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Nintendo May Do Anime

Posted by Zonk on from the big-N-at-it-again dept.

Thanks to GameSpy for the news that former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi is planning to present a plan to the Board detailing Nintendo made anime series. The move is intended to provide diversification and increase earnings by linking their characters more closely with the anime market. The company also pleased investors by adjusting higher their profit forecast by almost 20 percent for the year. Nintendo now expects to report almost US$758.9 million for the year.

4 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Hehehe by Moo+Moo+Cow+of+Death · · Score: 5, Funny

    What? Nintendo is doing anime? So we're going to see Mario with 10 tentacle penis fingers and the Princess as a age old Sex Ninja that must fornicate with the evil Goombas and King Bowser in order to save the world from evil?

    (I would've linked this little bit right up but I'm at work and can't remember them offhand :D)

  2. Didn't they already try this? by gzsfrk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I remember waking up on the Saturday morning that "Captain N--The Game Master" was to premiere. I recall even as a kid being appalled at how bad the animation was, how poorly written the characters were, and feeling almost insulted that this crap was expected to cause me to go out in feverish anticipation to buy the crudely represented stalwarts of Nintendo's game lines.

    As I recall, the primary characters were from the Metroid (Mother Brain), Castlevania (Belmont), Punch-out (King Hippo), Kid Icarus (same), Megaman (same), and ... Zelda (Princess--?) games. I know there's a couple other regulars on the show that I'm forgetting. Donkey Kong was one, wasn't he?

    Same song, different generational beat... =)

    --
    m@
  3. Makes sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the past year, Nintendo had recently been on-again in their off-again, on-again talks to acquire majority control of family-run entertainment conglomerate Bandai. Bandai is the sole owner of so many properties with worldwide appeal that it's no wonder.

    Yamauchi isn't just talking about anime, either. If Nintendo follows his advice (which is all it really is, at this point, since he's no longer really running the show), they would be branching off into full-blown film, video, and toy production and distribution as well. Bandai, the number 2 toy maker in the U.S. alone (not to mention Asian region), would have instant competition and Nintendo would likely be rolling in gold.

    On another note, it's important for us level-headed folk to recognize that the reason Nintendo has increased their profit forecast so impressively is because of foreign exchange rates. All those doom & gloom Nintendo detractors that predicted their end due solely on their one recent unprofitable quarter should remember this. Nintendo holds considerable American investments, so a strong dollar is actually far better for them than a strong yen. Now that the yen has weakened again, they are seeing the benefits. Basically, they rise and fall on the power of the dollar, not that of the yen. Sony, who is in the same predicament, also saw a bad quarter along with Nintendo, whereas now navi should fare better along with Nintendo as well.

  4. Re:Mario by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, all animation is anime to the Japanese. Ask many older Japanese what their favorite "anime" is, and you will VERY often hear "Tom & Jerry" as the response. It was broadcast in Japan after the war, and was enormously popular.

    To non-Japanese, "anime" normally means Japanese anime. If you refer to Korean animation or things like Kaena or Adam Warren stuff or MegaTokyo as "anime" to non-Japanese anime fans, they will correct you.

    I'm not sure how this all happened, but there you go.

    Also of note is that "manga" is the word that Japanese use for comics and comic-style art. In the U.S., you can refer to something being drawn in comic style or in realistic style. The Japanese have the same distinction, not because comic-style art can't be realistic, but because there are obvious differences regardless of where you grew up. They just use the term "manga" instead of "comic-style." And just to confuse the issue, most Westerners are in the habit of referring to "Japanese comic-style" art as "anime-style." That's the point where I give up on trying to understand those of my countrymen who would misundersand simple things that they're presumably so enthusiastic about.

    - AC