Year In Review: N-Squared List
Just like last year, I guess some things have not changed. This could be a reference.
Twilight Anime Is Not Likely
Did I mention John’s writing improved over the years? He has a ways to go still like the rest of us.
I think the shortest answer to why it won’t be likely to see a Twilight anime is that it’s outside the context of why anime are made. The shortest answer as to why it will be made is that Americans would buy it, and an American company might be willing to pony up the dough and do the work.
Most anime are made today as a cross-media marketing tool. They air in infomercial spots and are made to sell books and toys. An anime adaptation is designed to raise awareness for any given franchise, but actual sales on media (ie., people buying the anime) is not so hot, save for some unexpected smash hits. Considering every season in Japan we see maybe a few dozen anime on TV, plus a couple dozens more that are always on the air, it seems difficult for an anime title to distinguish itself. But if you are trying to advertise a manga, the competition is much worse.
The problem is complicated when it comes to western titles in Japan. For one, far most of these western titles are already popular by the time they land in Japan. On the other hand, how many people knew about Saki before the hit mahjong anime title got its way, for example? Plenty of people know about Twilight already, thanks to the two films and the hubbub surrounding Twilight and its fans. A typical, late-night spot anime probably wouldn’t increase Twilight’s Japanese fanatical fan base any more than how the books and films do the job as is.
Second, would it sell? It might, it might not. But I would stick my limb out and guess that it probably won’t increase the number of people who are already aware of Twilight, so it’s not likely to add to existing marketing efforts. In turn, that means the money spent in making a hypothetical Twilight anime isn’t going as far as money spent making an anime of something kind of niche or hasn’t had a chance at the TV screen. In other words, a Twilight anime in Japan isn’t going to sell any more books or Twilight merchandise than the movies would be already pushing, so if the anime end up being a failure it would have achieved less than an average failure of an anime. It doesn’t seem like an effective way to market the stuff when we look to Japan’s native population, too, because how would you pitch it? Fujoshi or desperate housewives? I mean, I guess it might be better than having Hideo Kojima judge a pixiv Twilight fanart event… Anyways.
I suppose it is possible that Japan might hit critical mass when it comes to people wanting to buy more Twilight merchandise. Kind of like how there’s a Winter Sonata anime, I guess. But that require the blessings of the IP owners, and regardless if they agree, that’s just an additional cost upon already a higher-than-normal amount of cost and uncertainty. None of that yields more bang or more buck, let alone bang per buck. Plus, who knows how popular will Twilight get in Japan?
I think that is why there isn’t a Star Wars or Harry Potter anime. And probably Twilight too.
Of course, this is where the Afro Samurai perspective comes in. By that I mean anime made for Americans, sold in America as its number one market. Would American Twilight fans buy up the anime? Probably. I think as with the latest batch of We-were-made-to-hit-in-America anime OAVs, the business model is to attach these products for the fans to buy. I mean the average Halo-tard is not likely to spring for the action figures…right. But action-packed, visually stylish, STRAIGHT-FROM-JAPAN treatment of their favorite IP might do much better, especially since everyone’s hooked up with Xbox Live anyways (press butan, receeb bacon mentality). I mean, what else would you sell these guys? DLCs? More games? Console accessories? Anime is the next best thing in a lot of ways.
Now not all the same can be said for Twilight fans, especially unlike Batman or Halo, there are a lot more girls %-wise in that Edward-fawning mix. Not that I’m saying anything about girls, but it’s just more uncertainty to navigate to try to tap into a new kind of market. Comparatively, it’s something people making/selling dolls, patches, cheap jewelry, t-shirts and whatever Twilight merchandise is intimately familiar with. (Side note: LOL check out these Halo earrings LOL!)
Oh yeah, this is why people mention Funimation in this context. Who knows what they’re up to though.
Also, it might be something to think about when someone pitches the Twilight project to Japan’s (and/or Korea’s) more creative production houses. I mean, can you imagine Peter Chung or Shinichiro Watanabe doing a Twilight anime? I cannot. At the same time I’m mildly curious as to who could be the best candidate for the task! (Off hand, Naoyoshi Shiotani? Hosada? Yamakan??)
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On a totally irrelevant note, the Time of Eve writing contest ended and grats to our winner (dunno this person). Please take note on the response by Eve’s creator Yoshiura about the Turning test. It’s sort of amusing that the straight answer got chosen, but I guess that is really the spirit of the show.
Time of Eve Writing Contest
Yug’s cafe is not the Time of Eve!
I ended up not deviating much from the original–
In trying to answer the question, I thought of some ideas of what the Time of Eve cafe could be. At first I thought it is like an online BBS where people can ignore their identities (even at time obvious) and see each other eye to eye. The cafe also could be a bar, like American TV show “Cheers” or the manga “Bartender”; Nagi is a bartender. A colorful cast of characters come together in the story, despite their conflicts and affiliations. The interaction between them is fun to watch and a highlight of the show.
At the same time, the cafe is a figurative Petri dish, a social experiment. Both the special rules regarding treating androids equally and the automatic door that lock or unlock on pre-determined rules seemed purposeful beyond protection of privacy of the cafe’s patrons. Some of the scenes during the episode looked as if recorded from a surveillance camera from inside the cafe, adding a third-person perspective.
Still, if I had to pick a single answer, I’d say the cafe is a home. For Rikuo and Masaki, the cafe is where they can be true to themselves, ironically something they can’t do at home. When we think of a home, we think of a place where we feel we belong, that shelters us from the elements–both weather and society. The Time of Eve cafe shelters Rikuo and Masaki from the pressures of social norms and allowed them to explore their curiosities and past troubles. It seemed fair that while the cafe isolated Rikuo and Masaki from pressure, Masaki and Rikuo also did their part to follow the rules of the cafe and in the end, protect their way of life within the cafe from outside influences.
Just a reminder–the contest ends November 1. Read all about it here.
Before there were blogs and net pundits, there were the usual audience-creator interaction. Like, you could mail in a postcard saying something, or a survey or some such. We know the Japanese do this (Excel Saga episode 2 anyone?) but there’s little to nothing like that for us gaijin types. I mean, a legal way to simulcast stuff really opens this door, don’t you think? I hope some marketing people really take advantage of this, it could be a good idea.
Time of Eve Is a Series of Tubes
Not only you should watch Time of Eve on Crunchyroll (really, there’s no excuse to pirate it), but you should give this question a thought. I excepted from the Crunchyroll contest for the below:
In your opinion, what’s the significance of Time of Eve’s (the cafe) existence within the story?
I am going to post my answer (300 words or less!) below (at least one of them). Feel free to share yours should you choose to compose one. For what it is worth, it’s as good as any other topic to discuss (for general blogger circlejerkery). Eve is packed with all kinds of interesting things, but this is a pretty good way to approach the crux of it from a side angle.
The Time of Eve (the café) to me is an allegory for the way people socialize on the internet. While it may be a cyberpunk cliché, but the ability to examine the same social constructs within different, futuristic settings highlights the innate contradictions of modern life. The internet is ubiquitous and a necessary part of modern living, and while that in itself is present in the story, the café adds a physical and visceral representation without evoking the additional science fictional baggage that may come with, for example, VR.
What make me think specifically of the internet, in regards to the café, were its house rules. A door that locks and unlocks according to timing rules to protect privacy seem an annoying and hazardous thing to put in a real life café, but it is easy to protect a user’s privacy on an online forum or BBS without much inconvenience. An anonymous internet forum also masks obvious indication of rank and status, much like how the android café patrons disabled their halos to hide themselves, and the human-android equality rules that Nagi enforces inside the café.
To me this is what Time of Eve (the story) is about. It is perhaps about Time of Eve (the café) as it is about the stories and issues that each episode of the show explores. Considering what the café means to its patrons, maybe Time of Eve’s existence is even more important than the rules and stipulations of both Nagi’s café and society enforces on the café’s patrons, and more important than the robotics technology that distinguishes an old robot like Tex from a modern model like Sammy.
Remember the contest deadline is a month from October 1, so you’ve got some time to get into the bones of it.
