The opening and closing segments of anime series are things people tend to get very attached to, as they typically combine great music with visuals paying homage to the show’s characters or plot arcs in artistic ways. As a result some non-Japanese properties have been given similar treatments by fans, such asYouTuber Narmak’sSpongeBob SquarePantsanime,and now Blizzard Entertainment’s team-based shooterOverwatchhas been given an anime opening.
YouTuber Joshee K premiered his fan project yesterday, called “My Overwatch Academia” given it’s based on the second anime opening for the shonen seriesMy Hero Academia, after over a year in development due to school and work. On Reddit, where he goes by ryugawasabi, the creator says he makes animations “as a hobby,” and that quarantine due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic finally gave him the chance to finish this.
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The animation hits on a number of nerves, referencingOverwatchlore and sticking to various anime opening tropes with different kinds of crossfades and parallels that fans of the medium have come to expect. It even uses a cover of Kenshi Yonezu’s “Peace Sign,” the song fromMy Hero Academia’s model opening, by fellow YouTuber Aruvn to keep the original timing as accurate as possible.
Multiple comments on Joshee K’s anime opening question why Blizzard hasn’t gone ahead and greenlit some kind ofOverwatchcartoon of its own, given the studio clearly intends to expand the title’s brand throughOverwatchnovels. The game’s colorful cast of characters has gotten showtime in animated shorts of some form or another throughout its four-year existence, so there is some merit to the idea.
CurrentlyOverwatchis starting to wind down to make room for its sequel, and as a result the developers released the final new hero Echo — who also appears in Joshee K’s opening. That said, adjustments are still being made to the game’s competitive scene, withBlizzard recently removing Hero Poolsfrom competitive play altogether.
The ongoing success ofOverwatchandMy Hero Academiamakes this well-made combination of the two particularly successful, so it’s nice to see a positive development come out of people being stuck at home. That quarantine has also impacted the development of shows likeMy Hero Academia, and as a result some of itsvoice actors have been playingAnimal Crossing: New Horizonstogether.
Overwatchis available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source:Reddit,Aruvn (YouTube)
