Ask John: Why Hasn’t Yuruyuri Been Licensed Yet?

Question:
Why hasn’t Yuru Yuri been licensed? Seems like most of anime that comes out eventually gets licensed but no word on a western release for Yuru Yuri. I know that yuri is considered niche but other yuri shows such as Simoun and Strawberry Panic have been released.

Answer:
Just give it time. While the current Yuruyuri TV anime may have a prevalent yuri theme running through it, it’s more accurately described as a K-On/Lucky Star/A-Channel style “cute girls doing cute things” show which seemingly almost guarantees it an eventual American acquisition. The 2009 Kanamemo TV series has a stronger, more overt yuri theme than Yuruyuri does, and while Crunchyroll has streamed both Kanamemo and Yuruyuri, Kanamemo remains unlicensed on American home video, probably because despite being an exceptional show, it’s one with an exceedingly small audience. Yuruyuri is more accessible to a wider audience than Kanamemo, and it’s certainly more popular and successful.

While Media Blasters has picked up Shinryaku Ika Musume for domestic DVD & BD, a show that has just as much yuri comedy as Yuruyuri, Media Blasters typically avoids conventional moé anime titles. (Media Blasters has licensed anime including Idol Project, Detatoko Princess, and Kirameki Project, but the classification of those shows as moé anime is subtely debatable.) In fan discussions, FUNimation is frequently cited as a suitable licensor for Yuruyuri. But considering that Sentai Filmworks presently distributes K-On second season and A-Channel, I’m actually a little bit surprised that Yuruyuri wasn’t one of the distributor’s numerous Anime Expo announcements. (We still have Otakon coming up.)

Of course, there may be behind-the-scenes factors hindering an American home video license for Yuruyuri, but the possibility seems remote considering that Crunchyroll has already acquired the current season for international streaming distribution. Yuruyuri is a title that’s seemingly too successful in Japan for it not to eventually reach America. Considering the limited number of potential American licensors remaining and the large number of titles acquisitions recently announced at Anime Expo last week, I suspect that Yuruyuri simply didn’t make it into the first round of acquisitions but will be a desirable title with an American home video release announced sooner rather than later.