Ask John: Why Remakes Instead of Sequels?

Question:
Are remakes of anime good business for studios or is there a reason why we see no true sequels to really popular anime? Taking Rurouni Kenshin and Evangelion for example. Both series left off at stages where a sequel was open to continue the story lines, yet now we’re seeing either a retelling or remake of these series yet being starved from seeing true sequels. Is this a good direction or is this an attempt by anime studios to cash in on the popularity of a series.

Answer:
Without putting in too much analysis, one must assume that anime reboots are profitable, otherwise viewers would see fewer of them and more literal sequels instead. At the same time anime is a deeply individual and creative means of personal artistic expression, it’s also a corporate business oriented toward generating profits. Most anime studios don’t have the financial luxury of dictating their own productions. Production committees decide upon tentative productions, then studios are contracted and paid to handle the animation production. In effect, much of the time anime studios animate what they’re paid to animate, not necessarily what they may most want to animate.

Reboots and remakes are a financially sound investment because they’re grounded in concrete practical reality rather than emotional theory. Certainly established fans would prefer to see narrative sequels instead of re-treads. But remakes have a larger potential consumer audience than sequels. While a sequel largely limits its audience to viewers already familiar with the franchise, a reboot appeals to both new viewers and the established fans that gripe about unnecessary remakes, then grudgingly watch and buy the remake anyway. Remakes create the sense of a new production and possibly introduce a franchise to new viewers that weren’t previously aware of the title. Sequels are inextricably tied to the past; they evoke a sense of being dated, even if the production is brand new. Furthermore, particularly in Japan, where the anime industry moves so quickly, new productions have to stay timely in order to stay relevant. 18 new anime television series premiered in Japan during this year’s first of four TV seasons. How many of those 18 new programs do average anime fans distinctly remember now, merely eleven months later? 97 additional new anime TV series have premiered in Japan in just the past nine months! With so much anime overwhelming viewers, refreshing memories and introducing new fans with remakes and reboots makes more sense than picking up with direct sequels that expect viewers to recall anime from months or even years ago.

The wisdom of reboots versus sequels in regard to fostering creativity and long-term viability of the anime industry is certainly debatable. Reboots may generate more revenue, but they limit creative progression. However, if creative evolution is the ideal goal, then even sequels are less constructive than focusing effort on creating entirely new franchises and new adaptations instead of resurrecting older titles for either remake or continuation. Viewers do have the ability to influence what type of anime gets produced by financially encouraging desirable productions. When remakes cease to generate significant profits but sequels do generate big revenue, we’ll see concentration shift from producing reboots to producing sequels. However, right now, when titles like Dragon Ball Kai seem as popular, if not more popular, than Dragon Ball Z, and anticipation is high for the forthcoming Berserk theatrical remake, consumer support seems to validate and encourage the continued production of remakes and reboots in place of sequels.