Ask John: Will Mawaru Penguindrum Come to America?

Question:
What are the chances of Mawaru Penguindrum being licensed for release in the U.S.?

Answer:
I can only provide an answer from the perspective of an external observer rather than industry insider, so, from my limited perspective, I suspect that seeing last year’s Mawaru Penguindrum television series hit domestic home video is unlikely. Certainly, a possibility exists that a Japanese corporate entity, for example, series home video distributor King Records, may encourage an American acquisition. However, the possibility of a domestic release should be considered from a domestic perspective. Would Mawaru Penguindrum be likely to generate a profit on American Blu-ray? How could a domestic distributor promote it? What, in fact, is the series even about? These vital questions don’t have simple or encouraging answers.

Hardcore otaku recognize that Mawaru Penguindrum is director/creator Kunihiko Ikuhara’s first anime TV series since Shoujo Kakumei Utena back in 1997. While that pedigree may inspire curiosity among especially hardcore otaku, Ikuhara is not a widely recognized name, nor is Utena a widely distributed nor recognized franchise in America these days. So the show can’t sell itself domestically on its pedigree or associations. Penguindrum is weird. It’s an especially dense, confusing, convoluted narrative impossible to summarize in a single sentence or pithy advertising blurb. Even categorizing the show into genre labels like drama, fantasy, and comedy is difficult to do accurately. This unique unconventionalness is one of the show’s strengths, but it also hinders ability to easily market the show to ordinary consumers that aren’t keen on investing on uncertainty and abstraction.

I envision Mawaru Penguindrum in the company of equally esoteric anime as Denno Coil, Kaiba, Mind Game, and Angel’s Egg – highly acclaimed, intellectually challenging, and artistically creative anime that remain unavailable on American home video because they’re simply too outré to appeal to casual and conventional American consumers. Despite otaku clamor for smart, unconventional, original anime, the majority of American anime consumers historically don’t actually purchase such left-of-center shows when they’re actually released domestically. I’d like to believe that any and all of America’s active anime licensors look favorably on Mawaru Penguindrum and would like to acquire and distribute the series. However, anime distribution is a business of inches, and Mawaru Penguindrum is about a mile from ordinary. Particularly America’s boutique distributors, specifically NIS America and Nozomi Entertainment, may seriously consider the show for its eclectic appeal to niche audiences. FUNimation and Sentai Filmworks are also conceivable domestic licensors, although both less likely. But, unfortunately, I think that an absent American home video release is the most likely possibility. The show’s characteristics don’t make it immediately attractive to potential licensors, and even the majority of America’s hardcore otaku audience seemed to ignore or reject the series as it aired because it was too unconventional and challenging to casually enjoy.