Elite Dangerous the Anime: plot suggestions

[Old_Man_Steve]

If Devil May Cry can have an anime version, why not Elite: Dangerous?
Most of the main anime studios are a bit busy these days, but there are plenty around that aren't so busy, and those that need new ideas (looking at you, UFOtable)
Therefore, I suggest Frontier and the FDevs look through the lore and contact an anime producer. Send the producer one of my 3 plot ideas.

1. Elite: The Dangerous mission
   1. Style: Isakai
      1. Plotline: While walking to school, young Ryouta Otani became annoyed with life and wishes to be reborn. Right on cue, "Truck-Kun" chases him down but Ryouta dodges the poorly driven truck. Bragging about it, he fails to notice the 6 other trucks bearing down on him and gets 'isakaied'. He wakes up in a dark space between realities where he meets nth-dimensional beings (who are dressed like strippers because reasons) who tell him they saw great potential in him and give him another chance to live in a new life. He asks them if he's going to a magic fantasy land where he'll get level 100 powers and a harem and a wolf slave girl who fights melee for him (that's a thing in isekais). The beings merely say "guide the woman. Find the urns. Save the galaxy." and he wakes up in his body in a heavily damaged Imperial Eagle. While trying to make repairs, he accidentally opens the escape pod in the cargo hold. He checks on the cargo hold and finds a young woman there and wakes her up without kissing her because that's a thing too. She explains that she is the secret daughter of Arissa Lavigny-Duval and she's on the run from the NMLA. Together they fight off another attack, with her sitting on his lap since the IE is a 1-seater but it's only for the first episode to build tension. Look FDevs, I know you're thinking this is weird, but look, there's Darling in the Franxx in which the male main pilot controls the mech by using controls attached to the female co-pilot's a-s-s, so we're making progress here by only doing this 2-in-one seat once. Anyway, they get a new ship with 2 seats and search the galaxy for her mother, but in doing so, they encounter The Dark Wheel, get chased by Archon Delaine, get into a drinking contest with the Winking Cat, learn she is the clone of Duval and have to find the Raxxla to save the galaxy from a Thargold invasion by building banned Guardian weapons. I think we can get 4 seasons out of it, depending on how meaty the lore is. We can certainly get 5 seasons out of it if we up the sexual tension get Thargolds into Odyssey and a new cool ship.
2. Elite: Only the Dangerous may apply
   1. Style: Lupin/Cowboy Bebop crime drama
      1. Plotline: A wing of bounty hunters who owe massive amounts of money and made enemies of corporations like Sirius fight and steal their way to the new Colonia dream, by chasing down the galaxy's worst criminals while also stealing anything of value. One of the characters must dress in hot pants and a large bra while piloting because the fans are pervs and will demand it it's a Viper MK II and that always ran hot. The bounty character names will come from the current notorious commander list, which could add fan engagement to the show. Good for 2 seasons and one movie but critical acclaim if you get Yoko Kanno to do the soundtrack.
3. Elite: The Most Dangerous Prey
   1. Style: Gundam/86/other war anime
      1. Plotline: A kid and his friends play baseball on the generation ship Zambia Gold one day. As the game wraps up, unknown entities attack the ship, forcing main character Bart Franklin and his friends to hide in the hanger. During the battle, the hanger gets damaged and the kids fall into a prototype Type 11 heavy assault ship. Using the ship based fighters and new technology, they fend off the Thargolds. Over the course of the show, they learn the generation ship has illegally kept in touch with humanity and built illegal weapons, and that the real mission of the Zambia Gold was to find one of the Thargold base worlds. Faced with a hostile galactic threat in humanity and the Thargolds, the kids lead their generation ship to an uncertain future. Good for 3 seasons but you'll need to add a mech shaped fighter because the fans are predictable will want it.

I had another idea but my fingers hurt now so I'll call it a day. Get these ideas to a producer, stat and you'll save the franchise print the money like hotcakes!

 

[Lugh]

Pretty sure this would cost more than it generates.

Firstly very few anime ever make a profit. Their role is as advertisements not a primary product.

Then you need to think of the primary audience size. The reason very few anime are original works rather than adaptations is because they rely on the primary audience of the source material to do the vast majority of the marketing for them.

There have been successful anime that were original works but they require a far larger marketing investment further cutting into profits.

So now let's look at ED the primary market would be the late 20s-60 year old men. This isn't exactly a great pool for an anime. This is the same case with the target audience for the anime not lining up with the ultimate product trying to be sold to them.

Basically odds of their being a profit are slim to none.

 

[Sensei Jacksama]

I've got a plot for you alright...

Title: "how did I end up having to choose from an elite wifu harem when the game doesn't even have a sense of humor?"

Plot: the protagonist finds himself drawn into a love triangle between his childhood sweetheart Federal Corvette chan

and the new station transfer ship Imperial Cutter dono.

Can Senpai choose between the two? Or will will Thargoid San swoop in and turn our heros station into a burning heart of love once and for all.

"It...it's not like I MEANT to hyperdict you or anything stupid!!"

 

[Old_Man_Steve]

Their role is as advertisements not a primary product.

Then it's a good thing ED is an active product! But you have a strong point- perhaps Frontier can sell ships like Bandai sells....who makes the Gundam toys again?

The reason very few anime are original works rather than adaptations is because they rely on the primary audience of the source material to do the vast majority of the marketing for them.

There have been successful anime that were original works but they require a far larger marketing investment further cutting into profits.

It's a good thing ED is on Steam, as it seems to be a decent marketing platform. Whether or not it's a good platform for selling cartoons/anime I can't say, as I've only noticed VNs. But Frontier's a big company. Perhaps they can make anime of their other products like Ark and the roller coaster game? Heck, a series for each to sell along with the games!

So now let's look at ED the primary market would be the late 20s-60 year old men. This isn't exactly a great pool for an anime.

True, but that's where Frontier whips out the two things that draw in other demographics! The love triangle! Gets the romance-inclined demo every time! Followed by the ever-present and never repetitive Power Leveling! Typically found in shonen fighting anime, instead of people getting fueled by magic steroids new power levels, the ships themselves get upgraded! Heck, ED already has that system with tech brokers and engineer upgrades! Heck, seeing Lori Jameson and other engineers in animated action might attract some of the game's players to watch or encourage the art department to make the engineers less ashy cuz omg they all look broke bad.

Basically odds of their being a profit are slim to none.

True but heck that didn't stop Redo of Healer from getting made unless it was funded by pervs because hoo boy that's some rough to watch. Frontier just needs to cough up $4 million for production, then sell it to Netflix for $15 million and get $11 million in profit!

Title: "how did I end up having to choose from an elite wifu harem when the game doesn't even have a sense of humor?"

That's...brilliant! Those anthromorphorized ships are so cool they basically sell themselves! Where's the marketing department?! If you make mostly female versions of your ships into posters and funco dolls and NFTs, you basically have a license to print money $$$$!!!

 

[Sensei Jacksama]

That's...brilliant! Those anthromorphorized ships are so cool they basically sell themselves! Where's the marketing department?! If you make mostly female versions of your ships into posters and funco dolls and NFTs, you basically have a license to print money $$$$!!!

Jokes aside I do think elite has a rich enough lore that a decent anime could be made out of it. I think the problem is the franchise just isn't big enough to warrant the attention of any anime directors. The game world of tanks had an anime called girls und panzers that helped out their franchise. It wasn't officially based off of the game but anyone who watched it and was familiar with the game instantly drew the comparison. It was almost impossible to watch it and not think you were watching WOT the anime. I think an elite anime would help the franchise but its so small I think the cost would outweigh any gains it would get from it.