A new Zelda cartoon?

[The Myst]

So I was reading the new Mario cartoon topic while talking to a friend on AIM and I found this post:


if they did, they should base all the scripts on this games, in story arcs and in this order prefered:

Super Mario bros. 3 (or Super Mario World)
Mario Land
Super Mario RPG
Mario Land 2
Paper Mario
Mario Sunshine
Mario & Luigi super star saga
Paper Mario 2
Mario & Luigi Partners in time

Why this? because that way you get stories other than just mario Fighting bowser, also Yoshi's island could be used in flashbacks and mario sports in fillers.

but right now, i think a Wario Ware cartoon would work way better.

Which got me thinking about a series done in a similar style about my favorite game series, The Legend Of Zelda. I told my friend about the quoted post and that lead to this conversation.

Me: How about this: a cartoon like the one outlined for that Mario one but a Zelda cartoon instead and done in a dark, serious manner. Sort of like the JLU of video games in terms of a continuing plot over a season and the overall tone of it. And maybe it could reveal the timeline by the order of the seasons. Like The Minish Cap's plot would be the first season, Four Swords would be the second, and so on. Although having a different Link almost every season might confuse people. It would probably be best to just have it be based on one game.
My Friend: yeah. I dunno. I think Zelda may be too complex a universe for a cartoon series, honestly.
Me: What pre-existing universe isn't? Of course they'd have to take certain liberties with it but it could work.
My Friend: well I can think of one way it would work: if they told the entire storyline of Ocarina of Time over the course of a couple of seasons and the last episode of the series was the end of the game, where he goes back to being a boy
Me: I don't know how they could stretch that to several seasons unless he spent a ****load of time in the temples
My Friend: it would have to be plotted Inuyasha-style. lol an Inuyasha-style anime is the only way I could see it working.
Me: Ah. That could work. Fights Ganon every ten episodes or so but with a new skill, Ganon still escapes.
My Friend: I'd say instead of Ganon, make those the temple boss fights and like add some more enemies for him to fight too. give Ganondorf some recurring henchmen.
Me: Make Octoroks more threatening so it takes him a whole episode to kill one.
My Friend: like Naraku's incarnations
Me: Moblins. Hordes of Moblins.
My Friend: lol
Me: Story arc idea: Link tracks down and fights corrupted Hylian knights, who have become Darknuts, for pieces of a mystical item. It's sort of to explain why Ganon's employing knights since knights would presumably be on Hyrule's side (They've all been killed and their bodies animated with Ganon's evil) and it takes from Four Swords Adventures where Ganon brought back dead Hylian knights as giant Stalfos to fight the four Links. Each Link received a royal jewel to break Vaati's seal. It's a basic filler arc between dungeons.
My Friend: works for me
Me: Which they'd have to do in a cartoon.
My Friend: indeed
Me: This could be a good idea. Too bad it's never going to happen cause for some reason Nintendo's interest in branching out their franchises has all but died.
My Friend: well, they is dumb

Like I said, it would never happen but I decided to ask what you all thought of our ideas for a potential Zelda cartoon anyway. I was thinking it could be like the old comics released alongside ALttP back in the day in some ways. But I'd like for it to be in a serious tone like I said. A serious fantasy cartoon. I wouldn't want any of the "excuuuuuuse me, Princess" stuff, even though I did like that cartoon despite how campy it was. It just would never fly today. But I think this would be a great series that might fit in on the Toonami block.

But do disregard my intial idea of seasons with different Links. I prefer the idea of it focusing on one game after thinking about it more. I would personally base it either on OoT or TP.

[Uncle_Lina]

This could work very well, since the games take on a more serious tone. The typical anime style would work for Zelda a bit more, because the characters look quite realistic anyway (the exception being The Wind Waker, which already looks quite anime like) and they have a lot of action and adventure elements and could have some funny moments like Sonic X. It would be good if there wasn't any bad voices and a lot of editing.

[Golgo13]

Even though it appears that this franchise is out of the 80's marketing jungle, it still doesn't mean it would work perfectly for an animated series.

Yes, the show could be done without the cornball kid appeal, but you have to be careful when trying to take the show in a serious light. Take it too seriously and you run the risk of making it twice as cornball.

Also, Zelda has a huge cult following so any Zelda cartoon, well done or not, will be met with disgust by fans if it is not 110% accurate to the video games. One more reason I think video games should never venture into other venues.

[Pacman729]

No. No. No.

I don't want to see a Zelda Cartoon.

Most Video Game Cartoons are bad.

I just don't want to see it. I'll say, just stick to the Video Games, and have Link Adventure in their.

So, No.

[Beat]

No. No. No.

I don't want to see a Zelda Cartoon.

Most Video Game Cartoons are bad.

I just don't want to see it. I'll say, just stick to the Video Games, and have Link Adventure in their.

So, No.

I must concur.

1- Link is mute. Making him talk = bad.

2- Most game cartoons stink no matter where they're from. The few exceptions were mid 90's adaptations of Capcom games from Japan (because the American Street Fighter and Darkstalkers were horrific)

So please no.

[The Myst]

1- Link is mute. Making him talk = bad.

Link is not mute. You just don't hear him talk because according to Miyamoto it lets you "be" Link more.

However, Link spoke twice in Adventure Of Link, most famously the line "I FOUND A MIRROR UNDER THE TABLE", and he yells "Come on!" in Wind Waker. The characters always respond to Link as though he has spoken to them, unlike Mario who acts out things rather than speaking. And Link yells all the time, it's just that they're all non-sensical phrases like "HEYAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!" when he's swinging his sword. A mute wouldn't yell like that.

Link talking is not a bad thing. People are just scared of it because they've been burned before by the CD-i games and the 80's cartoon.

[Noukon]

Given that Nintendo has been trying to spread into other media, and that there's already an Animal Crossing cartoon out in Japan, I could easily see a new Zelda anime happening (despite my own misgivings over such a thing).

[Pacman729]

I just can't see a Zelda Cartoon.

[moe-ron]

The whole "Each game has a different Link" thing could be used as the ultimate asset here:

Have the cartoon be a completely original adventure full of the well known themes of the other games and formula.

and MAYBE later make a game following the plot of the cartoon.

[TheUntamedLegend]

This probably wouldn't work, Link should never talk, and that makes it really hard to do, there was a decent Zelda Manga where Link did talk, maybe if it had similar writing.

[Beat]

This probably wouldn't work, Link should never talk, and that makes it really hard to do, there was a decent Zelda Manga where Link did talk, maybe if it had similar writing.

That manga was by Shotaro Ishinomori, one of the most innovate manga-ka ever.

I doubt the writers Nintendo hire can match his genius.

[Gokou Ruri]

The problem with video game shows is that the whole point of a game is gameplay, not the story. The stories in games tend to be paper-thin (Mario, Zelda, fighting games) or trying to hard to be "deep" that it ends up coming off as convulted and the gameplay suffers because of it (most Japanese RPGs)

While it could be enjoyable for some, in the end it would be pretty generic and wouldn't be nearly as fun as actually playing the games yourself.

[Peter Paltridge]

there's already an Animal Crossing cartoon out in Japan.
What? When?

[Pacman729]

If they do have a New Zelda Cartoon. Well, their going to have to be carefully to not mess it up. But, I still prefure the Games more, though.

[J'onn J'onzz]

What? When?

The animal crossing anime movie came out in mid-December of 2006.

[Looneytunes]

I like the idea (along with the Super Mario Bros. one as well), but here is an idea for an Legend of Zelda episode (if the cartoon is very much like the original, and not similar to the recent Zelda games):

Ganon creates two forms of him to defeat Link and Zelda: Link's Shadow (as seen in the games and comics, and like his appearance in the Nintendo Valiant comic books, he is colored in disguise) and Zelda's Reflection (her mirror reflection that is seen in the cartoon episode: "Doppelganger").

This could be a good idea, but I do not know if it will work. You guys may or may not like this idea, but I just wanted to put this idea out there.

Looneytunes (Disneytoons)