Ask John: Are Shoujo Ai Titles More Or Less Likely to Come to America?

Question:
Do you think that series such as Kannazuki no Miko and Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito will ever be licensed here in the U.S.A? I know that shoujo-ai and yuri aren’t as popular as shounen-ai and yaoi here, but there are some fans of shoujo-ai and yuri here in the U.S.A, and there really aren’t many anime series or manga out for them right now.

Answer:
Although it’s true that yaoi is trendy right now, I don’t think that yuri themes are unwelcome or unviable in the American market. However, the state of the American anime industry is forcing domestic licensors to be highly selective. Recent “girl love” anime include Kannazuki no Miko, Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, and Maria-sama ga Miteru. Based on my observations of the domestic anime industry, I’m regretfully hesitant to predict that any of these shows will be licensed for American release. The characteristics and quality of these three shows make them valid candidates for American release. Kannazuki no Miko combines attractive girls with a dark atmosphere and giant robot action. YamiBou features acclaimed character designs, plenty of fan service, and a very macabre tone. MariMite has exceptional animation quality, a highly appealing cast, and a devoted fan following. Unfortunately, the qualities of a show alone don’t determine what does and doesn’t get licensed for American release.

The contemporary American anime industry is in dire straights. Evidence suggests that many of America’s anime distributors are struggling financially. AD Vision has downsized, canceled and indefinitely delayed numerous manga and anime releases, and has reduced the number of titles it licenses. Synch Point has confirmed that the company can’t afford to finish releasing I’m Gonna Be An Angel at the present time. TOKYOPOP has announced plans to scale back its number of releases this year and has lost its distribution rights to several of its most successful titles (Kodocha, Marmalade Boy, and Sailor Moon) . Bandai has indefinitely delayed at least one anime title (Di-Gi-Charat Nyo). In response to American market conditions distributors have to consider not just the quality and content of potential acquisitions, but also the cost of the license and its American market potential. While “girl love” themes don’t make an anime less desirable in America, they also don’t make a title more viable. Kannazuki no Miko, YamiBou, and MariMite are all niche market titles. The fans of these shows are very devoted, but those fans aren’t enough to likely make these shows commercially successful in America (depending upon their licensing costs). These shows aren’t big hits in the fan community, which, in my experience as someone that observes trends in American anime DVD sales, means that these shows are unlikely to sell well on American DVD. Although there’s a lot of criticism of illegal fan translation and distribution, anime titles that are popular in the fansub community are consistently the best selling titles on official American DVD because American anime fans prefer to buy what they’ve heard of, regardless of relative quality.

Lesser known titles do still get licensed for American release. I’m not promising that Kannazuki no Miko, YamiBou, and MariMite won’t be licensed for American release; I’m saying that in my own opinion, these shows aren’t as likely to be licensed as particular other, higher profile titles. My suspicion is that smaller or less recognized titles are often acquired for American release because they’re easily available or inexpensive to license. But especially anime with predominantly female protagonists and casts that doesn’t fall into the conventional romantic comedy genre, titles like Kaleidostar, Super GALs!, St. Tail, Early Reins, I’m Gonna Be An Angel, Princess Tutu, Risky Safety, and World of Narue, typically don’t sell well in America. Many domestic licensors are anime fans themselves and do want to localize unusual, unique and interesting shows, but little known shows and shows with a small fan following in America are less likely to be licensed for American release than high profile, heavily demanded titles.