Ask John: What’s the Future of Naruto in America?

Question:
Do you think that after Cartoon Network is done with Naruto there’ll be another network to pick up the rights to broadcast it? Will Viz Media continue to release Naruto DVDs all the way to Naruto Shippuuden even if Cartoon Network drops it from their line-up?

Answer:
To be honest, I don’t know the present viewer ratings for the Naruto anime in America, but I’m confident that the property is one of America’s strongest and most popular anime licenses. The Cartoon Network has reportedly committed to concluding its broadcast of the current season, but hasn’t confirmed any definite plans to renew the series for another season. Considering the popularity of the Naruto manga – just last week Viz confirmed that Naruto is the company’s number one manga title – and the consistent sales of Naruto DVDs, I fully expect the Cartoon Network to sustain its broadcast indefinitely. However, if the Cartoon Network does unexpectedly cease its Naruto broadcasts, I have little doubt that a competing network would be eager to acquire the title.

When the North American broadcast of Cardcaptors abruptly ended, Geneon ceased its production and release of Cardcaptors DVDs but continued and finished its domestic DVD release of uncut, Japanese language Card Captor Sakura DVDs. I don’t know the exact relative sales of edited and uncut Naruto DVDs nationwide, although I can assert that uncut Naruto DVD sets easily outsell individual DVD volumes of the edited broadcast version among AnimeNation customers. Given the sales success of the uncut Naruto collections, I have no doubt at all that Viz will continue its Naruto home video release regardless of television broadcast support, although I can envision Viz ending its release of edited broadcast version episodes if the series loses its broadcast exposure.

On a side note, which I think is fascinating for the sake of exceptional trivia rather than as a revealing portent, at the 2008 MIPCOM international licensing exhibition in Cannes, France, which is occuring as I compose this statement, Viz Media is soliciting international licensing for a variety of its titles, including programs currently broadcast on American TV including Bleach, Death Note, and Blue Dragon. But Naruto is not one of the 11 titles that Viz is featuring at the MIPCOM show. While that may be interpreted as a lack of faith in the title, it’s more probably a result of Viz concentrating on licenses which could most benefit from additional spotlight rather than Naruto, which is already an major international hit.