Forum - View topicNEWS: Yo-kai Watch to Air in U.S., Europe, Other Regions Globally
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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I wouldn't be so sure about that because last time I checked, Pikachu is on its way to becoming a household name in the U.S. It's actually in Japan that Pikachu's popularity is waning, thanks to Yōkai Watch shaping up to being Japan's big hit amongst kid viewers. |
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leafy sea dragon
 Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Pikachu is the most marketed Pokémon by far and the one most closely associated with the franchise. Being a household name does not necessarily mean it's well-liked.
While I've had some problems finding surveys among children, I can say that when IGN made such a poll, Pikachu ranked 48th out of 100. Dorkly's poll of the Top 25 did not have Pikachu making the list at all, although Game Revolution puts Pikachu in 3rd. So while Pikachu is highly recognizable, I still think that the people who are into Pokémon or have been into Pokémon only grudgingly see it as the series mascot. In all three of those lists though, Charizard is either 1st or 2nd. I know based on my childhood experiences, and experiences with other Pokémon fans growing up, that Charizard was and still is the most talked-about Pokémon. Certainly, I see way more of Charizard in both of the recent Smash Bros. games than Pikachu. (I'd bet it's all because of that Base Set card. People's eyes widen with its 120 HP and 100 damage without realizing how impractical it was to discard 2 Energy every turn.) One could say that Mickey Mouse, which that article compares Pikachu to, has suffered a similar fate: While he is the most popular character with Disney, Donald Duck has long been more popular because he's easier to write for and makes for better storytelling. I think that if Disney hadn't continued to push Mickey, he'd have become irrelevant by the 1940's because he is so very bland. |
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Mr. slicer
Posts: 112 |
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@Ryu Shoji
And they will be called old by kids who are fan of the next big thing just like what is happening to Pokemon now. Also, about 30 years from now "the next big thing" will be seen as old as well as the fans. Circle of life here. |
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gloverrandal
Posts: 406 Location: Oita |
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The only way they would keep the names is if they aimed the franchise at adults in America, like they do with Persona. All the Person based on foreign cultures, especially Japanese culture, keep their original names. I imagine the only way Youkai Watch would have been kept intact is if they marketed it towards adults.
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11296 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Deleted some posts for off-topic discussion over politics and religion, as this is clearly not the place for it. Please keep your posts focused on either the show itself or the localization stuff. Thanks.
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13555 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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leafy sea dragon, there was a number of anime that Nickelodeon in the 80s.
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leafy sea dragon
Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Nickelodeon was starved for content until they got Rugrats, Doug, and The Ren & Stimpy Show, however. From then on, they notably kept far away from the anime boom of the late 90's and early 00's.
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Fedora-san
 Posts: 464 |
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Those are more internet geek culture polls, though. Pikachu's still the most recognized Pokemon in American culture. Even my mother knows who he is. Doubt she'd know any of those other ones. Chances are internet polls will pick the more "badass" ones, or the more serious Smogon-tier competitive Pokemon rather than what kids and normal people would pick and recognize. Going back to localization, I was watching the newest episode and I said to myself there's really no way they can pretend this isn't something foreign without being cringe worthy, so the only real middle ground I can think of is if they use localized names, but still mention and say what Japanese youkai they're supposed to be. For example, Whisper explaining to Keita "That's *localized name*, he's a jinmenken youkai. Legend has it they're dog creatures with human faces that prowl the city streets at night" That's possibly the best we could hope for, and might even fit some E/I requirement of edutainment. |
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leafy sea dragon
Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Yeah, unfortunately, all I can go on is my own experiences when I was younger and Pokémon was new. Everybody wanted those Charizard cards, and everybody wanted a Mewtwo on their teams. Every kid wanted to look mature, and they'd associate only with the powerful, tough Pokémon (or not associate with the franchise at all, though there was no GTA or CoD back then). The word "cute" was thrown around as a derogatory term in my later elementary school and the entirety of my middle school years.
It'll be interesting, in any case, to see how this will pan out. I don't know quite as much about Yo-kai Watch, but I strongly feel there are better candidates for mascot choices than Jibanyan and Whisper. |
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epicwizard
Posts: 420 Location: Ashburn, VA |
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Mr. Oshawott
Posts: 6773 |
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Even with the localization of the names of the Yōkai (minus the mascots), I think Yōkai Watch still stands a chance, just as long as people managing it doesn't try to make look as if it was an American show.
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leafy sea dragon
Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Considering the backlash against anything even animesque nowadays, I must wonder if removing all traces of its Japanese origins may actually bmake it more popular.
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Mr. Oshawott
Posts: 6773 |
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^
Considering how anime was much more obscure in the 1990's & early 2000's compared to now, I doubt it. |
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Fedora-san
Posts: 464 |
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I haven't seen much backlash for anime in the animation circle. I would assume you'd have to like or at least accept anime if you're an animation fan because so little non-Japanese animation gets produced these days that it'd seem a bit weird. Video games, though? Of course. The amount of whining I saw when "all those anime crap" got confirmed for Smash Brothers was pretty funny. But as far as animation goes, it seems like almost every new cartoon that comes out these days is animeesque in some ways, either from art style to throwing in tons of homages and references. People who grew up on anime are now making cartoons so you'll probably see more of it if anything. |
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leafy sea dragon
Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Heh, I hope that's the case, as it'd be rather comforting (and would also confirm what I predicted about ten years ago or so, seeing comic books and science fiction gaining real traction in Hollywood).
But yeah, you're probably right regarding that backlash against Japanese stuff specifically in video games, as I see it too in any extended discussions about RPGs and about gritty brown color schemes, and it's where I see nearly all instances of the word "animu" used in a mocking, derogatory way. Do you think Yo-kai Watch could get hit by it, since it is, at its core, a video game franchise? |
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