Support NeoGAF

[zeopower6]

Yokai Watch can't really hide its Japanese origins since it's such an integral part of the series. Though certain things did get localized in the dub, but it wasn't too bad. (pudding became greek yogurt and curry bread became a whoopie pie) Some of the English translated signage was done so lazily though.

Not that I believe that Yokai will have nearly the same pull as Pokemon, but the Gameboy was declining when that came out. I believe that the 3DS is still ahead of the Gameboy launch aligned? Either way, there is precedence of a single powerful franchise giving an aging handheld a new lease on life. I don't see how Yokai could do that, but it's not theoretically inconceivable.

I just mean that their target audience that the merchandise and show are targeted at are not necessarily doing handheld gaming on such systems anymore compared to back then. There's just so many options now that you don't really have to spend anything after getting a phone/tablet/PC with Minecraft if you want to play games on the go. Even if the Game Boy was declining, kids still had them around in some form, you know?

 

[SalvaPot]

I think it has potential to be big, but it really depends on the anime.

 

[Paper Sparrow]

I wonder just who would be buying this game... it seems like the usual demographic that played Pokemon in the 90s/00s has really moved onto the mobile/Minecraft scene and don't really do much with the dedicated handhelds. Like they're targeting that younger audience (anime on Disney XD) but the ones who would really be buying is in the next demographic up (or possibly even older) since those kids may not have 3DS systems to begin with.

Maybe they are just hoping some part of it resonates the same way it did with Japanese children. *shrug*

It has enough differences to Pokemon that kids will notice.

And yet Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon, and Monster Rancher were Pokemon clones back in the day (and are still sometimes considered that nowadays).

The only thing is that the Pokemon craze has died down enough that children might not be as fanboyish to think everything is after that Pokemon money.

 

[Jigorath]

The show has yet to pull more than 300k viewers an episode in the US.

I assume that's bad?

Not really sure what's considered good for these kids shows.

 

[dragonfart28]

A name isn't everything (see Pokemon) but 'Yokai Watch' may be pushing it for Western audiences.

 

[Takao]

I assume that's bad?

Not really sure what's considered good for these kids shows.

Those aren't the kind of numbers needed to be The Next Big Thing.

 

[caleb1915]

Lastly, while Pokemon liked to hide its Japan origins:

Yo-Kai Watch clearly shows its origins from Japan and embraces it fully, making its world feel more natural and welcoming to be part of rather than a bit off at times.

Goddamn, anime always made those things look delicious.

To your next point I don't think kids are necessarily going to notice it unless they are already familiar with those Japanese aspects. But since now a days dubbing is more considerate of being closer to the original dialogue. So the original tone of the dialogue is more concurrent with what's happening during that scene. Before this the companies doing the dubbing of the anime's they managed to get the license to voice and distribute in English speaking countries were more worried about the shows being relatable to western society, these shows were quirky and considered weird compared to the popular american cartoons that came before like GI Joe, He-Man, Transformers, and Thundercats in the early '80s(both Transformers and Thundercats being slightly more anime-ish in appearance which might've helped western audiences transition to that style of animation) to the '90s when Saban brought over and completely re-worked the original Super Sentai. Cutting out everything except the action scenes, and casting new actors to re-shoot a more Western version.

There was a ton of work done, even though it was campy as hell. After that the point was made that these shows that were popular for their grand scope and action in Japan; could be just as popular in the U.S. It also demonstrated that these shows could appeal to an even broader audience if they kept the action, but replaced the references to Japanese culture with western ones. Early on when these shows were becoming huge; it was kind of necessary for the industry to transition to more faithful english adaptations today.

 

[zeopower6]

I assume that's bad?

Not really sure what's considered good for these kids shows.

Well, to compare, I think Pokemon episodes tend to get 1 million on average and are aired at like 6am on weekends compared to the 5pm early-week broadcasts for Yokai Watch. But looking at Disney XD numbers, their content doesn't really get that high normally. They're mostly competing with the Nicktoons network and both networks never really perform that amazingly to begin with so... I don't think the ratings mean much necessarily.

A name isn't everything (see Pokemon) but 'Yokai Watch' may be pushing it for Western audiences.

I think it's the same kind of vein as old Saturday morning cartoons but with more adherence to the original material. They kept the theme songs and even some of the Japanese sounds in the ending! We used to have shows called Shinzo, Escaflowne, and Yu-Gi-Oh, so I don't think the name should matter too much. Kids should be able to figure out that Yo-kai = spirits from the episodes... hopefully.

 

[PreyingShark]

I assume that's bad?

Not really sure what's considered good for these kids shows.

Pokemon's, like, 1 mil I think? Over here at least.

Yo-Kai Watch has been holding fairly well though so I guess the kids who have watched it have generally liked it. EDIT: I think Pokemon's more like 8 AM, which is a pretty good Saturday timeslot. Unless kids have changed drastically since I was one, they tend to get up really fucking early, watch cartoons while eating colorful cereal, and then head off to do things somewhere between 10 and noon. So 8 AM is in a kind of sweet spot; not too early, not too late.

 

[Sterok]

I just mean that their target audience that the merchandise and show are targeted at are not necessarily doing handheld gaming on such systems anymore compared to back then. There's just so many options now that you don't really have to spend anything after getting a phone/tablet/PC with Minecraft if you want to play games on the go. Even if the Game Boy was declining, kids still had them around in some form, you know?

Well, that's the issue isn't it. For now, in the short run, Nintendo needs to figure out how to pry kids away from their phones and get them interested in a 3DS. Is it possible? Probably not, but this is probably the only shot they have at this point. Might as well take a chance. There seems to be a cautious optimism about this from what I've seen, which I take to mean they're hoping that it takes off and think it will do decently, but not to the extent that it becomes The Next Big Thing.

 

[Sandfox]

Maybe they are just hoping some part of it resonates the same way it did with Japanese children. *shrug*



And yet Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon, and Monster Rancher were Pokemon clones back in the day (and are still sometimes considered that nowadays).

The only thing is that the Pokemon craze has died down enough that children might not be as fanboyish to think everything is after that Pokemon money.

Yugioh is not a Pokemon clone and I think Pokemon's influence on Digimon is arguable. I don't know enough about Monster Rancher to comment on that.

 

[Paper Sparrow]

Yugioh is not a Pokemon clone and I think Digimon is arguable. I don't know enough about Monster Rancher to comment on that.

Digimon is a boy's version of Tamagotchi and never pretended otherwise, except maybe in some of the later games.

 

[Takao]

Well, to compare, I think Pokemon episodes tend to get 1 million on average and are aired at like 6am on weekends compared to the 5pm early-week broadcasts for Yokai Watch. But looking at Disney XD numbers, their content doesn't really get that high normally. They're mostly competing with the Nicktoons network and both networks never really perform that amazingly to begin with so... I don't think the ratings mean much necessarily.

Disney XD's Marvel stuff usually pulls 2-3x those numbers. Though it's obviously not fair to compare YW to that, it shows that XD can do better.

I don't think it's a good idea to dismiss the anime's viewership. It was the driving force for the franchise in Japan, and the anime usually is the driving force for these properties in the west.

 

[Khaos_Knight]

Never heard of it before so I doubt it.

 

[Crono27]

no it wont be.. but i think it will have some success over here

 

[DCharlie]

The series doesn't have the 'charm' Pokemon had when it came out.

NO NO
NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO
NO NO
THIS IS BULLSHIT

 

[Bulbasaur]

I guess it's possible but I think it will require a larger marketing push than Pokemon did back in the day.

 

[JoeM86]

Will it be big? Without a doubt.

Will it become the "next Pokémon"? Nope.

As much as I hate to say it, as I like the concept of Yo-kai Watch even if the battle system isn't for me (I still need to give Busters a shot though, that game looks ridiculously fun), I don't see it lasting, even in Japan.

Things are already losing steam in Japan. Merchandise sales are down 75% on last year. The anime has dropped from being almost double Pokémon's ratings to being around and sometimes less than Pokémon's ratings, all in a year. The games are still doing well, but I question how long they will considering Level 5's track record.

Hopefully it will stick around long enough for Jibanyan to join Smash, and Whisper to be an Assist Trophy.

Worth noting that in Japan, the games didn't do that well until the anime hit. Perhaps in the west it will be the opposite and the anime will start doing well when the game comes out.

Probably going to get people attack me on Twitter again now because I spoke out saying that Yo-kai Watch isn't the greatest thing ever on here. They seem to think I hate it.

 

[Mory Dunz]

 

[Newtype-001]

Hopefully, time to kick Pokemons ass.
All these yokai look atleast 3x better than recent gen pokemon.

 

[JoeM86]

Hopefully, time to kick Pokemons ass.
All these yokai look atleast 3x better than recent gen pokemon.

Have you seen the Yo-kai and the recent gen Pokémon?

 

[KelpPlankton]

the cartoon series got relegated to Disney XD so i doubt its going to be a huge hit with such a small audience

any time you see tons and tons of articles speculating if something is going to be The Next Big Thing it inevitably won't, because those big enduring hits always come out of nowhere. pokemon did, tmnt did, etc etc

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Busters is all right, but it's pretty simplistic. Definitely meant for MP for kids.

 

[Takao]

Remember Hamtaro?

 

[Alex_Mexico]

How is the anime fairing on Disney XD? It's probably too soon to see any traction seeing there's no game or toys yet, the latter not being ready until spring 2016 which for me sounds like a monumental mistake, but maybe it's starting to pick up on ratings?

 

[Newtype-001]

Have you seen the Yo-kai and the recent gen Pokémon?

WITH MY OWN 1 SET OF EYES.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

what are some of the better looking yo-kai (?)

i'm curious. All I ever see when someone mentions yo-kai watch is that red cat thing

 

[Rootbeer]

Pokemon aired on network TV and every kid in the nation could watch it for free.

YKW is on Disney XD

Nuff said

 

[JoeM86]

WITH MY OWN 1 SET OF EYES.

Well to me it seems like you're comparing the best of the Yo-kai with the worst of the Pokémon.

Recent gens of Pokémon have so many amazing designs. You're not being a generation 1 purist are you?

 

[aadiboy]

I think the big difference between Yokai Watch and Pokemon is that Pokemon didn't have to deal with a Pokemon-sized franchise as competition when it first launched. YW may have taken Japan over by storm, but I don't see it doing Pokemon numbers over here.

 

[HawthorneKitty]

what are some of the better looking yo-kai (?)

i'm curious. All I ever see when someone mentions yo-kai watch is that red cat thing

This one is cute

 

[Newtype-001]

Well to me it seems like you're comparing the best of the Yo-kai with the worst of the Pokémon.

Recent gens of Pokémon have so many amazing designs. You're not being a generation 1 purist are you?

Ive never played the Gen 1 stuff.
Gen 2-6 is what ive played

 

[nikos]

Hopefully. I'm really looking forward to the game. Watched the first episode and, while it's aimed at children, it was pretty good.

I feel like I missed out on Pokemon, since I never got into it, so this would be nice to have. Yo-Kai's art style is more interesting to me than Pokemon is.

 

[PreyingShark]

what are some of the better looking yo-kai (?)

i'm curious. All I ever see when someone mentions yo-kai watch is that red cat thing

Some of my faves:

This one's a digital Shin'uchi exclusive:

There are a lot more I like but I forgot their names. I'm going to start playing again soon tho, then I should remember!

 

[big_z]

The show has yet to pull more than 300k viewers an episode in the US.

its only aired for about a week and the big marketing push will come along with the game for the Christmas season. if it still isn't pulling in big numbers after the holiday break then its possible it wont catch on.

 

[zeopower6]

Disney XD's Marvel stuff usually pulls 2-3x those numbers. Though it's obviously not fair to compare YW to that, it shows that XD can do better.

I don't think it's a good idea to dismiss the anime's viewership. It was the driving force for the franchise in Japan, and the anime usually is the driving force for these properties in the west.

It's going to be very hard with it on Disney XD. I mean, it should do okay and not bomb like Doraemon apparently did.

In Japan, it's just such a different culture there with anime broadcasts basically happening in the early mornings and evenings almost every day (Yokai Watch is on in Japan during primetime on Fridays) and they still have the Saturday morning kids blocks that we used to have. It's certainly going to be a struggle unless they stick it on some streaming service ASAP.

 

[Nightbird]

It could be the next big thing if Nintendo, Level 5 and Hasbro put the marketing money in it, but i doubt it.

 

[Pennywise83]

We already have the next big thing: Minecraft. Kids are playing Minecraft and watching YT videos about that. A lot.

The show has yet to pull more than 300k viewers an episode in the US.

It's also true that a game like YW will succeed (if it will) as a sleeper hit - given the target audience, and not with a bang. Word-of-mouth is a vital aspect when it comes to kids.

Will it be big? Without a doubt.

Will it become the "next Pokémon"? Nope.

As much as I hate to say it, as I like the concept of Yo-kai Watch even if the battle system isn't for me (I still need to give Busters a shot though, that game looks ridiculously fun), I don't see it lasting, even in Japan.

Things are already losing steam in Japan. Merchandise sales are down 75% on last year. The anime has dropped from being almost double Pokémon's ratings to being around and sometimes less than Pokémon's ratings, all in a year. The games are still doing well, but I question how long they will considering Level 5's track record.

Hopefully it will stick around long enough for Jibanyan to join Smash, and Whisper to be an Assist Trophy.

Worth noting that in Japan, the games didn't do that well until the anime hit. Perhaps in the west it will be the opposite and the anime will start doing well when the game comes out.

Probably going to get people attack me on Twitter again now because I spoke out saying that Yo-kai Watch isn't the greatest thing ever on here. They seem to think I hate it.

Merchandising sales are down because no new mainline entry has been released this year so far - this occurs all the time with merchandising-drive franchises, see Pokémon.

It's also factually wrong that the game didn't do well until the anime hit - YW had amazing legs beforehand too, opening with 50k units and hitting the 300k mark before the end of the year.

 

[JoeM86]

Merchandising sales are down because no new mainline entry has been released this year so far - this occurs all the time with merchandising-drive franchises, see Pokémon.

It's also factually wrong that the game didn't do well until the anime hit - YW had amazing legs beforehand too, opening with 50k units and hitting the 300k mark before the end of the year.

That's not the only reason merchandise sales are down. It's more due to compatibility with others etc.

I also didn't say the game didn't do well. I said it didn't do that well as in the current YW level.

 

[Mik317]

I think they waited a bit too long to release it. We are like 2 games behind and the 3DS is on its way out soon.
And honestly times just have changed...Pokemon probably wouldn't be as big if it came out today either. Hell, I still don't know how Pokemon got as big as it did...and Yokai Watch is not going to get that level of push. Pokemon had a show, merchandise, the card game (that no one in my are even knew how to play yo), on top of the games being new for most kids (It was my first RPG) and the trade feature and whatnot. Yokai Watch seems neat but it lacks the novelty and while having the show here is great..it probably won't have the pop w/ how anime is occasionally vilified and simply portables are dying sadly. Basically, it is coming out here at a really poor time. Maybe if it hit during the DS hot era but now?..ehh.

 

[zeopower6]

It's also factually wrong that the game didn't do well until the anime hit - YW had amazing legs beforehand too, opening with 50k units and hitting the 300k mark before the end of the year.

I think Yokai Watch as the super franchise that it is now was mainly thanks to the anime. The game sold okay, but the anime helped future iterations sell incredibly.

 

[Sandfox]

Merchandising sales are down because no new mainline entry has been released this year so far - this occurs all the time with merchandising-drive franchises, see Pokémon.

Even then they had a new wave of toys and youkai that tied in with a new season of the anime so you wouldn't expect a drop like that.

 

[JoeM86]

Even then they had a new wave of toys and youkai that tied in with a new season of the anime so you wouldn't expect a drop like that.

And a popular spin-off.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

I doubt it will be as big as Pokemon, but I really hope it does well. Pokemon is so stale to me now, I can't ever go back.

 

[Kouriozan]

Hopefully it can manage good numbers before Level 5 kill it by releasing too much games too quickly,

 

[Sandfox]

And a popular spin-off.

The spinoff may have sold well, but I don't really know how much it pushed the new stuff other than Usapyon.

 

[FunkyDealer]

It would have to be released on mobile/tablets as well to really stand a chance of becoming properly huge here in the west.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

The show has yet to pull more than 300k viewers an episode in the US.

You mean the show that debuted just last week?

Big hits usually take time to take off.

 

[Deleted member 20415]

I've watched about 5-6 episodes at this point and I don't know if I have a lot of heart for it.

I like how the show is basically divided into multiple mini episodes, but even those mini episodes seem to drag on a bit. It's not very funny or interesting...

Dude above that said it lacks "charm" - right on. Don't feel a whole lot of pull towards any of the characters, and the main Yo-kai pal Whisper is annoying as hell.

That dance at the end though? That gets me every time.

 

[Johndoey]

Remember Hamtaro?

Every night before I sleep. The Hamsters eat my dreams leaving me with an exquisite agony.

On topic there is no way Yo-Kai Watch will have anywhere near the level of success Pokemon has had. In five years Yo-Kai Watch will be a dying ember of a franchise if it lasts that long.