Ask John: Is Evangelion Still Popular in America?

Question:
How popular is Evangelion, right now, in North America? Is Evangelion more popular now than when it was first released in the US? Less so? Aside from having sales data, how do you judge these things, even?

Answer:

I’ll admit from the outset that I don’t have access to VideoScan figures, nor do I have an insider’s knowledge of ADV Films’ sales. I can surmise the current American popularity of the Evangelion franchise based only on knowledge of sales trends for Evangelion merchandise to AnimeNation customers, observation of trends within the American otaku community, and reference to publicly available data. Accumulated anecdotal evidence consistently signifies that Evangelion is not remotely the high profile, powerhouse franchise in America that it was five or more years ago. While the series definitely hasn’t faded into obscurity, even including the new “Rebuild” feature films, Evangelion is simply an old franchise that has attritioned much of its relevance to contemporary American fans.

At least among AnimeNation customers, demand for Evangelion DVDs and merchandise these days is minimal, although not entirely absent. ADV Films continues to distribute the Evangelion television series on domestic DVD, but Manga Entertainment has ceased its domestic distribution the Death & Rebirth and End of Evangelion movies. The series did not rank among industry market watch company ICv2’s list of America’s top 25 Anime Properties in the September/October 2008 ICv2 Guide to Anime. Development of the live action American Evangelion movie seems to be indefinitely stalled, if not outright dead in the water. And despite it being licensed for distribution in Asia, Australia and Germany, the first Rebuild of Evangelion motion picture has not been acquired for official North American release. Eva isn’t dead and forgotten in America, but it’s certainly not the commanding, high profile title that it used to be. The reasons for Evangelion’s declining popularity may lie in the series’ age, its lack of renewed vigor, and evolutionary changes in the tastes of American anime viewers.

Evangelion is now a 13 year old series. While it may not seem especially old to many of America’s established anime fans, the series is, in fact, older than a large percentage of today’s American anime consumers. American kids that are watching Naruto, Blue Dragon, and Bleach these days may not be as eager to watch a show that’s older than they are. Despite its quality, Evangelion doesn’t have the new novelty of contemporary anime. The You Are (Not) Alone motion picture may have contemporary production values, but it’s still a 13 year old story with 13 year old character designs and settings. Furthermore, the “new” Evangelion movie isn’t easily available in America. In fact, unlike today’s high profile franchises – Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Witchblade, Appleseed Ex Machina, Dragon Ball Z – Evangelion does not benefit from contemporary television broadcast or heavy advertising. These days, Evangelion relies near exclusively on word of mouth and personal recommendation to generate DVD sales, and after a decade of fervent American devotion, most American anime fans are just tired of talking about Eva. The premier of the new film in September 2007 packed theaters in Tokyo, but word that the film offered little new to viewers beside theatrical quality animation, interest in the film peaked and ebbed quickly among American otaku. Without new revitalization of the franchise or significant advertising to keep it in the forefront of public consciousness, interest in Evangelion has simply tapered off among Americans.

Close examination of ICv2’s most recent analysis of anime title trends in America reveals that with the exception of the heavily promoted Appleseed Ex Machina motion picture and Witchblade (which I consider “science fiction” only by technicality), the American produced Robotech: Shadow Chronicles and the Japanese Gundam franchise are the only true sci-fi titles to rank among America’s most popular 25 anime. And Shadow Chronicles ranks at 19th with Gundam following in 21st place. Half of America’s top ten anime franchises are shonen anime (Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Death Note, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist). Considering the relative failure of Code Geass and Moribito to gain a significant foothold among American viewers, evidence suggests that contemporary American anime fans have little interest in dramatic, introspective, socio-political anime like Evangelion. Eva was very popular in America during the late 1990s and early 2000s, along with serious sci-fi programs like Outlaw Star, Cowboy Bebop, The Big O, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Gundam W. It’s possible, I think, that the fascination with heavy, brooding, serious anime during this time period may have been a product of the American anime community’s unconscious desire to establish itself as the antithesis of childish cartoon viewers. Serious, weighty anime, during this period, may have unconsciously fulfilled the American psychological need for Japanese animation that clearly justified its distinction from children’s cartoons by its intelligence and dramatic depth. During the 1990s and early 2000s, America’s burgeoning anime fan community wanted anime that proved itself artistic, profound, cultural, and unique.

However, as the American otaku community matured, expanded, and established itself as a recognized and respected American subculture, viewers began to grow more accustomed to anime, and began to turn their attention to anime that was enjoyable and fun. Dragon Ball Z lost its stigma as an entry level franchise, interest in accessible adventure titles like Naruto, Inuyasha, One Piece, and Bleach increased, and titles particularly accessible to American viewers – shows with less alienating Japanese culture – like Witchblade, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Devil May Cry, and Afro Samurai began to dominate discourse and sales charts. As a result, older, serious sci-fi titles like Evangelion, Akira, and Outlaw Star have become increasingly marginalized, or have even disappeared from American home video distribution entirely.

If interest in particular genres and styles of anime is cyclical in America, especially considering the belated production schedule of the Rebuild of Evangelion movies, it may be certainly possible for the Evangelion franchise to experience a short lived future resurgence in interest among American viewers. However, while Eva will always be recognized as an influential and important international landmark production, its years of greatest popularity in America are almost certainly now in the past.