The Hidden History of Nickelodeon's Cancelled Anime

The Hidden History of Nickelodeon's Cancelled Anime

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. The Popularity of Anime 2.1 Anime in Popular Culture 2.2 Limited Options in the Early 2000s 2.3 Anime on Television Channels
3. Localization of Anime for Western Audiences 3.1 Changes in Dialogue and Character Names 3.2 Editing Objectionable Content 3.3 Financial Costs of Localization
4. Collaborations Between Western and Japanese Companies 4.1 Creating an Anime for the American Audience 4.2 Akihabara@DEEP: The Source Material
5. Adaptations of Akihabara@DEEP 5.1 Manga Adaptation 5.2 Feature Film and Television Drama 5.3 Collaboration with Nickelodeon
6. Challenges in Adapting Akihabara@DEEP for Nickelodeon 6.1 Changes in Visual Style 6.2 Rewriting the Series Premise 6.3 Polygon Pictures and Their Rejected Pitches
7. The Fate of Akihabara@DEEP 7.1 Lack of Official Updates 7.2 Unreleased Production Art 7.3 Explanation of Cancellation

Title: The Abandoned Anime Project: Akihabara@DEEP and Nickelodeon's Failed Collaboration

Introduction: Anime has become immensely popular in recent years, infiltrating mainstream culture in various forms. However, back in the early 2000s, the accessibility to anime was limited, and the options to engage with this medium were scarce. This article explores the collaboration between a Japanese novel series, Akihabara@DEEP, and the renowned American television network, Nickelodeon. Despite initial plans to bring this relatively unknown series to the United States, the project was eventually abandoned. We delve into the reasons behind the failed collaboration and the challenges involved in adapting mature source material for a young audience.

The Popularity of Anime: Anime has solidified its place in popular culture, with movies topping box offices and celebrities openly expressing their love for it. However, it hasn't always been this way. In the early 2000s, options to engage with anime were extremely limited, and finding DVDs or VHS tapes was a hassle. Traditional television channels like Cartoon Network and Four Kids played a significant role in introducing anime to a broader audience through programming blocks like Toonami. Localization played a crucial role in making anime more suitable for Western audiences by changing dialogue, character names, and removing objectionable content.

Collaborations Between Western and Japanese Companies: While anime was primarily imported from Japan, there was a curiosity about whether a Western company would collaborate with a Japanese studio to create an anime from scratch, catering specifically to an American audience. Akihabara@DEEP, a standalone novel released in 2004, became the focus of such a collaboration. It revolved around a group of outcast computer technicians aiming to create an advanced search engine utilizing artificial intelligence. This innovative technology caught the attention of Nickelodeon and Polygon Pictures, leading to plans for an animated series.

Challenges in Adapting Akihabara@DEEP for Nickelodeon: Adapting mature source material for a young audience presented numerous challenges. Polygon Pictures sought major creative liberties, veering away from the grounded, traditional anime look. Akihabara@DEEP contained mature themes, including visual depictions of oral sex and prostitution, which required a complete retooling for the intended demographic of 6 to 11-year-olds. Despite attempts by various writers, Polygon Pictures and Nickelodeon struggled to find the right balance between maintaining the essence of the series and catering to Nickelodeon's target audience.

The Fate of Akihabara@DEEP: After the initial announcements and fan excitement, official updates on the progress of the collaboration became non-existent. The project was subsequently deemed canceled. Unreleased production art shared by the character designer, Ipegyobu, provided a glimpse into the show's intended look. Efforts to gather more information revealed that the project had shifted from Polygon Pictures to Radar Cartoons, but no further developments were reported. Akihabara@DEEP remains an intriguing example of a failed collaboration between Japanese and Western companies in the realm of anime.

Highlights:

1. The modern popularity of anime and its significant presence in popular culture cannot be understated.
2. Limited accessibility to anime existed in the early 2000s, with traditional television channels playing a pivotal role in introducing it to a broader audience.
3. Collaborations between Western and Japanese companies aimed to Create anime specifically tailored for Western audiences.
4. Adapting mature source material for a young audience presented significant challenges, resulting in creative changes and retooling of the original series.
5. The project for Akihabara@DEEP in collaboration with Nickelodeon eventually faced cancellation, leaving fans curious about the untapped potential of the collaboration.

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