Re: Wired- Pokémon Commentators' Problems to Acknowledge Change

So, here we are again: another piece I wasn't planning on writing about another inaccurate take on the series. As someone who's nearing three full decades of life and is transitioning to writing professionally themselves; it is because of a recent Wired piece that I am responding to them and addressing a broader issue in the process: the problem is not that Pokémon is "refusing to grow up," rather, it's that people that hold that mindset aren't willing to do the due diligence and realize that it's done exactly that and more over the past 25 years. Here is a response to the article and the general trend at hand: Pokémon commentators' problems to acknowledge change.

Source: Switch OLED Reveal Trailer, Nintendo UK YouTube Channel

For the sake of argument, I shall be referring to the author of the "Arrested Evolution" article as "Rusty Shackleford" to protect their identity. That title means I can also dig up this brick joke: and now the story of a well-intentioned but misguided editorial, and one of many fans who had no choice but to prove the person who wrote it wrong. This is Arrested Evolution.

As with previous pieces I've done, I will include quotes from the article for context when needed; and to help illustrate my counterpoints. The best place to start would be right at the beginning.

Quote: "Before you exit your house in 1998’s Pokémon Red and Blue—the first set of localized games in what has become a franchise of sprawling, borderline-unimaginable proportions—you’re given the option of interacting with the TV set. Clicking the A button on your Game Boy brings up this text: “There’s a movie on TV. Four boys are walking on railroad tracks. I’d better go too.” This is a reference to Stand By Me, the 1986 film based on a short story by Stephen King about preteens who venture into the woods to find the body of a missing person—and its ties to your own upcoming adventure only become clearer with time."

Admittedly, this isn't a bad start; but not for the reasons Rusty is suggesting: in many ways, Stand By Me is something of an unconventional; but effective coming of age story, with the body and the other dangers faced by the leads representing the loss of childhood innocence. I've also argued it would be a good tonal template for these in-development live-action spinoffs; but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Quote: "It’s a story that couldn’t be told with adults. As grown-ups, we are far too burdened by responsibility and self-awareness to embrace the kind of journey that the kids in Stand By Me go on. The same goes for the journeys in most Pokémon games, journeys only a 10-year-old could do—battle trainers, stop evil, catch ’em all. These are goals uncomplicated by the things age throws at us. Pokémon isn’t a franchise about growing up as much as it’s about the lens we view the world through as children, one full of play and dreams."

Here is where the problems start: Rusty seems to be operating under the misconception that the series hasn't adapted to the changing entertainment landscape since it began; and it's a mindset that I once held. Thankfully, rediscovering what I missed and finding new ways of addressing it has given more than enough material to dispute this claim. It's not just the age of the character that makes the story, it's how that character is shaped by those who perceive it. It's one of the biggest advantages that the series has over other games of its type: how the protagonists can be interpreted by its players. I'm already working out how I will portray my avatars in my playthrough in BDSP; but the point still stands: while this assessment is one way of looking at the series, it certainly isn't the only one. Plus, I don't know anyone that could see someone like Mario or Link this way; and even though Sonic has been 15 for at least 30 years now, he clearly still has his fans even if he gets a shaky remaster of an otherwise good game.

Quote: "There are now multiple generations after them, whether they’re young adults or children, who are experiencing it all for the first time. They’re enraptured by the fantastical simplicity of the games and the current heightened state of its popularity, thanks to megahits like the Pokémon Go mobile game, the recent installments Sword and Shield, interest in the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and the re-emergence of the Trading Card Game into headlines and broader cultural relevance. These new players have likely never touched Red and Blue. Their only relationship to Pokémon is the here and now."

This is kind of right, but mostly wrong: even with incidents surrounding the Pokédex changes and corporate having to drop the banhammer on those people making a mess of Walmart in Pennsylvania; these elements only appealing to newcomers is only half the story. The other half is made up of those who have been following the series in some capacity since Red and Blue (Hello!), who are also enthused by the new elements being brought to the table. Granted, there are elements that stay consistent through the years; but as I just stated, those fall under the banner of "not broken - don't fix it."

Quote: "Both sides of the fandom are enormous, which leaves the supposed aims of the franchise in a muddled state. Is it meant for the older fans, whose responses to the series range from deeply nostalgic to desperate for progress? Or is the Pokémon Company’s sight solely set on newer devotees, those yet to discover the ins and outs of the addictiveness that has ensured Pokémon’s popularity for more than two and a half decades? One of the main attractions of the franchise, along with one of its major pitfalls, is that it’s done little to keep up with those fans who have cherished it all this time. I don’t mean this in the sense of maturing its storylines. Giving Ash Ketchum, the lead character in the anime, a goatee, or filling the games themselves with surprise grittiness, is a silly way to capture the fleeting attention spans of an older crowd."

First of all: why not both? I know it's a tricky line to walk; but at this stage, I believe the first quarter-century of its existence is proof that it has appeal to all manner of age ranges and skill levels. I know I just brought this up, but this year also marks the 35th anniversary of both Zelda and Metroid; and we just came off the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. as well. Seeing as the brand is also part of Nintendo's "big four," it is another one that can appeal to players of all ages and skill levels. Second, I don't really buy into the idea about attention spans getting shorter over time (that's the kind of thinking that got way too many people mistakenly prescribed Ritalin growing up); so the idea that it's done "little to keep up with fans" over all this time is just another way of saying "it's just a fad" with extra steps. Lastly, Rusty actually does raise some valid points in this passage which honestly should have been his opener. I still may not have all the details for the future ahead of me; but I am confident in saying this: if the games and anime are to be expanded, I still want it to be done organically. I definitely think the newer anime seasons and movies have done a good job with balancing old and new elements that other ones didn't quite stick the landing on (looking at you, Digimon Adventure reboot), so I agree you can't go too far with that (wasn't a fan of that "End of Pokémon" trailer, found it so depressing it made End of Evangelion look like Care Bears Nutcracker Suite). As for the games: I definitely agree The Pokémon Company, Game Freak and other partners aren't going to lose millions on an M-rated installment of the series. If I want a game like that, I can definitely go play Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, and recommend others do the same. The trick is to do it in a way that stays true to the spirit of the material. I am clearly seeing elements of both Breath of the Wild and GTA in the darker aspects of the upcoming Legends Arceus; but I agree copying them outright isn't the way to go. Using them as a reference to create something of their own is, and at this stage; I just hope the launch goes smoother than the Definitive Edition did.

Quote: "Rather, Pokémon relishes in the comfort it provides—with every new installment essentially serving as a soft reboot of the series. It’s why Ash Ketchum will remain eternally 10. He is meant to represent every new kid getting into the series for the first time. And it’s why—before Arceus was announced—any changes in the Pokémon games’ mechanics, difficulty levels, or game designs have been incremental at best."

Again, this tends to overlook the value brand consistency has. It is entirely possible to maintain the appeal of the series while adapting it to a changing market. I also don't understand the soft reboot analogy either- I know the timeline of the series has often been disputed; but that's typically not how that works. That's a more accurate way of describing something like Dragon Ball Super, which was a follow up to the original Dragon Ball and DBZ that disregarded the events of GT (which was already apocryphal due to Toriyama not being directly involved beyond a few designs). Rather, while I have maintained Ash and other characters do tend to work quite well as ciphers for the viewer/player (I tend to portray Ruby less as the effeminate fashionable guy from the manga and more of an adrenaline junkie in the vein of Spider-Man and young John Connor in T2); that's about as much an oversimplification as saying Batman is just some rich guy whose parents got shot in an alley beside an opera house. It's also disingenuous to suggest the changes have been incremental; when that's typically not how game design works. Even if a feature is only unique to one generation, it can influence later ones. Sometimes, design ideas that can't be implemented in one game can be revisited in later ones. It can be something as simple as monsters being left on the cutting room floor being revamped for later generations; or it can be something as big as fighting a professor in battle (not counting accessing the data via MissingNo). The point is, there's a difference between adding a new idea to the core gameplay and fundamentally changing the concept so much it becomes unrecognizable. DMC Devil May Cry was such a notorious example of this that its disappointing performance made it so Capcom didn't release a proper sequel for years; making clear that it was a direct sequel to the first four games that renders DMC non-canon.

Quote: "It’s an odd status, one that’s perhaps best represented by the games scheduled for release on the Nintendo Switch in the coming months. The first ones, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, were released today. They are updated versions of the Nintendo DS’s Diamond and Pearl, the duo that made up Pokémon’s fourth generation in 2006. The second is Pokémon Legends: Arceus, an open-world game set in the Pokémon universe’s distant past, which sends players on a quest to create the Sinnoh region’s first Pokédex (the encyclopedia where Pokémon information is kept). The former is the latest in Pokémon’s series of remakes, something it’s been doing since 2003 with the release of Fire Red and Leaf Green—updates to 1996’s Red and Green. With its chibi-style sprite work and familiar stylings, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have received a heavy dose of backlash. The aesthetic has become shorthand for technical laziness. However, this is likely due to the fact that, because looks toward the future (or what fans consider to be “the future”) seem so rare, a look back at the past feels needless."

Again, it's become increasingly clear the backlash has dissipated to such a degree that the only people still feeling like this (including those acting salty on Metacritic) are not the majority, but a vocal minority. I also don't care for the "laziness" criticism, and I strongly encourage other aspiring writers to retire it from their vocabulary. Given how the new remakes are currently this year's biggest launch for the Switch ever in the UK (US and Japanese sales have yet to be released, but it stands to reason they'd have a similar tally), I think it's safe to say that the impact the visual design had on the launch was effectively nil. As for fan consideration for the future, I think this interview does a good job about how even though it gets tough to deal with; that the developers are still committed to making experiences they might enjoy playing as much as players might. I've also argued that in many ways, this discourse is the reverse of the memetic "Sonic Cycle." Whereas the Sonic Cycle is often one of hype being met with disappointment, this franchise has one of concern being met with relief come launch day. 

Quote: "Pokémon’s nostalgia is inherent on an unavoidable scale. The games have to rattle the little part of our brain that enjoys nostalgia, because there really seems to be no other way to construct them otherwise. Pokémon’s conception was marked by nostalgia, something that was then built into the series’ DNA. Satoshi Tajiri, its creator, grew up in a rapidly urbanizing portion of Tokyo. As a young boy, he’d seek out and collect insects in the rural areas around his hometown—areas that were quickly being paved over for rampant cityscape. This youthful fascination with bugs, along with a burgeoning interest in gaming, led to him seeing the link cable hardware of the Game Boy and envisioning bugs crossing back and forth along a wire, as if traded among friends."

While that is definitely an element about the series and its original design philosophy (which has been present in the series since its inception); it's not the only one that makes it work, let alone the main one. In fact, knowing Tajiri's background for the series' concept (along with my own experiences, and me being elated to find out that he and I are both on the spectrum) still fascinates me, as it illustrates a large part of why I find his country and the art they produce so fascinating. It's always at a crossroads of past tradition and future innovation. I honestly don't know about the Monster Hunter comparisons to Legends Arceus either, I've only really played/enjoyed World and Rise. Heck, I've often pegged pop culture transitions with the franchise crossing generations; with the original series helping mark the end of the '90s and the beginning of the new millennium. 

Quote: "The resolution to figuring out your place in Pokémon’s future likely doesn’t lie in demands to grow up, though. Because there’s beauty to be found in the kind of comfort that Pokémon can provide to both a new player and a long-term player—the feeling of letting go of your forecasts for the series. "

Once again, Rusty Shackleford makes a statement I agree with the words of; but not the reasoning behind it. Hype culture is like a proverbial double-edged sword; equal risk of satisfaction and dismay. I'm not one to put too much stock in people getting huffy on imageboards and Metacritic user pages; I just want to do the best with what I'm given. It doesn't make much sense to me to play something over another title rather than in addition to it. I'm more likely to treat another game in the same vein as a companion title or alternative rather than a replacement. I'm still interested in getting Monster Rancher 1 and 2 DX along with BDSP and Legends Arceus, much as I am trying Nick All-Star Brawl and Multiversus now that I have all the fighters in Smash Bros. Ultimate. Given the current situation around the world, the main thing I want out of any future game is for it to be good. Whether it's someone like me who's a lifelong fan or a youngster discovering the series for the first time, what matters the most it what your experience means to you.

Quote: "That’s the point of Pokémon, after all: There’s a movie on TV. Four boys are walking on railroad tracks. You’d better go, too."

While this article did venture into "Cowboy BeBop at His Computer" territory in spots, it's an overall well-intentioned; if flawed take on the change the series has seen over the last quarter-century. Rusty Shackleford, you are more than welcome to visit and play online if the opportunity ever arises. Whether others acknowledge it or not with the series, everything changes. That's all for now, and I will see you in my full review of Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle. Take care.

Cowboy Bebop Season 1 (2021) First Viewing Thoughts

So, now that I’ve got my hands on “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl,” I thought I would cover another recent reworking of a work I love- the first season of the live-action “Cowboy Bebop,” now streaming on Netflix alongside the original anime. This project has been in development for so long, it initially began life as a movie that would have starred Keanu Reeves as Spike, Laurence Fishburne as Jet, Carrie-Anne Moss as Faye, and directed by the Wachowskis. Basically, it would have been a Matrix reunion before the upcoming fourth movie.

I’ve done my best to reserve judgment until I got a chance to see it myself. Having spent this period alternating between the new series and rewatching the original for the umpteenth time since 2003; I will say this: while not the groundbreaking masterpiece the source material is, it at least held my interest with each episode. 

From left- Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), Faye Valentine (Daniela Pineda), and Ein.

The creators described this as a “remix” of the original that still does its best to capture the overall look and feel. For the most part, it does a good job: while Jeff Pinkner and Christopher Yost may have also been involved with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” I will not hold that against them. The production design does a great job at capturing the visual style of the series in the new format. It’s the little touches that really help sell the “used future” aesthetic of the show, whether it’s a wood etching of a phoenix or Jet having to physically close one of the Bebop’s shutters before the ship makes a hyperspace jump. The Bebop itself is still every bit as beloved to me as the Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, the Serenity and now the Benatar.

I’ll do my best to keep things spoiler-free in regards to the new show; so I’ll just focus on what stood out at me. Visually, it looks great: even just watching it on my computer, it’s clear the platform put down lots of money on the production. One of the things I was wondering about most was how they’d portray the visual style of the material; and they actually did a decent job there. The tone also manages to balance some of the more absurd elements from the source (such as one of Teddy Bomber’s followers wearing nothing but underwear, an explosive belt and a teddy mask); yet a serious situation is treated as such when it’s presented. It treads something of a line between the gothic style of the first couple Tim Burton “Batman” films and a more “neo-noir” approach you’d find in takes like the upcoming Matt Reeves film. The main cast fits their roles alarmingly well, and despite some comments about their costume designs; what I was most concerned about was their story and characters. With that in mind, I think what I’ve seen so far is okay. I’m especially glad they brought back Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts to do the music; the arrangements of the intro are just incredible.

Bottom line: while not on the same level as the original anime, I’m at least willing to see where this goes in a potential second season. At the very least, it was better than the 2017 Death Note. If you’re curious and haven’t seen the source material, I recommend watching that first. If you have seen the anime like I have, I can at least say that while it’s not quite the real folk blues; it’s also not a total disaster either. At the very least, it’s a 4 out of 5. See you, space cowboy.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (Switch) Early Impressions.

 "Technology just blows me away!" -Twinleaf Resident, 2021

Hey everyone: so, I just got Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl today; the newest main games in the series and the long-awaited remakes of the original “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl” on DS. As someone who’s a big fan of that generation of games, my early impressions are quite positive.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not opposed to changes in a remake of a previous work; especially if a change fixes something from before. At the same time, I definitely have a “not broken- don’t fix it” approach to game design. There’s a reason why so many Mario, Zelda and Metroid games have become timeless classics.

With that in mind, while Game Freak clearly kept a close watch on series newcomers ILCA, Inc. (“Yakuza Zero,” “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” “Nier: Automata”); they also gave them clearly recognizable ingredients, and even as someone who’s been more reluctant to farm the main series out to other developers; they definitely still made a meal with a good flavor out of it. It’s the difference between adding a little spice to the dish and dousing it in an overpowering sauce. With the main developers still occupied with next year’s “Pokémon Legends Arceus,” it’s the difference between giving them a new Bentley and starting them with a lightly used 2006 hatchback. The original DS games set numerous precedents still being used in the series today; and I’m honestly amazed how much the core gameplay still holds up after all this time.

That’s not to say there aren’t any worthwhile changes in the games: autosave is a welcome inclusion; and I’m glad I got my wish of the games not taking excessive time to save anymore. As for the visual style: I never had a problem with it, and I still don’t. I think it’s a nice balance between the graphics of “Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee” and Generation VIII. Not an exact copy of the originals, but still recognizable. Maybe it’s because I still play retro games, maybe it’s the fact my pop culture age took hold in the 1990s and early-to-mid-2000s; but I was never going to have a problem with the style they went with. As for the XP Share being baked into the progression: I didn’t have a problem with it in Galar or other RPGs with similar mechanics, and I don’t have a problem with it here.

I will continue work on my full review of “Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle” among other projects; and as I train for the first gym, I will keep you informed of any further progress as it happens. That’s all for now: take care.

Update 11-9-21: Switch at 92M, Pokémon Generation VIII Sales "Evergreen," 10 Days to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Hey everyone: I just finished a couple big papers for my class; so I thought I would give you something of a quick update while I work on other big projects.

First up: it’s 10 days till the release of “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl,” and as someone who has their preorders paid off; I’m glad the conversation towards the games has shifted in a more positive direction. I may not appreciate the leak, but as someone who only skimmed them; I look forward to playing them once they finally release.

On that note, the Nintendo Switch has now sold over 92.87 million units worldwide as of September 30 of this year across all its variants; which makes outselling the Nintendo Wii a lofty, but plausible goal.

Not only that, but the top best-selling games on the console have also been updated; with “Pokémon Sword and Shield” not only having sold over 22.64 million copies since its launch nearly 2 years ago; but is now considered one of the system’s “evergreen” titles. Other bestsellers with the “evergreen” status include the top-selling “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” at 38.74 million copies, “Animal Crossing New Horizons” at 34.85 million copies, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” at 25.71 million copies, and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” at 24.13 million copies; with “Super Mario Odyssey” rounding out the top 5 at 21.95 million copies.

I leave you with links to the information where I got the sales data; and I will see you all again after a brief sabbatical tomorrow. Take care, everyone.

Why Yo-Kai Watch Failed To Be "The Next Pokémon" Outside Japan.

The Yokai realm, a new frontier to reshape the entertainment landscape. I try to picture spirits as they move between realms. What do they look like: cats? Komainu? Were their homelands like other times? I kept dreaming of a place I thought I'd never see. Then, one day, something happened: I got in.

Now that I have that preamble out of the way, another year has passed since the initial rollout of Yo-Kai Watch outside Japan. People were expecting the series to be as big a hit internationally as it was in Japan: it was not. Though some hold out hope the series can be saved, thinking realistically; it honestly doesn't look good. I even previously wrote an entire post about why the series doesn't work in the US like Pokémon does, and now I'd like to further detail this today. With the future of Yo-Kai Watch still uncertain and Pokémon celebrating its first quarter-century of success, let's explore why Yo-Kai Watch ultimately failed to be "the next Pokémon" outside Japan.

1. A Co-existence that (Largely) Wasn't

One thing I've learned over the last nine years of writing here and the last six of addressing this franchise in some capacity is that not even the most optimistic fans can create common ground out of nothing. While some Pokémon fans were onboard, many others were not. Though at the time and to a thankfully lesser extent since; YKW fans believed that it was merely being dismissed as a ripoff that damaged its reputation, but I never bought into that narrative and I still don't. The piece I just linked also claimed a similar mindset is what impacted Digimon in its initial run. 

However, I submit that also wasn't the dominant narrative in my experience, as I enjoyed both of those series for different reasons on the same concept (Star Wars and Star Trek, DC and Marvel, et al); and Pokémon was able to sustain its impact on pop culture (especially when the Game Boy made way for the DS); while Digimon did not for much more varied reasons (divisive reception to certain seasons; messing with the schedule for Frontier, mishandling the dub of Savers/Data Squad and declining toy sales to name a few). Even if some fans of both series exist, to this day; the majority of fans of both series get along about as well as oil and water. Before I move onto my next point, you can't always make a community of two different series, it just happens sometimes; much as it did with Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing New Horizons.

2. Marketing Confusion

You know that your marketing missed the mark when it shows up on "Cursed Commercials." I'm not saying that it would have been impossible to translate the marketing appeal of the series in hindsight, but the execution killed it at square one. The results were admittedly confusing. Sure, they did point how being inspirited can encourage competitive edge and passing gas in an elevator; but they never explained what a yokai was to the uninitiated. To those outside Japan who did know, claiming they were "not ghosts, spirits or monsters" when they were in fact all of these and more was personally one of the biggest mistakes they made in this process. 

On top of this, the target audience never really clicked no matter how hard they tried. I've mentioned this before, but it bears mentioning again: your average kid in the US likely doesn't care that much about yokai; and your average enthusiast of JRPGs and Japanese culture likely won't derive much pleasure from their parents arguing about a pudding cup. I'm pretty sure the likes of Don Draper or even the infamous "Mr. Caffeine" would be hard-pressed to sell this concept to the Anglosphere. 

Put simply, yokai are as well-known in Japan as zombies or werewolves here. Outside Japan: not so much. It wouldn't even be the first franchise that met this fate- Case Closed/Detective Conan was simultaneously too childish for Adult Swim, yet too gruesome for Cartoon Network (this was a pre-revival Toonami timeframe obviously). Lupin III, despite its influence on both sides of the pacific only has a cult following at best; and One Piece has only really gotten the international recognition it deserves over the past decade. 

Yet, amid all the hype; there would be a new franchise that would quickly become a key part of Nintendo's stable that managed to simultaneously mesh Western and Japanese concepts in a hit game: it was called Splatoon. It got a successful sequel on the Switch and a highly-anticipated third game coming soon; and it got people to understand its premise within moments. The marketing that was integral to the series' success overseas arguably ended up sinking it more here, and eventually dried up as the series went on. Their official social media accounts haven't posted anything since 2019; and I don't expect much more coming beyond that. The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter pass had its second volume come and go; and even though Jibanyan was a long shot; the series didn't get so much as a spirit or Mii Costume compared to Kazuya Mishima or Sora from Kingdom Hearts; which makes a good enough shift to my next heading.

3. Fear and Threats< Indifference

At the time the series was initially being brought to regions in the West; it was believed that "fear" and a "threat" of Yo-Kai Watch becoming the dominant monster JRPG brand is what caused the series to be largely shunned. However, as previously stated, that is very much not the case at all. Rather, outside people who were already interested in the series; indifference among the public was in many ways; for more common and detrimental to the series' prospects outside Japan. 

In hindsight, I'm not saying that the same genre immediately means there isn't room for a different take on the same gameplay concept. There's room for Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. There's room for Mario and Sonic. In my case, there's definitely room for Horizon Forbidden West and the Breath of the Wild sequel. I would also suggest there's room for Super Smash Bros. and Nick All-Star Brawl. 

The key difference is that a different title has to convince people that it's worth playing with what you have; if not more so. While some people were convinced; most others were not. At the time, I legitimately did not understand what these people saw in it; and I still don't. This is further compounded by the anime. In hindsight, many of my prior recaps did come off as rather harsh given what I was going through offline at the time. However, that said, I still don't like the original anime and I will not hold back in explaining why. 

4. What if they launched a new franchise, and nobody came?

Even as the series was being sold as a new franchise, despite the recommendations from the publisher; not a lot of people took to it. Even among the main demographic of children, the response was quite muted compared to the likes of  Minecraft, Mario and Marvel (lots of m's there). The article I linked in this header also pointed out that Pokémon has an appeal as both a fantasy quest and a surprisingly complex competitive aspect that can reach across age and regional barriers. 

By contrast, Yo-Kai Watch was always going to be facing an uphill battle to sustain itself after its initial peak and its international launch. As I type this, the lack of a new main game has been conspicuous by its absence; and we still have no word on any more content being released outside Japan, least of all an official release of "Yo-Kai Watch 4." Ultimately, this whole community of other games in the same genre never happened beyond a small contingent of players. Though it isn't impossible for a series to grow thanks to grassroots fan efforts (Ni No Kuni, Yakuza and Persona/SMT are good examples); so far, that hasn't panned out either. 

Beyond one of the dub writers acknowledging an online trend earlier this year, the response at the top hasn't yielded the results expected. The movie and the first season of the anime were delisted from Netflix; no other licensee has picked up the toys after Hasbro dropped the license; and Level-5 has seemingly exited non-Japanese markets after the closure of Level-5 Abby and the potential closure of their International operations overall. We will come back to this in a few moments; but it seems the calls to "save Yo-Kai Watch" may yet go unheard. 

5. Inability/Unwillingness to Learn From Mistakes

Though a small, but vocal contingent of fans continues to insist the series only failed due to attacks from Pokémon fans who disavow any other monster RPG (something demonstrably false in my experience, here are my favorite alternatives in ascending order: Custom Robo, Baten Kaitos, Monster Rancher, The World Ends With You, Ni No Kuni, and Shin Megami Tensei/Persona, with an honorable mention going to Pocket Mortys); I submit in hindsight, the wounds dealt to Yo-Kai Watch were ultimately ones that were self-inflicted. 

This passage is also going to be dealing with material that I've considered before, but held off actually posting until now. I've wondered before why Level-5 didn't simply forego localizing Blasters (Busters in Japan) when they were developing the third main game to appeal to the West, especially after the second game underperformed in sales outside Japan. Again, this comes from sources who used to work for the Abby who I found online in forums (and shall respect the anonymity of); but apparently the contracts drawn up precluded the possibility of skipping a localization, hence why all the previous main titles up to that point also had to be localized first as well. The Moon Rabbit Crew and Iron Oni Force expansions being included as free DLC for Blasters and Yo-Kai Watch 3 containing content from all three versions in one international release were admittedly good moves; but at the same time, it's the very definition of "too little, too late." 

Even as a potential release of "Yo-Kai Watch 4" has been impacted by the events of the past year, I've noticed the same mistakes being made throughout the tenure of the series outside Japan. Why Level-5 hasn't just sold the international rights to other companies still eludes me if they no longer have the means to release content outside Japan themselves. That way, the fourth game could still get released alongside the movies key to its plot with a minimum of worry; especially given the current situation. Instead, each international release sold less than the one before it and was launched in the shadow of other big games. 

Even removing the "P-word" from the equation, YW1 was outsold by Black Ops III at launch. YW2 was outsold by Final Fantasy XV. Blasters was outsold by Marvel's Spider-Man, and YW3 was done in by the combined might of Kingdom Hearts III, the remake of Resident Evil 2 and people moving on from the 3DS to the Switch. Even the Psychic Specters port of YW2 was outsold by last-generation versions of that year's FIFA. That's to say nothing of YW4 launching at #1 in Japan; but quickly falling after the release of Super Mario Maker 2, which sold more in its first 3 days than YW4 did in its first five months. Then there's the anime, which keeps waffling between its initial premise (slice of life with yokai shenanigans) and rebrands to focus on everything from supernatural horror to superheroes of all things; then hitting the reset button whenever things don't pan out. 

Yet, it never seems to click that maybe this haphazard approach to each relaunch isn't really working; and maybe the diminishing returns are the result of over-saturation in the time before, and that there's a middle ground between drowning international markets in content and pulling all marketing completely. 

6.  A Lack of New and Sustainable Audiences

In my post about why the series didn't work in the US, I ended by stating a major problem was the uncertainty of its target audience. Now, three years later; that still holds true. While this 'verse clearly has a dedicated audience; that isn't the same as being able to find a new audience over time or a to keep a sustainable one. The saddest part is that Hino wanted Yo-Kai Watch to have a sort of cross-generational appeal; but that hasn't really happened. It hasn't even been a full decade, and even in Japan; the series has faced a considerable decline. I mentioned these brands earlier in the post, and it's key to mention them again: brands like Marvel, DC and Star Wars definitely practice something called "generational investment," making works that can be enjoyed not only by the current generation; but future ones for years to come. 

Pokémon has managed to rise above the stigma of being dismissed as a "fad" and has become something of an "all-ages" series in the way Mario or Dragon Ball have been viewed as; which I genuinely believe gives it an edge over other entries in its genre. I honestly am not inclined to believe the rumor about Level-5 betting against the Switch; as that raises all manner of questions (least of all: why would they even bother releasing games there at all if that's the case, as opposed to backing Sony or Microsoft instead?). However, if Pokémon could make the transition to the Nintendo Switch and Yo-Kai Watch could not; then that clearly indicates a different depth of feeling in the fanbase. 

It's like this: if a Sonic game doesn't do the best, then it's ultimately not a big deal in the grand scheme of things: the next can always be better. On the other hand, if a Metroid game doesn't do the best; then that's when the series might have to go on hiatus for a while to determine their next move. This also applies to the US market- it clearly had a dedicated fanbase for YKW; but not one that could draw in newcomers or sustain itself, given how the series didn't just bleed sales as time went on; it hemorrhaged them. 

Admittedly, this is something that's been a recurring concern with Pokémon as well ever since Generation III (speaking from experience here); but over time, I notice that concern often is met with relief whenever the content does release (in many ways, it's the reverse of what happens with Sonic as I just mentioned). 

This leaves Yo-Kai Watch at an interesting juncture as I type this. The most recent movie was a box office bomb, making half of what the previous film did amid competition from "My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising" and "Shijin-so no Satsujin," along with the Japanese releases of "Frozen II," "Jumanji: The Next Level" and "Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker." That's quite the drop from how previous movies outgrossed the Japanese releases of both "The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One." It remains to be seen how this year's movie will fare. The most recent anime has also met with relatively muted reception; toy sales significantly declined, and after the disappointing sales of both the fourth main game and the Jam Project spinoff; there is currently no word on a fifth main game. Even though I have no objections to localizing the fourth game, the limbo of any news over the past two years; combined with the challenges in the current landscape makes it an uphill battle. 

Given how things have gone; at this current stage, I honestly don't know if the most recent main game merely failed to stop the series' decline or cemented its downfall. The series has a dedicated western fanbase, but clearly not a sustainable one. I didn't hate the previous games in the series I played, but I honestly had no problem trading them back in towards the seventh generation of Pokémon games. Even with the furor over certain decisions made, it's easily often forgotten that for many people; the latest iterations of Pokémon can often be someone's first. 

Sadly, this new influx of fans hasn't happened for Yo-Kai Watch; and even in Japan, the series is clearly going through something of an identity crisis; as is Level-5 itself. The developer was once seen as something of an antidote to larger AAA companies; but has now ironically fallen victim to many of the same mistakes that contributed to other studios closing entirely. I have stated before I really don't want them to go through that; and that I wouldn't object to a vanilla release of YW4 on eShop/PSN Store, along with maybe selling the rights to the fourth and fifth movies to a streaming service. That's not an ideal outcome, but when the alternative is not having an official release at all; it's something worth considering. Akihiro Hino is also supposedly taking control of their international operations (meaning their previous head, who I have only referred to before as "Crusty Demon" is stepping down); but it remains to be seen how that will go. Even Specter Subs, a longstanding group in the fan community is winding down their operations; announcing on their Twitter account that after they finish their backlogs, their work will not continue.

For now, with Pokémon set to release both a long-awaited pair of remakes along with a highly-anticipated prequel; and Yo-Kai Watch having yet to announce a fifth new main game, let alone an update about an official NA release of the fourth, that is why Yo-Kai Watch failed to be "the next Pokémon" outside Japan. Whatever happens next for the series, it's clear that Level-5 will definitely have to make the next main entry work towards the future; and seriously consider trying not to chase the peak of the second game's success. Most of all, they shouldn't keep trying to make every single game another multimedia package. I've mentioned this before, and it bears mentioning again: just make and release the work, and let people make their own judgment. That will be all for now. Later.