The Western localization of Yo-Kai Watch 4 is coming soon. Developers Level-5 have announced that it will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive and will have the subtitle, We’re Looking Up at the Same Sky. The date for the Western release has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to be soon. The developers are working to get this game out as soon as possible. In the meantime, fans can expect a lot of new content in the near future.
Table of Contents
Anime series faced a decline in viewership
As the popularity of Pokemon shows increased, TV Tokyo saw a massive decline in its viewership and was forced to halt production of many anime series. Despite being a small broadcaster that relies heavily on licensing rights and collaborations, the show has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Evangelion and Anpanman helped the network survive the last decade, and now Pokemon has brought it back from the brink.
While many anime series are based on traditional Japanese characters, the popularity of popular franchises like Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh! have decreased dramatically in the West. This trend has resulted in the emergence of new series that take the audience by storm. However, the popularity of Japanese anime has declined drastically in the United States. The declining birth rate has forced key broadcasters to restructure their programming.
Anime series faced budgeting issues
Anime is a highly competitive industry. While a 30 minute episode of an anime is about $171,500, the same length show in the United States could cost anywhere from $350,000 to $6,000,000. Budgets vary depending on the popularity of the series and the number of episodes produced. A popular anime series may be canceled because its budget was too low, but the studios may want to avoid wastage by drawing filler episodes with minimal framework.
Some of the biggest budgeting problems that faced a number of popular anime series include: poor art, overuse of padding shots, and low quality animation. The most famous example is Gundam Wing. While the television show had a loyal following, the anime was criticized for its low quality animation and reliance on stock footage. The famous scene in which Nanami tries to pull a prank on Anthy uses stock footage to create the illusion of an action scene, but fans still prefer the television version. Despite this, a major budgeting issue is the lack of proper English translations, which could cause a series to be regarded as obscurity in the United States.
Anime series faced toilet humor
Anime has always sat out the toilet humor craze with varying levels of success, from cartoons to more serious works. In its most recent incarnation, Naruto, a popular manga, has been particularly notorious for the toilet humor it displays. The obnoxious character frequently makes toilet jokes about himself or herself. In a similar vein, the female protagonist Sakura has been prone to revealing her feelings with her facial expressions, which annoys her husband Sasuke. It’s a great example of the lack of respect for a person’s personal space and immaturity exhibited by some anime characters.
Another popular manga, V-Tamer, also featured a series featuring toilet humor. Another anime, Strawberry Marshmallow, features a character with a bodily function disorder: the main character, Miu, farts in a hot tub to save her sister. It’s a running gag in this series, and is repeated in the third ova of the series. It’s also featured in a video game, which is often praised for its toilet humor.
Anime series faced Flanderization of several characters
The term flanderization refers to the process of overstating a character trait, which is typically seen as a detriment to the medium it’s created for. The practice was named after Ned Flanders, a neighbor and father who became obsessively religious. In contrast to Homer, who had always been kind and considerate, the character Flanders became obsessively religious.
In animation, flanderization of several characters is common where the creator of the show is no longer involved. New writers will often screw up a character’s appearance, behavior, or personality, and create a new character with a more stereotypical trait. This happens to SpongeBob Squarepants around season six, when the show’s quality went downhill. Likewise, a series like Family Guy, which had a popular following for many years, was subjected to this problem.