Summary
Adult Swim’sThe Venture Bros.should be a natural fit for an anime spin-off in the vein ofRick & Morty, which is only weeks away from premiering. While the programming block has plenty of works deserving of an anime treatment, this long-running adventure parody has a story structure and popularity that is well-suited for being reenvisioned by a Japanese creative team.
In an interview withComicBook.com, Adult Swim vice-president Jason DeMarco said that there was “definitely a possibility” thatmore of the channel’s original properties could get an anime treatmentafterRick & Morty’s adaptation by Sola Entertainment. Adult Swim has aired many shows, but in terms of recognition and potential, it feels like its classic 2003 series has the most to offer.
If the programming block truly is considering more anime spin-offs, it is hard to imagine the misadventures of Team Venture not being shortlisted for a reappearance.
Rick and Morty Fans Can Watch the First Episode of the New Anime Before the Premiere (But There’s a Catch)
In a major promotion for Rick and Morty: The Anime, US fans have an opportunity to see the new series first, but only in select cities.
Venture Bros. Is a Natural Fit For a Japanese Reboot
Popularity and Long Silence Make It Perfect for Fresh Adventures
While the original show began life asa biting parody of adventure stories likeJohnny Quest, that still makes it easier to adapt compared to the rest of Adult Swim’s catalog. Amusing as it would be to seeAqua Teen Hunger Forceas an anime, its signature minimal animation and strange topics feel harder to transfer to a new medium compared to the familiarity of Brock Samson getting into absurd fights that are interspersed with black humor. The show’s many seasons also provide more than enough material to reference, compared to some Adult Swim experiments that lasted for only one.
Moreover,The Venture Bros.simply has the same sort of brand recognition and broad popularity thatRick & Mortyhas enjoyed, the sort that can take advantage of a marketing trick like “made by a Japanese studio”. Casual viewers can at least recognize the name “Venture”, or their nemesis, The Monarch, making the allure of seeing them redrawn by a Japanese studio self-evident. The series has been sitting quietlysinceThe Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, a feature-length movie that came out in 2023, as well. An anime adaptation would be precisely the sort of thing that would excite fans asit would allow them to watch freshVenture Bros.media after so long.
A Venture Bros. Anime Feels Inevitable
If there is any series Adult Swim would ask studios to try their hand at, it would certainly be their other most successful property. That being said, DeMarco has also gone on record to say any adaptation would have to happen “organically”, with a studio offering genuinely interesting concepts. Nonetheless,Adult Swimhas heavily incorporated anime - not only broadcasting but now actively involving itself in getting original works off the ground, likeNinja Kamuiand nowRick & Morty. If Sola Entertainment’s anime takes off, it really should only be a matter of time untilThe Venture Bros.gets its turn.
The Venture Bros.
Cast
The Venture Bros. was created, written, and directed by Jackson Publick with assistance from Doc Hammer and Juno Lee. The animated series follows the life of Rusty Venture, a super scientist, and his two sons, Hank and Dean. The family finds themselves regularly targeted by an array of supervillains.
