>>38110874Except the teens don't bite, hence why it always flops.
as people grow up they don't want darker. People will be drawn to a specific series for however dark it is, and that's generally gonna be about however dark they want it to be, give or take. They just want depth. and no, Pendleton Ward, I don't mean ivory tower indecipherable arthouse "depth." i mean make people feel something. Tell a story that's not just about going from plot point A to plot point B.
Its crazy, because for instance, look at Team FourStar. Same show, same general plot as the original, they are an abridged series after all. All they did was add some extra jokes, and then write the characters better. Not generally any different aside from gags like popo and guru, just better. They're better characterized both in personality and motivation, the relationships between them are now relevant and more realistic... Its not just a story about thwarting whatever villain of the week by yelling and punching him a lot then resorting to spirit bomb. It's now also a story about... for instance, a boy under constant crippling pressure by his tigermother and constantly ignored, forgotten, or manipulated into dangerous situations by his negligent father finding a better parent figure in his kidnapper than he ever had at home, that kidnapper learning to experience the simple gifts like companionship and being that life has given him but he's been too focused on vengeance to appreciate, and the two bonding as the family neither really had.
That touches people. That's satisfying. It makes them feel things. For some, parts of it might even be relatable. And that depth makes every other part that much richer. Jokes work best with a core of truth. Material conflicts work best with emotional investment. Don't make it edgier, just add depth.
>>38110877its never worked for digimon either.
