Why the Layton’s Mystery Journey Anime Was Never Localized

Developed by Level-5, Professor Layton is a well-liked sequence of puzzle video games launched for the Nintendo DS and 3DS. A sequel sport titled Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy was launched for the 3DS 4 years after the unique sequence’ final entry. It stars Layton’s daughter Katrielle, who follows in her father’s footsteps in fixing mysteries and a myriad of puzzles.

An anime based mostly on this sport, titled Layton’s Mystery Journey: Kat’s Mystery-Solving Files, was launched within the Spring 2018 season. However, the present was by no means picked up for streaming within the West and stays unlicensed to today. Here’s why this can be taking place regardless of the sport franchise’s ongoing recognition.

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What Is the Professor Layton Series About?

Hershel Layton is a puzzle-loving archeologist recognized all through London for his intelligence and penchant for fixing mysteries. With the assistance of his younger apprentice-in-training, Luke Triton, they go on adventures fixing unusual mysteries, assembly equally unusual individuals, and naturally, fixing loads of puzzles. The Professor Layton sequence is split into two elements, with the primary three video games happening within the current day and the later three performing as prequels that delve into the backstories of each Layton and Luke.

Layton’s Mystery Journey follows the adventures of Layton’s daughter, Katrielle Layton. Like her father, she loves puzzles and has a pure expertise for fixing riddles and mysteries. Together together with her wide-eyed assistant Ernest and her speaking canine Sherl, they resolve any instances introduced by their purchasers on the Layton Detective Agency. But maybe the most important thriller that Katrielle has but to resolve is determining why her father disappeared and the place he’s now…

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Why Was the Layton’s Mystery Journey Anime Never Licensed?

The anime adaptation ran for 50 episodes on Fuji TV as a part of the Adventure Sunday block, a line-up of anime geared toward youngsters. Much like the sport it is based mostly on, Layton’s Mystery Journey focuses extra on less complicated mysteries, with most episodes being standalone tales. The mysteries and puzzles offered are comparatively simple to resolve, and the instances are relatively mundane in comparison with the adventures current in its guardian sequence.

Perhaps the most important issue behind why Layton’s Mystery Journey: Kat’s Mystery-Solving Files nonetheless stays unlicensed can be the reception behind the unique sport. While the primary Professor Layton sequence was fashionable and well-received, the identical can’t be mentioned for its sequel. As talked about earlier, this entry featured a lot simpler puzzles and mysteries to resolve in comparison with its predecessor. Instead of following one case for the whole sport, a number of instances are launched. However, they’re much extra lighthearted in tone in comparison with the extra critical instances current within the older video games.

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With this sudden change in gameplay mechanics, much less difficult puzzles and a much less participating plot, many think about Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy to be extra of a spin-off relatively than a real successor to the unique sequence. Katrielle herself additionally proved to be a extra divisive protagonist in comparison with her father, who many most popular to see take heart stage as soon as extra.

By comparability, the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva took little or no time to be formally launched in English, though it was launched within the UK first earlier than Viz Media gained the rights to launch it within the US. This movie canonically ties in to the occasions of the prequel trilogy and nonetheless follows the titular puzzle-loving archeologist, Hershel Layton. It was animated by PA Works, the identical studio chargeable for animating the cutscenes within the video video games, permitting it to retain the sequence’ signature artwork model.

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That could finally be the most important query right here: Why make an anime a few much less profitable entry to the franchise as a substitute of the extra well-received video games earlier than it? Later episodes of Layton’s Mystery Journey: Kat’s Mystery-Solving Files finally show that it does nonetheless tie in to the primary sequence, with its over-arching plot really specializing in what Layton and Luke have been as much as earlier than the latter’s disappearance. Both even characteristic prominently within the present’s second opening, however it could appear this inclusion got here too little too late.

There’s been no phrase on Layton’s Mystery Journey: Kat’s Mystery-Solving Files probably becoming a member of the ranks of different unlicensed gems, however many different anime earlier than it have abruptly obtained a shock localization announcement. Here’s hoping that Layton’s Mystery Journey will get the identical therapy within the close to future as effectively.