The opportunities of a new Sonic show down the line.

[VO.SUPER]

So I thought I'd spark a new discussion around here.

Let me get right to the point: I'd like to see a new Sonic show down the line (after 2 or 3 more good games) because I'd like to see some new Sonic material during the dry spell between the games. So I decided to make a list of the pros of a new Sonic show.

For Fans:

-We're getting new Sonic while waiting for the games. It's a good way to keep up spirit while waiting for new games.

-It attracts newer, and younger fans. Say what you will about Sonic X, but that show still makes a killer on 4kids. The ratings oftentimes range from 0.7-1.1 million on the Nielson Rating. By Saturday morning standards that is very good, imagine those numbers on cable! And if the show was new (and better), then it could bring in new Sonic fans by the dozens.

-The show doesn't interfere with the games. They never have.

For SEGA:

-New lines of merchandise. If there is anything marketing departments love, it's when characters get in alternate costumes and on TV, that's possible just about every week. New characters can appear frequently as well, and if they are well received then that is more cha-ching. Of course, it's more work for the toy designers.

-Did I mention new fans?

Of course, the show needs to follow a few certain guidelines in order to find big chances at success.

-Stay away from game plots as long as possible: I only say this because there really is no point to having a show that follows the game plots to a tee. We already know what happened in the games, and to have an entire show based around only the plots we know about would make both start to overshadow one another.

Take anime based off manga for example: Oftentimes, what gets the best ratings for anime will be filler episodes. That's because these filler episodes are breathes of fresh air; they're new and surprising. Then, once some time has passed, air episodes based on the games for another breather. It's a sort of balance for audiences and helps fans and newcomers alike.

-Don't make it anime. I'd hate to say, but everyone and their mother knows Sonic is not popular in Japan. Look at Sonic X's piss-poor animation, that could make Hannah-Barbera weep. That already tells you the budget to the show wasn't the best. Not to mention, the end of season 3 never even aired in Japan outside of one on-demand airing. Hell-season 3 wouldn't have existed if 4kids didn't have the money to shake at the time. At least in America, we can say the animation budget will be well spent. Not to mention that Sonic is a property that Americans can work with pretty well considering how up to our tastes he is. (Again, ratings.)

-Each season should become a new show. I'm taking a page from Slayers, Ben 10, and Pokemon because it's a really good idea. The best series I've found to get into, are those that keeps it's biggest plots separated from one another, so people could get into the series easier. It makes the series simple to follow for newcomers and people who fall behind the airings.

-No CGI. I'm sorry; as much as I liked Night of the Werehog, that short could not have been done well on a TV budget.

It would look like this:

Notice, lack of textures and the bland environments.

Big difference eh?

Of course, there's my two cents.

[Soniman]

I actually like the CGI Roadrunner.

And im pretty partial to a Sonic show, I mean, I have the comics for a constant supply of new Sonic stuff. Though im obviously the vast minority on that part. So I suppose a Sonic show would do some good if the animation was fluid and the writing was decent.

And no Chris.

[Rusty Spy]

As impractical as it sounds, I'd love an animated adaptation of the Archie comics, simply because the stories are too good for mere still images. Though considering how expansive the continuity has become, fitting that all into a tv series would be quite the challenge. Theres also length as well as the fact that there are tons of important facts, details, events etc that are referenced time and time again, often stuff that happened LONG ago, which for any viewer jumping into the show midway through wouldn't have the aid of those citations the comic uses to understand what the characters are talking about.

[The future]

It cannot have any bad voice acting, poor plots of any kind, or messed up characters. Satam was close to this, but It can be better.

[Soniman]

As impractical as it sounds, I'd love an animated adaptation of the Archie comics, simply because the stories are too good for mere still images. Though considering how expansive the continuity has become, fitting that all into a tv series would be quite the challenge. Theres also length as well as the fact that there are tons of important facts, details, events etc that are referenced time and time again, often stuff that happened LONG ago, which for any viewer jumping into the show midway through wouldn't have the aid of those citations the comic uses to understand what the characters are talking about.

[Rusty Spy]

And the fact that the comic is based on an ENTERLY DIFFRENT Sonic cartoon would just make a regular viewer's head explode.

Aside from the SatAM characters, passing it off as a completely disconnected series wouldn't be THAT hard. Hell, Scratch and Grounder appear from time to time.

MY main concern would be how they'd introduce a continuity that evolved alongside the main games; the two are very closely connected as game adaptations all occur concurrent to the official games. Everything starts with classic Sonic and simple saturday morning cartoon plots, then grows from there, and stays current to the game series at the time the issues are written, even giving canon explanations for Sonic's (and Amy's)design change. The characters really grow in the comics, and while thats all well and good, the time gap between the airing of a major game adaptation and when the official game was relevant would be huge.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Black Spy

[VO.SUPER]

Aside from the SatAM characters, passing it off as a completely disconnected series wouldn't be THAT hard. Hell, Scratch and Grounder appear from time to time.

MY main concern would be how they'd introduce a continuity that evolved alongside the main games, the two are very closely connected as game adaptations all occur concurrent to the official games. Everything starts with classic Sonic and simple saturday morning cartoon plots, then grows from there, and even giving canon explanations for Sonic's (and Amy's)design change. The characters really grow in the comics, and while thats all well and good, the time gap between the airing of a major game adaptation and when the official game was relevant would be huge.

For this to happen there would have to be a wealth of information going to the developers of the show, because that's the only way to get any game continuity into a show. It would have to be done one year before the game premieres in stores. Getting major plotlines done for this wouldn't be too big of a problem if there are multiple shows ala Slayers; of course stuff like that eats budgets for lunch, especially rushed budgets.

A comic like Archie's though, would be nigh impossible to translate as a show since the comic is so newcomer hostile it's teeth-marks are the size of Canada.

[Mick]

I can imagine it as a CGI show. It would be pretty neat, in my opinion. They should get input from the fans and maybe the show will be a real great hit.

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

I'd rather have something like AoStH, but I'm not sure audiences today would take particularly well to something like that.

And nothing like SatAM or today's Sonic comics, I never cared for plotlines like that anyway.

[Vulpine]

Why do you want a new Sonic show? I mean, Sonic already has 4 TV shows compared to most game franchises which have only one or a few, and I think that is enough. The cartoons are not important to the series as the games are. I'd much rather have a new Sonic game that is good as the classics instead of a full-length movie on the big screen or a fifth show (I don't hate any of the Sonic shows, I actually like them, but enough is enough).

Edited December 27, 2011 by Vulpine

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

Why do you want a new Sonic show? I mean, Sonic already has 4 TV shows compared to most game franchises which have only one or a few, and I think that is enough. The cartoons are not important to the series as the games are. I'd much rather have a new Sonic game that is good as the classics instead of a full-length movie on the big screen or a fifth show (I don't hate any of the Sonic shows, I actually like them, but enough is enough).

[HUNTER297]

I actually want it to be Anime.i mean CGI is to expensive for TV show and Anime is effective and fairly cheaper than CGI.

[Chaos Warp]

I would love a new Sonic show, but keep 4Kids as far away as possible from it! I would want it separate from games, but the stories should feel like they could fit into a game if they wanted to. If they can afford VE studios to make full-quality CGI, then by all means, but that might be too expensive, so I'd go with traditional animation.

[VO.SUPER]

Why do you want a new Sonic show? I mean, Sonic already has 4 TV shows compared to most game franchises which have only one or a few, and I think that is enough. The cartoons are not important to the series as the games are. I'd much rather have a new Sonic game that is good as the classics instead of a full-length movie on the big screen or a fifth show (I don't hate any of the Sonic shows, I actually like them, but enough is enough).

[Milo]

If they do another Sonic anime I really hope it's similar to the one in the Riders opening, it was awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSagw3e2tdk&feature=related

[Johnny Boy]

If we ever get a cgi sonic cartoon I hole the animation quality will be like Transformers: Prime.

[Kuzu]

I guess a good old fashioned 2D drawn western animation show is just outdated now huh?

[Chaos Warp]

I guess a good old fashioned 2D drawn western animation show is just outdated now huh?

[VO.SUPER]

If they do another Sonic anime I really hope it's similar to the one in the Riders opening, it was awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSagw3e2tdk&feature=related

Edited December 27, 2011 by VisionaryBlur

[Kuzu]

You don't know how much painful truth is in that statement, though I know it's sarcasm.

[Milo]

I guess a good old fashioned 2D drawn western animation show is just outdated now huh?

Edited December 27, 2011 by Zinos

[Solkia]

If they do another Sonic anime I really hope it's similar to the one in the Riders opening, it was awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSagw3e2tdk&feature=related

tbh, I wish they'd do more game openings like this. But yeah, I love this art style.

[VO.SUPER]

Traditional animation is awesome, it's a shame Disney abandoned it for quite a while and Dreamworks completely ditched it outright. :/

So speaking on that note I would definitely accept a traditionally animated show as well.

Traditionally animated shows aren't too uncommon here in the states. As long as CGI remains bloody expensive, 2D animation rocks television. The problem is though, is that whenever traditional stuff gets expensive we move into Flash, and Flash is no good, unless used right.

[Nitwit_Speed]

My biggest fear here is that the show, which just about anyone can watch, will be more exposed than the 50-bucks a piece games. If the show has Colors-storytelling? Potential fans'll get turned off immediately. At first i was gonna be steadfast and just whine that a shonen anime is the only show medium worthy of Sonic. The kind of Shonen that makes it stateside is usually simple that the kids watching will understand, but complex enough that anyone more developed will still be entertained. Someone brought up Clone Wars, though, and that writing deserves commendment. It's still cartoon-style storytelling where everything is self contained, but it takes itself seriously and manages to make you laugh without being a joke in the better episodes. That's a perfect match for the Sonic franchise IMO.

I'd rather it not get tied up with the old western canon if at all possible. Too many people still consider the old canon to have came before, well, the main canon, and if Sally Acorn and Scourge the Hedgehog are on TV, we'll suddenly have them wanted in the games.

Art-wise, an epic hand-drawn art style like the CD cutscenes would really make the show stand out, but is that feasable these days?

[Kuzu]

My biggest fear here is that the show, which just about anyone can watch, will be more exposed than the 50-bucks a piece games. If the show has Colors-storytelling? Potential fans'll get turned off immediately. At first i was gonna be steadfast and just whine that a shonen anime is the only show medium worthy of Sonic. The kind of Shonen that makes it stateside is usually simple that the kids watching will understand, but complex enough that anyone more developed will still be entertained. Someone brought up Clone Wars, though, and that writing deserves commendment. It's still cartoon-style storytelling where everything is self contained, but it takes itself seriously and manages to make you laugh without being a joke in the better episodes. That's a perfect match for the Sonic franchise IMO.

I'd rather it not get tied up with the old western canon if at all possible. Too many people still consider the old canon to have came before, well, the main canon, and if Sally Acorn and Scourge the Hedgehog are on TV, we'll suddenly have them wanted in the games.

Art-wise, an epic hand-drawn art style like the CD cutscenes would really make the show stand out, but is that feasable these days?

It really depends entirely on the direction of the writers, if they want to be serious or funny.