Ask John: How Can Fans Support Geneon’s Niche Titles if They’re Not Released?

Question:
I’ve noticed that in the discussion about Geneon ceasing US DVD distribution, note is often made of how many niche shows Geneon licensed compared to other companies. What I haven’t seen is a lot of discussion of what this means for fans of such shows. I don’t imagine it will be hard for most of us fans to continue acquiring such shows, but how are we supposed to support these shows if they never make it over here?

Answer:
I have two diametrically opposed responses for this question. I will attempt to prove that American fans can still effectively and legitimately support the domestic release of niche anime titles. Unfortunately, it’s seemingly too late for American anime fans to support Geneon and its niche anime titles. (Geneon has recently publicly stated that its current ongoing series and tentative future releases might eventually see American release, but the Geneon announcement clearly emphasizes that completed or new American releases of current Geneon titles is not a certainty.)

During its early and mid lifetime, Pioneer/Geneon headlined the American anime distribution industry with popular mainstream titles including Tenchi Muyo, Trigun, Chobits, Last Exile, Card Captor Sakura, Sailor Moon, and Hellsing. But Geneon’s recent acquisitions skewed heavily toward titles with small cult followings or titles with little or no American market potential at all, including Strawberry Marshmallow, Ayakashi, Human Crossing, Kamichu, Law of Ueki, Paradise Kiss, Kannazuki no Miko, Zipang, Rozen Maiden, Shonen Onmyoji, and When They Cry. Distributing acclaimed titles like Kamichu, Zipang, Fighting Spirit, When They Cry, and Rozen Maiden, in conjunction with Geneon’s commitment to product quality and integrity created a lot of respect for Geneon within the American fan community. But respect alone doesn’t pay the bills. Apparently the cult audiences for these titles were too small to contribute enough to sustain Geneon’s operation, or, more probably, many American consumers talked about appreciating Geneon and its titles, but didn’t actually buy Geneon DVDs.

Lacking consumer support probably had a major impact on Geneon’s decision to cease distributing anime in America. Continuing to invest in the expensive production of English dubs for anime titles with limited American market potential, and investing in the production of expensive premiums, collector boxes, and multiple variant versions of its DVDs may have also taxed the company’s capital beyond recovery.

Media Blasters seems to have taken aggressive steps to avoid the pitfalls which Geneon stumbled into, particularly by reducing its speculative licensing, and eliminating dubbing on titles anticipated to have limited American commercial potential. From a corporate perspective, dubbing is a worthwhile expense if it significantly increases a title’s ability to appeal to consumers. If an anime series isn’t expected to sell especially well in the first place, and an English dub isn’t going to significantly increase its market potential, the dub becomes a superfluous expense.

While it’s too late for fans to support Geneon, it’s still very possible for American fans to encourage the continued release of niche anime titles in America. Media Blasters has a long history of acquiring and distributing niche anime titles like Cleopatra DC, Puppet Princess, Detatoko Princess, Sailor Victory, Hunter Lime, Urda, Blame, Twelve Clouds Rising, and many others. They’re also currently releasing Girls’ High, and have announced plans to release Tweeny Witches. Nozomi Entertainment is soon to release Victorian Romance Emma. AD Vision has upcoming titles including Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora and Magikano. Bandai Entertainment will soon release the outstanding but little known series Flag. And as of this writing, the possibility exists for Geneon’s now orphaned titles to be picked up and continued by other distributors.

Contrary to the impression that a lot of American anime fans seem to have, the American anime distribution industry is not so big, powerful, or profitable that it can exist without the diligent support of the anime fan community. Fans that appreciate niche, cult, and under-appreciated anime can and should do more than merely proclaim their affection for particular anime series and distributors. All American anime fans can give back to the anime industry by legitimately purchasing official anime DVDs. There are still plenty of niche shows on the American market, and coming to the American market, that provide consumers with the ability to exhibit their willingness to support anime.