Well, I just got back from running an errand out of town. In addition to my other material I have planned for September, I am pleased to say that I was able to make more of a dent in my preorders of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon; and I am more than halfway paid off with them. My plan is to get the remaining bit of money paid off before they launch on November 17.
That said, (sighs), I will also point out that we are one month away from the US release of Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters. While I'm not writing a eulogy for the series outside Japan just yet, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls have stalled out at 160,000 copies sold in the US after 11 months on the market. One consolation is that the sequels have matched this figure in Europe in less than half that time; so with Psychic Specters launching simultaneously in America and Europe, it could be another way to see how they will do.
Even as someone who's not the biggest fan of the franchise, I admit there is potential for it to grow. It's been roughly two years since the series left Japan; it has a way to go to be more than it is. Again, I submit that even after 185 episodes, having a Yokai trick Keita into giving his clothes to Fumiko is far from your "A" material. At the very least, there is some comedic suffering I can get out of an 11-year-old being seen in his underwear; Inaho's mugging be damned.
I also concede Fleshy Souls was an improvement over the first Yo-Kai Watch. While it's definitely not in the same league as Pokémon Sun and Moon or Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (got my PS3 hooked up again, going to play more of it to get ready for the sequel), there are just enough changes to make the experience a bit more enjoyable. Still, even though I did beat the main quest this time; I once again had no problem trading the game back in towards Ultra Sun and Moon.
I will also address some other things I haven't brought up before, since I still have no idea how bringing over more of the anime and toys will do, given how Disney XD hasn't been advertising the show as much as Marvel's Spider-Man, the new Duck Tales or Pokémon The Series: Sun and Moon. Both my closest Gamestop and Walmart have also had trouble moving the merchandise despite several markdowns. There's even been reports of runoff being shipped to the toy section at Dollar Tree some places, which is usually a sign that an IP has entered its death knell. I know Pokémon went through this for a bit, but it got a second wind when the Game Boy Advance made way for the DS; and it's been consistently popular ever since. I don't know if Yo-Kai Watch can pull something similar off, since the series' disappointing performance outside Japan coincides with declining sales there, while other series have remained steady such as Dragon Ball, One Piece and Mobile Suit Gundam.
This article talks about some of the concerns some of the fans have faced, as well as addressing many fans with alternative lifestyles and the idea of a head canon. While I don't know about anything like that or making characters below the poverty line, mine is much simpler as an outsider (can't go so far to say I'm a fan). Mine would keep some comedic elements, but balance them out with more nightmare fuel. I'd also be taking some liberties with the characters; but not too many that people would start asking me more weird questions such as one individual who shall only be referred to as "Nelson Muntz" here for the sake of argument from here on. I will not address them by name, since no matter what I've said about the series, it never satisfied them.
Nathan Adams (Keita Amano in Japan) would be a sort of analog for Peter Venkman, less concerned about being "average" and more of a deadpan but comically snarky individual; one characterized in the Ghostbusters 'verse by both Bill Murray and the late Lorenzo Music.
Barnaby "Bear" Berenstein (Gorota "Kuma" Kumashita in Japan) would be rendered akin to Ray Stantz: he would possess a since of idealism and childlike wonder. Even though his persona and appearance give off the aura of a tough guy, he still has some "cute" quirks such as eating massive amounts of sweets, watching tokusatsu series meant for younger age groups and wearing underpants with teddy bears all over them (matching his namesake). He would definitely representing the childlike sense of awe that Dan Akryoyd and Frank Welker portrayed.
Edward "Eddie" Archer (Kanchi Imada in Japan) would be my stand-in for Egon Spengler. An eccentric but intelligent individual who'd be a key aid to every situation; and I would keep some of his technical skill and affluence. His setup at home would be ideal for playing Warcraft on long weekends, and has a private theater where he could easily verify a claim he makes of having seen Terminator 2 more than 200 times. He would be the ideal man to carry the torch from Maurice Lamarche and the late Harold Ramis.
Katie Forester (Fumiko Kodama in Japan) would definitely be a blend of Janine Melnitz and Winston Zeddemore: a grounded realist who takes everything in stride; even if it's stuff as weird as a dead cat with an affinity for chocolate bars and a ghost that looks like Stay-Puft's sloppy seconds. Given how weird things already are in society, she can believe anything they need to.
Still, it's all going to be on Level-5 and Nintendo. Even though the fans try to tell me not to worry about the series in the US, it's not that simple when the sequel games only sold a fraction of what they did in Japan, let alone the massive hits of Final Fantasy XV and Pokémon Sun and Moon. There's going to be another scenario like this very soon. Even if I were to remove Ultra Sun and Moon and the Virtual Console releases of Gold and Silver, there's still Metroid: Samus Returns, Super Mario Odyssey, the Frozen Wilds expansion for Horizon: Zero Dawn and Call of Duty: WWII; as well as the Xbox One X and Super NES Classic (the latter two sold out their first waves of preorders in record time, which should give you an indicator of how much demand will outnumber supply). It's also been so quiet that I have potential material that I'm not pulling the trigger on until I hear more, and I'm also occupied with other projects for September onward.
I submit once again that the release of Yo-Kai Watch 3 outside Japan will be largely dependent on how Psychic Specters sells in its international release. It sold over 2.6 million copies in Japan; and even as someone who's not a fan of the series, I am in little to no capacity to say how well it might fare. All I can do is wait, since it's a foregone conclusion that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will do well and build on the success of the 15 million (and counting!) sold by their seniors. As per usual: I will not get the game at launch, since there's too much other stuff I'm interested in. I will probably get a used copy in the near future, but that will depend on where I am in 2018. Since things haven't gone the way I've expected lately, my retirement probably won't happen just yet. Not when I haven't finished what I've started. I still have the same plan for the third movie: my recap of it will be entirely dependent on whether or not Yo-Kai Watch 3 gets released outside Japan. Given how the game was ostensibly tailored towards Western audiences, it would be ironic if it never got an international release.
I have about 1 or 2 more posts I want to make before I start posting what I have planned for September. Regardless of what happens then, I know this much: the future is not written, there is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
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