Ask John: Why Hasn’t the Kekkaishi Anime Been Licensed?

Question:
I began reading the manga of Kekkaishi, and I fell in love with it. I heard there is an anime, but I have heard no news of it being licensed and release in the US. Why is that? Do you believe the series has potential?

Answer:
Making predictions about the American potential of the 2006 Kekkaishi television series is difficult because the show occupies a sort of no man’s land in between anime that will inevitably eventually reach America and anime that has little chance of reaching America. On superficial inspection, Kekkaishi should be a probable American release. The series is a mainstream shonen fantasy action series in the vein of Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Busou Renkin, Law of Ueki, Flame of Recca, Kiba, Groove Adventure Rave, D.Gray-man, and Hunter x Hunter. But unlike its compatriots, Kekkaishi does not hail from the canon of an internationally popular artist like Nobuhiro Watsuki, Kubo Tite, Yoshihiro Togashi, Akira Toriyama, or Eichiro Oda. Furthermore, the Kekkaishi anime was not a breakout success. While it did last through 52 episodes, it was never especially popular or successful in Japan or internationally.

While the Kekkaishi anime may be stylistically similar to shows like Bleach and Inuyasha, it actually shares more in common with lesser known shonen adventure anime like Bakegyamon and Onmyou Taisenki. The fact that mainstream shonen adventure anime like Beet the Vandel Buster, Law of Ueki, Ninku, Flame of Recca, and Rave have been released in America to minimal success proves that there’s enough interest and demand for shonen anime in America to justify the continued distribution of these types of shows domestically. But only select shonen adventure anime become successful in America. If that logic is correct, which I believe it is, Kekkaishi does have a potential to be acquired for American release. However, because Kekkaishi resides within a genre that also includes more successful and popular titles like Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Soul Eater, Nabari no Ou, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s, Yatterman, and Majin Tantei Nogami Neuro, American licensors are likely to prioritize the acquisition of other similar titles before Kekkaishi. And since American anime licensing is slowing, domestic licensors may never get around to a good, but not as well known title like Kekkaishi.