I don't think younger audiences connecting to the story is a real concern; the bigger challenge would be getting them to take the bait. Marketing will definitely be shouldering a lot of the burden
I wonder how necessary the recoloring and the upscaling really were. The main reason anyone would have to read Full Metal Alchemist at this point is because it's a classic, and the recoloring especially takes away from that. Reminds me of Ted Turner's scheme to improve the value of old movies by colorizing them, on the basis of push polling suggesting people were more likely to watch classic movies if they were in color. Even ignoring the ethical problems (since recoloring was done without the input or the consent of the filmmakers many of whom were dead by that point), in practical terms, how does the viewer even know it's a classic film at all if it's in color?
What I'm saying is, the brand's historical significance itself is the main selling point. Reproducing it as it existed back in its heyday, rather than as if it were a webtoon only being released this year, isn't just a better idea as a cost-cutting measure. There's a decent chance it would be doing better with viewers just by having its classic iconic status emphasized rather than obscured.
I don't think younger audiences connecting to the story is a real concern; the bigger challenge would be getting them to take the bait. Marketing will definitely be shouldering a lot of the burden
I'm going to be 100% honest... I was never a fan of FMA. And I don't know how timeless the series actually is.
I wonder how necessary the recoloring and the upscaling really were. The main reason anyone would have to read Full Metal Alchemist at this point is because it's a classic, and the recoloring especially takes away from that. Reminds me of Ted Turner's scheme to improve the value of old movies by colorizing them, on the basis of push polling suggesting people were more likely to watch classic movies if they were in color. Even ignoring the ethical problems (since recoloring was done without the input or the consent of the filmmakers many of whom were dead by that point), in practical terms, how does the viewer even know it's a classic film at all if it's in color?
What I'm saying is, the brand's historical significance itself is the main selling point. Reproducing it as it existed back in its heyday, rather than as if it were a webtoon only being released this year, isn't just a better idea as a cost-cutting measure. There's a decent chance it would be doing better with viewers just by having its classic iconic status emphasized rather than obscured.