are coming up with now are getting watered down... the trash pokemon, the diaper pokemon, the fetus pokemon... When will it all become too much? Are they milking the franchise? – Slaidey9 years ago
Pokemon has a very special place in our hearts, and analyzing the reasons in a well written article would be an interesting read. Besides that, I wholly agree with Slaidey's comment and have nothing more to add. Just read that comment twice for me. SO TRUE. "Are they milking the franchise" could be well explored, and this topic in all is a perfect topic. – Abhimanyu Shekhar9 years ago
I think it would also be cool to talk about how the players have evolved alongside the new technology/gameplay involved in the franchise e.g. how once upon a time, we're all having some light fun training a Pikachu by defeating anything and everything that comes along, and the next minute we're dedicating whole forums to EV Values and Shiny Egg Farming. – Isaac Bernamont9 years ago
Pokemon was the first anime/gaming property that was released after my birth. I've enjoyed both the anime series and video games since. The questions I think are important is what draws fans to the series? What keeps us playing? As they add more and more Pokemon will there be a point when it becomes too much? – Jiraiyan9 years ago
Man, I can't even imagine a world WITHOUT Pokemon. I was born the same year the first Pokemon game came out in Japan, so I have zero perspective on that. You might also want to compare it to other cultural phenomena if you can; the West sure has it's phases. – Helmet9 years ago
While I'm also an avid fan of Pokemon--I lived my childhood in Pokemon Ruby--this topic seems far too broad to be sanctioned into just one article. You could write an entire book entailing the rise of Pokemon from the late nineties to its status in the present-day world. And what do you mean by "speedbumps and mistakes"? Financial miscalculations? Creative errors? Repetitive repetitiveness? Anyone of these could be turned into an article of its own. Personally, I see this as a possible series of articles exploring the various trials and tribulations of the franchise as a whole. It seems that, much like the beloved series itself, you could milk this thing for quite some time, so I wouldn't go condensing pages worth of content into a single article. – JKKN9 years ago
I agree with JKKN that this topic is very broad. The idea of a series of pieces on the franchise is good, but I think you could possibly narrow your idea down to be a paper on the latest games vs. the earliest, and how the franchise has changed to fit into an evolving marketplace of gamers. – Kathleen Lassiter8 years ago
I spent a fortune on these cards for my older son and nicknamed it "Expensimon." Thankfully, the craze died out by the time my younger son was born. All other franchises are milking their "great" 20 even 30 year old ideas, so why shouldn't Pokémon cash in? Maybe all those cards I bought will be worth something one day. I live in hope : ) – Munjeera8 years ago
I also agree with JKKN, especially since the Pokémon franchise has so many aspects: the television series, the trading card game, the video games, etc. A series of articles would definitely cover this topic better, as there are too many nuances to address in a single article. – handerson8 years ago
In anime, which the two that come to mind being Code Geass and Death Note, the villain is not always clear. The main characters in those two shows come off as a villain. Sometimes the villain their motives are good, it is just they are seen as a villain due to what they are doing. So is the bad guy the one causing the problems believing it is the right choice and someone is trying to stop them? Or is the bad guy the one trying to stop the problem causer despite the fact the problem causer believes they are making the right choice?
Explore how war has been depicted in anime. Series like Gundam, Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece have all depicted wars. Explain how these series explore war. Are the wars realistic, do they take the wars seriously. How does animation take away from or add to the depiction of war? Can anime like One Piece accurately depict war, due to its humorous nature? Does the humor make the depiction of war easier to watch? Compare how more serious series like Attack on Titan tackle this topic. Are they more successful? Overall, focus on how the most popular anime portray war. What are common themes and reasons for war in these series?
It may be helpful to explore the concept of what a "successful" portrayal of war would even constitute. Morever, what kind of wars--international? civil? How do these series explore the socioeconomic and psychological causes or ramifications of war? (Magi would be a good series for the latter question, it's basically Economics 101 as of late!) – Tiffany9 years ago
A retrospective of anime that has been revived with new iterations (examples: Hunter x Hunter, the Young Black Jack, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) and if they were effective or necessary. Are there some that have failed trying to bring back an anime? What determines if an anime should be revived?
What determines any revival or reboot is it's former popularity, the recognizably of it's name and franchise, the engaging and timeless qualities of its characters and setting, perhaps whether or not the concept can be updated and altered (like with "Dirty Pair FLASH), or if it can survive looking and sounding as it always did, just with a slick new digital paint job (like the "Evangelion" Re-Build movies). "Lupin the 3rd" just got it's Part IV TV series, and it seems to be doing as well as it ever did. The Lupin franchise has lasted in countless iterations and interpretations since 1971. Same thing with "Cutey Honey." "Fooly Cooly" may even get a reboot from it's new owners, Mad House I think. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
Branching off of Jonathan's note, you need to review aspects such as sales statistics and manga content. Did the older anime have budget restrictions? Perhaps it didn't show everything possible from the manga (ex. JoJo's initial release was a summarized version of Stardust Crusaders if I remember correctly). I'm not sure about Hunter x Hunter since I never followed it, but Young Black Jack is a manga so it wasn't an anime solely made to branch off of Black Jack's success. Most anime are remade I think more to follow more closely to the original content and others are more to give the animation style a face-lift. One example you don't mention is the Berserk movies, you could look into those along with Evangelion. My only issue with the Rebuilds are that there is a popular fan theory of the movies being based after the events in the End of Evangelion and may need the fourth release to verify or deny this. – Connor9 years ago
A plus for revival is an opportunity for improvement. In HunterXHunter for example I felt the newest iteration handled pacing a lot better – MattyMayham8 years ago
Anime is mostly known for filler, but sometimes, even books or movies, TV shows or anything else, can have filler too. This article would examine such instances and how they were received.
Did no one catch the obvious problem with this topic before they approved it? How is Anime "mostly" known for filler? A prominent trait of Anime is filler. But Anime is "mostly known" for filler," it's mostly known for crazy hair, loud screaming, school girl sailor outfits, and magic. I get the intention of the description, I just find the opening line misleading and poorly phrased. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
With Anime, filler episodes are more or less obvious because there's likely source material (manga or light novel) that it's being based on. For, say, Western, live-action TV shows, what would be a "filler" then? I think it would be important to first define what a filler episode is! As for the second part, I'd imagine most audiences don't like fillers. But in the case of a show like Gintama that's both innovative and meta, fillers can actually be a highlight! – txl9 years ago
I think better wording for this would be that most Anime is notorious for having fillers, most of which is uninteresting and bleak, rather than it is known for fillers. Then again, as mentioned previously, some do fillers right. So open up the discussion to which Anime had good filler arcs and why that was, and what needs to be done in order to make fillers more interesting and engaging. – andreacr8 years ago
Sometimes, an Anime ends before it's supposed to, or it ends in a poor way, a way devoid of any meaning. Surely it's not just a decision on the part of the directors to discontinue it without giving a coherent ending. Anime like Pandora Hearts, Blood Lad, and Darker than Black gives that sort of vibe. Why does this happen, what options can a viewer explore if they want to satiate their hunger for more?
Some animes end because the viewer rating expectation is not fulfilled. Pandora Hearts is still ongoing as a manga, so technically it didn't end. It just wasn't funded in that medium. – Jill9 years ago
Yes, and that's sort of what I'm talking about. I know the manga is ongoing, but what caused viewer rating to go down? Why not give the first season an open-close ending and leave whether or not to continue on how things look later? – SpectreWriter9 years ago
This wouldn't have anything to do with how Gangsta ended? Because... that ended on a cliffhanger from what I heard. – DustinKop9 years ago
Often money or lack of money is the primary reason anime's end prematurely. Furthermore, the ratings for the anime could be too low to justify continuing. I think that the manga versions can sometimes be more successful than the anime, and vice versa. – Jiraiyan9 years ago
I agree with the previous comments. As with any series, even Western, live-action shows, anime end because of poor ratings. It's all about the bottom line! – txl9 years ago
Analyze the 2015 hit anime series, Death Parade, and discuss the meaning of the afterlife according to the series. What are the rules of the afterlife and the beings that reside within it? Talk about the concept of good and evil, what is deemed to be right and wrong and the effect that it has on the characters in the future.
I would love to write on this topic as well. Death Parade is awesome haha. But when you say the rules of the afterlife according to the series in relation to the western view of the afterlife (heaven vs hell) or in terms of reincarnation? (Like how the characters can relive their lives if they win) Also, I think you should also maybe consider the middle ground of good and evil, or the idea of the spectator, as seen through Decim. He isn't good or evil but seems to have some sense of morality? – kmjp9 years ago
