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Originally Posted by ANN
I know that sales are a big factor that determine weather or not a sequel for an anime gets made, but what else is there? I ask because there are several examples of shows that have done extremely well in DVD/BD sales, but still have no continuations. Two examples off the top of my head are The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere. Both have been beasts in the home video market, but we haven't seen more Haruhi since the movie two years ago, and we still haven't gotten word on a third season for Horizon.
I know Haruhi got two seasons (three years apart), an ONA (based on the spin-off manga), and a movie, and you're probably asking, "What more could you ask for?" Well, I'm asking for more. There are currently 11 light novel volumes for Haruhi, so there's plenty more to animate, and I don't know why you wouldn't keep it going until it stops making money. Horizon has sold a minimum of 20k untis per volume (12), and that, too, is an incomplete story with more source material to animate.
It just seems weird that the production committees behind those shows don't seem to be planning more anime. I mean, why stop making things that make money? SHAFT and Shinbo seem to have the right idea since they've made it clear that they plan to adapt all of the Bakemonogatari series, and I'm sure Aniplex and Kodansha are right there with them. At this moment, Bakemonogatari has two TV series and an OVA series made, with another TV series, OVA, and a movie in the wing. That's a lot more than what Haurhi or Horizon have.
Do Kadokawa and Kyoto Animation just not want to do more even though Haurhi is one of the biggest franchises ever? Are Bandai and MediaWorks content with leaving the Horizon anime where it is despite its huge success? If so, why? Why would you just stop?
Now, I'm going to POSSIBLY blow your mind with this one, but consider this - maybe, possibly, they're not making any more Haruhi animated things simply because they don't want to anymore? Obviously, yes, sales are a big factor to decide whether or not to continue a specific series. They're pretty much the biggest factor there is - depending on whether or not they feel like keeping the series alive in the first place.
Folks, there isn't any contractual obligation out there that an anime series MUST finish the original story if it is based upon previously published material, such as a manga or light novel series. There's a LOT of factors that decide the fate of your favorite anime. Sales, sure. That's a big'un. Viability of the brand? Also huge. Cost? Big factor. But all of those are dependent on the fact that anime series still depend on PEOPLE. They need writers, directors, animators, and so on down the line.
Speaking of Haruhi Suzumiya; it's important to understand just how HUGE the impact that particular title had. A lot of the principle players in that show's success have moved on to other things. Fumihiko Shimo has written episodes of Infinite Stratos and Kokoro Connect. Tatsuya Ishihara directed the first episode of Nichijō. Like I mentioned in a previous column, a lot of the initial staff who created the series as we know and love it have moved on; if they really wanted to keep the gravy train a-runnin', it would require an entirely new staff. And who knows if that'll work?
Recently, Disney just announced a slate of Star Wars spinoff films in addition to the direct sequels they plan on producing. This has filled me with nothing but dread and despair. Why do we need any of this stuff? I'm not opposed to people making Star Wars movies so long as they're entertaining and not as awful as the prequels, but why are we so willing to watch some potential crap just for the sake of "continuing the story"? The series was fine when it concluded in the early 80's; everything that has been done with the franchise since then has either existed to placate the existing fanbase (the "expanded universe" novels, the Knights of the Old Republic games) or make money despite being terrible (THOSE GOD DAMN PREQUELS). Remember when restraint was a good thing? Remember when people used to respect certain filmmakers who "didn't do sequels"? Remember when video game fans looked upon cult developer Treasure because they "refused" to make sequels? Until somebody gave them a pile of money to make a sequel to Gunstar Heroes that nobody liked or wanted?
There's a risk here that I want people to consider. Sure, there's enough leftover material for Haruhi Suzumiya and Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere (I'll admit I haven't seen the latter, since the gratuitously large breasts in the promo art made me cautious) to keep going for another season or two. They could certainly wring enough money from the wallets of die-hard fans to make another series profitable, no matter how good or awful it was. But why take that chance? What we had was good already; wouldn't we like to see these talented artists, writers, and directors challenge themselves with something new?
Oh, that's right: new things are scary and unknown, and given the choice, people would rather be fed the same familiar gruel than take a chance on an unknown property. There's a good possibility it might be great, but there's ALSO the minute risk that it might be something we don't care about. Let's stick to familiar ground, then. Let's trot out Haruhi Suzumiya for another round, just because it would sell enough DVDs to be profitable. Let's not bother with anything new or interesting. There's enough material yet to be adapted to make a quick buck.
It's a pretty cynical mindset, and one I'm not a fan of. Everybody clamors for sequels, prequels, and reboots. But where's the next thing that knocks your socks off and you can't wait to see a prequel or a sequel or a reboot? Where's the next Haruhi Suzumiya? Because it ain't Haruhi Suzumiya. That's been done already.
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