Not all anime is like that at all, so it isn't automatically a bad idea. As with live-action shows, it all depends on the execution or the particular audience a show is trying to reach. That critical consensus seem to be arguing more the differences in cultures and business practices between the U.S. and Japan (with a bit of elitism against the unsophisticated tastes of mainstream America, IMO).
Funny, I mentioned that same possibility a while back: DTV Animated Star Trek Movies-It Could Be Done Anime would be great for Star Trek, and one of the studios that could do an anime Star Trek show/movie could be Madhouse (a studio that's been doing direct-to-video movies of Marvel Comics characters, in particular Iron Man.)
^ Madhouse in particular have been putting themselves out there for US producers, but there are other good studios - quality really depends on who the director is, and how much money there is. The "controversy" is mostly limited to a few US-centric animators, I think. So-called limited animation is very effective in the right hands, and OTOH most US TV animation these days looks very crude and simplistic (admittedly a stylistic choice based on budget limitations - just like anime in that respect). In terms of design and composition I think anime is ahead, as even when its done badly at least they have a stylish aesthetic basis to work from. US designs often look much more prosaic to me; what the critics call "good" animation is obsessed with "animate everything" as opposed to "make the total image look beautiful and expressive".
I think that the best application of an animated Trek would be to test the waters for a new concept or direction against a (probably) younger demographic. JJ Abrams did this to an extent with his movies, but he didn't do anything actually new; he just slapped the Star Trek delta onto generic sci-fi action. Animation could be a relatively low-risk experiment with a really new idea. A fringe scientist and his crew of misfits using an experimental engine on a stolen starship. A crew of orphans trying to reestablish galactic civilization with the ancient and long-abandoned Enterprise. A crew of cadets having adventures in space that are also an education in astronomy for the viewers.
It's not exactly new. Ten years ago(!) I participated in an art contest here on Trek BBS with a "New Animated Series" theme. My idea was "Star Trek: Lazarus," about a band of mongrel orphans who commandeer an ancient starship and take it upon themselves to reestablish the long-fallen Galactic Federation. The notion was so powerful to me that I picked it up a few years later when I decided to produce a comic strip, and that exploration evolved into Westward. My point being that I think that Star Trek is powerful. In just the same way that their ideal of a lawful Federation might lead a band of orphans to take on the galaxy, I always hope that the highest ideals of Star Trek can break the established molds of the entertainment industry to create something meaningful. Unlikely? Yes, but it's happened before.
Check out the 'Yamato 2199' animated series sometime- it is a mix of 2D & 3D styles which is not distracting. The ships have mass and grace, the characters are slightly stylized but faithful to the original series. Watching this I could just imagine what an animated Star Trek could do. Far cheaper than live action and almost no limitations as to what you want to show.
Re: Why not go animated? - new series Any Trek canon (feature film or TV series) is not low-risk. It is an established 50-year old brand that the powers that be want to succeed in a series running at least 3-5 seasons. (12-26 episodes each). I would like to see a 3-D CGI-style animated series like SW:The Clone Wars but I don't think it will happen as you just get a lot less people buying/viewing an animated series than a live-action series period. I think Paramount/CBS Home Entertainment are just waiting until the right time. 2017 seems to be the right time after the 3rd feature film has it's run and people want more Trek. The feature film actors will have moved on. see this other thread: A New Modern Trek Animated Series and New Animated Series
This is what Oscar voters think about animation and anime in particular. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/award-season-focus/proof-that-oscar-voters-are-clueless-about-animation-109456.html I'll highlight this one telling quote: Why would CBS/Paramount want to risk associating the valuable Star Trek brand with that mindset? Sure some elitist nerds on internet boards like anime, but the vast majority of American viewers is much closer to this academy voter. Releasing Star Trek as an anime series will not change opinions on anime, it will just confirm the mainstream view that Star Trek is for nerds and not for them. So much for all the work/money Paramount went into rebuilding the brand.
All in your opinion, of course. But it's probably a given that "the vast majority of American viewers" that are like "that academy voter" wouldn't watch a Trek series live or animated anyway, well...
Star Wars Rebels is averaging about .6 million viewers in the US. Do you think Anime Trek can get that? If not then you'd be laughed out of the room for pitching Anime Trek. And if you do, I'll ask the followup question that CBS will ask, what is an example of an Anime show that gets over 600k viewers in the US right now?
First of all, Disney XD is only available in about 70% of the country. So about 600,000 viewers is pretty good for an animated series just a little over 2/3 of people can see (especially given that many of its other cartoons have even lower ratings). Do I think an anime Trek can get that? I can see it getting about the same as the Marvel cartoons there (around 700,000-500,000 viewers), so yeah. But I think what that will be dependent on is how good the show is, how well it appeals to the audience it wants to reach, and not whether it is an anime or not (the former will render the latter a moot point). Unlikely. Dragon Ball Z Kai (1.3 million viewers) Kill La Kill (1.2 million viewers) Naruto: Shippuden (873,000 viewers) InuYasha: The Final Act (792,000 viewers) One Piece (714,000 viewers) Deadman Wonderland (705,000 viewers) Gurren Lagann (693,000 viewers) http://www.tvmediainsights.com/tv-r...onals-positive-numbers-newsmagazines-cbs-nbc/ Not bad post-primetime broadcast numbers for cartoons that many anime fans can see elsewhere or already own on DVD/Blu-ray...
There's been some Star Trek manga, but-at least the ones I know of-were written in America rather than imported and translated from Japan; it was just drawn in the anime 'style'. Star Trek does have an interesting parrarel with Japan's giant robot franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam. Both series were actually not that big in their initial TV runs, but became massive hits in reruns. Also, the Musai class cruiser-the green main antagonist spaceships in the original series-sort of resembles the Enterprise when flipped upside down.(I've read this was actually intentional).
Star trek would be good animated!! Even if they just do a cartoon direct to video film or two every year such as Scooby do. I loved the Hellboy films and thought the 2 animated films were very good. If they did trek animated the same style as they did the Hellboy cartoons That would be so cool. Get voice actors who kinda sound like the actors and its a done deal.
I think that Star Trek needs to exist in the form of an ongoing series to really thrive. Part of its formula is the establishment of a family dynamic--a comfortable familiarity that grounds each episode in the face of fantastic settings and weird circumstances. Every Star Trek movie so far has capitalized on the family dynamic established previously on television screens.
Most people don't differentiate between "proper" animation and anime. Speed Racer and Astro Boy were and are popular in the US, and are not generally regarded as weird or foreign. Avatar is consciously modelled on anime, and is very successful.
I've been asking for an animated series since the 90s when Voyager was bombing in quality and ratings.
I think the chances of an animated series are pretty good once the movie run finishes. Ok they may do a fourth and fifth etc but it's going to get a lot more expensive to re-unite the full cast and an animated show will let them keep the classic Trek crew going.