A Sparkling Reflection On The Imminent Animated Series Based on Midnight Sun

It has been almost five years since the release of Midnight Sun, the retelling of Twilight from Edward Cullen’s perspective and nearly a year since the announcement of an animated series based on its events in development [53] [56] [57]. Being the author of the Twilight saga and the companion novel of the first book, Stephenie Meyer’s role in the production is no other than the executive producer [19] [44]. I do not doubt that my younger sister and my Canadian aunt, who read the books and watched the films, would be interested in watching the series once it comes to Netflix [37] [38] [39] [40] [42]. The cinematic spotlight of July this year may be light blue to represent the new animated Smurfs movie featuring Rihanna as Smurfette and the shortly forthcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps [14] [28], but I bet plenty of old and new Twihards can already smell some drops of red. During the fairly short wait for the sixth minisode of Helluva Shorts that might be focused more on Moxxie Knolastname’s grudge against his boss Blitzo aside from the development they gained by hallucinating in the sixth episode of the first season of Helluva Boss [3] [15] [18], let us further discuss the potential of the series. And of course, I shall remain on neutral grounds to debunk any accusations of me not being able to think for myself, contrary to those who would ask me if I was an “NPC” [13] [30] [56] [57].

Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was considered a much better definition, compared to a Cullen glistening in the sunlight back in the early 2010s, but in the mid-2020s [24] [54] [55], there is hope that a new animated incarnation of the first Twilight book based on its companion novel will at least be a small improvement from the live-action films in certain areas [56] [57] [60]. [24]

And who can forget this amusing moment of Susan and Mary Test as vampire sparkling in the daylight instead of burning into piles of ashes as a Twilight reference [10] [42]? Well, at least I remember it. [10]

 
Indeed, the forthcoming series will be centred on Edward Cullen’s love for Isabella Swan [44] [56] [57]. If only his potential to be the heroic supernatural Prince Charming many teenage girls would dream of was not wasted on the red flags detected by those with an eagle’s eye for unhealthy and abusive relationships [11] [12] [25] [56] [57], but I suspect that a talented voice actor can pull off the role pretty well as much as Robert Pattinson nailed the role of his live-action incarnation [3]7 [38] [39] [40] [42]. Again, I am not against Bella being fragile, but if only there were something about her that could have helped her character be more than the bland and modernised damsel-in-distress trope [40] [42] [60]. There is a fan theory that the reason why she seemed particularly special in some supernatural way and was undeniably powerful as a vampire in Breaking Dawn: Part 2 is that she already had the vampire gene from her mother’s ancestry before she was transformed by Edward [27] [35] [38] [41], who saved her from dying during childbirth in Breaking Dawn: Part 1 [37]. But alas, I doubt that she will simply be referred to as a mere human being throughout the series, as annoying as certain plot holes can be if they are left unfilled. Whether Edward suspects that Bella has the gene of another coven or not, his unsettling nature and “abusive boyfriend” vibes still ought to be toned down for today’s standards [11] [12] [25] [56] [57] [60].
 

Who can voice Bella in the imminent animated adaptation of Midnight Sun? Erica Lindbeck, who voices Loona in Helluva Boss [16] [17] [18]? As overly exaggerated as this sounds, she might as well be both a descendant of another vampiric coven and part-werewolf to patch up those pesky plot holes [6] [27] [35] [41]…if such a possibility was possible in the Twilight lore, as complex as her love triangle in New Moon and Eclipse was to her [39] [40]. [50]

Yes, it may be quite intriguing to see much more of Edward’s backstory and such from Midnight Sun adapted into animation [56] [57]. Despite his divisive portrayal as a notably different kind of male love interest [11] [12] [25] [60], my headcanon for him is that he is biromantic and demisexual with a preference for women and I am not the only one who suspects that he is demisexual [26]. [50]

Let us expand on how the overall animation style ought to be. Aside from how aesthetics of the backgrounds should definitely be like seeing the world through “Twilight” or “New Moon” contact lenses [36] [40] [42], chances are that the art style might be partially inspired by anime and manga aimed at young adults [7], thus making the lamb and the lion she falls in love with look quite like how they do on the Korean covers of Midnight Sun or the covers of the Japanese version of Twilight that is spilt into three light novels [2] [5] [21] [61], but from what I have learned during my studies at university, an art style outside of Japan and South Korea ought to appeal a little more to a general Western audience to prevent bias with Japanese and South Korean artistry. Moreover, the appearances of the characters, especially Bella and Edward, might as well be like the portraits of them from the forthcoming deluxe collector’s edition of Twilight in honour of its 20^th anniversary [22]. A vital aspect of making a television series based on the companion novel of Twilight animated instead of live-action would be to ensure that the characters look more expressive compared to their nearly emotional states throughout the original saga from 2008 to 2012 [37] [38] [39] [40] [42], yet it is understandable why one would heavily prefer watching an anime starring Princess Peach from the Super Mario franchise [58] [59].

It is likely that the animation style will ultimately resemble the art style from three graphic novels and an illustrated guide [20] [45] [50]. Too bad only the first volume of the graphic novel based on New Moon was published [45]. [Williams, 2024]

Did you know that the Korean version of Midnight Sun is split into two books [2] [5]? Coincidentally, perhaps the animated Netflix adaptation will be split into two seasons. [2]

 
I do not doubt that there will be a lot of comparisons between the first live-action film based on the original saga and the upcoming animated adaptation of the companion novel [42] [45]. I suspect that one notable difference would be moments of Edward reading the minds of various characters, especially James, in a similar fashion to how Jack Spicer was able to read minds with the Mind Reader Conch in a certain episode of Xiaolin Showdown [1] [43]. Perhaps the personalities of certain characters can be fleshed out more in the animated interpretation, such as Victoria being a little more of a villainous femme fatale, especially if there were to be a flashback of her falling in love with James and an extension of Rosalie’s jealousy towards Bella at first, aside from her vanity [42] [46] [51]. Reflecting on the way Edward’s live-action incarnation caught an apple in the school cafeteria scene in the film based on the first book in the original saga as a reference to its iconic cover that represents Bella’s forbidden love for him [21] [42] [60], perhaps his animated counterpart can bite into a pomegranate to reference the Midnight Sun cover [53]. Lastly, chances are that the animated series based on Midnight Sun can be a little more faithful to Twilight, compared to its live-action adaptation [31] [42] [49], aside from how important it seems to flesh out certain side characters more in a retelling [56] [57].

Remember this guy? No way I’m going to be his snack tonight [42] [48], even if a garlic necklace turns out to be useless [34]! [48]

As previously mentioned, there might as well be some room for the backstories of the other Cullens, especially how Alice and Jasper met [56] [57]. And yes, this is part of the poster for We’ve Met Before, a fanmade film that was part of the compilation known as “The Storytellers” [47]. [47]

Understandably, there is some skepticism towards the idea of an animated series based on Midnight Sun as the novel was negatively received, despite plenty of praise from Meyer’s cult following [32] [53]. As much as old and new Twihards can watch the series like how Edward would watch Bella sleep at night (which is NOT recommended in real life) [42], those who are still iffy towards Meyer’s controversial romantasy are still in the right to remain skeptical, especially when it comes to the reflecting on the questionable examples of romance in the original saga and the influence the series based on Midnight Sun may leave on new and younger readers [60], considering how Bella would still be seen as a bad role model for teenage girls to this day [23] [52]. Nonetheless, we can still set up excellent examples for today’s youth by remaining kind to one another, especially on social media, so let us leave the toxicity between the fandom and the hatedom in the past where it belongs and remain respectful of each other’s opinions [4] [8]. I may not be able to see the future like Alice Cullen can [38] [40] [42], but it is always fun to discuss my own predictions and read or hear others during the wait for the outcome.

Some of us would prefer a full-on reboot of Twilight with many notable improvements [60], but it might be better to respect Meyer as a creator in general without spewing irrational insults when it comes to criticising her writing [34]. We must simply let the Twihards celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the romantasy written by Meyer in peace [22]. [45]

Lastly, I will not judge you if you prefer to stick to all those animated satirical jabs to the original Twilight saga [9], such as this skit of Edward and Jacob becoming vampiric werewolves in a particular episode of MAD [33]. Especially if you also prefer to stick to Vivienne Medrano’s Hellaverse [15] [16] [17] [18] [29], stay sinful! [33]

 
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