Ask John: What Are “Super-Niche” Anime?

Question:
In the recent ICv2 interview with John Ledford, he mentioned that the titles they will be focusing on are the big hits and what he called “super-niche”. What exactly could be considered “super-niche”? Is it possible to be beyond “super-niche”? I myself am a big fan of shows like Ring ni Kakero 1, Akagi, Kaiji, and Souten no Ken; could those titles be considered “super-niche” and therefore be possible as licenses?

Answer:
Mr. Ledford’s recent interview with ICv2 did mention his concept of “super-niche” anime titles but didn’t provide examples. Thus Mr. Ledford’s perception of “super-niche” titles may differ from my own. In summation, Mr. Ledford explains that profit lies in distributing either anime titles with the potential to be tremendous, mainstream hits or titles with a very devoted cult following. Titles that fall in between aren’t popular enough to generate profit from volume sales, and aren’t popular enough to generate strong or consistent sales from devoted collectors. While every anime fan is aware that mainstream hit anime include titles like Cowboy Bebop, Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Witchblade, and potential major hits like Claymore, Gurren Lagann, and Code Geass, the distinction between cult hits, which Mr. Ledford refers to as “super-niche,” and titles without American cult appeal or too little cult appeal is less obvious.

In order to effectively define and categorize various types of anime by domestic market potential, it’s necessary to refer to specific examples. I’ll begin with AD Vision’s latest acquisitions. Among the 7 titles ADV recently announced plans to distribute on behalf of Sentai Filmworks, the Clannad television series is the best example of a “super-niche” title, with Tsukihime and Petshop of Horrors also fighting for inclusion in the category. The Clannad television series is an attractive and appealing romantic drama. Given its style and content, the show has no chance of establishing itself as a mainstream American hit. Life sim, dating sim, and “eroge” anime only appeal to hardcore anime fans, and the degree to which they grasp popularity depends upon their quality. A devoted core following of American fans like Clannad and will support its domestic release by purchasing the domestic DVDs. There are probably enough devoted Clannad fans in America to make the domestic DVD release profitable, presuming the release is handled efficiently and effectively. Similarly, the dark and morose supernatural thrillers Tsukihime and Pet Shop of Horrors will require little investment to distribute to consumers since their translations and dubbing are already complete. And there are probably enough American consumers interested in these shows to make them successful.

Other ADV acquisitions, however, represent both the realm above and below Mr. Ledford’s concept of “super-niche.” The two Mahoromatic series are relatively populist titles – they appeal to a wide audience, but don’t have either massive mainstream traction or an obsessively devoted fan following. Indian Summer and Hunter Lime are both titles with too small audience appeal in America to be especially successful. (ADV may have acquired these titles because they were licensed as a package, or because their acquisition was especially inexpensive, or under the presumption that possessing a catalog of titles is preferable to having too few titles.)

Nozomi Entertainment may be America’s best example of a distributor that concentrates on, and succeeds with “super-niche” titles. Series including Maria Watches Over Us, Emma: A Victorian Romance, and Aria the Animation are series that can sustain sales through their devoted fan following and strong word of mouth. The fans of these shows want to own these titles, and will eagerly purchase the DVD releases as soon as they’re available.

Although it may sound implausible for certain anime titles to be even more obscure than “super niche,” titles like Ring ni Kakero 1, Akagi, Kaiji, and Souten no Ken are, in fact, precisely that. These particular examples are not shows entirely lacking American fan interest; they’re shows with too few American fans to justify or support domestic acquisition. The figures I’ll provide for reference are merely general estimates, not concrete classifications. Major mainstream hits like Bleach and Naruto may move tens of thousands of DVD units, and have hundreds of thousands of devoted American fans. High profile anime titles that don’t break into mainstream success may sell fewer than 10,000 or even 5,000 copies. But these titles are relatively expensive to acquire, translate, and distribute domestically, meaning that they ultimately earn minimal profit, or even struggle to break even. “Super niche” titles aren’t likely to sell more than a few thousand copies, but the copies which do sell move at a sustainable retail price, and sales of these titles remain small but steady, allowing their distributor to sustain and slowly grow. Titles like Souten no Ken, Akagi, Denno Coil, Hidamari Sketch, and Potemayo, for example, may be excellent shows, but the few hundred loyal fans they have in America don’t promise enough DVD sales to make these titles ideal candidates for American release, especially in the current American consumer buying market.