....

							...............
	Home < Columns < The Cocaine Cowboy Corner < Metal Gear Solid, the Anime?
				Metal Gear Solid, the Anime? by Joe Di Benedetto (Spike Spiegel)
			The following article will finally help me to achieve my goal of becoming certifiably insane. While I was standing on line Thursday morning for my PSP at the local Best Buy (yes, I shelled out the green), I looked over the wonderful list of launch titles that would be available once the doors to the store opened. I stood there looking at this wonderful list of games (while trying to ignore the babbling idiot standing behind me), and tried to determine which games I would purchase once my tired ass crossed the threshold of the store. I quickly decided that the best games available (they are the best because they are the games that I wanted) were Lumines, Ridge Racer, and Metal Gear Ac!d. After my decision was made, thoughts of the shear goodness of these games quickly danced in my head, but not for long. These wonderful thoughts were interrupted by a once in a lifetime brilliant idea. What was this brilliant idea you ask? (ok, I know you didn’t really ask that, but play along) Metal Gear Solid would make the PERFECT anime series. It was in that instant that I realized that I must be a genius (not a real genius, just the kind that wakes up at 6:30 AM on his day off for some video games). That’s right; I said turning Metal Gear Solid into an anime series would be a brilliant idea. Are you listening, Mr. Kojima? Because I think I just came up with the best way to put your children through college. Hell, you could buy Harvard if you ever do this. All of the essential elements of a high quality anime series are already present in the franchise. The excellent characters have already been well developed. Solid Snake is the ultimate main character of video games. Is there a cooler introduction to a video game than when Solid Snake leaps off the George Washington Bridge onto a tanker in Metal Gear Solid 2? No, of course there isn’t. Solid Snake is so smooth and cool, and kicks ass in style. The character is so influential that Solid Snake clones have been featured in rival games (ahem…Sam Fisher). Each game, a whole slew of new characters are introduced. Each character has been extensively developed, and have vastly different personalities. Even the supporting characters that did not appear to be an important part of the story ended up playing major roles. If you need one more example of how beloved some of these characters are, go to your local Game Stop and check out the Metal Gear Solid toy line. The storylines of the Metal Gear Solid games were always on an epic scale. Kojima has always put a great deal of effort into each storyline. It is this reason that I believe an anime in the Metal Gear Solid universe would have a great story. In my opinion, the storyline of an anime is one of the most important aspects. Without a great story, nobody will care even if a show has the best characters or artwork or animation. The most memorable anime series tend to have lots of plot twists and turns. The Metal Gear Solid series has been well known for each installment’s plot pulling a Fats Domino. Kojima has liked to keep us on our toes, and this would translate perfectly in an anime series. The complex relationships and backgrounds of the characters would make for some great, intriguing television. Then there is something that I like to call the “Cool Factor.” The “Cool Factor” is what keeps us going back every week for our fix of an anime. It’s hard to describe it, but you all subconsciously know what I am talking about. Well, Metal Gear Solid ranks a perfect 5 out of 5 on the “Cool Factor” scale. The weapons and technology are amazing, and more influential than you would think. I know for a fact that the United States Army is developing a form of stealth camo and something similar to the codec (my friend works for US Army Research & Development). Take a guess where the idea came from? It used to be the opposite, where the US Army influenced what was in video games. That trend has changed thanks to Metal Gear Solid. In addition to the weapons, the franchise also has the ultimate mech, the Metal Gear. The Metal Gear is constantly re-imagined in each installment. Let’s face it, mechs are the anime equivalent to a Starbucks in New York City, they are everywhere and they are not going away. I believe that Metal Gear will teach other anime creators how to properly utilize a mech in a series. It should be quality, not quantity. Some of you out there might think my request is farfetched and unreasonable, but this wouldn’t be the first time that a Hideo Kojima product ventured into the realm of animation. The PlayStation 2 game Zone of the Enders was made into an anime series after only one game being released. The funniest part is that Zone of the Enders sold well due to the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo being packaged with it. Now, I’m not saying that it was turned into an anime due to sales, because that is definitely not the case. It was turned into an anime due to the strong resemblance to traditional mecha anime. But, what I am trying to point out is that Zone of the Enders probably wouldn’t have had the following that it had without the help of Metal Gear Solid. Also, it certainly is a possibility for a Kojima game to become an anime since one already has made the transition. So the idea certainly has some slight chance to become a reality. This is a can’t miss opportunity for you, Mr. Kojima. This will give you the opportunity to mold your beautiful creations even further. Your games are very cinematic, and this would be your chance to expand your horizons. Yes, I know that you have already had one creation transformed into an anime, but this would be on a whole other level. If done properly (which I would anticipate happening since it is such a beloved franchise), Metal Gear Solid could go down as one of the best anime series EVER! Please just sit back and let all that I have said sink in. Think it over, and I’m sure you shall see that the next step in the evolution of Metal Gear Solid is an animated series. Mr. Kojima, give me a call sometime and we can discuss this idea some more over lunch. I’m free on Thursdays.