The above is the image released in announcement of Marathon’s latest animated TV show, Lolirock (which, by the way has no connection to what otaku fanboys think it does.) It’s a 52 by 26′ show (that’s 52, 26 minute episodes) that being bandied about the usual licensing markets. I have nothing personally against Marathon (besides the rather gender-bias of the show) or indeed what they create (there was a time when Totally Spies! was broadcast at a convenient time in my TV viewing schedule) but the press release announcing the series is about as banal as they come. Here’s some selected quotes:
On the protagonist:
LOLIROCK follows the journey of young Iris, a spirited teenage girl with a beautiful voice and an unending desire to help others.
On her destiny:
Three new friends are now bound together by their common destiny as magical princesses and their battle for justice.
What the boss thinks:
Vincent Chalvon-Demersay (CEO, Marathon Media) and David Michel (General Manager, Marathon Media) comment, “LOLIROCK is a fresh, contemporary take on what it is to be a girl today, infused with music and magical adventures and the all-important notion of justice in today’s teenage world. It’s a perfect companion piece to Totally Spies!, which has been so successful in this same space.”
Now all this isn’t to say that the show itself is as boring as these quotes suggest (it is, in fact planning on having real ‘bands’ in key markets to support it). Rather, it appears to be Totally Spies! but instead of spies, we have singers. That said, why does the press release read like such generic drivel? It’s supposed to sell the show!
All of Marathon’s shows are exactly the same. Teens have mundane problem in their life, whisked away to save the world, and comes back home learning a lesson that solved mundane problem. Essentially, they want all their shows to be like Totally Spies, because it’s their most successful creation.
True, but what’s important to remember is that in their business, the customer is not the viewer, it’s the networks, and it’s a lot easier to sell them something similar to what was successful before. It’s partly why the same ideas are rehashed over and over and over.
Battle for justice – against who or what? An unending desire to help others – how? Common destiny as magical princesses – why? It’s a shame the details are so sparse, as there’s nothing there that really hooks me into watching the show.
With the show’s concept revolving around the band, they could’ve written the press release in the style of a music magazine interview with Iris and her fellow band members (outlining the plot and giving us an insight into their personalities!), or as a flyer advertising an upcoming concert.
A little imagination can make all the difference in a press release or a pitch standing out amongst the competition – just look at Nintendo’s recent press release for their Game and Wario game:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/24/wa-nintendo-wario-idUSnBw245347a+100+BSW20130624
If I had to guess, I’d say the music will be about as generic as you can get if only to allow it to transgress borders and cultures relatively easily.
That Wario press release is really good; it doesn’t take itself too seriously and yet still gets the message across.
Brand marketing is all about keywords. I worked on a few shows under a notable studio 5 years ago who would send out press copy that contained more buzzwords than I ever thought could exist in one paragraph, and knew that not one of them told the truth about the actual show!
Note the look of the show. Much of Marathon Animation’s work almost always has a manga/anime influence when it comes to how the shows look. Maybe it’s me but, This show seems like it was inspired by PreCure (or Pretty Cure for us English speakers here in America, judging from what Saban might do).
Considering that this show is produced in France. One of many countries in Europe that LOVES anime and manga, I would not be surprised if that was the case.