Context: Kei just became declared the new "Queen of Ariake"*, a title that was formerly held by Kashima, with writers and artists just unable to stop churning out doujins of her. Kei, at this year's Summer Comiket, apparently has more doujins than all of Azur Lane combined. It goes to show what kind of a chord Blue Archive and its characters have struck. KanColle skated so that Blue Archive and Umamusume could run.
(*I find it funny given that Kei's schtick was originally supposed to be "Guiding the princess to her throne", turning Arisu into a "queen" of sorts. I guess Kei didn't realize she also had a throne waiting)
Context: Kei just became declared the new "Queen of Ariake"*, a title that was formerly held by Kashima, with writers and artists just unable to stop churning out doujins of her. Kei, at this year's Summer Comiket, apparently has more doujins than all of Azur Lane combined. It goes to show what kind of a chord Blue Archive and its characters have struck. KanColle skated so that Blue Archive and Umamusume could run.
(*I find it funny given that Kei's schtick was originally supposed to be "Guiding the princess to her throne", turning Arisu into a "queen" of sorts. I guess Kei didn't realize she also had a throne waiting)
I'm still surprised no other character received the title between Kei and Kashima timeline. Like in terms of numbers I would assume BA Yuuka, Asuna, Toki, Mika, Seia or Rio would had achieve similar fame.
I'm still surprised no other character received the title between Kei and Kashima timeline. Like in terms of numbers I would assume BA Yuuka, Asuna, Toki, Mika, Seia or Rio would had achieve similar fame.
I think that's because despite Asuna being the fanart queen of BA it mostly a global phenomena that didn't produce much doujinshi in Japan, it doesn't help that there hasn't been a legit story arc involving Asuna as main character unlike Neru and Toki from C and C.
I'm still surprised no other character received the title between Kei and Kashima timeline. Like in terms of numbers I would assume BA Yuuka, Asuna, Toki, Mika, Seia or Rio would had achieve similar fame.
Apperances matter not, it matters is the personality. Just look at Kashima and Kei, they don't wear anything that shows a lot of "skin" but you can feel it either way. Kashima and Kei's personality is both good with Kei getting a lot of fuel since her (full) debut in a certain event last year.
Lastly people are just prefer that tsundere mommy vibe from her. Berates at everyone she cares for but still making sure they are okay.
Apperances matter not, it matters is the personality. Just look at Kashima and Kei, they don't wear anything that shows a lot of "skin" but you can feel it either way. Kashima and Kei's personality is both good with Kei getting a lot of fuel since her (full) debut in a certain event last year.
Lastly people are just prefer that tsundere mommy vibe from her. Berates at everyone she cares for but still making sure they are okay.
Nexon is wasting Asuna's potential for not giving her Protagonist's spotlight.
What IP is the second wave? I'm going to guess the first one is Touhou.
Kancolle, this is mostly based on Comiket numbers and the genre they occupy (an IP that has a large proportion of female cast and I'm aware about Nasuverse exists and belongs to the 2K Club which BA has not reached yet but again its a bit different compared to Touhou and Kancolle), but KC really had dominated 2013-2016 back then that you almost see it everywhere. It was actually first IP that that somehow managed to challenge Touhou for its dominance, it served as the framework for military-themed gacha games, and there was also the massive artist migration that somehow triggered a fandom war between the two franchise. Umamusume almost had it, but they are restrained by Cygame's policy, that's the reason they never produced the massive numbers that BA currently has now.
What I liked about BA is that it revolutionized the Assistant System, it added momotalk and expanded character development through side stories similar how Touhou and Kancolle manage to expand theirs through doujins. BA also shared their design philosophy with KC and 2HU, individualistic enough to be memorable yet still uniform enough to avoid standing out against each other. And the reason why KC fans are more positive towards BA is it has that familiarity among the cast and the BA devs really did paid attention on what KC did back then.
I think it's all the more impressive considering that Blue Archive isn't even a Japanese game. Would anyone have thought ten years ago, that someday a Korean IP would dominate Comiket?
I think it's all the more impressive considering that Blue Archive isn't even a Japanese game. Would anyone have thought ten years ago, that someday a Korean IP would dominate Comiket?
Koreans opened themselves to global market while Japan chose seclusion which eventually fucked themselves over, looking at you Kancolle and DMM.
Koreans opened themselves to global market while Japan chose seclusion which eventually fucked themselves over, looking at you Kancolle and DMM.
TBF, Kancolle has one of the most effective gatekeeping strategy, setting the barrier of entry so high that they don't need to bend to their audience just to be acceptable nor their fans have to act like complete degenerates just to fend off invasions. And for DMM, the site is R-18 and they don't want to be pressured by outside influence for the sake of their older games, they probably don't want to deal with online processing platform that keep pressuring website such as pixiv to adopt their policy. I know it sucks that KC will never open globally especially that they keep preasuring Japan to bend their knee to the west.
I think its better this way, just let Kancolle rest and have Blue Archive have its moment. Also Umamusume is from Japan so at least that counts.
TBF, Kancolle has one of the most effective gatekeeping strategy, setting the barrier of entry so high that they don't need to bend to their audience just to be acceptable nor their fans have to act like complete degenerates just to fend off invasions. And for DMM, the site is R-18 and they don't want to be pressured by outside influence for the sake of their older games, they probably don't want to deal with online processing platform that keep pressuring website such as pixiv to adopt their policy. I know it sucks that KC will never open globally especially that they keep preasuring Japan to bend their knee to the west.
I think its better this way, just let Kancolle rest and have Blue Archive have its moment. Also Umamusume is from Japan so at least that counts.
It got taken over on the west side and it's awful.
Umamusume almost had it, but they are restrained by Cygame's policy, that's the reason they never produced the massive numbers that BA currently has now.
While this has impacted their numbers at Comiket, I think it'd be silly to dismiss Uma and declare the third wave to be entirely BA's, when Uma was impacting KanColle numbers too. I think it's entirely fair to hand the third wave to both of them, as they each captured parts of KanColle's fanbase the other didn't and in different ways, domestically and internationally.
TBF, Kancolle has one of the most effective gatekeeping strategy, setting the barrier of entry so high that they don't need to bend to their audience just to be acceptable nor their fans have to act like complete degenerates just to fend off invasions.
Isn't it also the fact that everyone involved in the IP didn't really want the game to expand outside of Japan regardless? Paired with their initial plans of the game not lasting long to begin with, that alone gatekeeps more than the platform itself.
The fact that it took 13 years for Kancolle to be upstaged like this is a massive achievement in my book.
The thing is, it hasn't been upstaged as far as i remember. Although exact numbers have become blurry with the years, Kashima's record was massive at the time, with over 200 circles dedicated just to her and an uncertain amount of secondary works if my memory serves me right. It's more of a "throne for a new era" than a "shattering the last record".
While this has impacted their numbers at Comiket, I think it'd be silly to dismiss Uma and declare the third wave to be entirely BA's, when Uma was impacting KanColle numbers too. I think it's entirely fair to hand the third wave to both of them, as they each captured parts of KanColle's fanbase the other didn't and in different ways, domestically and internationally.
I wasn't entirely dismissing Uma's influence, in fact they are still formidable despite being held back by Cygame's policy, it did inherit Kancolle's attention to historical nuance which allows fans to easily migrate to the fandom. I can't deny its influence but we're talking about numbers, around 2018 (I'm aware Uma was released in 2021 but 2018 is what I believe when KC influence begins to plateau and newer gacha games are being introduced), people are already searching for the next Kancolle and the competition was tough, we could also add the rise of vtubing and hololive that there is no single franchise that dominates during that time. But unlike today, that despite the rough competition between gachas, we can clearly see that Blue Archive have risen above all both in numbers and influence, it surpassed the Fate franchise and will soon surpass Kancolle here in danbooru.
Isn't it also the fact that everyone involved in the IP didn't really want the game to expand outside of Japan regardless? Paired with their initial plans of the game not lasting long to begin with, that alone gatekeeps more than the platform itself.
Not entirely, because Kancolle did have an anime, but that anime is what ruins the good will with the global audiences, especially when KC got accused for being for Imperial Japan supremacists, historical revisionism, and denying war crimes. If KC was purely isolationists, it wouldn't have introduced allied ships like Iowa with such attention to historical detail or hired artists from Taiwan like Zeco and Acea4 (they even faced backlash for accepting Acea4), but Kancolle isn't entirely clean either, I still remember that director's cringe comment about "Muh sorrow of the Japanese Fleet" which had become main ammunition for KC haters for the next 8-9 years, and how they poorly handle the Intrepid disaster, and the latest Lexington disaster.
Now KanColle too can find out what it means to be reclining like Touhou has been.
I mean that's the fate of every massive fandom, either they fade to obscurity or they become self sufficient enough that they can survive until another new thing emerges. Both had become pillars and their influence in the landscape is undeniable.
The thing is, it hasn't been upstaged as far as i remember. Although exact numbers have become blurry with the years, Kashima's record was massive at the time, with over 200 circles dedicated just to her and an uncertain amount of secondary works if my memory serves me right. It's more of a "throne for a new era" than a "shattering the last record".
Kashima captured the perfect storm, she was designed by Parsley who already has an amazing track record for their characters (I mean, Colorado had temporarily rejuvenated Kancolle when she was released), her charming personality, and the fact she was introduced during the peak of KC's popularity and the competition wasn't tough since it is only competing against Touhou that rarely produces new characters. To add more to her achievement, her collaboration with lawson somehow(?) boosted its revenue in Japan, and fights even broke out outside convenience stores just to get her merch.
But don't underestimate Kei's achievement, especially with today's market, her numbers is massive because of the amount of characters she had to compete against in her own franchise and from other gachas as well.
Not entirely, because Kancolle did have an anime, but that anime is what ruins the good will with the global audiences, especially when KC got accused for being for Imperial Japan supremacists, historical revisionism, and denying war crimes. If KC was purely isolationists, it wouldn't have introduced allied ships like Iowa with such attention to historical detail or hired artists from Taiwan like Zeco and Acea4 (they even faced backlash for accepting Acea4), but Kancolle isn't entirely clean either, I still remember that director's cringe comment about "Muh sorrow of the Japanese Fleet" which had become main ammunition for KC haters for the next 8-9 years, and how they poorly handle the Intrepid disaster, and the latest Lexington disaster.
This assumes that the anime was intended to advertise the game, when it's far more clear from everyone involved in the IP that it was moreso intended just to advertise the brand/IP itself ultimately. Because that's where KanColle is making the big bucks more thanks to its popularity, the merch, marketing deals, etc. not the game proper. They don't need the game to be internationally available for that, they just need to make stuff that maintains brand awareness.
None of that changes what you said though, which is the impact of the first season in blunting the potential ascension of the IP internationally, disincentivizing further international spread. But KanColle being far more brand/IP-oriented as opposed to game-oriented is what allows for a second anime to actually happen.
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