Ask John: Will Initial D Come to America?

Question:
Why is no US licensing company picking up this title [Initial D]? With the rise in popularity in manga and import cars, this anime would be a sure-fire hit.

Answer:
The only thing I can suggest is that Initial D may be something of a hard sell in America because, you must admit, it’s not the coolest looking show ever. The character designs look a bit strange, almost deformed, and the CG used to animate the cars is quite poor. Largely for that reason, it took me a long time to decide to actually check out this show. (Of course, now I’m hooked, like most fans.) Initial D has a great story and great characterizations, but to be successful in America, a TV series release also needs to have a particular “look” that will appeal to mainstream consumers. Without mainstream consumers buying anime titles in mass quantities, it’s simply not economical to license a show.

I may be mistaken, of course, and in this case I’d be pleased to be wrong. Initial D is a solid show, and its thematic similarity to Dragonball Z gives it a strong potential hook for new fans, but the show would have to find an audience of mainstream American fans willing to overlook or accept the distinct Japanese cultural references inherent to a show about Japanese life, and overlook or accept the relatively non-trendy and non-typical anime “look” of the show. With these factors in mind, many translating companies may choose to concentrate their energy on other, more immediately marketable anime shows that are also still available for Western translation and distribution.