New animated Usagi series?

[Eshbaal]

just a thought

how about 2 different series?

young usagi for the younger kids

adult usagi for older kids and above

twice the usagi!

And twice the budget, manpower and workload. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.

[Todd Shogun]

Hmmm..I thought the current/last incarnation was pretty good myself. Too bad they are rebooting it again...at least Usagi got some decent treatment on that 3 episode arc last year!

[Stan Sakai]

Hmmm..I thought the current/last incarnation was pretty good myself. Too bad they are rebooting it again...at least Usagi got some decent treatment on that 3 episode arc last year!

Yeah, I really liked the three-part Usagi arc. Unfortunately, the last incarnation of the TMNT was not considered a really successful series, but then neither was Samurai Jack or Avatar. Hence the reboot. Adults liked them, but they do not drive the series as far as marketing goes. Merchandising is the main push that keeps a kids' program on the air, unfortunately. I was told that by the time a kid reaches age 7 he cuts down on TV time in favor of gaming. That is why the next incarnation of the TMNT will be geared for the 4-6 crowd. So, actually, Usagi will be aiming for a older demographic than the typical cartoon viewership.

Please do not share this information. I don't want more speculation about the target viewership of any possible Usagi series. The truth is that we have not really decided what route to take the series.

[Angilasman]

^ I think the Usagi three-parter was a great stab (I was amazed Leonardo was allowed to stab Jei!) at adapting Usagi into animation. I hope that that's the general vibe you and your cohorts will shoot for in the actual Usagi series.

Not that my two cents are worth much, but if y'all go the streaming route as opposed to broadcast I think the older target demo will work. I've always liked cartoons, and in the last few years I've noticed a steep divide: the more complex cartoon shows, the ones with richer characterization and overarching storylines are migrating to online streaming, with more simplistic, younger skewing shows dominating TV broadcast time. Netflix has had success with the rebooted Voltron (spearheaded by some of the folks who made Avatar) and Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters. Netflix doesn't release viewing figures, but has called Trollhunters their most watched kids show and is blowing it up into a shared universe of spin-off shows!

Both of those shows are continuity heavy. You have to watch the episodes in order, which is becoming a rarity for animated shows airing on broadcast but didn't use to be: Cartoon Network's shows with adult fanbases like Steven Universe and Adventure Time are similarly continuity heavy, to the point of being dense, and while they used to be aired frequently as recently as a few years ago they are now rarely aired on the network itself, with new episodes premiering on CN's app weeks before they show up on broadcast. Episodes of both eventually show up on Hulu, where fans can watch those long storylines in order at their own leisure. Meanwhile, Teen Titans Go, a lighthearted comedy with self contained episodes aimed at smaller kids, is CN's most successful show on their broadcast network and is aired frequently during each day.

Maybe older kids (and the adult fans of cartoons) are more likely to take charge and curate their own viewing experience with streaming? Maybe?

Established movie studios are being sold off, meanwhile Netflix and Amazon are becoming studios themselves. TV networks are finding themselves on unsure footing and everyone's wondering if they could turn themselves into a streaming service. We're in the middle of seismic shift in the way we consume our media and I don't envy those who's job it is to guess what's next!

[Sketch]

Congrats Sensei Sakai!!! We will finally see Usagi adapted to the small screen in his new series. Everything is right in the universe again. Will these be new adventures or will we see an adaptation of the source material? At any rate, I am very excited!!!

[jabba359]

I just wanted to bump this to the top, as I was thinking about it today. After re-reading the press announcement, I noticed that the animated series was being produced in partnership with Dark Horse Entertainment (among others). Besides not hearing anything recently about it and Stan moving over to IDW (which has a film and television department of their own), I was wondering if the show was still moving forward or if any news can be shared about it?

[Angilasman]

^ I recall reading something about Dark Horse being purchased by Chinese investors last year - with an eye towards developing their properties in other media. Of course, I have no idea whether that affected things are not?

[dhfujii]

Hi All,

Yes, the progress of the show has not been affected by Usagi's move to IDW Publishing and Dark Horse's shares being bought by the Chinese investors. It's supposed to be business as usual, at Dark Horse, from what I understand, anyway. In any event, Gaumont Studios is actually the one who has the option, so their discussions are still continuing forward, uninterrupted. Dark Horse Entertainment, Atomic Monster, and Stan are all producers on the show, but Gaumont Studios has the option. It's rather confusing, but I hope it makes a semblance of sense.

Here's one of the press release articles: https://www.awn.com/news/gaumont-option ... gi-yojimbo

These things do take a while, but I'm quite confident regarding their progress. Wish I could say more, but it's never good to talk about things prematurely!

Best,

Daniel

[Eshbaal]

Hi All,

Yes, the progress of the show has not been affected by Usagi's move to IDW Publishing and Dark Horse's shares being bought by the Chinese investors. It's supposed to be business as usual, at Dark Horse, from what I understand, anyway. In any event, Gaumont Studios is actually the one who has the option, so their discussions are still continuing forward, uninterrupted. Dark Horse Entertainment, Atomic Monster, and Stan are all producers on the show, but Gaumont Studios has the option. It's rather confusing, but I hope it makes a semblance of sense.

Here's one of the press release articles: https://www.awn.com/news/gaumont-option ... gi-yojimbo

These things do take a while, but I'm quite confident regarding their progress. Wish I could say more, but it's never good to talk about things prematurely!

Best,

Daniel

So it IS still happening? That's great news if so. I've been a bit worried lately. It seems a bit unusual for 15 months to pass without as much as a piece of concept art being shown anywhere, but then what do I know about the process. These things take time, and as long as it hasn't been canceled outright I can be patient.

[lookatyouhacker]

If anyone from Gamount visits this site, I have three suggestions of voice actresses for them:

The first is Colleen Clinkenbeard as Tomoe Ame. She'd perfect her sweet and caring personality in the same way she delivered in her performance as Kirara in Samurai 7, and when Tomoe gets angry or is in the middle of a fight, she can sound just a bit more like Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail. I would love to see Ms. Clinkenbeard as Tomoe Ame and I think she'd fit the role quite well.

The second is Arryn Zech as Chizu. Remember her as Blake from RWBY? She did an excellent job of voicing one cat kunoichi, so why not cast her as another? She'd do a great job of making her sound serious and very deadly.

And finally, Marÿke Hendrikse as Tomoe's evil cousin/sister Noriko. Ms. Hendrikse voiced Revy in Black Lagoon, so I think she would completely nail Noriko's venomous voice, and vengeful sadism. Noriko also has a short fuse, just like Revy does, so she'd do a wonderful job with Noriko's psychotic outbursts. Her voicework on Noriko would be exactly like that on Revy minus the profanity.

[lookatyouhacker]

As for Jei, well, Keone Young reprising the role would be a good choice, but Liam O'Brian would do a good job as well.

[lookatyouhacker]

Though Steve Blum would be an excellent Jei as well, and if he have him a German accent like he did with Red Skull in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, he'd sound like an alagory to Adolf Hitler.
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv ... Red-Skull/

[Angilasman]

I enjoyed that the TMNT Usagi episodes from a year or two ago used (I believe) all Japanese or Japanese American voice actors for characters in Usagi's world. I hoped this would be continued into an Usagi series.

[lookatyouhacker]

You know what else is also technically in the 6-11 range?
Avatar: The Last Airbender, original Samurai Jack and the 2012 TMNT series Usagi recently cameo'd in. All of them have managed to cover similar themes to Usagi well and respectfully, with things like honor, PTSD, war casualties and other things taking center stage, and featured awesome action choreography. Heck, 2012 TMNT has Leonardo BEHEADING Shredder when the entire Turltes family went on an all-out revenge rampage against him in the Season 4 finale. This is MORE than doable. And if this company is run by James Wan, there's a fairly decent chance it's going to be fought for to keep it in the right tone. While a lot of things still get changed wildly when something is adapted to a cartoon show, things now are a far cry from the "in name only" standard of the eighties in general.

Yeah, potentially, some things might be slightly toned down, like some of Jei's Massacres, but honestly, that likely just means "less blood splatter on screen", which isn't that big a deal.

Eshbaal, didn't you also review Extreme Ghostbusters? That too was in the 6-11 range and you at one point praised that show for not being afraid of being dark and scary. And at times, even really messed up. Also, I'd like to bring up Batman: The Animated Series, and everything you said about these other shows is technically true of that show as well. And then there's Batman Beyond and Men In Black: The Series, and I watched both of those shows when I was a kid. And even today I still love them.

[Eshbaal]

You know what else is also technically in the 6-11 range?
Avatar: The Last Airbender, original Samurai Jack and the 2012 TMNT series Usagi recently cameo'd in. All of them have managed to cover similar themes to Usagi well and respectfully, with things like honor, PTSD, war casualties and other things taking center stage, and featured awesome action choreography. Heck, 2012 TMNT has Leonardo BEHEADING Shredder when the entire Turltes family went on an all-out revenge rampage against him in the Season 4 finale. This is MORE than doable. And if this company is run by James Wan, there's a fairly decent chance it's going to be fought for to keep it in the right tone. While a lot of things still get changed wildly when something is adapted to a cartoon show, things now are a far cry from the "in name only" standard of the eighties in general.

Yeah, potentially, some things might be slightly toned down, like some of Jei's Massacres, but honestly, that likely just means "less blood splatter on screen", which isn't that big a deal.

Eshbaal, didn't you also review Extreme Ghostbusters? That too was in the 6-11 range and you at one point praised that show for not being afraid of being dark and scary. And at times, even really messed up. Also, I'd like to bring up Batman: The Animated Series, and everything you said about these other shows is technically true of that show as well. And then there's Batman Beyond and Men In Black: The Series, and I watched both of those shows when I was a kid. And even today I still love them.

I did.

For the record, my point isn't necessarily that 6-11 range targeted shows SHOULD be dark and violent - just that covering the same subjects Usagi does has been done quite well in shows in that age range before, and I don't think the announced target demographic is any reason to worry because of it.