Comments on: Drawing Venom from Akihabara into Burbank

by: Rob

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:19:45 +0000

Will - Are you asking for the spec treatment I wrote? If that’s the case, then I’m afraid I can’t do that, since there’s a chance I could still shop my idea around. As far as how Nickelodeon and Polygon Pictures are going about it, I have no idea since I didn’t get hired for the show.

by: Will Catherwood

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:40:54 +0000

Hello, I was wondering if you could send me any details about the project? I’m very curious as to how a show about japanese otaku will be converted to appeal to american children? I’m waiting in great anticipation to see how it turns out! Thank you very much, Will Catherwood.

by: Rob

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:46:06 +0000

Kevn57 - No, I was given a detailed synopsis of the feature film, plus some preliminary preproduction material of the American Series. I also did as much research as I could online. I was told that I had total freedom to completely rewrite the premise, so I just went ahead with my gut instincts. If I had been asked to stick to the original premise for the rewrite, then I would’ve gone out and gotten the film and the TV series to get to know the universe more intimately.

I tend to feel that trying to Americanize a Japanese show for the American audience is usually not a good thing, because so much of the charm of Japanese shows are because of the cultural idiosyncrasies–you take that away and it’s just not quite the same (we’ve seen this over and over with American remakes of foreign films). For my take on Akihabara@Deep, I tried my best to keep the vibe of a hip franchise, while having the emotional core of the premise be something that’s universally appealing. I’m very proud of what I wrote, and although in the end I wasn’t picked as the writer for the show, I still got a lot out of the process of writing it. Maybe one day I’ll take the new premise and characters I created for it and pitch it to another studio under a different title. What I created is different enough from the original that it could be a completely different series.

by: kevn57

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 22:43:47 +0000

Rob have you seen either the TV show or movie? I’ve seen the 11 episodes of the TV show and I agree that it’s not suitable for American kids, while there is little to no sex or violence it’s about maid cafes, hikikomori, and otaku. Kids may enjoy the Cosplay element if that were left in and the video game stuff, the @Deep office looks like a dream come true to me, with the figures, posters and quarter scale Gundam models.
On the plus side it’s a lot less violent then say Johnny Quest which I grew up on and the basic premise that a bunch of weak people joined together to form a group of much greater strength to protect the weak people around them.

by: Rob

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 22:13:26 +0000

Kevn57 - I’m with you there. I personally prefer shows that allow a bit more complexity and depth, and that’s why I’ve never been drawn to children’s shows. The kind of animated shows I love are the ones where an adult can sit down and get something out of it, while children can still enjoy its most obvious layer of storytelling (The Venture Bros. comes to mind). I don’t really understand why Polygon and Nickelodeon are adamant about turning it into a children’s show–maybe that segment of the market is more lucrative (make no mistake–these things are always driven by profit first and foremost)? I personally feel that the premise of Akihabara@Deep is unsuitable for a children’s show in the first place (think about it–cyber crimes and severely dysfunctional characters are the main focus of the story. How is that a suitable premise for a children’s show?), and by turning it into a children’s show, they’re killing the potential for some great storytelling that the premise allows. I’d be curious to see what they end up doing with the show though–just to see what they picked instead of my take on the show. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be really good.