Ask John: Why Aren’t the Manga Versions of Popular Anime in America?

Question:
I’ve been thinking, and I realized that there are very popular manga series out in Japan, and the anime to those manga series are popular here, such as Rurouni Kenshin and Trigun. My question, why don’t any companies pick them up for American release?

Answer:
I honestly suspect that the reason why more manga isn’t licensed for American release is because manga simply isn’t all that profitable. Furthermore, the number of American companies that translate manga is relatively small. Popular anime series like Trigun and Rurouni Kenshin appeal to mainstream viewers and consumers. Black & white comic books, though, have a very limited market potential. Even in the American comic book industry, black & white comics and manga are still a relatively small minority. Companies including Pioneer and AD Vision have experimented with publishing manga and comic books in addition to translating animation, and either because it was too much to keep up with or because the comics weren’t profitable, the comics were canceled. Tokyopop began translating manga in the MixxZine magazine, and while they still translate manga in monthly comics, the Tokyopop/MixxZine magazine was discontinued while Tokyopop began moving into translating animation. Viz and Central Park Media are the only remaining companies that continues to expand their line of translated manga while also translating and distributing animation. When we consider companies that specialize in translating manga, companies like Dark Horse, Eros Comics, Fanboy Entertainment and Studio Ironcat come to mind, but even popular manga titles like Vampire Miyu, Gunsmith Cats and Ah! My Goddess have not made a major impact on American fandom, and even less of an impact on the mainstream consumer market. While it may seem like a good, logical idea to die-hard anime fans to license the manga versions of popular anime titles, in reality, manga titles simply aren’t nearly as profitable or successful as fans may believe them to be.