Personais one of the most popular JRPG franchises in the world, and is extremely well-known even in the west. The games are a lot of fun, featuring stylish gameplay, catchy music, and memorable characters, allowing them to leave a mark even with those who are only casually into the role-playing game genre.Personais one of the few representatives of the JRPG genre to break out into the mainstream, and it’s not going anywhere any time soon.
Part of the series' popularity and reach can also be attributed to their anime adaptations, which have translated the franchise’s lovable characters and intriguing stories into the world of anime.Persona 3,4, and5have all received an adaptation in one way or another, allowing them to reach even people who don’t play games much or don’t enjoy JRPGs but want to experience the story. TheShin Megami Tenseiseries is the series that spawned thePersonaseries, but it is far less popular than its spin-off series. An anime adaptation might do a lot to get new people interested in the series, or at least give it more of a presence in the west.
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How Shin Megami Tensei Could Work As An Anime
Part of what madePersona’s transition to anime seamless was mostly due to the games already having a very strong anime aesthetic to begin with.Shin Megami Tenseifeatures a similar aesthetic, although the artstyle can often change from game to game. The older games, featuring artwork by Kazuma Kaneko,have a more classically-influenced appearanceto them that stands out from the standard anime aesthetic. Regardless, almost anyShin Megami Tenseigame could be easily translated to anime without having to change the style so much that it turns off fans of the games.
In terms of story,Shin Megami Tenseitends to feature post-apocalyptic tales and dramatic battles between law and chaos. The stories are often biblical in nature, and are steeped in concepts borne from mythology. While these stories can be very interesting, many aren’t aware of them either because they’re unaware of the franchise or because they’re not interested in playing a JRPG. Making an anime adaptation would allow those people to experience these incredible stories for the first time, and possibly get them interested in the games.
Possible Problems With An Adaptation
Shin Megami Tensei’s stories and plots are very choice dependent, which often causes the plot todiverge into different routes and endings. This can make it hard to decide which route should be used in an anime adaptation, especially since fans may prefer one route over another. There are many different solutions that other franchises have taken when dealing with this kind of problem, andShin Megami Tenseipaths are not so radically different that they cannot be adjusted to fit a single storyline.
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What’s also a bit of an issue is thatShin Megami Tenseigames, especially those in the mainline, are rather sparse on story and dialogue, choosing to allow the players to pull together the details of the story on their own, based on what they hear from NPCs and what they see of the world around them. The games tend to focus more on the gameplay experience, which is great, but it can be a little inconvenient for adaptation, which will largely focus on the story. Having said that, that can also be a boon in itself, as the anime writers could use this as an opportunity to expand on details not discussed in the games, such as improving the interactions between the main characters and giving the usually silent protagonist more personality and backstory.
What Games Should Be Adapted Into An Anime?
Shin Megami Tenseiis a large and long-lived franchise, having existed since the late 1980s. As a result, there are many games that could be considered for an anime adaptation, from the originalDigital Devil Story: Megami Tenseito lesser-known mainline titles likeShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. While the main plot points and world settings ofShin Megami Tenseigames can be fairly similar, the different characters, factions, and ideologies color each story to make them a different experience. Still, not every game would make the jump to anime all that well, so picking a good game with plenty of story potential is important.
The easiest answer is to pick one of the more recent entries to adapt.Shin Megami Tensei 4and5have very elaborate stories and rather involved side characters compared to otherShin Megami Tenseigames, making them fairly simple to adapt into an anime. In addition, their recency means that they are much more easily recognizable compared to other entries that the current generation of gamers may not have played. Still, adapting iconic entries likeShin Megami Tensei 3is still an option, as its legacy could be more than enough to stir interest in the overall public.
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