ramblrthebloghog

[ramblrthebloghog]

Total Eclipse ‘Review’

Just like with Shadow Fall, I will be going through Reboot Archie’s ‘Total Eclipse’ arc to see if Ian is in the right regarding Shadow or if maybe he just isn’t great with him. While I’m primarily looking at Shadow, I’ll also be looking at other things that stood out that I found incompatible with game lore or with game characterizations. Not posting a page means I didn’t really find something worth bringing up or praising. I did read through The Great Chaos Caper since that arc comes between Shadow Fall and this one, and I can safely say it was pretty good aside from the quirks of handling Tikal and Chaos, and having to sit through Ian’s Deadpool Bean. But I’m not really interested in talking about that one critically.

I addressed Team Brand and GUN last time, but in short, my stance is that there’s no problem with them working for GUN as a team here, but it’s also not bad or wrong for Sega to reject it today. Shadow is off to a good start. Omega isn’t. I can see and understand the easy comedy, but like, scroll for a minute through something like Colors DS’ script. Omega does nothing there but speak factually in his robotic way, yet the situations and scenarios are still funny, like Orbot and Cubot panicking. The comedy is placed on them in that instance. Him muttering the way he does in this page could be argued as humanizing, but it’s anti-Omega in my book. What’s interesting is that a comedic panel later with Fixit describing his function achieved this pretty well. As I’ve gone through Shadow Fall and now this story, I realize I probably should’ve gone back and added from the start that this was going to be a criticism of Ian’s Omega as well. Sorry if this gets redundant. As for Snively… I don’t particularly care for Reboot Snively, because Preboot Snively was more interesting, and I know that Reboot Snively had to be different from previous incarnations, so it would be kinda silly to judge him for “not matching up to SatAM Snively” or something. So I guess we can mostly ignore him unless it’s in regards to another character that matters. 

Which comes up in the page after as he tries to order Shadow around. I appreciate Shadow’s response both to Snively and to the implication of needing Knuckles’ cooperation. Rouge is done pretty good. I can appreciate the meta humor of Omega destroying the Barrel of Doom, or the cool factor of seeing Shadow’s legs spin like Sonic’s running or Shadow zooming across water. The next few pages are all pretty good so far, actually. Knuckles is done well. Relic is one of my favorite Archie OCs, she’s a cute and lowkey addition and gives Knux someone to bounce off of.

The Omega and Fixit panels I was referring to earlier. This is good comedic Omega.

This page could go either way. Shadow would usually not have anyone sway him in his goal (as seen earlier in this very issue), but Rouge IS one of the few people who can wrangle him, I suppose. Even IDW works off of this logic during Chao Races and Badnik Bases. So it’s not bad per say, but walking a fine line on interpretation. Eclipse is also great in the next few pages. I enjoy how much he cares about the Dark Arms, and I chuckle at him calling Rouge and Omega “Shadow’s minions.” Great little imp. He once again is able to play some mind games on Shadow, but it’s excusable as part of his anti-Shadow repertoire, I suppose. 

Onto Issue 2, and there it is. The page starts off strong with a heartfelt plea from Eclipse, and then just goes down the drain as Shadow recites yet again that his reason for fighting is Gerald and Maria. That extra reference box down there really throws salt in the wound by adding “Shadow the Hedgehog”. Adding it in there is almost thoughtless, like either the writer/editor did not understand Shad05’s ending if they knew of it, or simply didn’t care because their perception of Shadow is strictly “Maria”.

Rouge and Knuckles begin to have a conversation about Knuckles’ being shackled to Angel Island and the Master Emerald, a hot topic amongst the fandom for years that persists even today. In our present 2023, Sonic Frontiers has come out, and the English script pushes the notion that Knuckles will be more open to taking breaks from his duty (the Japanese script doesn’t align with it, but that’s irrelevant to my larger point). This itself is in-line with the idea that Knuckles is envious of Sonic’s free adventurous lifestyle despite his commitment to his duty.

I’ve always considered Ian someone that understands Knuckles and does him well. And I’m not expecting this 2014 comic to be in line with the ideas from a game that came out 8 years later. But the arc right before this one referenced that Knuckles is a treasure hunter, although rather jokingly. Knuckles does want more for himself, but he answers to a higher calling. And this page isn’t treated as him coping, either. He’s portrayed as content. And don’t get me wrong, Knuckles doesn’t dislike his job or staying on his island. But to say he doesn’t want more is wrong.

I like Monster Form and all, but it’s just dumb to have Shadow try to use Chaos Control when he knows he can’t in Eclipse’s presence. And then they go out of their way to have Eclipse explain that “it wasn’t the new Black Comet”, but that was literally not in question.

This page from the second issue of Shadow Fall shows us everything we need to know. Shadow is made aware that it’s Eclipse’s doing and asks how, and Eclipse gives him an explanation. If this was about portraying this power to a potentially unfamiliar audience, which I doubt it was but whatever, then you could’ve simply had either one of them say a line about Shadow not being able to rely on his Chaos abilities when fighting Eclipse as he usually would, as opposed to him trying, failing, and getting punished for it. To be clear, I’m not mad about the optics of Shadow jobbing to Eclipse. I’m mad that this is the manner they chose to execute it, where Shadow is stupid instead of just overpowered, which I would’ve had no problem with because I liked their clash in Shadow Fall.

This page is mixed. On the one hand, the Master Emerald isn’t for just anyone to use. It’s not just a giant Chaos Emerald, contrary to popular belief. That’s why Sonic can’t actually go Super off of it. Sonic can’t use the Master Emerald, and Knuckles can’t use the Chaos Emeralds. That being said, this *kinda* feels like it’s in the realm of possibility, since it’s using Chaos Control. And there’s no denying the pure cool factor. So I wouldn’t be opposed to giving this idea another shot with modern, hands-on Sega. Though, Shadow’s Chaos Blast doesn’t line up with what it’s actually supposed to be like, but I guess we can say they were working off Chronicles or something and didn’t know better. This also establishes that Eclipse’s block can be overpowered if Shadow has a big source like that, which is neat confirmation to have.

Onto Issue 3. I don’t love the cocktease of this cover, because Eclipse doesn’t end up using the Master Emerald. I know it’s comic’s industry, but still, that would’ve been cool to see.

Shadow decides the Master Emerald needs to be moved. I enjoy that callous pragmatism from him and it’ll of course lead us to Shadow vs. Knuckles. I also enjoy that Shadow initially tries not to waste time fighting before he’s forced back into it. Beyond the earlier speed bumps, Shadow and Knuckles have mostly been pretty good. And Rouge as well, seen now.

Rouge has been great the whole time. And she’s not bad in IDW either, so it’s funny how that works out. Omega on the other hand… yeah. And while Knuckles and Shadow’s fight is nothing short of awesome, with Knuckles’ determination, sensing Shadow’s Chaos Snaps, and setting him off with a Sonic comment, Omega continues to be… yeah.

First Monster Form, now Dark Arms, and that’s on top of Chaos Control and anti-Shadow power. Eclipse is stacked and I’m here for it.

Anyway, Omega here is powered by a Chaos Drive. In the games, his power source isn’t revealed, which is pretty common for character robots like Metal Sonic or Gemerl. I would’ve preferred they kept it vague and just had Eclipse tear him up, because either way, Fixit was going to fix him. Omega debuted in Heroes, so having a Power Core might not have been out of place, but I assume he was given a Chaos Drive to match GUN’s other robots, which are all powered by Chaos Drives.

Onto Issue 4. This page is an ambitious one. Knuckles delves into his purpose, and Shadow says he can find a new one. And it’s ironic because Shadow isn’t consciously written like that in this take on Sonic. He’s written like his purpose is still Muhria’s wish and keeping her promise, as seen in this very arc, which means that this otherwise decent effort comes out hollow.

I think it’s safe to say this is just inaccurate fanfic, though I’m sure this was part of some bigger plan or something.

There was no need to use Tikal’s Prayer here. I get it was just trying to be cool or focus his energy or whatever but when Knuckles punched the Master Emerald in SA2, it didn’t need all that. I see the appeal of Shadow questioning if it was Chaos Control, but it’s ultimately kinda forced. That being said, the statement and apology he tells the Emerald itself is sweet.

A minor nitpick, but it’s annoying to see them reference ‘Sonic 3&K - the game’ as if Snively was a part of it. I get he was part of that adventure in this verse, but it’s just kinda disingenuous and tacked on. Otherwise, I’m glad Rouge comforted Knuckles here. 

Last thing I wanted to say, but I think the decision to shatter the Master Emerald was incredibly smart on Ian’s part. Nowadays he complains on the podcast about “getting him off the island” (because Knuckles palling around with Sonic is just top priority for his character and the story), but this was an excellent compromise that allowed him to travel and adventure around while maintaining his duty and purpose. A lot of times, when people say that Knuckles should ditch the Master Emerald and Angel Island, or he should just get someone to watch it for him, it makes me feel that these supposed fans don’t truly value Knuckles and just want him as a toy in the box. If that’s the case, so be it, but don’t pretend it’s a matter of critical discussion at that rate.

In regards to Shadow, this arc was slightly a step up, but as a whole, I think I enjoyed it a lot more and it overall had less “problems”, or at least, what I considered to be problems as listed here. I guess that’s obvious from the difference in lengths between this review and Shadow Fall’s.

[ramblrthebloghog]

Just like all those other times he said "sent back" instead of "came back". Giving Evan the benefit of the doubt that her information is accurate, I'll assume Sega is cooking something, but I much preferred going off of what that Sonic Channel pic gave us with Chaos Control than it simply not being up to him at all. The last person to "send" Silver back was Mephiles...

In the 2022 Annual, Silver specifically says that he got sent back. Can you elaborate on what exactly sent him back? (Sorry for sending in two questions back to back, I just remembered this and had to send it in)

Silver doesn't control when he time travels, thus why he says "got sent back" instead of "I came back" or the like. As for the how and why of that... I can't tell you, 'cause I don't know!

[ramblrthebloghog]

Shadow Fall ‘Review’

Due to discourse around the way Shadow was in IDW, I have decided to go through Shadow Fall from Reboot Archie. The way Ian Flynn seemed to want him to be done while being a little more mindful of the games, with slightly less restriction than IDW. With these different rules, I aim to see if Ian is in the right about Shadow or if maybe he just isn’t great with him. I don’t think there’s a point in looking at Preboot because of how different things are there. At least Reboot tried to act like it considered the games’ portrayals and rules. While I’m primarily looking at Shadow, I’ll also be looking at other things that stood out that I found incompatible with game lore or with game characterizations. Not posting a page means I didn’t really find an issue worth bringing up. It should go without saying but I don’t hate Ian or anything. Just critical of his work.

Something I’d like to note about Omega. It continues even to this day in IDW, but Ian writes Omega as purely a comic relief character. Omega was never a comic relief character (aside from the non-canon Chronicles, which was an outlier that got plenty of other things wrong aside from Omega only being “LOL MEATBAGS”). He had one or two comedic lines in Heroes, but was otherwise very straightforward. I’m not going to call out every instance of Omega the Jokebot in this arc, but if it’s relevant in a page I post, I’ll bring attention to it again. I think this ultimately harms the way Ian approaches Omega—he may never be able to write an Omega on par with 06 if he only sees him as a vessel for laughs. With all that being said, the idea behind this particular instance isn’t even that bad. Omega requesting they dock faster in order to proceed to the mission quickly (and thus get to the destroying/proving his strength) is fine for him, but not in this ‘excited child’ manner.

I don’t know for certain if there being another Black Comet with more Black Arms violates game lore, since as far as I know it’s never been stated and shown explicitly, but I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt that the pitch for this story being approved at all means it doesn’t really violate anything. I like Eclipse anyway. But we’ll get to him.

On a separate note, we’ve reached one of the largest elephants in the room. Team Dark and GUN. I’ll say this now: I don’t believe Sega is wrong about Team Dark from what we’ve heard secondhand courtesy of Ian. The trio doesn’t call themselves ‘Team Dark’ in Heroes, 06, or Forces. They call themselves that in racing competitions—Free Riders and TSR, and the latter actually cuts mention of that name in the JP version. That name IS a ‘brand’ for promotional stuff and merch. Arguably, all Team names are a ‘brand’ except for the Chaotix, since in-universe they run their agency, and the Babylon Rogues, since they are known widely under that moniker. Them being ‘friends’ or not is a different discussion, but I will say that calling them friends vastly oversimplifies their dynamic. Shadow doesn’t call people friends, he calls them ‘ally’. They are together because they constantly work together, not because we have evidence they hang out like Sonic and Tails. Additionally, they’ve only worked for GUN in one game, and that was 06. Maybe they’re working for GUN in Forces or TSR, but it’s not said, so it can’t be assumed for certain. I see the appeal behind making them work for GUN and understand the misconception behind the idea that they do, so I won’t say it’s a huge issue that Ian writes that to be the case here, but it’s also not an issue that it’s barred from IDW. In short, forcing Team Dark bad, putting them with GUN fine. I’ll call out any other instance that I find particularly egregious/not in-line with the games.

I guess I should give praise where it’s due, and so far there’s nothing wrong with Shadow’s dialogue and stuff.

And lastly… Omega again. Whatever.

They’re trying to set up something of a dilemma as Shadow faces his own kind, but there’s no reason the Shadow who eliminated the Black Arms at the end of his game would have this quandary about that now. Quite a bit of the Shadow the Hedgehog game feels straight up rejected despite this arc acting as a sequel to that game. I suppose I should praise Omega being pretty good here. And Rouge’s concern for Shadow is good.

Shadow would never say that. It’s little stuff like this that I bet today’s Sega would take issue with, and for good reason.

The issue of this gas is a little tricky. This technically follows what the game says… in English. In Japanese, the gas is only harmful after a chemical reaction from mixing with Earth’s atmosphere. A minor issue, as this wasn’t corrected on the page and it was a lot harder to know what the games were like in Japanese back then than it is now.

Another tough issue here. Shadow’s Chaos Control and the status of if it can be used without an Emerald is a topic still hotly debated even today. This is also something that is somewhat forgivable, since it was working off the reasonable fanon notion that Shadow can realize that power in a small amount (essentially Chaos Snap) without an Emerald. So long as everyone understands this wouldn’t quite fly exactly the same today, all is good. So far I think it was just Issue 6 of IDW that saw him use Chaos Snap without any Emerald.

Onto Issue 2. Black Death describes using humans and Earth for food. I’ll talk more about it later, but reducing the goal of the Black Arms and Doom to this is stripping them of depth, to say the least.

I’d like to offer a moment of praise here though. Omega was done right, being funny even though he was just speaking factually. And a simple line like Black Death talking about consuming other races adds to the legitimacy of the threat the Black Arms pose, and gives some nice optics to humans for their tenacity.

Not quite a compatibility criticism, but it’s not super clear on how Black Death created a being as strong as Eclipse, in comparison to other regular Black Arms.

Anyway, I love everything about how Eclipse tries to tempt Shadow, and it’s poetic that eventually him trying to do that and giving him that chance will doom the remaining Black Arms. But we soon run into another problem page.

Two massive issues here. Black Doom is supposed to be the head honcho and this arc respects that, but Shadow was able to resist his mind control.

And that’s his direct father. Eclipse just talking to Shadow mentally and showing him things would’ve been fine, but directly exerting control is not something that should’ve happened. Black Death also shouldn’t be able to have control over him. I get the intent that maybe combining their powers helped it work, maybe you can pretend that Eclipse’s powers as a countermeasure combatted Shadow’s resistance, but it really isn’t a thing that should’ve happened regardless. At least, in my opinion. The other big problem is of course Shadow’s motivation. That promise that supposed Shadow ‘fans’ still cling onto. I’m going to say something that’s not up for debate: Shadow should not still be motivated by Maria and her wish after his game.

It does not get more blatant than throwing that photo away and proceeding to a song about how you’ll never turn that way again and move on. This isn’t just about Maria, it’s about every facet of Shadow’s past. Gerald, Doom’s evil wishes, Maria’s good wish, all of it is behind him after killing Black Doom. That is what needed to be maintained and this arc and later Total Eclipse will fail to maintain that. Maybe it makes everyone else clap because they think Shadow should still be motivated by Maria and her wish, but it’s stuff like this that makes me believe that Shadow Fall is a rejection of his own game. It’s fine to be a rehash, but it’s not fine to toss aside what the game itself was beating you over the head about. (I know some people may try to use Sonic Battle as an argument for Mariadow, but that game was written before Shadow the Hedgehog, so it should be viewed under a special lens and be retrofitted to work with this direction. Every other game followed this direction anyway.)

In terms of a story criticism, I found it a little weird that Eclipse is so chill with having Shadow controlled for him to return to the Black Arms. I thought that him having free will meant he wanted Shadow to freely choose to stand beside him as well. But I guess he’ll take what he can get. Anyway, I’m man enough to admit that mind-controlled Shadow is at least cool.

Onto Issue 3. Another instance where Omega is both funny while not completely compromising him for a laugh. Something to mention is that last issue drew the Chaos Spears correctly, but this page reverts to the Archie version of literally making it a spear. It’s never been like this in the games and it was annoying to see IDW do that too.

I haven’t brought up Rouge, but that’s because so far I found her to be good, completely fine and in-line. Here’s where that kind of ends though. This moment isn’t as great as it’s trying to be. Rouge has never really dealt with Shadow using this harsh of an approach. I get that it was “what was needed” to get through to him under mind control, but… it shouldn’t have been? I just don’t think it really accurately represents how Rouge handles wrangling Shadow or supporting him in rough times. That being said, this is adjusted within the next two pages.

This page is so mixed for me. In Rouge’s case, it starts out really well in those top three panels. That’s the tenderness and support I thought was missing, and I can tolerate her playful teasing about dredging up Maria. Shadow and Omega drop the ball here for me though. Omega is unfunny here, and they’re both forced into this “team moment” that is exactly the kind of thing that fans want and Sega doesn’t. I get it. Team Dark’s bond is super appealing. But people need to remember that the development they underwent in 06 does not carry over. They won’t act like that again unless directed to undergo a trial like that again and let it stick. If not, they will act as they do in Forces, which matches Shadow’s “all-business” attitude at the beginning of his 06 campaign. This page is obviously trying to do something close to the effect of 06-esque Team Dark bonding and I think it falls flat. I don’t think them standing around professing their love for each other like this is good or sensible for them. It’s not in-line with the games and how they’re supposed to act. The 06 moment works largely because of its context. Trying to recapture that magic here feels like it didn’t understand what made that moment work, even though I do see value in making them affirm their trust in one another—hence why Rouge’s part is so good.

I don’t think Shadow would call them partners. I think it’s more fitting if he were to call them allies here. This is the Ultimate problem with Ian and the Ultimate Lifeform. He’s far too heavy-handed, and I think to write Shadow well takes a degree of nuance. And I think it’s a matter of nuance based on how we heard from him that Shadow’s monologue in IDW #31 wasn’t approved until they were thought bubbles contained to his mind only. Ian’s not the only one to struggle, of course. This isn’t worse than Boom or even Generations. But it’s not good either and I think that needs to be said. Ian is not being held back from greatness by Sega in regards to Shadow. Ian has just never really gotten Shadow as well as someone like, say, Knuckles.

When Sega says Team Dark isn’t a team or that they aren’t friends, it’s because this inaccurate portrayal is the exact kind of thing they’re aiming to prevent. Shadow is never gonna say “Team Dark, roll out!” in IDW and that is for the better. Of course, that’s a little harder to argue when disparities like this exist.

Credit where it’s due, this is the best from Shadow in this entire arc. This is how you handle him. He will complete his goals and won’t hear otherwise, and he’s made his own choices. And of course this looks badass.

Finally, Issue 4. Black Death’s powers are pretty cool. His attempt at swaying Shadow falling on deaf ears is exactly what should be happening. Shadow himself here is good. Once again reiterating ‘choice’, and even having the cool stoic ominous statement of “make your peace before the end”. That being said, it all goes to ruin very quickly with the next page.

When people think of Shadow Fall, they think of this page. This page is quintessential Shadow Fall, and is probably why a lot of people really resonate with this arc. And I’ll admit the cool factor here is pretty obvious. But I’ll go so far as to say this is the worst page of the entire arc.

Firstly, THIS is peak ‘Muhria’. No post-Shadow 05 agency, nope, he’s doing this because he made the promise. I get that it makes people clap, but it’s wrong. 06 was able to handle Shadow in a compelling way without dredging her up, and we all kind of agree that’s the best Shadow aside from SA2, so why is this so hard to emulate? When I look at stuff like this, it makes it hard to believe Ian is writing a proper Shadow that big bad Sega is striking down and leads me to instead believe that he falls into fanon traps that need to be stopped. This reliance on Muhria is one of them.

Secondly, this is exactly why I say they stripped the Black Arms of their depth. Shadow’s answers here—“destruction of everyone else”, “see everyone as fuel”, “thousand ravenous monsters”—fly in the face of Black Doom’s nuance. 

Black Doom believed he was giving humanity a good purpose, salvation, via turning them into an energy source for Black Arms. This way they wouldn’t destroy themselves. Now, it could be argued that this larger goal was cast aside once the Black Arms’ numbers were reduced, but I’d believe that if it were ever acknowledged at all. If Black Death ever referenced Doom’s larger plan and said they weren’t in a position to act like that. I may not have liked that either, but it’d at least be acknowledging Black Doom’s real plan as opposed to just… sanding everything down. Ian’s talked about the Black Arms on Bumblekast a few times and doesn’t seem to view them or Doom as anything more “they eat people”.

Lastly, maybe it’s because it’s easier to draw, maybe it’s because that’s how Archie did it before, but that is not the way Shadow’s Inhibitor Rings work in Sonic X or in 06. They aren’t bracelets that snap on and off like that, they’re bangles that slide off. I’m certain if we saw the Rings come off in IDW, they’d appear like this to actually be respectful to the source material. This disregard for the source material in such a small way is emblematic of larger problems with Archie.

Just wanted to say I did clap at “SU062”. Monster Form is cool. Omega’s first speech bubble was good before his second and third devolved.

I’d like to call to attention that Shadow removed his Inhibitors here and won the fight. While I can’t speak definitively, it adds credence to a personal theory I have that Shadow’s Inhibitors being removed during IDW’s Metal Virus was denied because he would’ve lost, and that’s simply a no-no regarding the Rings.

I’d also like to say that poor Eclipse in these pages did a really good job of making me feel bad for his situation and the annihilation of the rest of his people.

Final nitpick? I’m not sure what Rouge meant by “unprotected” in the vacuum of space. Being stuck there or falling is dangerous, but it’s not like they wear space suits or have a problem breathing there.

All in all, it’s a nice arc, but it shouldn’t be seen as evidence that Ian can write a proper game-accurate Shadow. On the contrary, unfortunately. I don’t think I have anything more to say beyond what I’ve said thus far. Thank you for reading. I will cover Total Eclipse in the future, but I highly doubt it will be this lengthy when I do.

[ramblrthebloghog]

Sonic: The Japanese (Dis)connection

Why is it that a character as iconic as Sonic struggles to find the success he has worldwide in his and Sega’s native country of Japan? To answer this query, I asked around in different corners of the fandom to get varying takes and perspectives on what issues are hindering Sonic’s success in Japan. It should be stated that Sonic is not necessarily unpopular or disliked there, but simply not as popular as he is in the West.

It’s not an issue that we can decipher from easily analyzable things like sales numbers, though they do play a factor. We must look at the cultural hurdle. The first obstacle comes with Sonic’s design. As Westerners ourselves, it’s impossible to fathom that there could be any flaw or lack of marketability in Sonic’s “perfect” design—he is, after all, engineered to appeal to a Western audience first—but what makes us love his design in the West isn’t what helps icons in Japan succeed. Sonic isn’t as furry as Brand New Animal or Beastars, and he isn’t ‘simplistic’ toony in the vein that Hello Kitty is, so what we see as perfect balance is, for that audience, an awkward middleground. An artist friend of mine who I met through Facebook revealed to me the success Pac-Man has continued to see in Japan. His design is more simplistic than ever, and it’s not out of place to see Pac-Man on purses. Bandai is a toy company to begin with, so their mastery of the industry means Pac-Man can succeed in merchandising with things like his Entry Grade Gundam kit, without a steady release of new games. Could Sega have a hidden agenda by letting Sonic maintain a good relationship with Pac-Man and Hello Kitty? Regardless, the closest thing Sonic has to a suitable equivalent is Classic Sonic, who isn’t the main pillar of the brand anymore, and who, my artist friend confirmed, isn’t simplistic enough to fit the Pac-parameters necessary to be a successful toon for Japanese audiences. It’s not unlike the recent phenomena of companies simplifying their logos. The only possible solution to remedy this is to create a new Sonic, a design made to appeal to Japan. But the continued consequences of redesigning Sonic consistently show us there is little merit to redesign Sonic to try and “appeal to an audience”.

The second issue has to do with Sega’s failure to create a good foundation for Sonic in Japan, like they did for the rest of the world. The Mega Drive didn’t sell very well in Japan, the Saturn did but had no proper mainline Sonic game, and the Dreamcast was too little too late. By comparison, because Nintendo never stopped making consoles after their strong foundation, Mario sees continued relevance in Japan’s gaming sphere. Mario and Pokémon can see success due to Nintendo's staying power as a console manufacturer. Pokémon GO and Unite continue to succeed as well, meanwhile Sonic is stuck on platformers, racers, and Olympics, not branching out into more genres people, both Japanese and otherwise, want to play: fighting games, RPGs, rhythm games, visual novels. Mario also had Super Mario-kun going from 1991 to last year. Conversely, Windii brought to my attention to “compare Archie’s longest running video game comic of all time to a smattering of random manga”, in reference to how the Shogakukan or Dash and Spin mangas don’t “communicate the appeal of the series too well.” The OVA also didn’t have good enough reach being direct-to-video. Sonic X is the first time Sega legitimately tried in this regard and it did better internationally than at home, so much so that Season 3 (which was commissioned by 4Kids in the first place!) didn’t even air in Japan until 2020 (as promotion for the Sonic movie) and still hasn’t come out on DVD for Japan. It’s worth noting this gap of tie-in media wasn’t even filled in by translating the American comics (until IDW), so maybe things can turn around. Games like Sonic Rivals haven’t even come out in Japan, Sonic wasn’t in Project X Zone, yet it’s so baffling that Sega would continue to cater to the niche audience with Sonic Channel and lock things like those monthly stories to Japan only. Another thing worth noting is that Sega doesn’t seem to enjoy publishing alternate media on their own; they would rather hand the license to somebody already in the industry of choice and let them handle Sonic in that medium. That’s pretty standard: Paramount for the movie, Wildbrain/Man of Action/Netflix for Prime, and IDW for the comic. That means Sega won’t have interest in producing something like a new manga in-house, even though Sonic (as a character) is perfectly suitable to the shonen style and wouldn’t have to search far for artistic talent.

V-tuber Sonic is probably the best chance to change all of this. We’ll see how that plays out. But for Sonic to succeed everywhere, he needs to master Japan.