What If Kurasshu Bandikū Had His Own Anime Series?

Kon’nichiwa! To appeal more to the PlayStation players in Japan, Crash Bandicoot was given a cuter design exclusively for the Japanese version of his interactive debut back in 1996 [12]. As a result of this difference, the design was kept for the Japanese versions of many other instalments throughout the years [18]. Moreover, some Japanese fans of the loveable bandicoot may recall the manga based on the first game’s events [10], as well as the Japan-exclusive slot machine known as “Interactive Pachislot Crash Bandicoot” in English [11]. Reflecting on his peak in Japan [12], I suspect that a way to restore Crash’s cute cred in Japan would be to establish a new anime series that should hopefully be the opposite of the poor sales of the Xbox and its successors, along with the very little popularity of The Simpsons in the nation [21] [22] [23] [42]. This could make up for the cancellation of the cartoon referred to as “Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Cartoon” [25], which only managed to be seen as two versions of a pilot [65], along with the whacky animated musical cutscene that was sadly scrapped from the final outcome of the first game [1] [14]. Moreover, let us proceed to theorise how a Crash Bandicoot anime can honour his heroic deeds to foil what scheme Dr. Cortex can think of while fans of the Back To The Future trilogy celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first film [4] [5].

I believe there was a greatly missed opportunity to feature a VIP Bot based on Crash’s cutesy Japanese design in the Japanese version of Astro Bot [39] [46]. Perhaps that can be established in an official Astro Bot manga series [60] [61]. [39]

Almost as much as I believe that Deadpool can appear in a Marvel anime for the third time if there were to be some more appreciation for Sakura Spider, Spider-Man’s female counterpart in Japan [33] [34] [51] [52] [53], I believe Japanese Crash can receive some more love in an anime of his own. [10]

Compelling animation is essential to those who yearn to experience the vibes of a Crash Bandicoot anime. The result of Crash’s design for players in Japan being adapted into an anime will result in him being adorably animated with his beady black Pac-Man eyes [12]. Of course, Coco Bandicoot’s eyes could be brown instead of green [12] [16] [24] [49] [50]. Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss may stick to the simplicity of four fingers for gestures within animation [30] [32] [36], but it would be vital that Japanese Crash sticks to the virtuous display of five fingers as a four-fingered hand would be considered insensitive to those affected by accidents in the meat packing industry in Japan and the punishments for Yakuza members who strayed out of line [20] [56] [57]. There may have been a missed opportunity to introduce the heartbroken wife of a parody of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons and Mister Rogers from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in the fifth minisode of Helluva Shorts [37] [58] [59], but there could be the opportunity to either welcome back the goofy bandicoot’s Japanese counterpart and his cutesy essences in what can be considered a modern adaption of his look in the classic manga series from the second half of the ‘90s [7] [9] [10].

You may have thought of the cutscene in Crash: Mind Over Mutant in the animated style inspired by Dragonball Z once you read the term “Crash Bandicoot anime” and I do not blame you [6] [64]. If the budget for a new anime cannot be grasped, there can always be a fourth official manga series as an alternative way to flaunt Japanese Crash’s lovability again [7] [9] [10]. [7]

It can be argued that a CGI animated film centred on the modern era of Crash Bandicoot ought to be created instead [24] [66], which I can understand why since it worked for Mario and Luigi’s origin story in The Super Mario Bros. Movie [48], but I am still up for the incarnation of Crash that helped his games sell well in Japan receiving a new wave of love [12] [18]. [24]

So, should a new Crash Bandicoot anime or manga be based on a specific game’s storyline much like how Crash Bandicoot: Dance! Then Jump! Na Daibōken was loosely based on the events of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back or feature a unique one like Crash Bandicoot: Kattobii! Spin World did aside from some inspiration from Crash Team Racing [7] [9]? Personally, I think a new anime or manga can be loosely based on the next game that takes place after the events of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time [49] [50], especially for promotional purposes...in a an alternate universe, that is, despite how Crash’s Japanese design is not on the game's Japanese cover in this one [31]. So, a plot that is not based on the events of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time or Crash Team Rumble could be more inspiring [49] [50] [66], leading to new character exploration, such as the reveal of Nina Cortex’s parents to find out if Dr. Cortex is her uncle from her mother’s side or her father’s side of the family [64]. Besides, Sonic and the Blade of Courage is following its own story with a new human ally for Sonic the Hedgehog named “Yuuta” [45]. As thrilled as I would be to witness some new depth for certain characters in an anime or manga series featuring a unique storyline outside of the games, I understand the importance of an adaptation being faithful to the original source in certain ways as it may be easier to base the plot on the latest instalment, especially for promoting it.

Chances are that a Crash Bandicoot anime following a unique storyline will ultimately be non-canon like the old Instagram stories of the pre-season incarnations of all the sinners and demons from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss [3] [36], but as long as there is coherent writing that results in decent storytelling to give said storyline a passable execution, the same light-hearted humour from the game as a sign of faithfulness within an adaptation and new character development for certain characters as someone worth praising the series for, I am up for it. [9]

I suppose Spyro the Dragon can make a special guest appearance in at least one episode of the anime to make up for his failure in Japan [43]. After all, the two protagonists have encountered one another more than once [16] [26]. [47]

Any other possibilities for a Crash Bandicoot anime in terms of writing? Well, the Japanese dub might as well consist of mild profanity for the sake of that faint edginess from the first official manga, but it ought to be absent in the English dub [10]. As previously mentioned, a completely original storyline can provide the opportunity to establish some new forms of character exploration and another example can be Crunch Bandicoot beginning a romantic relationship with one of the trophy girls from Crash Team Racing and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and the classic incarnation of Tawna Bandicoot reflecting on her relationship with Pinstripe Potoroo before a (satisfying) breakup [13] [16] [18] [19]. It may be more likely that a new anime series based on a video game will be another adventure for Princess Peach that might as well be based on a direct sequel to Princess Peach: Showtime! for the Nintendo Switch 2 or perhaps a midquel to Catherine: Full Body in Catherine’s perspective as she seduces a few other men besides Vincent Brooks [17] [54] [55] [62] [63], but the chance to let Crash Bandicoot’s Japanese counterpart stand out in what can be considered the definitive way would be a dream come true for Japanese ‘90s kids [12].

Here is the second volume of Crash Bandicoot: Dance! Then Jump! Na Daibōken [7]. Can you imagine Dr. Cortex referring to himself as “Cortex-sama” in an egotistical manner once again? [7]

Reflecting on the Japanese canon of the classic trilogy explaining the original incarnation of Tawna’s absence in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back [7] [13], I suspect that the awesome version of her from an alternate universe who debuted in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time might have been in a relationship with an alternate version of Pinstripe until the two broke up [49] [50]. [13]

Surely, there ought to be something quite memorable in association with the Crash Bandicoot franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2026 [8]. I am not saying that an anime or manga series starring Crash Bandicoot should definitely be produced with an engaging storyline and the witty nature the games have been known for since 1996 as it is more likely that Sonic the Hedgehog will star in his third official anime (that could be based on his new manga [45]) at some point in the future and Captain Astro, the adorable hero from Astro Bot probably needs an animated series or manga more than Crash does [51] [52] [60] [61], but we can always hope for an exceptional follow-up to Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time that could introduce an alternate version of Crash in his design from Crash of the Titans who also has his voice and ironic intelligence from Skylanders Academy [16] [49] [50], thus giving the two incarnations a second chance, but fused together…if it was not for its alleged cancellation! Despite that, keep expressing your creativity and count the blessings, even during a difficult time you may be going through [35]. Lastly, we can look forward to promotional animations that are definitely happening, such as the highly promising animation that will be released alongside Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds this September [44]. In the meantime, no toy gets left behind…unless there is a race in the fourteenth season of Disney Speedstorm [29]. Sayonara!

Aside from the notably different personalities of the two interpretations of Crash demonstrated by two guys in notably different costumes when it came to advertising Crash Team Racing [19], I do not doubt that he will still be his goofy and adventurous self, whether you prefer his design aimed at Western players or his design aimed at Japanese players. [12]

Aside from the possibilities of a third anime for Sonic [51] [52], could Amy Rose star in her own video game someday [2]? It worked for Princess Peach three times [40] [41] [62] [63], right? Speaking of princesses, I still suspect that Princess Elise can still be redeemed as a panromantic and asexual ally [51] [52]. Even though Pride Month is over, let us continue to show our support for all the awesome LGBTQIA+ gamers and animation admirers out there as we rise above bigotry and continue to celebrate Disability Pride Month [15] [27] [28] [38]. [45]

 
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Could Sonic the Hedgehog Star In A Notably Different Anime?

Back in October 2020, we discussed the potential of a third anime series starring no other than the blue blur, Sonic the Hedgehog [77] [78]. Almost a lustrum year, the 34^th anniversary of his franchise has been marked in preparation for the release of the first chapter of Sonic and the Blade of Courage, a shortly forthcoming manga [64] [70]. Ummmm…are they sure said blade is not being confused with Caliburn from Sonic and the Black Knight [43]? Aside from that, I do not doubt that plenty of 2000s kids who fondly remember the days of watching Sonic X on telly but eventually became critical towards certain aspects of the series, especially the portrayal of Christopher Thorndyke will agree that the speedy, way past cool rodent deserves another anime series that can be considered even better, especially in terms of writing [14] [20] [21] [77] [78]. And yes, the first anime series starring Sonic was an OVA that was quite infamous for several moments that go WAY beyond a generic child-friendly approach [73]. Strange, wasn’t it [74]? Let us expand on the potential of Mr. Sonic’s third anime series, but with a more up-to-date approach as we keep our hopes for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the follow-up to Sonic the Hedgehog as high as Miles “Tails” Prower or Rouge the Bat can fly [47] [58] [67].

Could there also be a new anime providing a big focus on Haruka Hida, also known as “Sakura-Spider”, one of the co-stars of Deadpool: Samurai [24] [25] [29], thus resulting in Deadpool being the cunning co-star of an anime for the third time [30] [31] [79]? Who knows? Again, let us proceed to discuss the potential of a third anime centred on Sonic the Hedgehog for the second time [77] [78]. [68]

The full potential for a great outcome of a third Sonic anime lies in how cohesive the storyline will be [77] [78]. The plot might as well be original, much like the stories in Dash & Spin Super Fast Sonic, a duology that was only released in Japan back in the mid-2000s [61]. On second thought, it might as well be based on or take place after the events of Sonic and the Blade of Courage if the manga becomes successful enough in terms of sales and critical reception [64], quite like how Sonic X was mostly an adaptation of the events of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 [41] [42] [77] [78]. Moreover, an animated adaptation of Sonic and the Blade of Courage can especially be appealing to a Western audience who may never read an English translation of the manga [64]. Or better yet, a third anime starring Sonic could be a short series adapted from the events of a direct sequel to Sonic Frontiers or remasters of Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic and the Black Knight for the Nintendo Switch 2 [43] [44] [45]. Whether the idea for a decently executed story is, it ought to be about as meaningful as how the Sonic Storybook duology provided one of his best portrayals in history and not make that same mistake in his crossover with OK K.O! Let’s Be Heroes [56] [75].

This manga only had two volumes, just like the infamously bizarre but fairly unique Ratchet & Clank manga known as “Ratchet & Clank: Bang Bang Bang! Critical Danger of the Galaxy Legend” [38] [80] [81]. [61]

Featuring another side of the story for Shadow would show that a third anime would not be as light-hearted as Sonic Colours: Rise of the Wisps [49] [59] [60] [69]. Could he work alone, count on the other two members of Team Dark at times or form an alliance with Sonic after some confrontation like the one in the second and third seasons of Sonic Prime [37] [47]? [69]

Any other options regarding the story? If the fastest thing alive were to star in a third anime series that follows a completely original story, perhaps it could take place in an alternate reality taking place in Soleanna after the premature form of Solaris was blown out like candles on a birthday cake [48], quite like how Sonic Prime supposedly takes place after the events of Sonic Advance 3 [16] [65]. Silver the Hedgehog can finally shed the skin that labelled him as “a gullible idiot” and gain some long overdue character progression in a compelling new arc, thus making up for the missing opportunity to feature him in a fourth season of Sonic X [20] [21][48]. On the other gloved hand, the events of a third Sonic the Hedgehog anime can be a soft reboot of the classic manga from the first half of the ‘90s, thus bringing on a reimagining of Sonic being the alter-ego of a young hedgehog named “Nicky”, especially for a Western audience who are mostly likely unfamiliar with the second Sonic the Hedgehog manga [66]. The possibilities are endless. No reference to the main theme song for Sonic Unleashed (and a certain mod for Sonic Unleashed Recompiled [15] [27]) intended…or was it [50] [51]?

Perhaps Princess Elise from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), a misunderstood omission can make a big comeback in Sonic’s third anime series but with a new female love interest who can be a human knightess to give her some passable biromantic/panromantic asexual representation within some long overdue redemption, which can also work in a soft reboot of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine that can also be a crossover with Puyo Puyo for a reason [48] [72] [82] [83]. And chances are that Mrs. Mayberry from the first episode of Helluva Boss is biromantic, panromantic or omniromantic aside from her ironically coming out as a lesbian, as bizarre as her suddenly becoming the girlfriend of Martha at some point before the events of “Apology Tour” [11] [26] [35], despite their feud caused by an affair in “Murder Family” is [32] [34]. And of course, Chaz is pansexual, so he will try and sink his teeth into any demon he finds juicy, regardless of their gender identity [33] [35] [39]. [62]

It is understandable that die-hard SonAmy admirers would love a possible rehash of all the SonAmy flair in Sonic X [77] [78], but I, a former supporter of the ship must firmly state that a certain change to Amy Rose’s profile, along with an altered moment of her at Sonic’s birthday party in Sonic X Shadow Generations must have been made to follow the efforts to leave the double standards of a certain form of harassment in the past [2] [46] [49]. Nonetheless, perhaps some new character progression of Amy regarding the purpose of her creation can provide a fair balance of both eras of her character, which could be applied to her live-action debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 [57] [58] [67]. And no, that does not automatically mean I’ll become a SonAmy fan, I’m afraid [40]. [68]

Aside from the likeliness of the post-2000s English cast for the games or alternatively, the cast of Sonic Prime reprising their roles for the English dub of a new Sonic the Hedgehog anime [65] [77] [78], we can expect it to be wonderfully animated. The art style for Sonic ought to be as striking as how he looks in Sonic and the Blade of Courage to almost match the anime flair of all three seasons of Sonic X [20] [21] [64]. The same applies to Shadow the Hedgehog’s look in The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimately non-canon manga inspired by his origin story and side of the story during the events of Sonic X Shadow Generations if he ought to make an appearance as the antiheroic counterpart he has been since Sonic Adventure 2 [41] [42] [49] [69]. Watching a new Sonic anime beyond the days of ridiculous forms of censorship committed by 4kids Entertainment (that was later found guilty of fraud [8]) would be such a blessing [20] [21], yet a bigger priority would be to ensure that the impact in terms of storytelling and character progression can be about as or even more effective, compared to the likes of Sonic X and the edginess of the OVA [20] [21] [73] [74] [77] [88].

Can you imagine Soleanna being adapted into beautiful anime aesthetics if Elise was given a second chance in a new timeline after the erased events of Sonic ‘06 or the art style of most of the cutscenes from the Sonic Storybook duology fully animated into said aesthetics [43] [44] [48]? [63]

Some Sonic supporters may recall a bar in the 17^th episode of Sonic X being changed into a fast food joint by the power of mediocre editing [20] [21] [23]. Thankfully, this will most likely not be the case in a notably different anime series [77] [78]. [23]

Aside from the potential of a notably different anime series centred on Sonic’s cred [77] [78], I strongly believe that Astro Bot deserves his own adorable manga series [80] [81]. I am also up for a new Barbie webseries starring Mattel’s plastic starlet in the curvy body type that was introduced in the mid-2010s (and possibly brunette hair to show some more appreciation for Brunette Barbie [76]) in another Barbie world full of pink feminist flair [6] [7] [9] [18] [22], as unlikely as that sounds. Even though these ideas are likely to not be taken into action, there is still hope for outstanding outcomes of definitely forthcoming adventures, including the highly anticipated crossover between Deadpool, Marvel’s merc with a mouth and Batman, DC’s dark knight; one published by Marvel this September and the other published by DC this November [13] [28]. In the meantime, let us celebrate the 34^th year of Sonic being his freedom-crusading self with the event in Phantasy Star Online 2 and the new collaboration with Asphalt Legends [3] [4] [55] [70], especially for young people who consider his heroism and positivity a form of escapism during difficult times. It can be rationally argued that the toxicity in the Sonic fandom is not as huge as it was roughly from 2007 to 2017 [19] [40], but please remember what yours truly has firmly stated about relapses [5] [54].

Contrary to what the closed-minded crowd may claim, Sonic can even be a coping mechanism for those going through a hard time, such as the loss of a loved one or sudden struggles in grad school in their 30s [10] [12] [36]. [64]

And regardless of toxicity in a fandom, please show compassion to those in need as we must make efforts to prevent how far it can go and how low it can stoop [53]. In honour of this Pride Month, let us strive against the one thing Sonic hates; oppression in the loving memory of those who lost their lives to sickening and inhumane examples of homophobia, transphobia and acephobia [1] [17] [27] [71] [72]. Keep following your passions as they keep reminding you of who you are as a valuable individual [39]. [52]

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