Ask John: Do American Publishers Avoid Very Long Manga Series?

Question:
What are the chances of a manga being licensed that currently has over 40 volumes in Japan?

Answer:
While I have been involved in anime licensing for American distribution, I haven’t personally had a hand in any manga licensing. So I’m only able to hypothesize an answer to this question based on observation and speculation. My personal theory is that manga licensing has one major difference from anime licensing in this regard. Typically very lengthy anime series present unique obstacles to international licensing. I don’t believe those same difficulties apply, or pose the same difficulties in the case of manga licensing.

Anime licensing doesn’t work on an “economy” scale. It’s not cheaper to buy in bulk. Distribution fees per episode don’t decrease over a large number of episodes. If licensing one episode of an anime title costs X, licensing 50 episodes of the series costs X times 50. There are, of course, unique distribution arrangements that enable American licensors to obtain large blocks of long running TV anime. Domestic licensors also frequently acquire distribution rights to long television series in manageable and affordable 26 episode or “season” chunks, with an option to license additional episodes if desired. Especially long anime series are also sometimes risky licensing options because most anime series shed viewers over time. It’s easier to convince consumers to purchase one or two anime DVDs than convince consumers to commit to collecting ten, twenty, or more separate DVD releases. Multi-disc DVD set releases helps mitigate some consumer anxiety, but it’s still more difficult to convince consumers to purchase volume 6 of an ongoing anime release than it is to purchase only one or two volumes that complete a series.

Manga is a bit different because manga is much less expensive than anime. Manga costs less to produce in Japan, and less to localize in America. Manga volumes are also cheaper than anime DVDs for American consumers, so consumers are more likely to continue purchasing volumes of long manga series than continue purchasing sequential volumes of an anime DVD release. Furthermore, because manga are a smaller investment, distributors and consumers are more receptive to arbitrarily ending a domestic release. When an anime DVD series goes unfinished in America, the consumers that have been collecting it are outraged because they’ve spent hundreds of dollars collecting a DVD release that they can’t finish. Paperback manga are a smaller investment, so consumers still get angry when series aren’t completed, but the outrage isn’t as great because the commitment and financal investment haven’t been as large. In effect, it’s less risky and more affordable for American publishers to persue lengthy manga series than lengthy anime series.

Let me use Viz Media as a particularly relevant example. The Golgo 13 manga series has well over 100 published volumes. Viz published a 13 volume translation of the Japanese “Author’s Selection Best 13 of Golgo 13” and “Reader’s Choice Best 13 of Golgo 13” manga collections. Similarly, the Oishinbo manga series has over 100 volumes, and Viz is selecting a representative sampling of the Japanese “Oishinbo A La Carte” publication for domestic release. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures has over 90 collected volumes, and that didn’t discourage Viz from publishing part of the series in English.

Any manga series with more than 40 volumes probably has some admirable qualities that make it popular. And in many cases the attributes that make a manga popular in Japan are likely to also go over well with American readers. I think it’s safe to say that with the exception of manga serials that have already been running for years, any contemporary manga story that has or will reach 40 or more volumes has already piqued the interest of one or more American publishers. But ultimately, the American licensing potential of any long running manga has to be considered in light of the individual properties of the title and its estimated American audience potential. Many long running manga and anime titles that aren’t available in America haven’t been released domestically due, in large part, to their age, content, or style more than their length.

Series length may deter some anime series from getting traditional American home video distribution, but length isn’t as big of a determining factor for manga licensing. If a manga has sustained over 40 published volumes in Japan, it’s probably successful enough to at least attract the notice of American licensors. Traditionally American anime distributors may be cautious about seeking distribution rights to an anime with over 40 episodes. But American publishers don’t seem to be quite as afraid of committing to the acquisition of lengthy manga series.

Article revised on June 15, 2010 with assistance from John C. Watson.