Ask John: Will Macross F Come to America?

Question:
I’ve heard rumors that Funimation is trying to get the rights to show Macross Frontier here in the USA and that the owners of the franchise want ADV to show Macross 0 here. What are the chances that this is possible and if not how did Manga aquire Macross Plus with English dub for distribution here in the states, what with all the legal entanglements going on between Harmony Gold, Tatsanuko Productions and Big West with Studio Nue?

Answer:
Rumors and speculation have been flying about the Macross franchise for twenty years now, creating far more theory and rumor than fact. Widespread presumption is that most American distributors have simply given up on attempting to acquire Macross properties due to the expense and difficulty associated with the effort. I can’t say that I’ve heard any concrete word of any domestic distributors recently investigating the acquisition of Macross properties, but certain rumors at least have some degree of potential credibility. Among the remaining active American anime distribution companies, FUNimation is likely the only viable distributor for the Macross Frontier franchise because FUNimation has both the resources and distribution network to get significant American market penetration for the show. Viz is limited by its distribution affiliations with Warner Bros. although a Macross entry may possibly have enough domestic market potential to be a potential Viz acquisition. Sentai Filmworks is FUNimation’s primary rival, but Sentai FIlmworks lacks the mainstream market distribution that FUNimation enjoys. There’s practically no historical precedent for boutique distributors like Media Blasters, Discotek, Nozomi, or NISA acquiring a high profile mainstream franchise like Macross. Manga Entertainment hasn’t acquired any TV anime in years.

Now that Bandai Entertainment is no longer distributing domestically, the most likely prospect for seeing the 2002 Macross Zero OVA series reach American home video is for original Japanese home video distributor Bandai to export the show to American home video through Bandai Visual. Absenting that avenue, Sentai Filmworks or Manga Entertainment may be valid options since Sentai Filmworks’ predecessor AD Vision distributed the original Macross television series, and Manga Entertainment previously distributed the Macross Plus OVA series. FUNimation, once again, would also be a strong acquisition and distribution channel for the show. A respected, high-profile franchise like Macross demands a certain minimal degree of equivalent distribution profile in America in order to avoid seeming embarrassing. Considering the scale and profitability of the Macross franchise in Japan, its Japanese producers and distributors may be hesitant to potentially compromise Japanese sales with a cheaper American import, or may be hesitant to evoke the impression that they’re exporting a massively successful Japanese franchise to a diminished American release.

While the 1994 Macross 7 franchise, which includes a TV series, OVAs and feature film, the 2002 Macross Frontier OVA series, and 2007 Macross F franchise that includes a TV series and feature films, not to mention the 1984 Macross motion picture and 1987 Macross: Flashback 2012 OVA have yet to see official American release, the 1992 Macross II and 1994 Macross Plus OVA series have reached America. Domestic animation producer Harmony Gold has argued that it has master distribution rights to the Macross franchise in America due to its licensing agreement with original Macross TV series animation studio Tatsunoko. The Macross II and Macross Plus anime series were acquired for domestic release through Macross franchise creators (but not animators) Big West during a time period when Harmony Gold was inactive. In 2003 a Tokyo court ruling determined that Tatsunoko did not have any rights to subsequent Macross franchise sequels and spin-offs since it was not involved in their creation, meaning that the Macross II and Macross Plus series had no relation to Tatsunoko or Harmony Gold anyway. However, Harmony Gold did domestically trademark the name “Macross” in 2002, meaning that although Harmony Gold can’t control the domestic distribution of contemporary Macross iterations like “Zero” and “Frontier,” the company can demand compensation from any domestic distributor that refers to or uses the name “Macross.”