Ask John: Is Current Anime Too Niche for American Licensing?

Question:
Do you think that part of the reason there are fewer shows being licensed & released is because more shows are being made for the Japanese “otaku” audience, and less of the type that US buyers like – which seem to be more action type for teenage boys. There are quite a few action/shonen type shows still, but it seems to me that compared to 5 years ago the amount of new titles licensed has decreased.

Answer:
The hypothesis that fewer anime titles are being licensed for North American release because there are now fewer Japanese productions with American consumer appeal is insightful, but invalid. I must concede that American otaku community observers will doubtlessly encounter the sentiment that contemporary anime has become almost exclusively concentrated on producing shows that appeal to specific, niche Japanese audiences, but this opinion is somewhat inaccurate and somewhat narrow minded.

A significant majority of anime has always been targeted at the hardcore Japanese otaku community. Americans perceive a greater amount of contemporary anime targeted at specific niche audiences because there’s a greater amount of all types of anime in Japan now than there was a decade ago. It’s true that anime genres have become more narrowly defined in recent years. This has happened as a result of Japan’s otaku community becoming more assertive and influential. As Japan’s otaku community has revealed more obvious factions, the anime production industry has evolved in response to better address the desires of those insular audiences. But at the same time, there’s still a large annual variety of anime accessible to mainstream viewers and otaku without fetishistic interests in particular specific themes.

Examination of the American fansub community reveals that a large number and variety of contemporary anime productions continue to sustain a large number of American viewers. (Note that “large” is an especially relative adjective when used in reference to the American anime fan community.) Despite occasional outspoken claims from individual American fans that anime has become too compartmentalized, contemporary anime seems to remain just as popular among today’s hardcore anime fan viewers as it’s ever been.

The reason for the contemporary decrease in domestic anime licensing doesn’t lie in an absence of titles suitable for American release, or the prohibitive expense of acquiring contemporary titles. American distributors are licensing less anime because American consumers are buying less anime. Contemporary titles that are especially apealing and accessible to mainstream American viewers receive American distribution because mainstream consumers financially support these shows. Fewer niche and otaku oriented anime titles are being licensed for American release now, not because their content is unappealing, but rather because they don’t generate profit in America. For reasons including the depressed American economy and the easy availability of free, unauthorized copies of niche anime episodes, the American consumers that represent the target audience for these shows isn’t buying these shows. As a result, American distributors aren’t licensing them.