Ask John: Is Anime in America too Limited?

Question:
After returning from Japan I found the US selection of anime… a tad bit bland. Seeing great and very different series such as Shaman King and One Piece in Japan, a great majority of the US releases seem… the same. Either Evangelion or Ranma-style clones. Am I going out of my mind or have you noticed this too? It’s not that I dislike the anime in the US, it’s just that it is losing flavor. Also, since anime is apparently in its highest demand ever in Japan, are the ‘different’ series (different as in content and art style) really starting to become popular? It seemed to be going that way while I was there. Everyone was One Piece crazed! And the fact that it has a very new and different art style, also the fact that I’ve never seen a sea pirate anime before, spawned this question.

Answer:
It may be that I’m simply too used to import Japanese anime, but largely I don’t think that there’s really a massive diversity in style and content in anime in Japan, at least, no more than usual. Shaman King and One Piece are both massively popular, and they do have distinctive character design styles; however they share a lot in common with other adaptations of best selling manga like Hunter x Hunter, Dragonball, Yu Yu Hakusho, Hikaru no Go, Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha and Prince of Tennis in the respect that they are long running stories that move in long story arcs featuring action and characters that are exciting and easy to identify and identify with. But unlike more “die-hard otaku” oriented series, these shows don’t layer excessive style or action or violence or character idiosyncrasies. These shows are massively popular and long running because they appeal to everyone, not just anime fans. So in the same way that series like Pokemon, Beyblade, Devchil, Crash Gear Gekito Turbo, Digimon, Dragon Drive, Monster Farmer and Yu-Gi-Oh all have a similar “feel,” shows like Shaman King, Naruto, Inuyasha and One Piece have a similar “feel.”

Based solely on my own perceptions, I think there are 4 distinct, unusual anime airing on Japanese television right now. Witch Hunter Robin is a Sunrise program targeted at the same demographic as titles like Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne, but there’s simply nothing else available in the Japanese market right now that “feels” like it. The dramatic, existential, gothic atmosphere of Witch Hunter Robin is distinct and unique and not exactly like any other anime I’ve ever seen. Haibane Renmei seems to be a minor masterpiece in the regard that it is stylistically totally different from everything else available in Japan right now. The series establishes a totally foreign but believable culture, not just a foreign world, as many anime do. It’s heavily European flavor and pace set it apart from everything else. Juuni Kokki and Chojushin Gravion both stand out, oddly enough, not because they’re original, but because they’re so anachronistic. Juuni Kokki is the latest version of the Leda/Rayearth/Fushigi Yuugi/Escaflowne girl transported to alternate time/world/dimension, but it’s dealt with in such a serious and mature style and with such care and attention that it stands out as the only show of its kind currently available in Japan. Likewise, Gravion is nothing more than the latest example of the cliché combining robot hero show, but while other current giant robot anime including Gundam Seed and The Big O attempt to be progressive or different, Gravion is the first giant robot show since possibly 1998’s Gaogaiger or last year’s Haja Kyosei G Dangaioh to wholehearted embrace the stereotypes of “yuusha” robots and just strive for being the most enthusiastic, mindlessly chaotic giant robot show it can be.

I’m sure that it’s debatable just how “bland” the American anime scene may be, and certainly any perception will have to do with personal taste, but the American market itself needs to be considered as well. The Japanese market supports a broad diversity anime styles ranging from crudely drawn domestic comedies like Atashinchi, Crayon Shinchan and Saeze-san to flowery children’s shoujo titles such as Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan, Princess Tutu, Puchi Puri Yushi, and Yobarete Tobidete Akubi-chan, to mainstream family hits like Inuyasha and Detective Conan and One Piece and “otaku” oriented series including Heatguy J, Kiddy Grade, Samurai Deeper Kyo, and Mahoromatic. However, the American market for anime isn’t nearly as open or diverse. You can’t blame American distributors for releasing what sells. After all, they have to pay their bills like everyone else. Judging from the poor sales of titles like Tenshi ni Narumon and St. Tail, and the relatively lack of shoujo anime available in America, magical girl shows simply don’t go over well in America. Critics will point to the success of Sailormoon among American fans, but the fact that Sailormoon was never followed up suggests to me that it’s far more an exception than a standard bearer of a movement. Sports anime are also woefully under represented in America. Critics will again point to Princess Nine, but Princess Nine relies heavily on it cast of attractive anime girls. Sports series without sex appeal that are very popular in Japan right now, including Hikaru no Go, Princess of Tennis, Whistle, and Hungry Heart show no sign of catching on in America. Likewise, none of the “unusual” series I mentioned, Haibane Renmei, Witch Hunter Robin, Chojushin Gravion, and Juuni Kokki, have been officially confirmed for American release yet either.

The American market is largely dominated by mainstream friendly family programs like Dragonball, Inuyasha, Hamtaro, Pokemon, Rurouni Kenshin, Sailormoon, Yu Yu Hakusho and Yu-Gi-Oh, which were all created specifically to be family friendly shows; and kinetic, visual, energetic and stylish “otaku” oriented programs including Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, Tenchi Muyo, Akira, Bubblegum Crisis, and Gundam. Odd looking shows with unusual stories like Shaman King and One Piece have yet to find a foothold among mainstream American consumers, but FUNimation’s backing of One Piece, and Viz’s hints at localizing Shonen Jump based anime including possibly Shaman King may lead the way to a broadening of America’s appreciation for anime eventually.