Ask John: Why do some Anime, Manga, and Video Games have English Names?

Question:
I can understand a made up word like “Gundam” or “Escaflowne,” but why are there some anime, manga and video games made in Japan that have English names? For instance, why is “Dance Dance Revolution” not called “Buyou Buyou Kakumei?” Why is “Dirty Pair” not called “Ninin Egestsunai?” Why do some of them have names that are a combination of Japanese and English (Tokimeki Memorial)?

Answer:
To be honest, I can’t say for certain why certain anime titles have English in their names or why exactly English is so commonly used in anime. Certainly some of it has to do with the “coolness” of using a foreign language, and the appearance of being “cultural.” I think that, to a large degree, though, you’ve answered your own question. I think a lot of it has to do with the sound of the names. Ninin Egestsunai simply doesn’t have the same “ring” to it that Dirty Pair does. In other cases, English captures the spirit of an anime series better, for example Majo no Takkyuubin (Witch’s Express Delivery Service) and Kiki’s Delivery Service or Aozora Shoujotai (Blue Sky Squadron)- the name of the manga, and 801 TTS, the name of the animation. I think it mainly, though, boils down to how a title sounds. To paraphrase Burke Breathed’s Blood County, would John Fitzgerald Kennedy have been John F. Kennedy if his name had been Mortimer Dipthong?