Ask John: Does Anime Aired on Foreign TV Also Air on American TV?

Question:
I’ve heard of an anime called Super Pig and looks like something the FoxBox station would show. Only problem is, it’s only been dubbed by Italian and German stations, and if I remember correctly, this also happened with Ojamajo Doremi w/the difference being this anime only dubbed by French and Mexican stations. So my point is, could an anime that has been licensed by other countries (excluding America) have a chance of being broadcasted in America?

Answer:
Super Pig is the Japanese series Tonde Buurin.

The idea of a translated anime series being broadcast on television in Mexico or Europe or somewhere outside America, then later broadcast on American television is not only possible, it’s already happened. When a distributor acquires the translation and distribution rights to an anime series, that license usually only covers a pre-defined list of countries. That allows the original Japanese licensor to sell the same show to multiple distributors for release in multiple countries. The Rurouni Kenshin anime TV series was dubbed into English several years ago and broadcast on television in the Philippines under the name “Samurai X.” The original Samurai X TV broadcast was translated and managed by Sony, but the American TV broadcast was translated and owned by Media Blasters. Likewise, the St. Seiya anime TV series has been broadcast on television in France and Mexico under the names “Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque” and “Los Caballeros Del Zodiaco,” and is now, finally, broadcast on American television with the title “Knights of the Zodiac.”

Numerous anime TV series have been broadcast on television in Mexico, many of them titles that are still not available in America at all. Among them: St. Tail, Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Bt’X, Yaiba, Akihabara Cyber Team, Popolocrois Monogatari, Slam Dunk, Captain Tsubasa, Rayearth, Dr. Slump, Doraemon, and Sailormoon. Unfortunately, the fact that a series has been broadcast on television in one country doesn’t guarantee that it will ever air on American TV, or even see official release in America at all. Whether or not a particular anime TV series sees official release in America depends entirely on the American licensers and distributors independent of license holders in other countries.