Ask John: Why Do American Distributors Seem to Ignore Fan Demands?

Question:
Why does it seem US anime companies are disdainful of the opinions of more hardcore anime fans? Fans frequently suggest anime be more intelligent (not dumbed down), more reflective of its Japanese origin, and stick more closely to the original. From what I can see, anime released in the US which follows those rules frequently does better than anime which is heavily altered by its US distributor.

Answer:
Although I wish it was otherwise, I have to say that your observations are and aren’t correct. I don’t think that the majority of America’s anime distribution industry is opposed to, or uninterested in the opinions of America’s hardcore anime fan community. But I will agree that America’s anime industry doesn’t unreservedly concede to the desires of the hardcore fan community, because America’s market for anime is much larger than just the hardcore fan community. In fact, the most successful anime titles released in America have been ones which have been heavily censored and altered. Contrary to expectation, anime titles that strive to remain as faithful as possible to their original Japanese format frequently don’t perform well in America.

The unspoken opinion in the back of the collective mind of the American anime industry is that it’s impossible to satisfy hardcore anime fans. If an anime is bilingual, some complain about the existence of a dub while others complain about the quality of the dub. If subtitles are very literal, there will inevitably be complaints that the translation is incomplete or unpolished. If the subtitles are colloquialized, there will be accusations of poor translation. If a DVD release includes a series collector’s box, there will be complaints about its quality or availability. If there isn’t a series box, there will be boycotts of the series or complaints about the lack of a box. That’s why many of America’s anime companies listen to, and try to respect the wishes of the fan community, but ultimately make their own independent decisions. The recent announcement about the American release of Super GALS season two is an excellent example. Although America’s fan community has begged for the second half of the series for years, now that it’s finally coming to America, I’ve seen several fans state their refusal to purchase the subtitled only series just because it’s subtitled only. In this case, fans of Japanese animation are refusing to purchase an anime because it’s in Japanese! There was a similar backlash in America’s fan community over the fact that DreamWorks Pictures released Ghost in the Shell 2 in America only in its original, authentic Japanese format.

The fact that even hardcore American anime fans complain about imported Japanese animation remaining Japanese reveals that much of the time Americanized anime does perform better in America than unaltered anime. The most successful anime titles ever released in America have arguably been Pocket Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh, “Robotech,” and Dragonball. All four have been altered and censored for American release. When AD Vision licensed the Gakkou no Kaiden anime series, part of a long running and highly successful franchise in Japan, the show’s dub was completely made-up, not translated. AD Vision plainly admitted intentionally ignoring the original Japanese authenticity of the show when producing the American adaptation in order to create controversy and interest in a title which wouldn’t have sold well if it was released only in an unaltered, authentic Japanese format. While America’s hardcore fan community may despise 4Kids Entertainment for bastardizing titles like Tokyo Mew Mew, Ojamajo Doremi, One Piece, Shaman King, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh, these titles reach millions of viewers and consumers while most titles targeted at the hardcore fan community reach only thousands, or less. The majority of America’s anime viewers simply aren’t interested in watching imported Japanese film. The majority of America’s consumers prefer Japanese animation that’s convenient and accessible, with spoken English dialogue, and potentially shocking or offensive content removed.

America’s core anime distribution industry tries to balance its releases between satisfying the demands of hardcore fans and making titles accessible and appealing to average consumers. Most of America’s anime companies are staffed by people who care about anime and don’t want to make severe changes to anime. And in most cases, America’s hardcore fan community avoids releases that are extensively changed. But anime that is relatively Americanized is consistently more successful in America than completely unaltered anime. The majority of America’s distributors do what’s necessary to do to make their titles as successful as possible. In most cases, that includes respecting some of the wishes of America’s hardcore fan community while trying, at the same time, to appeal to the larger American market of casual anime viewers, new viewers, and mainstream consumers that don’t habitually watch anime. Domestic releases that force Americans to accept anime as a form of imported Japanese pop culture just don’t sell very well in America. Many of America’s hardcore anime fans claim to want anime that’s authentic and cultural, but in fact, that’s not what they choose to support with their buying habits, and it’s not what gets the most exposure in mainstream American culture.