Video Games Don't Make Good Anime Series

We've all heard of the taboo that follows video game movies; they just don't seem to have the same effect or charm that the games do. And let's face it, the plots of video games are often made in order to give the player solutions to fix. These don't always translate well when it comes to the big screen, but it's also not great in anime adaptations.

A lot of popular video games that have an anime-style to them are selected for an official series. Anything from puzzle games to otome dating simulators is fair game for at least a season with twelve episodes.

I was thinking about the kind of hype that these series get after watching the first couple of episodes for Angels of Death. The game seemed to be the biggest reason there was even a fan base around the anime in the first place, which got me wondering why we aren't talking about these kinds of adaptations. While I don't want to cast judgement on Angels of Death too early, I haven't been impressed so far; you can read my official thoughts on my First Impressions post!

Granted, there is the rare exception. I really did enjoy the Persona anime adaptations that they would come out with. The reason these did so well is probably because the plot of the game easily adapted. Not to mention, the kind of characters and development in the game is a great outline for how to create the series.

I think this is the largest reason why video games don't do well when it comes to full scripts and stories. Going back to my first impression of Angels of Death, I already saw exactly where puzzle-solving game mechanics would come into play and how these didn't really make sense in a show environment. When you can see how this would be a lot of fun as a game, you know it's just frustrating to watch as a show.

The development of personalities and relationships can also suffer because of this. While there are plenty of action game adaptations that are guilty of this, the worst offender is probably dating sim games.

I've written about how harem anime tend to bug me, mainly because there is no goal or objective, but ones that are based off of simulating games are even worse. When you play a dating sim, you tend to either be stuck on a route with a specific character or you need to make choices in order to obtain the person you're interested in. Both instances are horrible for plots and character development because who you end up with completely altars important aspects to the story.

Take an anime like Diabolik Lovers; this may be one of the more cringey reverse-harem shows out there, but it proves a point. The lead protagonist isn't very active because her whole character development should be based on choices a player would make. In the same instance, it's hard to understand how all these random vampires care about her, outside of a need for her blood, because there was never real development between their relationships.

This isn't to say we shouldn't support the video game series that come out with their own shows. To me, it's always worth giving it a shot to see if it will be anywhere near as good as the game. But for the most part, there's a lot of shows out there that haven't made the best attempts, leaving me to think that perhaps the movie industry isn't the only place video games seem to be doing poorly in.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!