Here Are The Projects We Want To See Out Of Nintendo's Anime Studio
Nintendo is responsible for many fond memories in people's childhoods. Kids (and let's be honest, adults too) would gather around their television sets with friends waiting for another round of "Super Smash Bros." or "Mario Kart" to load. It's a ton of fun, and it looks like Nintendo's interested in making some moves to bring its vast collection of properties to a wider audience.
Nintendo announced it would acquire the anime studio Dynamo Pictures and rename it Nintendo Pictures. The goal appears designed to help the company develop more visual content, including movies and TV shows, based on intellectual property. It's also possible the acquisition could be used in gameplay to help develop cutscenes for a litany of projects.
Nintendo certainly has no shortage of characters and storylines to draw from for new, enticing anime. Who wouldn't want a new series centered on Kirby or a show where Donkey Kong and his crew are placed front and center? There are many possibilities moving forward, but here are a few of the projects we'd like to see come to light under Nintendo Pictures.
We wouldn't dread a Metroid series
You love "Metroid." We love "Metroid." John Cena loves "Metroid." An adaptation just makes sense.
For many years, the "Metroid" series laid dormant. Then in 2021, Nintendo came out with "Metroid Dread," and it quickly became the best-selling game in the franchise so far (via Video Games Chronicle). There's clearly a lot of interest in the continuing adventures of Samus Aran, and an anime would be the perfect way to explore her adventures.
The best way to go about adapting this property would be to start at the beginning. The story takes place on the planet Zebes and follows Samus as she attempts to retrieve parasitic organisms that threaten all who oppose the dastardly Space Pirates. Honestly, any synopsis with the phrase "Space Pirates" deserves to be an anime.
No one understood that better than Rabbit MACHINE who uploaded a minute-long short of an anime-style "Metroid" to YouTube. If the comments on that page are any indication, this is something fans are hungry for, with words of praise pouring in like "I would love a whole series just like this" and "Came in with really low expectations, left with higher standards." With insane monsters, incredible action, and a superb protagonist at the forefront, a "Metroid" anime simply makes sense.
It could be a new horizon for Animal Crossing
"Animal Crossing" has already been adapted into an anime film. It came out in 2006 and was released only in Japan, but there are so many other stories to tell in the village that it makes sense to turn to this property again to see what can be mined out of it.
During the pandemic, "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" surged in popularity with everyone stuck at home with nothing else to do but to take care of their virtual home and friends. It would make sense to try to parlay all of those new fans into an audience for an anime that explores Tom Nook and the rest of the villagers.
Plus, an anime adaptation could make for some prime relaxation television. If you thought "The Great British Bake Off" was soothing, wait until you see a bunch of animal friends work alongside one another to ensure their village is as pristine as possible. Tom Nook could be there to ensure everyone pays their bills on time and everyone goes about their business collecting insects and chopping down trees. It would be the kind of show you put on and zone out as you forget about your own bills to pay.
Hear us out on this one ...
At first glance, "Mario Kart," despite its insane popularity on Nintendo consoles, doesn't seem like it would be a natural fit for an anime adaptation. The entire game series revolves around picking a character from the "Super Mario" franchise along with a vehicle and racing with your friends. There's not much of a storyline there, but we think there's a way to transform this game series into one outstanding anime.
It would all involve taking a cue from the beloved Saturday morning cartoon "Wacky Racers." The premise for that show was straightforward. Every week, the same racers would show up to race against one another on a new track. They would have all sorts of gadgets at their disposal to stop other racers in their tracks. It sounds an awful lot like "Mario Kart" when you get down to brass tacks, and we think that should serve as the ideal inspiration behind an anime based on the popular racing game series.
Mario and his friends would get into friendly competitive races with one another, with Bowser effectively serving as the series' equivalent to Dick Dastardly. Bowser's always trying to sabotage the races, but everyone else manages to pull through in the end. It'd be a ton of fun and the perfect thing to watch with a big bowl of sugary cereal in your lap.