Ask John: Is There More Angel Sanctuary?

Question:
Will the WHOLE series of Angel Sanctuary ever be out here in America at all?

Answer:
All too often American fans especially forget that they’re watching Japanese animation that is created specifically for Japanese fans, not Americans. Viewer demographics and video success or failure are far different in Japan than in the US, and the fact that a show has an unresolved or inconclusive or unfinished conclusion doesn’t predicate additional animation.

The 3 episodes of Angel Sanctuary anime available in America are, by intention, the only three episodes ever created. The animation is an adaptation of the 20 volume Tenshi Kinryouku manga story written and drawn by Kaori Yuki, first collected in tankouban format in 1995. As the long running manga series was approaching its end, publisher Hakusensha and distributor Bandai Visual announced plans to create a 3 episode OAV series adaptation of the manga. The OAVs would essentially be a sort of “going away” present to Japanese fans, released to coincide with the conclusion of the manga story. The three OAVs were released monthly in Japan between May and August 2000. The manga story concluded its publication in Hana to Yume Magazine the following December. As of this writing, more than two years have passed since the Angel Sanctuary anime premiered in Japan, and there has not been the slightest hint nor rumor of any plans for more Angel Sanctuary animation.