Salamander OVA (I-III): The Ad that Followed the Product
Since the 1940's, companies like Disney have used cartoons to sell product. Some companies do it in reverse! But at what cost?
Known in the West as LifeForce (1986), Konami's side scrolling arcade shooter Salamander (1986) signaled a first in first person shooters (FPS) for the NES console, in 1988. But the anime that it inspired had begun after the arcade, by Pony Canyon, licensed by Konami. So, why release the anime after? To drive the game play... or to drive viewers to buy the game inspire the story.... allow the anime to fill in the gaps of the game's mission, further validating the game player's urge to undertake and master the game? To answer this nagging question, let's revisit the history of the game itself.
Life Force revolutionized the side scroller in a time where only its predecessors Asteroids and Gorf featured static gameplay. Lifeforce featured controls with left-to-right and bottom to top side-scrolling shooter action that changed with each level from Starfield to Telos. The instruction guide listed the possibility for weapon and option upgrades, and even gave you a brief summary of the enemies you face down to the big boss!
So what does the anime accomplish?
The Salamander series served as a way to expand on the lore of the already popular side scroller, introducing new characters while keeping the starship properties the Vic Viper and Lord British Destroyer. James Burton (6641- 6718 AD) the game's main hero and Vic Viper's pilot, hails from Gradius, the planet featured in the Salamander prequel of the same name, but doesn't appear in the anime. Instead, Lord British, Eddy, Stephanie, and Dan appear. The anime takes liberties with the original story and spins them into backstories that explain the game villains' motives.
It's worth noting that Salamander's predecessor Gradius topped the charts at #4 in US sales, taking in $170MM in Arcade Sales and $34MM in the home console market in 1986. Adjusted for inflation, that's $440MM USD today.
The films Salamander, Gofer's Ambition, and Paula's Meditation all span across Latis' resistance efforts to repel the spread of the hostile Bacterian race.
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Salamander's OVA post-game release has a motivating factor behind it: to showcase Pony Canyon's strength as the JPop industry leader with its impressive artist catalog. Pony Canyon, also a VHS video distributor, is prolific music producer with hundreds of acts signed under them since the late 1960s. These artists release hits at the top of the JPop charts since the 1970s. In this vein, the music acts they work with have provided music used in the scores of its films like Salamander. Fans of Japanese and JPop music rally around anime that include its artists in the soundtrack, and Salamander OVA- with such artists as Shigemura Yasuhiko and his song "I Remember You" are no exception. The song managed to include a motif alluding to the Video Game Music for the Starfield (Level 2) Stage. The cost of releasing a series after its target product here was minimal- as Pony Canyon held not just the distribution rights, but the music property within the features. They stood only to gain more undisclosed sales and notoriety.
To summarize, today a few companies justify late releases to capitalize on their target demographic in their respective markets- here, with the release of Salamander OVA 1-3, Pony Canyon made the most of their dominance in the JPop industry, a mastery they hold even today! So the next time a see a show air after its toy or product, ask yourself why!
What anime do you watch especially for the music and its artists?
Works cited
J.E. Burton is an anime critic, story editor, and voice chaser with a love for the drawn frame and and well-crafted story. To view works or consult, you may reach out here. #intellectualproperty #targetgroup #licensing