Ask John: Why Don’t Americans Like Sports Anime?

Question:
I ask a question from Japan. I believe sports are a universal language. Indeed, sport-themed manga and anime are popular ranging from nerds to mainstream, and even overseas Japan. However, I have not heard that sport-themed anime and manga are popular even among the fan community in the U.S. in spite of the country known as the kingdom of physical sports. I’d like to know why they are less interested in anime and manga focusing on sports?

Answer:
This question is certainly a quandary. Without any doubt, sports themed manga and anime have never been especially popular or successful in America, despite the fact that sports themselves are very popular in America. Japanese manga and anime have a wide range of sports themed anime and manga covering countless sports: baseball, basketball, American football, soccer, boxing, golf, tennis, track & field sports, swimming, judo, and so on. Some of these sports anime, like Slam Dunk, have become tremendously popular in Japan. The soccer anime Captain Tsubasa is beloved internationally. And boxing anime Ashita no Joe has attained iconic status in Japan. But no sport themed manga or anime has ever achieved major success in America.

The American publication of the Slam Dunk manga and anime were both canceled. Geneon finished its DVD release of the Hajime no Ippo (“Fighting Spirit”) television series, but apparently won’t be releasing the OVA specials due to lacking American consumer interest. The debut American DVD release of basketball anime series Dear Boys (known in America as “Hoop Days”) was canceled (although the entire series was eventually released on American DVD). The American DVD release of Prince of Tennis doesn’t appear to have made much impact in the American consumer market. The American release of baseball anime Princess Nine was allowed to slip out of print, and hasn’t been re-licensed.

Despite being an American, and a big fan of professional football, even I don’t know exactly why Americans seem uninterested in sports anime. Speaking from my own experience, I find that I’m personally not fascinated by typical sports anime because I don’t relate to most sports anime. Fantasy anime are appealing because they offer escapism and unreality. Dramatic, realistic and relationship focused anime may appeal to me because I can empathize with their characters. I’ve personally watched episodes of many sports anime, including shows not especially well known in America like Captain, Captain Tsubasa, Akakichi no Eleven, Ookiku Furikabutte, Major, Azusa Otetsudai Shimasu, Hungry Heart: Wild Striker, Dandoh, and Whistle. But I haven’t yet encountered a sports anime that I’ve been enthralled with enough to watch to completion. While I can appreciate the characterizations and conflicts evident in many sports anime, I find that I don’t personally relate to the characters or conflicts in sports anime.

Action anime are quite popular in America, and series including Hajime no Ippo and Prince of Tennis, which emphasize on physical sporting action, seem to perform better in America than shows like Boys Be, which emphasize drama and character conflicts. I can’t say for certain, but I can hypothesize that average American viewers may find sports anime uninteresting because typical sports themed anime concentrate heavily on the spirit of sportsmanship, personal development, and teamwork more than the physical action of sports. I think it’s possible that anime like Hajime no Ippo, Eyeshield 21, and Prince of Tennis that actually contain a lot of physical action may be more appealing to American viewers than sports anime that concentrate of the psychology behind sports. Rather than watch sports themed dramas, American viewers may be slightly more interested in sports anime that concentrate on actually playing sports.

But, overwhelmingly, the rationale I’ve heard from countless American anime fans is the straightforward fact that American fans who aren’t interested in sports don’t watch sports anime, and Americans who are interested in sports actually participate in sports instead of watch sporting anime. American viewers seem to enjoy watching the real life detail of sporting events on television, but aren’t interested in watching animated depictions of sports. Watching real-life skilled athletes is thrilling, but the frequent sentiment I’ve encountered among anime fans is, “Why watch sports anime when I could actually play the sport instead?” That philosophy may explain precisely why America may be “the kingdom of physical sports” while sports anime aren’t especially popular in America.