Ask John: Will RosaVam & Vampire Knight Reach America?

Question:
Will Vampire Knight and Rosario+Vampire be released in America? They seem to be similar (vampire high school titles with manga series that have been selling well in America) with their differences lying in which gender demographic they appeal to. And if they are released, which series do you believe would be more successful?

Answer:
It’s always difficult to predict which anime titles may get an official American DVD release, but certain titles do have significantly greater American market potential than others. Of course, factors beyond American market potential – including licensing fees and royalties, and business affiliations – impact international distribution agreements. So even strong potential American sales don’t guarantee a domestic release. With that preface in place, I believe it’s safe to call both Rosario+Vampire and Vampire Knight strong candidates for American distribution, if not virtually guaranteed eventual US licenses.

Despite claims from the outspoken minority of America’s hardcore anime fan community that harem shows are passé, titles like Tenchi Muyo, Shuffle, Air, Kanon, and Negima continue to perform well on American DVD, and Japanese exclusive titles like Clannad, To Love-Ru, and Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka remain popular in fan distribution circles. The “RosaVam” television anime has been noticeably popular among American otaku, and interest in the English translated manga from Viz has been steady. Furthermore, the RosaVam anime is a Gonzo production, which, judging by precedent, virtually assures its eventual export to America.

The Vampire Knight manga has been quietly tremendously successful in America. Earlier this month Viz Media ranked it 4th among its top 25 manga titles. Rosario+Vampire did not rank among Viz’s top 25 manga. Industry observer ICv2 ranked the Vampire Knight manga 5th among all English translated manga sales during the first half of this summer. ICv2 ranked Rosario & Vampire 13th.

Judging by the American popularity of the Vampire Knight manga, the anime adaptation may be one of the most desirable available anime licenses of the moment. And it could prove more successful on American home video than RosaVam. Traditionally domestic DVD sales of shoujo titles have lagged behind sales of shounen and other male audience oriented titles because male consumers are typically more inclined to purchase and collect DVDs than American female consumers. However, RosaVam has a limited cross-over male and female consumer audience while the Vampire Knight anime has a potentially sizable, devoted audience among American female otaku.