Ask John: Will the Yakitate Japan Anime Be Released in America?

Question:
Yakitate Japan is one of the most hilarious anime I’ve ever seen. My friends and I often laughed so hard we cried. This is an odd anime though, so I was wondering if you think there is any hope of this ever being licensed in the U.S.?

Answer:
The possibility of an official American release for the Yakitate Japan television series is particularly difficult to predict, in part because it is an odd show, but even more because of the odd circumstances surrounding the show. The show’s Japanese success and its origin as a Shonen Sunday manga title should assure it of American release, but the show’s subject, and, in fact, its Japanese success, may also limit its chances of receiving an American release.

Major mainstream hit shonen anime, especially those based on best selling manga published in major magazines, usually receive an American release. Hunter x Hunter is a notable exception, but shows including Dragonball, Yu Yu Hakusho, One Piece, Bleach, Mar Heaven, Prince of Tennis, Hikaru no Go, Detective Conan, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Naruto all adhere to this rule. Even somewhat odd and unusual titles like Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and Dandoh have reached America. The Eyeshield 21 anime hasn’t been announced for American release yet, but I expect that to be forthcoming eventually. Many of these high profile, mainstream shonen anime have been broadcast on American television or are available free online. In other words, many of these titles are targeted at a very large American viewing audience. Despite the fact that Yakitate Japan is a very funny and interesting show, it’s a show about cooking, which means that its chances of appealing to a large American viewing audience are slim. American viewers will watch action, adventure, and sports anime, and will even watch bizarre comedy anime. But I have doubts about America’s reaction to a cooking anime. I suspect that most American viewers will dismiss the show without even giving it a chance. There are numerous cooking anime including Oishinbo, Chuuka Ichiban, and Mister Ajiko, but none of them have ever been released in America, probably for good reason. I think that the majority of American viewers will automatically disregard an anime series about cooking just because it’s about cooking and not something more exciting or novel.

Furthermore, the high profile of Yakitate Japan and its Japanese success are likely to translate into high licensing fees. I suspect that most American licensors will be hesitant to invest in a long and expensive anime series that has a very limited potential to appeal to average American viewers. But the ray of hope may be the fact that Hikaru no Go has been released in America. Hikaru no Go is roughly as long as Yakitate Japan, and being a show about the Japanese board game go, it’s not particularly interesting to mainstream viewers. In every important respect, Hikaru no Go is comparable to Yakitate Japan: length, American market potential, probable licensing cost, relative Japanese success. If Hikaru no Go can get an American release, Yakitate Japan should be able to achieve at least the same degree of exposure and success.

I don’t consider Yakitate Japan a probable American license. I think that successful shonen anime like Death Note, D.Gray-man, and Eyeshield 21 are much more likely to reach America than Yakitate Japan because those shows are more appealing to the tastes of American viewers. But I can’t entirely rule out the chances of Yakitate Japan eventually getting an American release. The fact that the show was such a hit in Japan makes it a strong candidate for American release, and the fact that Hikaru no Go, a similar show with a similar sized potential American audience, did get released may pave the way for an eventual American release.