Ask John: Why is Nasu so Unknown in America?

Question:
Why doesn’t the American fan community know Nasu: Andulusia no Natsu and its sequel? They are excellent films.

Answer:
I’d like to honestly say that I fully understand and anticipate the whims and tastes of the American anime fan community, but I’m not convinced that myself or anyone can really accurately understand and predict something so complex and arbitrary. The 2003 short film Nasu: Andulusia no Natsu and its 2007 OVA sequel Nasu: Suitcase no Wataridori seem to be simply one example among several significant anime titles that seem to have fallen through the cracks and largely gone unnoticed by the American fan community. There are a few such titles, and just as many reasons why they slip by unnoticed.

Specifically in the case of the two Nasu anime short films, I think that there are a number of contributing reasons for their relatively unknown status among American fans. The original Nasu movie, from animation studio Madhouse, was specifically created for small scale release, and was primarily only screened at international film festivals and similar events. The film’s lack of major, widespread distribution has certainly kept it off the radar for many American anime fans. Furthermore, the film is a realistic look at family relationships in relation to a professional European bicycle race. The film benefits from strong, effective writing, gorgeous attention to detail in the settings and background design, and wonderfully engaging animation. However, the film doesn’t feature any of the characteristic traits that make anime appealing to many typical American anime fans. The film has no fantastic elements – no aliens, outer space, magic, ninjas, maids, cute high school girls, robots, sex, or violence. The film’s character designs don’t resemble the characteristic anime stereotype of stylized big eyes and wild hair. In fact, the film resembles director Sylvain Chomet’s “The Triplets of Belleville,” the French animated film about professional cycling coincidentally also released in 2003, more closely than it resembles anime like Naruto, Cowboy Bebop, and Dragon Ball Z. And that, in fact, may partially explain why it’s overlooked by many American anime fans that are drawn to anime because of its sensationalistic characteristics and its novel visual design.

The argument may be made that films like Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers don’t resemble stereotypical anime nor contain fantastic characteristics, yet are still better known in America than Nasu. I think this contradiction may be explained by the simple fact that Nasu is only 45 minutes long while stylistically similar films like Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers are feature length. As feature films, films like Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers earned significant American distribution and even limited theatrical release. But Nasu isn’t long enough to qualify as a feature film, thus it doesn’t get the same promotion and distribution as a feature film.

The original purpose of an anime and the way it was originally released, and the timing of the original release can also affect the relative awareness of anime titles in America. Allow me to cite some examples. Despite animator/director Hiroyuki Imaishi being relatively popular in America from his work on Gurren Lagann and the heavily promoted earlier OVA Dead Leaves, his 2005 production Oval x Over is practically unheard of in America because it consists of 3 three minute long shorts produced as a promotional animation for the Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 Mile race. Similarly, even many of Leiji Matsumoto’s most devoted fans are unfamiliar with his 1985 short film Arei no Kagami (“The Way to Virgin Space”) because the film was screened only at the 1985 World Expo held in Tsukuba, Japan. Similarly, many American fans are familiar with director Mamoru Oshii, but not as many are aware of his experimental animation short “Mezame No Hakobune ~ Open Your Mind” because it was created exclusively for screening at the 2005 World Expo held in Aichi, Japan. Likewise, many American fans are very familiar with Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, but few are aware of his 2002 OVA “Anime Tenchou” because it was created specifically as a promotional video for the Japanese Animate chain of anime specialty stores.

The timing of a release can also affect its recognition. The 2007 feature film Piano no Mori was released in Japan with relatively little fanfare, just prior to the release of the first new Evangelion movie. And its Japanese DVD release appeared with even less ceremony. So despite the fact that Piano no Mori may be the finest anime feature film of 2007, it remains entirely overlooked and unknown in America because it was overshadowed by the new Evangelion movie, and it wasn’t promoted heavily enough to attract the attention of America’s anime fan community. Similarly, despite being only two months old, Production IG’s whimsical and artistic anime TV special Yumedamaya Kidan has slipped by America’s fan community almost entirely unnoticed, primarily because it aired at the end of November, overshadowed by the 35 new anime television programs that debuted the month before.

Hopefully it’s word of mouth, and articles like this one and Anime News Network’s invaluable “Buried Treasure” feature that will draw attention and respect to deserving anime titles like Nasu that unfortunately occasionally slip past the majority of America’s anime fan community without notice.