This isn't in response to anyone in particular, but just for new fans who may come across this discussion and be a bit confused about not just why anime originals exist but more importantly how they are implemented and how they fit into the larger picture.
The question of "Would Conan be better without anime originals?" naturally comes up a lot, and it probably would be. But there's just no way to continue the show in the way it deserves without them. The anime originals are and always will be, at their core, delayers. They're only there to add cushion between manga cases or else they would catch up to Gosho in a few months. Showing re-runs and remasters constantly isn't an option because the vast majority of people tuning in don't want updated visuals, they want something that is "new". Conan would never be able to hold onto its timeslot otherwise. Advertisers don't want re-runs in any form, and neither does the primary viewership.
It could become a seasonal anime, but this interferes with the brand synergy and overall promotional presence that the trifecta (the TV show, the movies, and the manga) have on one another. This allows a constant presence in the media for games, figurines, memorabilia, etc. to thrive in the marketplace. If Conan were seasonal, that business would only be at its peak relevancy for a quarter of a year. No one interested in making money is going to cut into their profits like that, because the truth is that these anime originals make them a lot of money. No distinctions are made for the casual viewer, so it is not really possible for them to know whether what they're watching is an anime original or a manga-based case (something that I'm sure is intentional).
In short: A timeslot is worth a lot of money and these anime originals actually keep Conan alive, no matter how we may feel about them compared to the manga episodes.
Personally, and this is something I suggested eons ago, I would love to see more well-considered three parters or miniature arcs in the anime original space. There's no reason that they can't come up with really interesting set of new characters for a three or four part arc that spans two cases or so on a very occasional basis. Something akin to the level of episode 304, where the core case was quite interesting and had a large scope yet didn't have to really have a major impact on overall character development to really still be considered quite good. Having the annual specials of old replaced with annual unchained anime original events would be quite cool and refreshing I think. Maybe if this upcoming anniversary AO special is good we'll see more of that.
kkslider5552000 wrote:I'm honestly interested in who decides it's a better idea to make the anime writers waste more time by making more cases than they need to. I have to assume that they assume that 1 episode cases are some sort of nice change of pace from 2 part ones, because otherwise I fail to see the point.
The answer to this we can't really be sure of because I'm sure it's a multi-dimensional answer in itself, but some interesting possibilities come up when you think about it. The obvious one is simply that two part cases require twice as much time for the writer (since most of the scenarios are concocted by one person, and some of them are quite good even in recent years, especially in the 500s and 600s).
Second, and probably most likely, is that one part cases have finality that the two-part cases do not have. When you have the occasional one-part case sprinkled in, you don't have people tuning in every few weeks and potentially catching only the first part of a case or the second part. With the current structure, they'll sometimes see the one-parters, which make it seem like a lot less of a time investment ("Watching this one episode does not force me to have to watch the next one too in order to have a complete story"). It's not like a serial television show where the core story carries over from week to week but a generally self-contained plot unfolds within the single episode. Here, you have a distinctly one-part problem separated into halves, and that is likely why they are hesitant to keep making only two-part cases given that Gosho doesn't do one-parters very often at all anymore.
There are plenty of other reasons that come to mind (home video being one), but maybe that'll serve as some food for thought.
Some people just doodle around when they use Paint, I on the other hand use it seriously!!! ^^ there has been a lot of sera in the latest episodes so here is my way of celebrating it! ^^