Ask John: Do American Fans Actually Buy the Anime They Demand?

Question:
I have been waiting for quite awhile for the American release of KimiNozo, now coming out as “Rumbling Hearts.” Looking at the AnimeNfo site, KimiNozo has consistently been rated as #1 or #2 on their best 200 list. So, there must be a lot of demand out there for it. But, looking at the popularity figures at Amazon a week or two ago, it was listed at around 30,000 in popularity among DVDs. That’s pretty bad, but it’s still early, since it doesn’t come out till December. I looked again today and it’s sitting at 50,682 (boxed set) and 92,004 (single DVD). I certainly hope that other sellers are doing better with this anime. But this leads me to wonder whether American anime fans actually spend money on the series that they clamor for.

Answer:
You’ve noticed a sad and ironic fact that plagues the American anime community. It’s practically one of the American anime community’s open secrets. American fans love to make demands and complaints to the anime industry, but they’re not as eager to support the anime industry. Much of America’s anime fan consumer market consists of young teens and preadolescents who can’t afford to buy all of the anime that they want, but there’s also a strong undercurrent of resistance to actively assisting the anime industry. Your example is sadly not exceptional.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen fans wish for official domestic releases of unusual, old, or esoteric anime. However, when titles like these do actually get released, they don’t sell well at all. I personally make a conscious effort to support America’s smallest anime distributors and shows that particularly need consumer support. I’ve purchased all three of Synch Point’s “I’m Gonna Be An Angel” DVDs, Hirameki’s Idol Suchi Pai and all three of their Soar High Isami DVDs, Pathfinder’s Tristia of the Deep-Blue Sea DVD, both of Urban Vision’s Strange Dawn DVDs, all of AD Vision’s subtitled Hello Kitty DVDs and two copies of their subtitled Prefectural Earth Defense Force, all of Viz’s Corrector Yui DVDs, and even Fanboy Entertainment’s little known Angel Wing anime DVD. However, consumers like me that actually purchase anime specifically to support the industry seem to be a rarity.

The type of anime that gets released in America is determined largely by consumer spending habits. As you’ve pointed out, shows like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien are a popular request, but when a distributor actually does bring one of these shows to America, relatively few fans then uphold their side of the commitment to purchase it. Much of the time, when fans complain that a popular show hasn’t been licensed, it may be unlicensed because commercial distributors are keenly aware that demands don’t necessarily mature into sales. For example, American fans have been demanding a domestic release of the 1979 Rose of Versailles TV series for many years, but despite that constant demand, the show has never been licensed. And I don’t expect to ever see it licensed for American release because fans at conventions and on internet message boards may proclaim their desire for it, but when it’s actually released, many of them won’t buy it.

It’s easy to make demands and more difficult to actually make a financial commitment. Making demands and requesting titles is fun. Discussing obscure shows and longing for their American release creates an atmosphere of exclusivity. The person making the request knows about a deserving show which others aren’t familiar with. The person making the request has access to a show which others don’t have access to. That degree of privilege and status is a gratifying boost to the ego. But as soon as a rare or unknown show gets an official American release, it’s not rare or unknown anymore. The novelty of obscurity seems to wear off for many fans as soon as a title becomes mainstream. Sadly, by that time, many of the now disillusioned fans have become so enraptured with the waiting and hoping for an official release that the actual event feels anti-climactic. An official American release should be cause for celebration and excitement, but for several reasons, it can actually be the coffin nail. American distributors sometimes puncture the anticipation for American premieres with flawed releases or delays. Distributors encourage consumers to delay purchasing new releases with the temptation of cheaper forthcoming re-releases and boxed sets. And fans and consumers often seem to forget what motivated their interest in particular titles in the first place. Fans should desire and anticipate anime coming to America because the anime is good and enjoyable, not because it’s a status symbol.

I think that many of America’s anime fans and anime consumers have forgotten that the American anime industry is relatively small and heavily dependant upon the fan community. America’s fan community is guilty of developing loyalty to particular distributors instead of judging titles and releases of their own merits. And America’s fan community seems to have forgotten that, in many cases, if they don’t support the anime industry, no one will. With anime as relatively commonplace in America as it is now, fans seem to have the mistaken impression that there’s plenty of demand and support for anime in America. However, most domestic anime DVDs still sell only thousands, or even mere hundreds of copies. So the loss of one sale here and one sale there does make a difference to domestic distributors. And the culture of entitlement engendered by cheap and plentiful anime, and anime edited and altered specifically to suit the tastes of American consumers only reinforces the idea that America’s fan community has no reciprocal responsibility to America’s anime industry. Certainly consumers aren’t obligated to buy what they don’t want, but the fact that American consumers seem to be buying less anime, and spending less on it is unquestionably one of the reasons why there are fewer domestic anime DVD titles released now than there were a few years ago, and one of the reasons why American distributors including Central Park Media, Urban Vision, and Synch Point have almost entirely withdrawn from the market, and why even companies like Bandai Entertainment and AD Vision are no longer as relevant as they used to be.