Ask John: Will Every Anime Eventually Get Released in America?

Question:
Given the recent trends in licensing of getting much of what is new and hot while still picking off some older shows here and there, do you think we are approaching a time when the R1 market will be pretty much “caught up” with what is currently available? For instance, will we come to have virtually all the Super Robot shows, boxing shows, shonen shows, parody shows, etc?

Answer:
Especially two and three years ago when the American anime industry seemed to be expanding exponentially it did seem as though not just every significant anime title, but literally every anime title would eventually be released in America. However, while American licensing has slowed in America, the number of anime titles available in Japan continues to steadily increase. Honestly, although it may seem as though America is getting “everything,” I don’t believe that America will ever get official releases of every anime title. There are many anime series that simply aren’t ideal for American release because they’re not marketable in America. And there are literally a staggering number of anime titles available. Although it’s encouraging for fans to see older anime titles that aren’t well known in America get licensed or revived, titles including Go Lion, Dairugger XV, Prefectural Earth Defense Force, Yusha Oh Gaogaiger, Taro the Dragon Boy, and Animal Treasure Island, in truth, these licenses barely scratch the surface of the amount of anime available in Japan that’s not very well known in America.

Just to address the genres you specifically mentioned, super robot shows including Fighbird, Dagwon, J-Decker, Baxinger, Baldios, Tobikage, Mightgaine, and Goldran remain unlicensed. And these are just a small handful of the super robot anime series available in Japan. The number of mecha anime available in Japan that are not available in America becomes much, much longer when other types of robot shows are included. Robot anime like Ryu Knight, Dragonar, Xabungle, Dougram, L-Gaim, SPT Layzner, and Dorvack remain unlicensed also.

The boxing anime Hajime no Ippo has been released in America, and Viz released One Pound Gospel on American VHS, but boxing anime titles including Ashita no Joe, Ganbare Genki, Burning Blood, Rokudenashi Blues, and Ring ni Kakero remain unlicensed.

Genres like boys’ adventure anime and parody anime are better represented in America because boys’ adventure anime tend to be profitable and popular in America, and because there aren’t a whole lot of anime parody series like Excel Saga, Nin Nin ga Shinobuden, and Miami Guns. However, there are boys’ action and adventure anime like Plawres Sanshiro, Jibaku-kun, Let’s & Go, and Wataru that remain unlicensed, along with fighting action shows like Shurato, Otoko Juku, and the Ninku TV series. Perhaps better defined as seinen (young men’s anime) rather than shonen (young boy’s anime), dark fantasy action, adventure, and horror titles like JIgoku Shoujo, Varom One, DT Eightron, Majusensen the Apocalypse, Hikaruon, Miroku, Joker, and Elementalors remain unlicensed. I’m not aware of very many anime specifically designed around poking fun at other anime, but comical satires including Ippatsu Kikimusume, Sugoiyo! Masaru-san, Momoiro Sisters, and Iketeru Futari sadly remain unlicensed for American release.

The examples I’ve given are just a brief sample of some of the anime that has yet to come to America. Not mentioned are the countless hundreds and probably thousands of other anime titles available in Japan that don’t fall into these categories. Long running, highly successful shows like Oishinbo, Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro, Dr. Slump, Akazukin Chacha, Hime-chan’s Ribbon, Tensai Bakabon, Captain Tsubasa, and Ojarumaru have never seen official American release. Fan favorites like the Dirty Pair, Touch, Violinist of Hameln, and Ghost Sweeper Mikami TV series aren’t licensed for America. Acknowledged classics including Jarinko Chie, Heidi of the Alps, Future Boy Conan, and Doraemon aren’t available in America. And significant artistic works like Angel’s Egg, Mind Game, Mushishi, and Dragon’s Heaven remain unavailable in America. Then after all of these titles, there are still a countless number of anime available in Japan that average Americans have never even heard of. For example, titles like YAT Anshin! Uchuu Ryokou, Hallelujah II Boy, Gandhara, Dokkiri Doctor, Asobot Senki Goku, mens Pharmacy, and Mushiking. I estimate that less than 10% of the new anime released in Japan this year alone has been licensed for release in America.

Anime will always be more popular in Japan than outside Japan. The size and buying power of America’s anime consumer market limits the amount of anime that can be licensed and released in America, and the tastes of America’s consumers further restricts the variety of anime that gets licensed for American release. America does have an impressive variety of anime available, but I’d guess that less than a quarter of all the anime ever released in Japan has been officially released in America, and I don’t expect that percentage to significantly increase because the amount of anime in Japan is growing faster than the amount of anime available in America. With the exception of possibly very narrowly defined genres with few examples, I definitely don’t anticipate America ever getting “everything,” and don’t even foresee America comprhensively licensing all of the major, high profile titles within particular genres. However, American fans have good reason to be pleased with the amount and variety of anime available to them. There’s already more anime available than any single person could watch in a lifetime, which means that American fans will always have new shows to discover, either through domestic release or via Japanese imports.