Ask John: Will More Lupin Anime Be Licensed for American Release?

Question:
I’ve lately been quite enamored with the adventures of Lupin the 3rd. I’m elated to learn that starting late Saturday night, February 10, 2007, Adult Swim will once again run Geneon’s adaptation of 26 of the first 27 episodes of the “Red Jacket” series. Bearing that in mind, plus the steady stream of Tokyopop’s English-translated releases of Monkey Punch’s original manga, how much would you say has Lupin been embraced by US anime fandom? Will it be enough to convince Geneon, Funimation or any other distributor to acquire the rights to more Lupin anime? I understand that just over 60 episodes of the “Red Jacket” series have yet to be released legitimately here in the US. In a time when classic anime like Gatchaman, Voltron, Macross, and other “old school” series are being marketed to today’s US anime fans, how much hope should I hold that those remaining “Red Jacket” eps, and eps from the “Green Jacket” (early ’70s) and “Pink Jacket” (mid ’80s) series, will be picked up by a US distributor?

Answer:
Judging the success of the Lupin franchise in America, and the odds of more of it reaching America, is distinctly difficult because Lupin can’t be judged by the same standards which would apply to virtually any other anime released in America. Possibly no other anime series has been handled by as many different distributors in America as Lupin, and there’s probably no other franchise available in America that has as much anime and as much success in Japan as Lupin. Even series like Astro Boy and Gundam aren’t exactly in the same position that the Lupin franchise is in. Just within the period of the American anime revolution, Lupin anime has been licensed and distributed by Streamline, Manga Entertainment, AnimEigo, FUNimation, Geneon, and Discotek. And TOKYOPOP has diligently tried to release the Lupin manga in America, to debatable success.

The Lupin anime includes 228 TV episodes in three series, 5 motion pictures, at least 3 OVAs, and 18 annual television movies (so far). At least a dozen of the movies and OVAs have been officially released in America, along with second series TV episodes from both Geneon and Streamline. As already mentioned, TOKYOPOP has released numerous volumes of Lupin manga in America. One of the three Lupin Playstation 2 games has been officially released in America, and Discotek has released the 1974 live action feature. By conventional standards, any anime with that much exposure in America would have to be considered a success. However, while Lupin is virtually a cultural icon in Japan, he’s still a relative unknown in America. Even in America’s hardcore fan community, Lupin undeniably lags far behind the popularity of other shorter, less iconic anime franchises like Rurouni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Love Hina. One gets the feeling that Lupin has scraped and clawed its way into American distribution by sheer determination and the power of its iconic status while many other rival shows have comfortably arrived in America on a gold plated expressway.

Geneon has hinted at a possibility of licensing more Lupin TV episodes for domestic release, but the suggestion always seems tentative and unspecific. I don’t know how well the Lupin license has performed for either Geneon or FUNimation, but I do know that Lupin anime has never been in high demand among AnimeNation customers. (And if AnimeNation’s customer base of relatively hardcore anime fans isn’t buying much Lupin, one must wonder if anyone is.) The very fact that the Lupin franchise is obviously viable in America suggests that there’s certainly a possibility of more Lupin anime being licensed for American release. But on the other hand much of the Lupin anime that’s most viable for American release has already been released in America. FUNimation shrewdly weighted its acquisition of Lupin movies with recent releases, avoiding the oldest films. The first Lupin television series is noteworthy for the involvement of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata as episode directors, but the animation quality of the first series is rather primitive, even compared to the second series, which has never been a raging success in America. The third television series, although certainly not bad, is often considered the weakest of the three TV series.

I apologize for droning on for so long in order to arrive at such a simple conclusion, but I hope that the context for my answer helps justify the answer. I honestly can’t guess whether or not additional Lupin anime will be licensed for American release. On one hand, the amount of Lupin anime available in America already implies that the series is popular and in demand. On the other hand, the relatively low profile of the Lupin franchise in America implies that the series has never been a widely beloved hit with American consumers. Licensing Lupin anime seems to be a reliable backbone for American distributors, but it seems to be more of a target of opportunity than a primary target. If that’s actually the case, the odds of more Lupin anime being licensed for American release may depend more on circumstances in Japan than American licensors aggressively pursuing distribution rights to Lupin anime.