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April 14, 2005
4kids & kappa mikey
In an odd, ironic, and vaguely psychopathic twist, 4Kids has acquired Animation Collective's "Kappa Mikey", an animated series about an American actor who finds fame, fortune and utter confusion in Japan after becoming a voice actor in a failing anime series, which becomes a smash hit.
The interesting thing about this series is that the art style is not in the least bit (stereotypical) anime-like (although that may change between now and the series debut on Nick (!) in '06). Also, MTV had a hand in its early development, which makes it all the more odd that the completed series will air on Nickelodeon of all places. Even the most promising animation series wither and die on Nick. (or get assassinated if they threaten to overshadow the network's teen idol franchises - witness the slow death-by-reruns of Invader Zim). Finally, there's 4Kids' involvement. hooboy. after seeing what they've done to real anime series, I shudder to think of what will become of a series that is in their hands from the very start.
From a technical standpoint, Kappa Mikey's animation will be done in Flash, something I've only seen in "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends." It works for Foster's, but Kappa Mikey appears to be a good deal less ...fanciful (given that it's about an American actor finding fame as an anime voice actor in Japan). Nonetheless, Animation Collective has a good (Web) track record and I look forward to seeing what they can do in the broadcast medium, despite the odds already stacked against them.
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at April 14, 2005 11:49 AM | Posted to Anime, American Style
