Every now and then TV and movie representations of video games appear to be on the rise, but we’re often reminded of why that’s such a big mistake now and again since what we tend to get is often a poor and pale view of the actual source material that fans end up disliking despite the fact that it was prompted by something they enjoy. Dragon’s Dogma sounds like a familiar storyline with a new twist and looks that people might not have seen before, but it almost sounds as though fans would rather have a sequel to the video game than a TV show, which is kind of odd in a way but not too hard to understand since it’s easier to forgive any mistakes in a game than it is in a TV show given that a game can be played and certain parts can be ignored, while a TV show makes it harder to ignore any glaring errors unless one doesn’t watch it in the first place. As it stands at this moment, the main idea of the show appears to go like this: a young man has to find and confront the dragon that took his heart. Along the way, he’ll have to fight demons and will lose a bit of his humanity with each battle. That’s what it sounds like anyway, and while it’s not the worst story to ever come along, it does feel a little simplistic even if there are many hidden ideas that are waiting to be discovered.
Perhaps it’s the story, the synopsis, or the fact that dragons tend to come and go and somehow be depicted in so many ways, but it does sound as though there’s a reason that Dragon’s Dogma might be an uncertain story when it comes to its popularity as a game and the possibility that it might be a flop. There’s nothing saying that that it will fail entirely, but when one looks at all the dragon stories and movies that have come out and the realization that few of them have ever been that great it’s hard to argue that another one with the dragon as the ultimate evil or the final enemy or pretty much anything along those lines is going to be embraced by anyone by the most diehard of fans. Maybe it’s burnout or maybe it’s something else that makes a dragon appear to be less of a good idea these days when it comes to being an antagonist, but for one reason or another, it does feel that the only fans that are really going to get on board with this idea will be those that happen to love the game and are more than willing to watch whatever comes. There are likely to be plenty of people that are happy to hear that this is coming in September and there’s no doubt they’ll be waiting patiently and will be ready to flip on Netflix when it airs. But while some anime series have come a long way and have been insanely impressive, such a Castlevania, others are going to have to prove themselves in a big way and make it clear that they belong there.
The fact that there’s a bit of hemming and hawing about a sequel to the game is enough to give a person pause since it would appear that Capcom isn’t too certain about the direction of the story and whether or not it’s really worth bringing back. But while some voices have relented and might be thinking that it’s a good idea to develop a sequel, the upcoming anime is going to need to raise the bar a bit and really convince people that it’s worth the effort and that it can carry a season and possibly another behind it without fail. One way or another it does feel as though Dragon’s Dogma will be able to wow some people and even convince someone that it’s worth more than a single season, but since no one has seen what’s yet to come it’s fair to say that right now we’re going to have to just wait and see what might come of this. Anything with dragons is bound to be scrutinized in a big way by fans of fantasy and the fact that its anime is going to make this doubly true. For all we know the show could be an instant hit when it comes out, but the best way to really prepare for anything these days is to keep expectations neutral to low and be pleasantly surprised if something does prove to be exciting and over the top in the best of ways. That’s the hope after all, and for fans of the game, it’s likely that they’ll be expecting the show to perform just as well as the game.
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