Ask John: Are There Any Licensed Anime That Have Been Popular in Japan but Unsuccessful in America?

Question:
Are there any licensed anime that have been popular in Japan but unsuccessful in America?

Answer:
There are several well known examples of anime that weren’t considered successful in Japan which are tremendously popular in America. Examples include the Ghost in the Shell and Jubei Ninpucho movies, the Gunnm OAV series, and TV series such as Big O and Trigun which are far more popular in America than they were in Japan. It’s a bit difficult to clearly identify Japanese hits that haven’t been accepted in America, though, because there are many different factors to consider that may influence the potential popularity of an anime release in America.

Generally there’s usually not a large disparity between what anime is popular in Japan and what’s popular in America because most domestic distributors specifically examine what’s popular in Japan to determine whether or not the same shows will be viable in America. In the case of titles like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pocket Monsters, Cowboy Bebop, Nadesico, Inuyasha, and many others- there’s not a vast degree of variance between Japanese and American response. Many of the anime series that are tremendously popular in Japan which are likely to be unsuccessful in America are simply never brought to America in the first place. Highly rated anime shows like Chibi Maruko-chan, Kochikame, Anpanman, Doraemon, and Atashinchi aren’t very likely to be successful in America, which may be why they’ve never been brought to America before.

I honestly can’t think of any unqualified examples of successful Japanese titles that have not been successful or popular in America. But there are still a few titles I can point out that seem to be relevant. The closest to exact example I know of is the Viz release of Corrector Yui. While not exactly a tremendous hit in Japan, the series did last through 52 TV episodes. Probably in part due to poor marketing and support, the American release of the series has been canceled due to poor sales. The Mysterious Thief St. Tail anime series was likewise not a tremendous success in Japan, but it was popular enough to last for 42 episodes. The American release barely limped to store shelves but may have been dealt a mortal blow from the beginning by controversy over TOKYOPOP’s censoring and editing of the early DVD volumes.

TOKYOPOP’s domestic release of Initial D has also seemingly not lived up to sales expectations, although the franchise is popular enough in Japan to support four TV series, several OAV and specials, a theatrical movie, and numerous high profile video games. Once again, though, the poor American sales may be caused more by TOKYOPOP’s extensive alterations of the show than by a lack of interest in the show from American consumers. Although Initial D is well liked in America, many contentious American anime fans intentionally boycott the American DVD release in order to express their dissatisfaction with the massively altered English dubbed version of the show.

Similar circumstances seem to apply to the domestic releases of St. Seiya and the Fist of the North Star TV series. Both programs supported TV broadcasts of over a hundred episodes plus theatrical movies, but both series have been released in America in edited versions. The Fist of the North Star TV series is only available in America with its original music and original openings and endings altered or replaced by American versions. The St. Seiya TV series has been released in America in both a “kiddified” American version and an uncut Japanese version, but the mass market exposure of the edited version’s Cartoon Network broadcast may have created a poor impression of the show on many viewers, causing them to avoid even the uncut release. At the very least, the domestic release of St. Seiya hasn’t remotely approached the success the series has met in Mexico and Europe.