Yo-kai Watch (??????, Y?kai Wotchi) is a mixed-media franchise of role-playing video games and toys, created and developed by Level-5. The first game in the series was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. Four main sequels and several spinoffs, on both Nintendo and mobile platforms, have been released.
Six manga adaptations have also been produced; one, a sh?nen manga series that began serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic from December 2012, became an award winner. An anime television series produced by OLM, Inc. began airing in Japan from January 2014 and was a ratings success, boosting the franchise in popularity, and began airing in North America from October 2015. An animated film was released in December 2014; with three more films being produced.
Video Yo-kai Watch
Concept
The franchise was first thought up as a "Doraemon" IP, something that could be long lasting over a long period of time. Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, researched extensively what makes a franchise long lasting and came up with Yo-kai Watch.
Yo-kai Watch revolves around befriending Yo-kai that are haunting the city. They are based on traditional Japanese y?kai, but often with clever twists. If one befriends a Yo-kai, they get their friendship medal, an object that allows one to summon Yo-kai. With these, they can summon Yo-kai to either fight other Yo-kai, befriend others, or solve everyday tasks.
The basic plot for most of the media is that the main character (Either Nate or Katie) obtains a Yo-kai Watch through Whisper, a butler Yo-kai. They then befriend Jibanyan, a cat Yo-kai who haunts an intersection because he thinks his owner from when he was alive, Amy, called him lame for getting hit by a truck.
Maps Yo-kai Watch
Media
Video games
The main video game series is a role-playing video game where the player (Nate or Katie) befriends Yo-kai and fights bad ones. Emphasis is placed on fighting the Yo-kai. All of the main series games have the same battle style; using the 3DS's touchscreen during battles to rotate amongst the player's Yo-kai at will. All of the Yo-kai have special abilities called Soultimate moves that can use an extra powerful attack.
Yo-kai Watch
The first game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch, was announced at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show and first released in Japan on July 11, 2013. It sets the foundation for the rest of the video game franchise, introducing all of the main mechanics.
Yo-kai Watch 2
The second main game in the series, split into two versions, Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits, was released on July 10, 2014. Yo-kai Watch 2 expands the areas to be explored with nearly 100 new Yo-kai in the present day of the Kemamoto region and the past, where the player time travels to meets traditional Yo-kai and sees their grandfather, who made the predecessor to the Yo-kai Watch. There was also a third version Psychic Specters (Shinuchi (?? Shin'uchi, "Headliner") released in Japan, featuring characters and scenarios not initially included in Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. It was released in the west on September 29, 2017.
Yo-kai Watch 3
Yo-kai Watch 3 was released in July 2016 in two versions, Sushi and Tempura. The game features two main characters playable at the same time: Nate and Hailey. The first half of the game has Nate and his family moving to the United States to the fictional town of St. Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "'Merican" Yo-kai can be found. The other half of the game focuses on Hailey, and her partner Yo-kai Usapyon, who run a detective agency together. A third version, Sukiyaki, was eventually released in Japan on December 16, 2016.
Yo-kai Watch 4
Yo-kai Watch 4 will be released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. It will feature character designs from Yo-kai Watch Shadowside.
Other
The Data Carddass game Yo-kai Watch: Tomodachi UkiUkipedia (?????? ????????????) was first location tested in late December 2013, and debuted at the Next Generation World Hobby Fair Winter 2014 before being released in early 2014. The game is played much like Bandai's other Data Carddass games, in which the player uses an interface resembling a slot machine to determine the events of a battle between 3 of the player's Yo-kai against 3 enemy Yo-kai, after the player sought them out on the game interface. Winning the game awards the player a card that can be used for future Tomodachi UkiUkipedia play.
A spin-off game, Yo-kai Watch Busters (???????????, Y?kai Wotchi Basut?zu) was first announced in the April 2015 issue of CoroCoro Comic, allowing up to four players to cooperate in battling boss Yo-kai. The first two versions of the game, Aka Neko-dan (???, "Red Cat Troupe") and Shiro Inu-tai (???, "White Dog Corps"), were released on July 11, 2015. Announced alongside Yo-kai Watch Busters was the upcoming third game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch 3 which features two main characters playable at the same time. Nate and his family have moved to the United States to the fictional town of St. Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "Merican" (????) Yo-kai can be found. The other half of the game focuses on Hailey Anne Thomas, introduced to the anime series in the second season, and her partner Yo-kai Usapyon. Accompanying these games' releases were announcements of Yo-kai Sangokushi (?????, lit. "Yo-kai Three Kingdoms") in collaboration with Koei Tecmo's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series as well as several mobile games.
In August, a collaboration with Ubisoft to release a special version of the Just Dance series was announced, set to feature songs from the anime's soundtrack, was released on December 5, 2015. A free expansion for the two Yo-kai Watch Busters games called Getto-gumi (???, "Moon Rabbit Team") was released on December 12, 2015, adding characters and settings featured in second anime feature film Yo-kai Watch: Enma Dai? to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!.
Spin-offs
- Yo-kai Watch Busters (Nintendo 3DS, 2015)
- Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version (Wii U, 2015) - Co-developed and published by Ubisoft as part of the Just Dance series
- Yo-kai Sangokushi (Nintendo 3DS, 2016)
- Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 (Nintendo 3DS, 2017)
Smartphone apps
- Yo-kai Land (iOS, Android, 2015)
- Yo-kai Taiso Dai-Ichi Puzzle da Nyan (???????? ???????, Y?kai Tais? Dai-Ichi Pazuru da Nyan, lit. "Yo-kai Exercise No. 1: Puzzle Meow) (iOS, Android, 2013)
- Yo-kai Watch: Puni Puni (?????? ????, Y?kai Wotchi Puni-puni) (iOS, Android, 2015)
- Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble (iOS, Android, 2016)
- Yo-kai Watch: Gerapo Rhythm (?????? ??????, Y?kai Wotchi Gerapo Rizumu) (iOS, Android, 2018)
- Yo-kai Daijiten (?????, lit. "Great Yo-kai Dictionary") (iOS, Android, 2018)
Manga and Comics
Six manga adaptations based on the series have been published by Shogakukan. A sh?nen manga series by Noriyuki Konishi began serialization in CoroCoro Comic from December 15, 2012. This series has been licensed by Viz Media under its Perfect Square imprint. A sh?jo manga series by Chikako Mori, titled Yo-kai Watch: Exciting Nyanderful Days (??????~??????????????~, Y?kai Wotchi ~Wakuwaku Nyandafuru Deizu~), began serialization in Ciao magazine from December 27, 2013. A yonkoma series by Coconas Rumba, titled 4-Panel Yo-kai Watch: Geragera Manga Theater (4???????? ?????????, Yonkoma Y?kai Wotchi Geragera Manga Gekij?), began serialization in CoroCoro Comic SPECIAL from October 2014. Another yonkoma series by Santa Harukaze, titled Yo-kai Watch 4-Panel Pun Club (?????? 4?????????, Y?kai Wotchi Yonkoma Dajare Kurabu), began serialization in CoroCoro Ichiban! from April 2015. A sh?nen and seinen manga series by Sh? Shibamoto, titled Komasan ?A Time for Fireworks and Miracles? (???? ????????????, Komasan ?Hanabi to Kiseki no Jikan?), began serialization in HiBaNa on April 10, 2015 and ended on September 10 of that year. A manga series based on Yo-kai Watch Busters by Atsushi Ohba began serialization in CoroCoro Comic in June 2015 and ended in October of that year. A comic book series was announced in January 2017, courtesy of IDW Publishing, and was released in May 2017. It lasted for three issues.
Noriyuki Konishi version
Yo-kai Watch: Exciting Nyanderful Days
Yo-kai Watch: 4-Panel Pun-Club
Yo-kai Watch Busters
4-Panel Yo-kai Watch: Geragera Manga Theater
Komasan: A Time for Fireworks and Miracles
Anime
An anime television series based on the game, produced by OLM, began airing in Japan on TX Network on January 8, 2014. Most of the epsoides focus on Nathan "Nate" Adams solving problems caused by Yo-kai. It has a higher focus on comedy than the games. Some of the episodes has a "Mini-Corner" which features one of the main Yo-kai characters.
On April 7, 2015, Level-5 unveiled a promotional video for a second season of the anime series, which premiered in July 2015. The second season features a new protagonist named Hailey Anne Thomas and her Yo-kai companion Usapyon. It also features new models of the Yo-kai Watch called the "Yo-kai Watch Model U" and Yo-kai Watch Dream Model. The third season of the anime series premiered on January 6, 2017, and entered a Busters Arc in July. In February 2018, a sequel series titled Yo-kai Watch Shadowside is announced to air in April 13, 2018.
4 Yo-kai Watch movies have been made. The first movie, Yo-kai Watch: The Movie, was released in Japan on December 20, 2014, The second movie, Yo-kai Watch: Enma Dai? to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!, was released in Japan on December 19, 2015, and the third movie, Yo-kai Watch: Soratobu Kujira to Double no Sekai no Daib?ken da Nyan!, an anime and live action movie was released in Japan on December 17, 2016 A fourth film, Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-? no Fukkatsu, opened in Japan on December 16, 2017.
The series is being released on DVD box sets, along with rental DVDs, in Japan by Kadokawa Media Factory. Every episode to date is available for streaming on multiple video on demand services in Japan, such as Hulu and Rakuten Video Showtime.
Overseas
At the premiere of the Yo-kai Watch film, Level-5's president Akihiro Hino officially announced that the Yo-kai Watch anime would begin broadcast internationally in 2015. He also jokingly requested Etsuko Kozakura and Tomokazu Seki, who voice Jibanyan and Whisper respectively, to "study English".
In North America
Dentsu Entertainment USA announced in April 2014 that they were seeking broadcast and merchandising partners in North America for the anime. The anime began broadcast as a 26-episode season on Disney XD on October 5, 2015, with the official Yo-kai Watch YouTube channel posting episodes a month later. Since the show had performed well, a second season (no relation to the Japanese second season) with an additional 50 episodes was broadcast on August 1, 2016.
The first movie was also brought over, as a special screening one day screening, on October 15, 2016. Those who attended got a Hovernyan medal. The first season and the movie are currently streaming on Netflix
The English version used an American cast for the first two seasons, but they were replaced in the third season due to budget costs.
MarVista Entertainment has licensed the series in Latin America.
In Europe and Africa
Viz Media Europe has licensed the series in Europe, Russia, and Africa. They premiered the anime in the UK and Ireland on Cartoon Network on April 23, 2016. In France it showed on three different stations: Boing in April, 2016, Gulli in September, 2016, and Cartoon Network France in March, 2017. Other countries it aired in are Germany and Austria (Nickelodeon), Spain and Africa on Boing, Belgium and the Netherlands on Nickelodeon, and Israel on Noga. Cartoon Network also has it airing on their Portugal, Turkey, Poland and the Nordic, Central and Eastern Europe feeds, starting in Spring 2016.
Viz has also hired Bulldog Licensing and German brand-management company m4e to repersent the brand in the UK and German-speaking territories, respectively.
In Other Asian Countries
An alternative English dub began airing on Cartoon Network Asia and Toonami Asia in Asian countries from June 27, 2015. The alternative English dub uses the original Japanese names.
Shogakukan Asia also licensed the series in the Philippines.
In Australia and New Zealand
The Fusion Agency acquired the licensing and merchandising rights for the series in Australia and New Zealand. It aired in Australia on 9Go! on December 14, 2015.
Music
The music for the games and anime series is composed by Level-5 employee Kenichiro Saigo. The following themes are used in both the video games and anime series. All opening themes are performed by King Cream Soda, with lyrics by m.o.v.e vocalist Motsu. The anime themes are also dubbed into English for its North American broadcast.
Japanese
- Opening themes:
- "Gera Gera Po no Uta" (?????????, Geragerap? no Uta, "The Laughter Song") by King Cream Soda (anime eps. 1-36, 51, Yo-kai Watch: Tanj? no Himitsu da Nyan!, Yo-kai Watch: Soratobu Kujira to Double no Sekai no Daib?ken da Nyan!)
- "Matsuribayashi de Geragerap?" (???????????, "The Festival Band's Gera Gera Po") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 2: Ganso, anime eps. 37-45 odds, 52-62 evens)
- "Hatsukoit?ge de Geragerap?" (??????????, "First Love's Pass Gera Gera Po) by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 2: Honke, anime eps. 38-46 evens, 48-50, 53-61 odds)
- "Gerappo Dance Train" (????????????, Gerappo Dansutorein) by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 2: Shinuchi, anime eps. 63-76)
- "Tomaranai Aka" (??????, "Unstoppable Red") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch Busters: Aka Neko-dan)
- "Shiroi Ikak?ka" (???????, "Eat White Squid") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch Busters: Shiro Inu-tai)
- "Shake Shake ?gon no Shake" (Shake Shake ???Shake, "Shake Shake The Golden Salmon") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch Busters: Getto-gumi)
- "Jinsei Dramatic" (?????????, Jinsei Doramatikku, "A Life Dramatic") by King Cream Soda (anime eps. 77-101)
- "Terukuni Jinja no Kumade" (???????, "Terukuni jinja's Rake") by King Cream Soda (anime eps. 102-129)
- "You Got a Otomodachi" (???????, Y?gara Otomodachi, "You've Got Friends") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 3: Sushi, anime eps. 130-150)
- "Dokuritsu Sengen" (????, "Declaration of Independence") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 3: Tempura)
- "Banzai! Aizenkai!" (????!???!) by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki, anime eps. 151-178)
- "Gold...Nanchatte!" (????...??????!) by King Cream Soda (anime eps. 179-201)
- "Time Machine wo Choudai" (?????????????, "Give Me a Time Machine") by King Cream Soda. (Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 Hihou Densetsu Banbaraya: Magnum, anime eps. 202-214)
- Tsurugi no Might" (????, "Might of the Sword") by King Cream Soda. (Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 Hihou Densetsu Banbaraya: Sword)
- Ending themes:
- "Yo-kai Taiso Dai-Ichi" (????????, Y?kai Tais? Dai-Ichi, "Yo-kai Exercise No. 1") by Dream5 (anime eps. 1-24), King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch: Soratobu Kujira to Double no Sekai no Daib?ken da Nyan!)
- "Dan Dan Doobie Zubah!" (????? ???????!, Dan Dan Dubi Zub?!) by Sergeant Burly and King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls), Sergeant Burly and Dream5 (anime eps. 25-47, 50)
- "Kuwagata to Kabutomushi" (??????????, "Stag Beetle and Rhinoceros Beetle") by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch 2: Shinuchi)
- "Geragerap? S?kyoku" (????????, "Gera Gera Po Medley") by Yo-kai King Dream Soda (King Cream Soda with Dream5, and Lucky Ikeda) (anime eps. 48-49, TV Tokyo broadcast, Yo-kai Watch: Tanj? no Himitsu da Nyan!)
- "Idol wa Ooh-Nya-Nya no Ken" (?????????????, Aidoru wa ?nyanya no Ken, "Idols are a Matter of Ooh-Nya-Nya") by NyaKB (Haruka Shimazaki, Jurina Matsui, Sakura Miyawaki, Rina Kawaei, Yuria Kizaki, Rena Kato, Mako Kojima) with Tsuchinoko Panda (Yuko Sasamoto) (anime eps. 51-67)
- "Yo-kai Tais? Dai-Ni" (????????, Y?kai Tais? Dai-Ni, "Yo-kai Exercise No. 2") by Dream5 (anime eps. 68-76)
- "Yoka Yoka Lullaby" (????????, Yoka Yoka Rarabai) by King Cream Soda with Jibanyan (Etsuko Kozakura) and USApyon (Kotori Shigemoto) (Yo-kai Watch: Enma Dai? to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!)
- "Uch? Dance!" (?????!, Uch? Dansu!, "Space Dance!") by Kotori with Stitchbird (Yo-kai Busters: Aka Neko-dan & Shiro Inu-tai, anime eps. 77-101, Yo-kai Watch: Enma Dai? to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!)
- "Chikyujin" (???, Chiky?jin, "Earthling") by Kotori with Stitchbird (anime eps. 102-129)
- "Furusato Japon" (????????, "Hometown Japan") by LinQ (Yo-kai Watch 3: Sushi and Tempura, anime eps. 130-150)
- "Treasure" (?????, Torej?, "Treasure") by LinQ (Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki, anime eps. 151-178)
- "HaloChri Dance" (????????, Haro?Kuri Dansu) by Youbekkusu Reng?-gun (anime eps. 179-201)
- "Aa Jounetsu no Banbaraya" (???????????) by LinQ (Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 Hihou Densetsu Banbaraya: Sword and Magnum, anime eps. 202-214)
English
Opening themes:
- "Gera Gera Po Song (English Ver.)", performed by Peter Michail and Kathryn Lynn (anime eps. 1-9, 11-17 odds)
- "Yo-kai Watch feat. Swampy Marsh", performed by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Danny Jacob (game, anime eps. 10-16 evens, 18-present)
- "Yo-kai Watch feat. Swampy Marsh" (Rock Remix), performed by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Danny Jacob; Remix by William Anderson (Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits)
- "Yo-kai Watch feat. Swampy Marsh" (Rap Remix), performed by Peter Michail; Remix by William Anderson (Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls)
- "Yo-kai Watch feat. Swampy Marsh" (Dubstep Remix), performed by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Danny Jacob; Remix by William Anderson (Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters)
- "Yo-kai Watch" (lyrics altered), performed by Basilio Fernando Ferreira; Remix by William Anderson (Yo-kai Watch: The Movie)
Ending themes:
- "Yo-kai Exercise No. 1 (English Ver.)", performed by Melissa Hutchison & Alicyn Packard (game, anime eps 1-35)
- "Don-Don-Dooby-Zoo-Bah! (English Ver.)", performed by Melissa Hutchison, Alicyn Packard, & Brent Pendergrass (Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls, Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, anime eps 36-present)
- "Yo-kai Medley", performed by Peter Michail, Kathryn Lynn, Melissa Huthcison, Alicyn Packard, & Brent Pendergrass (with various voice actors) (Yo-kai Watch: The Movie)
- "Kuwagata to Kabutomushi" (instrumental) by King Cream Soda (Yo-kai Watch: The Movie)
Merchandise
Various toys, such as the eponymous Yo-kai Watch and Yo-kai Medals, have been produced based on the series, receiving high commercial success. Hasbro released a toy line based on the series worldwide in December 2015. In July 2016, Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn held a special crossover event lasting until October which allowed players to gather Medals from existing in-game battles and exchange them for minions modeled after the franchise's titular Yo-kai as well as weapons inspired by them. In January 2018, despite the franchise failing in that country McDonald's began offering Yo-kai Watch toys in US Happy Meals, alongside the much more successful Shopkins.
Reception
Critical reception
The original Yo-kai Watch game received a score of 36/40 from Famitsu, with its sequel Yo-kai Watch 2 also scoring 36/40. Yo-kai Watch 2 won the Grand Prize in the Japan Game Awards. It also won 3 other awards: The Best Sales Award, and two Excellence Awards (for the 2nd game and its third version). In 2014, Yo-kai Watch's manga in CoroCoro Comic won the 38th Kodansha Manga Award in the Best Children's Manga category. In the following year, it also was awarded the Best Children's manga at the 60th Shogakukan Manga Awards.
2014
When the anime first aired, in 2014, the franchise became really popular in Japan. By February, the first game, which originally sold only 53,654 copies, was at over 500,000 shipped and the anime was surpassing Pokémon in the TV rankings;being compared to it and being dubbed the "Pokémon Killer" By the second game's release, the first game had sold 1,195,287 copies and the second game surpassed that at release at 1,316,707 copies. The third version also impressed, at 1,244,171 units.
Even the president of Level-5, Akihiro Hino, was surprised by Yo-kai Watch's popularity. "While I did believe that it would get its break, honestly, to have it come this far, where the children of Japan would get so hopped-up on youkai, to the point where all the goods would sell out, is something I didn't expect." They were the second most popular characters in Japan, in a survey by Video Research Ltd. Explanations for its popularity ranged from catchy songs and dances, to being something parents and kids could enjoy together, to "weird adults" not being interested in it. Hino himself said that it was the relatable characters and situations relatable to modern kids that made it popular.
This also translated into toy sales, racking in 55.2 billion yen for Namco Bandai. Yo-kai Watch toys where frequently out of stock; people having to wait in lotteries to get a Yo-kai Watch and search hard for medals. Other merchandise had to wait longer because of the long licensing wait times. This demand made it the second highest product in Nikkei Trendy that year.
It was a top seller in many other areas as well: The Yo-kai Watch Guide was the number one book in 2014, its first theme song, Geragerapo no Uta, was the number 50 song on the Oricon Singles Chart, and the movie had the highest opening of any Japanese film since 2000. Yo-kai Watch even had a special segment on Kohaku Uta Gassen, Japan's most viewed music program.
2015-present
By 2015, sales had started to fall to numbers ranging from around a quarter to 1/8 of what they were last year. Prices were cut and there was less visible excitement among children. By the time the third games were released, in 2016, it was on a downward slope with the game launching with about half of what the second games did, with 632,135 units and the third version of the game launched with half of what the first versions sold with 337,979 units. The toy sales where 10.4 billion yen in toy sales and estimated to be at 6.3 billion yen in 2017.
Analysts had a few theories on why Yo-kai Watch was falling. Ken H?ri of The Business Journal and Ollie Barder of Forbres thought it was mainly distribution issues; products that were ordered from the summer vacation where over stocked, because of the six-month waiting period for copyright approvals. Another reason he had was that the toys had incompatible medals with later watches, leading to a loss of interest. Barder and Sato of Siliconera also mentioned oversaturation, with it being Sato's main focus.
Europe
Yo-kai Watch is also popular in Europe, with the original title's sales out pacing the Japanese release as of October. It is especially popular in Spain and France, with the toy's selling well there.
United States
Unlike in its native Japan where it experienced a short period of great popularity, Yo-kai Watch had an overall underwhelming performance in the United States. The original game sold less than 400,000 units there on its first day in stores, while Disney XD's western broadcast of the anime series has estimated only 100,000-300,000 viewers per episode. Despite the franchise's unsatisfactory western response, it maintains a cult following.
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
- DisneyXD website
- Yo-kai Watch (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Yo-kai Watch on IMDb
- Yo-kai Watch the Movie: The Secret is Created, Nyan! on IMDb
- Yo-kai Watch the Movie 2 on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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