Case For: The Legend of Zelda

Nintendo hasn't utilized the media potential of the nearly 20-year old Zelda franchise. While older Nintendo properties like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers and modern properties like Pokemon, Kirby, and F-Zero have had everything from movies to television shows, Link, Zelda, and the land of Hyrule have never gotten any real respect from the video game company. The original Zelda series, which was actually good despite having very Californized lead characters, was buried in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Super Mario All Stars with little fanfare.

Despite being one of Nintendo's greatest franchises, there hasn't been a faithful adaptation of the series in animation. This is actually a series I wouldn't mind importing from Japan if they ever make it. Japan is one of the few countries that do go beyond 13 episodes per season and 52 episodes total (I'm old enough to remember when American cartoons actually had 65-episode syndicated seasons). There could be several seasons chronicling the journeys and battles of Link, his love affair with Princess Zelda, and his ongoing clashes with Ganon.

So, why hasn't Nintendo created a modern Zelda series? There have been reports that Nintendo doesn't want animated versions of their stable of characters anymore. However, the fact that Pokemon continues to be a global powerhouse and shows based on Kirby and F-Zero are currently on the air throughout the world makes this theory irrelevant. Zelda would be an excellent series for animation.