As has been a recent trend in Hollywood, video game movie adaptations persist in trying to combine the live-action plausibility of ‘our world’ with some inter-dimensional ‘other world.’ Out of all of the gaming’s biggest global franchises, Monster Hunter is perhaps not the first one to jump to mind with this concept, but it’s happening. It’s concerning to many fans, even, and it’s up in the air how well this strategy will pay off. But it’s not as if the franchise is without potential for more linear, narrative-driven adaptation. A stand-alone movie is just not the optimal decision. A serialized story based on the franchise could potentially function in similar fashions to Pokémon and find similar success if handled appropriately.
But how would an effective Monster Hunter series work? For starters, animation would likely be the easiest path to take. The richly detailed camps and complex creatures of the games would be difficult to capture in live action – which is perhaps part of why the film seems to be stripping down to a sandy desert locale with only a single native hunter character, from what we have seen. In animated form, however, a hub area with recurring background characters who organically pop into the forefront periodically would fit many trends modern cartoons are pursuing. Structurally, a series could make literal the old ‘monster-of-the-week’ trope formula, utilizing each creature’s unique nature in some way to incite moments of character conflict, growth, and development, which would mirror the actual sensation of learning to play the game itself. Monster Hunter at its core is all about adaptation and preparation first, and then practice and mastery in applying those ideas.
Whether such a series picks inspiration directly from a game entry in particular or creates a new region/camp; whether it emphasizes a sensation of expansion and exploration or one of self-defense from the ravages of the world, it would be an effective way to welcome audiences into the world and show the appeal of playing the games through action-oriented stories. The games themselves don’t do the best at tutorializing all of the concepts players need to understand to excel, but one episode at a time, a show could dole these ideas out through story, bridging the gaps between the mechanics and the life lessons they can be applied to.
A series made by Japanese creators would also no-doubt embrace the origins the franchise is born from and the culture it has become so popular in. It’s easy for westerners to not quite grasp just how popular Monster Hunter has become in its homeland, but because of how different the franchise is aesthetically from many other Japanese franchises, it could be easy enough to show the appeal of its world. Seeing the same characters equipped in different sets of armor in different episodes as well as witnessing the varied threats and quirks of the monsters themselves one by one could speak for itself. It could also highlight the likeability of the pet-like creatures – Palicos and Palimutes, the cat and dog companions that help liven the player’s experience, especially when playing solo. Keeping the franchise freshly reaching for attention with new episodes and seasons could double as promotional material for the games, as well – again, similar to what Pokémon has accomplished (anyone who grew up meeting Johto Pokémon through the anime before the games had released can relate).
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of adapting the franchise to a series – aside from the production of realizing these lavish set pieces and characters – would be deciding on a primary structure, a lens to see this world through. At the very least, the games have a built-in sort of bridge between those who Hunt and those who don’t via the Handler characters: those who coordinate the hunts and keep track of things for the warriors. At the very least, a Handler would need to be a main character, if not the main character, being a strong tie between the hunts that take place and the base of operations. Perhaps a show iteration could show the Handler doubling as a strategic leader, incorporating themes about how difficult it can be to help members of a team learn to cooperate despite their differences, and how to rise up to the role of leadership – as well as when it’s appropriate to recede that role to those more suited to lending their expertise when the situation calls for it.
Whether it were to focus on younger Hunters learning the ropes – even those who ride on creatures like in the Stories spin-off – or somewhat older characters adapting to a new way of doing things, there’s certainly a lot of potential to be had in a TV adaptation of what has become such a strong and vibrant game franchise. Monster Hunter is an intimidating, but a well-tuned animated adaptation could do what Pokémon did in easing newcomers into its complex world by tuning a story that weaves the game’s mechanics into a running thread that is taken in one thread at a time. Whether or not the live action film will manage to accomplish this remains to be seen, though it appears we don’t have much longer to wait to find out, but between the development choices of recent entries in the series – including avoiding numerical titles – it’s clear that the brand is trying hard to find a wider audience.
The Monster Hunter film is slated to release on December 30th, with two new game entries coming in 2021 in the form of Monster Hunter Stories 2 and Monster Hunter Rise.
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