Random Thoughts 3 - interesting posts only please

Is it 'pathetic'? Last I checked they're making a crapload of cash. That's all that matters in business. A flashy marketing campaign that doesn't sell your product doesn't have any worth.

You have your existing product (in this case cards). Your prime goal is to sell as many of these as possible. You have your merchandise (toys, video games) as well. Your existing base of hardcore users spends a fair amount but like any business you NEED to find new consumers. Younger consumers in this case.

You know what is a great way to target kids? cartoons. Many of you would not have played Beyblade (including myself) if it wasn't for the cartoon. You get newer consumers to buy your product via the cartoon and other marketing strategies such as large scale tournaments move them up the consumption ladder.

These cartoons as silly as they may seem help add validity to the product (especially the merchandise) and build their brand name. Now I've not seen their parent company's financial statements but considering how it's still here I think it's safe to assume that Yu-Gi-Oh is a cash cow and I doubt it would make any sense to kill a marketing strategy that seems to work.

Just throw on a fresh coat of paint and get the kids to bug their parents.
^ This is essentially what all anime franchises aspire to be, by the way.
(Dec. 16, 2010  2:51 AM)Khel Wrote: *snip*

Just because something makes a lot of money doesn't mean it can't be pathetic. You can sell your things on the street and make plenty of money, in a pathetic way. The card game isn't pathetic, but the anime is. They should sit down and put some thought into it, so that it can appeal to more than just little kids. A wider demographic means more money. That would be smarter than what they've been doing.
Roan: That is what everything on tv attempts to do.
(Dec. 16, 2010  5:54 AM)Thresher Wrote:
(Dec. 16, 2010  2:51 AM)Khel Wrote: *snip*

Just because something makes a lot of money doesn't mean it can't be pathetic. You can sell your things on the street and make plenty of money, in a pathetic way. The card game isn't pathetic, but the anime is. They should sit down and put some thought into it, so that it can appeal to more than just little kids. A wider demographic means more money. That would be smarter than what they've been doing.
Roan: That is what everything on tv attempts to do.

But why? What benefit does it serve? You haven't provided a single viable reason that makes any change worthwhile other than 'it's pathetic'. Taking a marketing strategy and changing the demographic it targets risks alienating their existing consumer base; not to forget that it's expensive. This is a generic children's cartoon, just like Pokemon, Transformers, Beyblade. They were all designed to target kids to get them to buy toys. You're obviously in the minority since they seem to be doing OK.

It's easy to sit on a high horse and say they should re-design it. Fine, explain to me how you take a cartoon that revolves around playing cards and make it less 'pathetic'. Or if they get rid of the anime as a whole, how do you suggest they successfully target and convince that wide an audience to buy the product? Remember peoples livelihood revolves around that Smile Their marketing team still has a number to hit. This is a proven business model.
If Disney has a writting team that has the abillity to make stories that appeal to teenagers and small children, the why is it so far fetched to believe that the writters of Yu-Gi-Oh can't do the same thing? Seriously, how is it more expensive if it brings in more revenue? There are plenty of people who would be more than happy to write this show, who can do a better job than the current writters. If their goal is to make money, enlarging their demographic is the best possible way to do that. Would you really feel alienated if there was a Yu-Gi-Oh anime that you could enjoy? Of course not. Yes they may be doing OK, but they could be doing so much better. The current idea is mediocre at best, the game is fun, the show is getting worse and worse. There will be a point where they either change it up or go the way of the Duel Masters anime.
(Dec. 16, 2010  7:22 AM)Thresher Wrote: If Disney has a writting team that has the abillity to make stories that appeal to teenagers and small children, the why is it so far fetched to believe that the writters of Yu-Gi-Oh can't do the same thing? Seriously, how is it more expensive if it brings in more revenue? There are plenty of people who would be more than happy to write this show, who can do a better job than the current writters. If their goal is to make money, enlarging their demographic is the best possible way to do that. Would you really feel alienated if there was a Yu-Gi-Oh anime that you could enjoy? Of course not. Yes they may be doing OK, but they could be doing so much better. The current idea is mediocre at best, the game is fun, the show is getting worse and worse. There will be a point where they either change it up or go the way of the Duel Masters anime.

The cost comes from scrapping away an existing strategy, re-organizing the company's asset's to try a whole new approach. This does add internal cost.

Frankly the Yu-Gi-Oh anime always sucked. The only difference is that our tastes changed.I have fond memories of the old pokemon series, and it would be natural if I feel the recycled plots of the new series sucks in comparison. But really when I go back to watch the original series, they were terrible to begin with. Yu-Gi-Oh was no different.

Disney's entire business model revolves around the characters it develops. The stories of the movies are able to target that wide a demographic because they revolve around telling a story (targeting emotions etc.) and don't come off as a blatant advertisement. No matter how they change the plot in Yu-Gi-Oh it's always going to be an extended advertisement for the card game. Only so much you can do with this series, especially when it's airing on a weekly basis.


Also I want to address your previous point of whether I would be alienated by a better written anime. If I were a serious player then I say it wouldn't matter. Why? Because I'd already be buying cards, the meta-game would keep me interested. Older potential consumers will be drawn in not necessarily by an anime, but by the depth of the game and the competitive nature of it. Having the cartoon target them and not fully focus on the youth would seem redundant. Better to focus that strategy on the age demographic that needs constant bombardment.

I don't play Yu-Gi-Oh or really follow it. Just trying to point out that I see no change in the immediate future. They'll only change their business strategy if they see their finances tank.
While Khel's points are very valid, he has been missing an important part. Yu-Gi-Oh! was never meant to be a franchise that pushed over literally billions of cards. It was simply to be a story about a boy and his alter ego testing his luck in a variety of games (hence Yu-Gi-Oh, or literally, King of Games). There wasn't a toy company funding this (unlike Beyblade, Pokemon, or Digimon), and it shows in earlier chapters of the manga, and the first anime series (the one that never left Japan) where the actual famous trading card game wouldn't be mentioned or seen for a while (in fact, generic playing cards were used, as well as knives...). Yu-Gi-Oh! was created to develop characters, and that's arguably where some of the success the franchise had came from. Everyone wanted a Starter Deck Yugi because they thought Yugi was a cool guy. Everyone wanted a Blue Eyes White Dragon because it was a menacing creature thought to be rare. None of the following series have even bothered with that kind of character, and universe creation. It only became a "buy my cards" series when the explosive popularity of the shadow duel concept was introduced.

As a casual follower of the franchise (who actually regularily buys the video games), I can't really recall any of the more recent cards except for the likes of Stardust Dragon (and Malefic Blue Eyes). I feel that's a failure of Konami by not creating characters kids want to be interested in, and while having the series on TV pushes more cards, I do think it would be best if Konami stops the anime for a bit, continues the card game, and waits a few years before starting it up again. A reboot is most effective if the franchise has been out of the public's eye for a while. Yu-Gi-Oh! hasn't left, and that makes these reboots largely ignored.
(Dec. 16, 2010  8:56 PM)Night Wrote: I know, like Ash's (Pokemon) voice actor's voice deepened once.

they changed voice actress for ash at that time from Veronica Taylor to (my wife; though she doesn't know it yet) Sarah Natochenny. So basically all this time its been a female's voice for ash.

(Dec. 16, 2010  8:49 PM)To Wrote: (like say, Dragon Ball or Naruto)

That's what made dragonball z jp dub irritating because goku did not go through proper puberty (they say its to keep his innocence (that's where i got the idea from)); and naruto's teen voice will fit him until they decide to make him really old (doesn't mean he'll make it old age lol), so i have nothing against that. and i respect/understand what you just said earlier ty.

EDIT: i actually know of my favourite "child voice" seiyuu, Houko Kuwashima. she did the Going Marry for One piece.. really made me cry those scenes did.. QQ
Why are you replying to posts from the Beyblade Anime and Manga Random Thoughts here?
(Dec. 16, 2010  10:17 PM)Daegor42 Wrote: Why are you replying to posts from the Beyblade Anime and Manga Random Thoughts here?

because its technically off topic. its nothign to do with beyblade anime/manga .
Haha.

I guess you're right about that. I didn't know about Veronica though.
Well, To, that explains why I saw the show months before any cards showed up in stores.
(Dec. 17, 2010  9:27 AM)Thresher Wrote: Well, To, that explains why I saw the show months before any cards showed up in stores.

Considering you live in the US, the anime you likely saw was the second series, which for all intensive purposes, was a 22 minute toy commercial (it skipped like 7 volumes of the manga which had been slightly adapted in the older series, this didn't really focus on card games). So that was availability issues, lol.
(Dec. 17, 2010  1:15 PM)To Wrote: ...which for all intensive purposes...

My god, why do people keep saying this? It's "for all intents and purposes".
This makes me as sad as when people write "could of".
Grammar Machine o_0 FINALLY^^ Someone sensible. Its could have... Erm... What exactly are you?

Diamond Haha i saw that just put it in for fun but still, he couldve been bitten by a radio active spider ^^
(Dec. 17, 2010  2:26 PM)littlechipz Wrote: Grammar Machine o_0 FINALLY^^ someone sensible. its could have; :L what exactly erm.. are you?

(Dec. 09, 2010  1:09 AM)Daegor42 Wrote:
(Dec. 09, 2010  1:05 AM)Bey-Heart Wrote: Umm, Daegor. What exactly are you?

I'm Batman.
UGH i am getting tired of each time i look at the comments on a song on youtube of seeing something about justin bieber, EVERY ONE! on linkin park songs,Justin Bieber, on Breaking Benjamin songs, justin bieber, on Drowning Pool songs, Justin bieber,etc its getting annoying!
Who cares man? Also: Kill a Justin Beiber fan = One less lonely girl.
Hopefully you got the joke..
I care :\
i like seeing comments about the band and the song not about Justin Bieber, i mean really if you hate him so much just go shoot him and make all of our lives better Tired
and not really
You know his song? One Less Lonely Girl, Speechless Nevermind, look back at my post. :U
no,cause i dont listen to any of his songs(that i believe he doesnt even write)
so......you listen to Justin Bieber? Speechless
and okay
Why do people hate Justin Bieber, anyway? I don't see what's so bad about him.
(Dec. 17, 2010  4:53 PM)Night Wrote: Why do people hate Justin Bieber, anyway? I don't see what's so bad about him.

his voice, the fact he doesnt write his own songs, the way he looks, his songs
those are the reasons why i hate him XP and i wonder what Kai-V is going to say about my avatar XD
(Dec. 17, 2010  4:53 PM)Night Wrote: Why do people hate Justin Bieber, anyway? I don't see what's so bad about him.

I'm going to take a guess, but probably because he represents a perfect example of generic manufactured pop music.

But hey tween/teen girls love him so I'm sure he's laughing all the way to the bank.
(Dec. 17, 2010  4:53 PM)Night Wrote: Why do people hate Justin Bieber, anyway? I don't see what's so bad about him.

I hate him because of how insanely popular he is over nothing. He doesn't write his music, his voice is just auto-tuned garbage, and somehow he is treated like royalty. It just angers me so much because I know so many better musicians, even just locally. It's ridiculous this kid gets so much attention.