Ask John: Will the Guyver TV Series Get a Second Season?

Question:
I have been a huge Guyver fanboy since I was 9 years old. I grew up watching the two live action movies, the 12 episode OVA, and Guyver out of control. I even began keeping track of the manga, and still my hunger for Guyver could not be satisfied. I was extremely happy to hear about a new Guyver series back in 2005. I recently finished the 26 episode TV series, and have been keeping up on the manga as well. There is more than enough material to cover a second season. There are 25 volumes of the manga to work from. 20+ years running. What’s the hold up?!

Answer:
It’s quite possible that there’s enough interest in the Bio-booster Armor Guyver series among Japanese readers to keep the manga series ongoing, but not enough interest among Japanese viewers to encourage the production of additional anime. In March 2005 Japanese satellite television network WOWOW announced the Guyver television series to the public, and identified American anime distributor AD Vision as a major financier behind the production. It’s quite possible that the Guyver TV anime was only produced because an American company was willing to contribute to the series production cost. In effect, more Guyver anime may not happen unless a foreign investor contributes money to get a production in motion. Considering the financial state of much of America’s anime industry, I don’t anticipate any domestic companies being eager to contribute money to produce another installment of a 20 year old anime franchise. It’s probably a much wiser and profitable investment to do what FUNimation, Manga Entertainment, and Media Blasters have done – invest in original new titles like Afro Samurai, The Five Killers, and Strait Jacket, or invest in a new installment of a franchise with larger market appeal that Guyver, such as Kite Liberator.