There is anime that has been adapted into video games, and there are video games that have been adapted into anime. In this blog post I shall be exploring how successful these different type of remediations are.
Video Games based on Anime
Let's start off with video games based off anime. Most of the time these do not get the best reception, which can be due to shoddy controls and a tight budget, or a lack of development and immersion in story and character that was present in the anime.
An example of an unsuccessful video game based off an anime is 'Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains' for the 3DS (2015).
There's no denying that the anime of Attack on Titan was highly successful and popular, due to how unique its premise was compared to most apocalyptic anime. It was even enjoyed by those who do not typically watch anime. However, its 3DS counterpart hasn't done so well, receiving mainly negative reviews. Many choke this up to the limitations of the 3DS and claim it is simply not the most effective platform for housing the unique world which captivated us in the anime.
However, this way of remediation is not for naught. 'Digimon' is a series many of those born in the 90s grew up with, including myself, and its latest game instalment, 'Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth' (2015/16) for the PS Vita and PS4 has been garnering some favourable reviews.
Not only is it on Sony's latest platform, but it also features older characters a player can play as. This is an important element included in recent games, so as to appeal to those who once watched Digimon. They are now grown and need a character they can relate to. Another part that makes this game so appealing to Digimon fans is that although there is a set story to follow, players are in complete control of how they play that story. I'm sure many who watched Digimon as a child, dreamed about having their own Digimon, and now they can, with a large variety to chose from.
Perhaps this is also where the Attack on Titan 3DS game falls and could have improved on, more player freedom and customization.
Anime based on Video Games
Moving onto anime based on video games. I shall be using the examples of 'Danganronpa' and 'Persona 4'.
Danganronpa was game series that started in 2010 on the PS Vita. It features amnesiac students, locked in a high school and forced to participate in a battle royal style, kill or be killed game ( 'mutual killing game') while they try to discover how they are in such a situation, the killer(s) in each round and the mastermind behind it all. In 2013 it was given a 13 episode anime release. However, many fans of the game, and critics were disappointed with how little time was given to develop the characters and events compared to in the video game. Considering the limitation of 13 episodes the anime had to work with and the complicated backstory behind Danganronpa, it is partly understandable why this could not be done as effectively as fans had hoped.
That said, for those who came to watch the anime without any previous knowledge of the video game, said they enjoyed it and it has a high score on most anime recommendation sites. The video game simply gave more depth to the story, which can be easily read into about online or lead people to playing the video game. So Danganronpa's remediation wasn't a complete failure and if anything, has been successful in boosting the original video game's sales.
Now, Persona 4 has been a little more successful with pleasing its fan base. 'Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4' came out in 2008 for the PS2 and in 2011 it was given an anime release. Unlike Danganronpa, it was given a 25 episode run and centres around Yu Nurakami, who after moving to a new town discovers a distorted 'TV world' parallel to his own. With strange murders taking place in the town at the same time, Yu and his newfound friends, using the power of 'persona' decide to try and solve the mystery.
It has received generally good reviews and has been called an almost perfect adaption of the game. This is due to it not leaving out any plot points, while keeping the fun, lighthearted moments and it's focus on the development of characters, especially on the main character who in the video game, as the player character, is mostly silent and doesn't talk much. With more fleshed out characters, and the benefit of having a long episode run, 'Persona 4: The Animation' has been a successful anime adaption and remediation of it's video game counterpart and has no doubt also boosted the video game's sales.
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