Magic Knight Rayearth: The U.S. Saturn Swan Song was a Winning Strategy for Games and Anime in Japan

Описание: Sega's 1990s expansion led to some acquisitions that made anime based video games affordable and successful! (Chapter Markers and more below…)

Episode information
GTV 182 “It's a Shame About Ray" Season 9 Episode 22
Original Airdate: December 8, 2024
Produced November 13-December 4, 2024
All Episodes Watched April-July 2024 and Once Again in October
Recorded at Butsudan Studios and edited on my 14” MacBook M1 Pro! Edited and produced with Photoshop and Final Cut Pro, all paid for with Gainful Employment™ while riding the train to work and home, back and forth, day after day, and lunch breaks too!

0:00 GTV ID “Our Videos Start at 11!”
0:04 Introduction: More Than Just “The Last Saturn Game”
0:31 Act 1: Sega and the Media Mix
5:03 CM 1: Watch Magic Knight Rayearth Mondays at 7:30!!
5:22 Act 2: The Story of Magic Knight Rayearth
13:34 CM 2: Rayearth Good on Sale!
13:49 Act 3: Rayearth on the Sega Saturn
18:37 CM 3: Magic Knight Rayearth for Sega Saturn!
18:55 Act 4: Working Designs vs. the World
26:37 CM 4: Making of Magic Knight for Game Gear!
26:55 Act 5: Plus Alpha
28:35 Who is it Today??

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Partial Transcript

In 1995, Sega released one of the best adventure games on the Saturn: Magic Knight Rayearth! Often remembered as a mere footnote for being the final American Sega Saturn game, there is an amazing story behind it.
If you've ever played Magic Knight Rayearth, you already know that the game fits well in a sub-genre that flourished in the 1990s: the anime RPG. Though not every game in this style was a true role-playing game, the name just works. Magic Knight Rayearth stands alongside games like Cosmic Fantasy, Popful Mail, and many others. The gameplay features sword and sorcery with some strategy, only taking a break every now and then to show fully animated and voiced dialogue that moves the story along.
However, unlike most anime RPGs, Magic Knight Rayearth was based on a proper anime series—one that Sega had a heavy hand in creating. This wasn’t Sega’s first attempt at blending games and anime. In the 1980s, Sega worked directly with animation studios three times, creating what is called a “media mix” in Japan. The results were Zillion, Borgman, and Magical Hat. For all three, Sega offered a financial stake, which gave them creative control over the series and exclusive rights to games, toys, and other merchandise.

After three years and three attempts, Sega suddenly hit the brakes. Several factors led to this change. Media mixes were expensive, and while animation studios put up a lot of money, simple licensing deals cost much less. It made more financial sense to go the traditional route, even if cramming a TV show into a game didn’t always work. At the time, 8-bit and 16-bit games couldn’t fully convey the elements of a TV show.
Additionally, Sega’s profile in home gaming expanded with the Mega Drive and Genesis. Original creations like Sonic were selling well on their own. Even in Japan, the Mega Drive held a 20% market share at its peak. However, between Magical Hat and Magic Knight Rayearth, several key events made media mixes worth exploring again.
The other side of this media mix began in November 1993, when a new manga series, Magic Knight Rayearth, appeared in the pages of Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine, a shōjo manga publication.
The series stars three middle school girls who are mysteriously teleported to a far-off world called Cephiro. Sega stepped in and offered a partnership that led to a full weekly series, a line of toys, and several video games in 94 and 95.