Ask John: Why Hasn’t KimiNozo Been Licensed?

Question:
A lot of people, myself included, are crying out for Kimi ga Nozomu Eien to be licensed in the US. What is the chance of that getting licensed? For that matter, why hasn’t it been licensed yet?

Answer:
I do get a number of fans e-mailing to ask the same question. Since I don’t know anything about the details behind this particular series’ ownership and distribution in Japan, I can only surmise that the show hasn’t been licensed for American release yet because it’s basically a romantic simulation anime (an anime series based on a romance simulation video game) and this particular genre of anime has never sold well in America. Out of the numerous anime series like KimiNozo that are based on dating simulation games, the only ones to have been licensed for American release so far are the 1998 Sentimental Journey TV series, based on Sentimental Graffiti, and the 1999 TV series To Heart. In fact, Right Stuf International and Media Blasters are the only two domestic licensing companies to have ever acquired distribution rights to anime series that fall into the romantic life-sim genre (presuming that we exclude Orange Road from that genre). Right Stuf International owns the domestic distribution rights to not only To Heart, but also Boys Be…, and Piano. Media Blasters is the domestic licensor of the Sentimental Journey and Seraphim Call anime TV series and the Marriage OAV series.

Generally mainstream consumers and “mainstream” anime fans in America simply aren’t interested in buying realistic, romantic drama anime series. The Thousand Arms role playing game for the Playstation, which included a dating simulation component, was not a sales success when it was released in America. Mixx Entertainment’s domestic release of the Graduation PC game was not a big sales hit. Media Blasters seemingly doesn’t anticipate life-simulation anime drawing a large crowd either, considering that their releases of Sentimental Journey and Seraphim Call retail at roughly a quarter of what their other releases retail at. And Media Blaster’s DVD release of Marriage has never been a brisk seller, even at a mere $10 retail price.

Considering the expense of licensing and distributing anime in America these days, and the fact that many of America’s biggest anime distributors tend to focus their attention primarily on the high profile titles that will appeal to a large market, it’s understandable that life-sim anime titles that cost a lot to license but don’t earn a lot of profit don’t get licensed or released in America very often. American anime fans can help change these circumstances by supporting and buying official releases of similar titles, thereby sending a message to licensors that there’s a demand for this type of anime. If harem comedies, giant robots and boys’ action shows are the only types of anime that consumers buy in large number, those are the types of anime that licensors will prioritize acquiring. But hopefully there’s always room for outstanding anime titles in America, regardless of their genre or profit potential. And as the market for anime continues to expand and mature, the odds increase that less mainstream yet still deserving anime titles will be picked up for official American release.