Ask John: Will Orange Road Get Re-Licensed?

Question:
With Kimagure Orange Road TV going out of print soon, could there be a chance another studio will pick up the rights to this great anime series? Why do you suppose AnimEigo was denied rights to renew it’s license? Perhaps another studio will give it more exposure and maybe an English dub. It would be a shame if this series was lost.

Answer:
Especially since Orange Road is such a respected and beloved anime series I think that there is a chance of the series being acquired by another domestic distributor for American re-release after AnimEigo’s distribution rights expire this month. I don’t believe that the Orange Road TV series, OVAs, and first movie being re-licensed are very probable, but I wouldn’t say that there’s a zero percent chance of the series being re-licensed. The Orange Road anime has always been a niche market title in America, appealing almost exclusively to only hardcore fans who have a taste for 80s romantic drama. While the series has sold well enough to remain in print through VHS, laserdisc, and DVD iterations, it’s never been a blockbuster hit, and as it gets older, interest in it among new generations of American anime fans used to more contemporary titles may decrease drastically. Only AnimEigo knows for certain why it was unable to extend its distribution license. The most probable explanation is that its Japanese licensor requested a licensing renewal fee that AnimEigo couldn’t afford, or considered unreasonably exorbitant. If that’s the case, other domestic licensors may also consider the series to be an investment not likely to recoup its expense.

When CPM’s distribution rights to the Slayers TV series expired, FUNimation re-licensed the series in order to keep the show available to American consumers. When AnimEigo’s distribution license to the Macross TV series expired, the series was quickly acquired for re-release by AD Vision. However, both Slayers and Macross are more popular and marketable in America than Orange Road. Furthermore, former AnimEigo anime licenses including Spirit of Wonder, Shonan Bosozoku, Genesis Survivor Gaiarth, Baoh, Scramble Wars, and Ten Little Gall Force have never been re-licensed for American re-release. So there’s precedent for both Orange Road being acquired by a new company, and the series permanently going out of print in America. While I’d like to say otherwise, I think the later possibility is more likely than the former. There’s just not a lot of incentive for a new distributor to license the Orange Road anime because it’s not likely to generate significant revenue. I think the majority of its potential American audience already owns it by now, and those who don’t own it aren’t interested in purchasing it.