Forum - View topicAudio drama based on anime/manga (& video game), is it the right time to release them worldwide?
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mdo7
 Posts: 6922 Location: Katy, Texas, USA |
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I've been listening to audio drama podcasts on Spotify, Youtube, and elsewhere since 2020/2021 (although before audio drama podcasts, I have listened to non-fiction podcasts like IGN, ANNCast, Nature, and Science Magazine. And I still do even to this day along with other podcasts). Outside of anime, I do enjoy listening to audio drama both new/modern and the old era (like from the Golden Age of Radio, or any radio dramas from the 60's, 70's, or anything made before podcasts or even Spotify existed), they're fun alternative entertainment outside of watching TVs, or even playing video games. The reason I created this poll thread is because I sort of want to revisit an old Answerman question/answer from 2014 (& 2018) when it comes to audio drama CDs and particularly audio drama based on anime/manga. I think you may have seen this:
Fast forward to today: Now for a lot of you forumites on ANN that listen to audio drama knows that we listen to them on podcasts, and audio streaming via Spotify, Youtube (yes, Youtube has now surpassed Spotify when it comes to listening to podcasts, and audio stuff), and not on CDs like in the past. Podcasts has come a long way from extremely niche to mainstream today, thanks to podcast, radio/audio dramas or fiction podcasts have now found new audiences ever since the medium almost nearly died pre-podcast/pre-audio streaming. We know that in Japan, audio dramas are popular even before podcast or audio streaming existed hence audio drama CDs that get released over there. Many of them are based on or act as tie-in to anime/manga IPs, and there are even doujin audio dramas (uh about doujin audio drama, that's what I read from Wikipedia and on the web, don't take my word for it). So what does this have to do with audio drama podcasts in the US and elsewhere worldwide? Ever since 2019/2020, audio drama podcasts has gained mainstream popularity in the US thanks to Spotify adding podcasts (in 2015), and better technology along with better accessibility. In 2020 alone, fiction/audio drama podcasts had seen a jump in download and listenership in the US. So yes, the golden age of radio drama has sort of return. But what does this mean? If I tell you that DC, Marvel, and other popular IPs have taken advantage of podcast to make audio dramas adaptations, that would be crazy and ambitious, and yet here we are. That's why DC, and Marvel has already adapted some of their popular superheroes into audio dramas like Batman, Wolverine, and probably others. Podcasts has become big deal and big business, they are the target for film or other media adaptation, even Hollywood is taking podcasts very seriously to the point where A-list movie stars like Demi Moore, Chris Pine, Matthew McConaughey, and other well-known celebrities/actors are now starring and lending their voices to audio drama/fiction podcasts in reminiscent of how Hollywood actors back in the 40's and 50's participated in radio dramas. Yep, fiction/audio drama podcasts are now big business today compared to a decade ago. I want to focus on several audio drama podcasts for this poll thread, and it might help give us an idea how audio drama based or tie-in to anime/manga (and probably Japanese video game) would work for US and international audiences, I'm going to focus on several of them: Death Note audio drama: In 2017/2018, even before the audio drama/fiction podcast explosion. Death Note was the only first anime-based audio drama podcast to get an English, and German-language adaptation. So this is one evidence that fiction/audio drama based on anime/manga can be translated and adapted into another language. Batman: Unburied-In 2022, we saw the Batman audio drama debuted on Spotify (alongside The Audio Adventure that was made for HBO Max) as part of the partnership between WB/DC and Spotify, and this one is very interesting because this particular audio drama got 8 simultaneous multiple languages adaptation release on the same day as the original English-language version, one of them is Japanese!!! The Japanese version has well-known on-screen actors/actresses like Ryohei Otani, Mika Nakashima, and Rena Matsui lending their voices for the Japanese adaptation. As a matter of fact, the Japanese-language version did so well, it reached #2 on the Japanese chart. So Batman: Unburied having 8 different language adaptation and being released on the same day on Spotify does show that there is potential for audio drama based on anime/manga to received multiple language adaptation and same-day international/global releases in that same manner. Wolverine: The Long Night- First released in English in 2018-2019, the audio drama did become a hit and put fictional/audio drama podcasts in the spotlight. It later got a 2nd season in 2019 under the name Wolverine: The Lost Trail. I want to point this out because in 2021, Marvel has commissioned The Long Night (the 1st season) to get a Spanish-language adaptation under the name, Wolverine: La Narga Noche, and I too assume that became a hit, the 2nd season: The Lost Trail hasn't received a Spanish-language version as of 2024/2025. So Wolverine getting a Spanish-language version like Batman: Unburied also reinforce that audio drama based on anime/manga can get a translation/adaptation into other languages. Case 63/Caso 63: This fiction/audio drama podcast is something that anime/manga fans and for those of you that want to have audio drama based on anime/manga to have localized release in the US should pay special attention to. Case 63/Caso 63 is a very interesting case study for anime/manga fans because this audio drama title was originally recorded in Spanish (Chilean dialect to be exact) in 2020, it would later get a Brazilian Portuguese adaptation in 2021 under the name Paciente 63. It would get an English adaptation in 2022 for Spotify with well-known stars like Julianne Moore and Oscar Issac lending their voices for this adaptation. This script would also received a Hindi-language adaptation for India under the title name, Virus 2062. If you want to know and see what an audio drama based on anime/manga would looked like when it comes to translating and adapting from Japanese to English, and probably other languages, use Case 63/Caso 63 as a good case study on how audio drama based on anime/manga that was originally recorded in Japanese can get English-language and other foreign language adaptations outside of Japan. The Callisto Protocol prequel audio drama- I'm putting this in here because anime fans have asked about audio dramas based on video game properties/franchises, and I assume they're referring to Japanese video game titles. Well, we never had a fiction/audio drama podcast based or tie-in to a video game properties (both US/western or Japanese franchises) in the US. It's not until The Callisto Protocol got an official prequel audio drama podcast, under the name The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station (as a matter of fact, I think this is the only video game property to have an official audio drama podcast). If people wanted to know what an audio drama based on a video game properties (let alone a Japanese properties) would look like, well this one comes very close. Before I conclude this, after Batman: Unburied came out, a person on CBR wrote an interesting article piece (from 2022) making an interesting argument for localizing audio drama based on anime/manga and I agreed with this piece he written. I've given several cases that fiction/audio drama based on anime/manga (and Japanese video game) should get localized adaptation release in multiple languages beside Japanese, and English. The Death Note audio drama show that an audio drama based on anime/manga getting an English and languages outside of Japanese is possible. Batman: Unburied showed it's possible for a script originally written in English to get a simultaneous multi-language adaptation/translation release on the same day. Wolverine, and Caso 63/Case 63 reinforced that an audio drama script in it's original language can be adapted and translated into another language. The Callisto Protocol prequel audio drama has shown and demonstrated that the US/North American (along with international) market is ready to have audio drama podcasts based on video game properties (opening the gate for Japanese VG titles/properties to get multi-language adaptation release outside of Japan). Do I think this is the right time for fiction/audio drama based on or tie in to anime/manga properties to get multi-language adaptation/translation localization in the US and elsewhere? Yes, I think we're at a point where audio drama podcasts have become so popular if not mainstream in the USA/North America, I think anime/manga could benefit of having their original Japanese language audio drama scripts be adapted into English, and other languages thanks to the audio drama titles I mentioned above and the evidence of it's mainstream popularity here. TL;DR: The US/international market is ready for fiction/audio drama based on anime/manga citing the evidences I stated above as proof. There is a market for audio drama!!! My question to you: Do you agree with what I said, do you think the anime/manga fandom are willing to listen to a localized audio drama based on anime/manga properties? The poll is opened, go ahead and take part, and also leave any comments or thoughts after doing the poll. |
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