Ask John: Why Hasn’t Tri-Zenon Been Licensed?

Question:
There have been anime titles that have gone unlicensed for unknown reasons, one of them being Muteki-Oh! Tri-Zenon, a show that featured the same staff and seiyuu cast from fan favorites Slayers & Lost Universe. While it didn’t have the same success than those two hits, the series had a significant amount of popularity while its run on TBS back in 2002. While the entire franchise of Slayers and Lost Universe TV series has been released in North America, Tri-Zenon is like an invisible title for licensors. What made Tri-Zenon go overlooked by licensors? It has Megumi Hayashibara, robots, comedy, a close resemblance with Lost Universe. I’ve seen some spin-off series that weren’t considered good but have been licensed in the US with fair success just because they have some resemblance to the original series. Tri-Zenon didn’t have that chance. I was wondering if that had something to do with that rumoured second season of Lost Universe that was never made.

Answer:
Honestly, my personal theory on why the Tri-Zenon television series has never been licensed for American release is two-fold. First, the show is very obscure. Second, the show just isn’t very good. I’d personally been watching untranslated, imported anime for years before Tri-Zenon premiered in 2000, so even at that time I think I had a fairly good knowledge of which TV series were popular and which were not in Japan’s anime community. (For reference, Tri-Zenon never aired in 2002. The series premiered in 2000 and ended in 2001 after only 22 episodes.) While Slayers was a big hit and Lost Universe a passable success, Muteki-Oh Tri-Zenon was not a big hit in Japan. The show was an uneven mixture of super robot, fantasy, and comedy that didn’t excel in any category. The series had a rather large cast, but none of the characters were especially memorable or unique. Tri-Zenon was simply a show that felt haphazardly sewn together, and it felt like a program designed to fill a time-slot more than a show designed intended to aim for success.

2000 was the debut year for a number of high profile and very successful robot anime, namely Escaflowne, Argent Soma, Gear Fighter Dendoh, Vandread, Gaogaigar Final, and Transformers: Car Robots. Karakuri Kiden Hiwou Senki and Megami Kouhosei were also relatively successful that year, marginalizing not only Tri-Zenon, but also Ginsou Kikou Ordian and Soseiki ki Devadasy. In fact, a superficial similarity between Tri-Zenon and Lost Universe may have contributed to Tri-Zenon’s unpopularity. Lost Universe was universally panned for its poor animation quality and a rumored second Lost Universe series was apparently canceled. The bad taste left behind by Lost Universe may have convinced viewers to avoid another sci-fi action comedy from the same staff and cast. The fact that the Tri-Zenon series wasn’t even fully translated may suggest why the series has never been licensed for American release. If American hardcore anime fans aren’t interested in watching Tri-Zenon even when it’s available for free, there’s probably little chance of any significant number of American consumers being willing to pay to watch it.

I mean no offense, as I’m aware that everyone has different tastes in anime. If you like and respect the Tri-Zenon anime series, than my comments shouldn’t change your opinion. There are a number of overlooked and forgotten anime gems that have yet to reach American release, but Muteki-Oh Tri-Zenon is not one of them. Although not quite as bad as Lost Universe, which was never a big commercial hit in America, Tri-Zenon is not an especially good show. Furthermore, with rare exceptions, mecha anime has never been highly successful in America, and I can’t think of a single giant robot comedy that has ever been a big hit in America. Considering the relative obscurity of Tri-Zenon and its estimated American commercial potential, I think it’s quite natural that the show has never been licensed for American release.