Ask John: What Will Be The Next Rurouni Kenshin?

Question:
To date, is there any show that you have come across from the “feudal Japan” sub-genre that has a chance of attaining a similar level of global popularity as was attained by Rurouni Kenshin? Granted that I don’t think many people want to see a “clone” or copy of RK, but it seems to me that particular sub-genre is still looking for the next “big hit”.

Answer:
I don’t think there has been another period anime that has the potential to be another Rurouni Kenshin. I base that on the fact that Rurouni Kenshin was a major hit in Japan having 95 television episodes, a motion picture, and two OAV series. I can’t think of any other “samurai” anime that has been remotely as successful in Japan. While there’s no guarantee that a show which wasn’t popular in Japan couldn’t become a major hit in America, I think that relative Japanese success is a good estimate of a show’s potential for success in America. For example, Rurouni Kenshin was a big success in Japan and a major hit in America. Samurai Deeper Kyo was only mildly successful in Japan and has been only mildly successful in America. Shura no Toki and the Ninja Scroll TV series were not big hits in Japan; neither has been a big hit in America’s fan community.

Considering that the Rurouni Kenshin anime made its Japanese debut in 1996, I can agree that it’s probably due time for a new samurai era anime to become a breakthrough success. On the other hand, I’m hesitant to say that the sub-genre is actually trying to produce a new “big hit.” Consideration seems to suggest that Japan’s anime industry hasn’t had much desire to introduce a new samurai era anime that has potential to be an international success on the scale of Rurouni Kenshin. Examination suggests that Japan’s anime industry is perfectly satisfied to continue producing occasional samurai themed anime that are targeted at small audiences. As far as I know, the anime titles set during the samurai era which have debuted since Rurouni Kenshin are:

Kaze Makase Tsukikage Ran
Kai-Doh-Maru
Hidamari no Ki
Karakuri Kiden Hiou Senki
Samurai Deeper Kyo
Jubei Ninpocho – Ninja Scroll
Shura no Toki
Samurai Champloo
Samurai Gun
Shinshaku Sengoku Eiyuu Densetsu Sanada Jyuu Yuushi
Basilisk – Kouga Ninpouchou
Kidou Shinsengumi Moeyoken TV

None of these titles have remotely approached the success of Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I anticipate any of them becoming nearly as successful as “RuroKen.” Rurouni Kenshin was massively popular because it was able to appeal to both male and female viewers, had a cast that viewers could easily relate to and love, and had story and character development that was accessible but not condescending. No samurai era anime title since Rurouni Kenshin has had all of those qualities. Many of the more contemporary shows, including Samurai Deeper Kyo, Ninja Scroll, Samurai Champloo, Samurai Gun, and Basilisk have intentionally tried not to be highly accessible to a broad audience. These shows are very specifically made for particular types of hardcore anime fans.

I can confidently say that I do expect there to one day be another samurai drama anime that becomes a breakout hit. But I don’t see that title on the horizon at the moment.