Ask John: Why Aren’t There Many Late Night Anime Available in America?

Question:
Could you recommend any “late-night” anime, and explain why some stories are seen as more appropriate for 11 pm & later viewing? Serial Experiments Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, Sci-Fi Harry (for example) don’t seem any worse content-wise than a lot of what passes for adult television viewing in the US. And while I prefer a good solid mix of anime, the late-night shows interest me as I don’t see a lot of them in Region 1 yet.

Answer:
I think there’s a long-standing misconception that late night anime are broadcast late at night because they contain content unsuitable for prime time or exposure to younger viewers. Part of this confusion may have originated with the fact that one of the very first ever late night anime series was Those Who Hunt Elves, a series about travelers who strip female elves naked. (However, ironically Those Who Hunt Elves contains no graphic nudity.)

Frequently anime series are scheduled to air late at night because they’re not expected to be popular enough to support prime-time broadcasts. While a handful of late night anime series (as in anime programs broadcast on Japanese television typically between the hours of midnight through 4 AM) do contain risqué or mature content, most late night shows are just very “otaku-oriented” ones that will only be watched by Japan’s small minority of ultra-hardcore anime fans. And contrary to what you may think, many of Japan’s late night anime series have been released in America. Just a small selection of titles you may be familiar with that were broadcast after midnight on Japanese television include: Hyper Police, Outlaw Star, Berserk, Vampire Miyu, Cosmo Warrior Zero, Galaxy Angel, Steel Angel Kurumi 2 Shiki, Witch Hunter Robin, Devilman Lady, Last Exile, Hellsing, Chobits, and G-Dangaioh. Numerous other late night anime include Air Master, Bottle Fairy, Godannar, Gungrave, Peacemaker Kurogane, Gunslinger Girl, Gokusen, Chrno Crusade, Jubei-chan 2, Burn-Up Scramble, R.O.D. the TV, Texhnolyze, Monkey Turn, Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, and the list goes on and on.

So, in fact, an inordinate number of late night anime programs from Japan actually do get licensed for American release, because it’s often these type of shows that American anime fans find most appealing. The anime series that most often earn prime-time broadcast slots are shoujo series, children’s shows, and mainstream hits like Gundam and adaptations of Shonen Jump manga including Naruto and One Piece. While mainstream hits in Japan like Gundam Seed and Inuyasha and Prince of Tennis may earn ratings in the 5% up to as high as 20% range, typically anime series designed for hardcore anime fans- the type of shows broadcast late at night- earn less than 2% TV ratings. With statistics like those, there just aren’t enough Japanese viewers watching these programs to make them worth airing during prime-time evening timeslots.