So with such high acclaim going to the creator from anime directors and fan alike, and a manga series available in English for 6 years, why has it taken 16 years for the anime work to get tapped for the English Treatment? Expanding on this line of thought it occurred to me just how much of Japan's anime and manga back catalog remains untouched by the commercial giants in America. And these aren't just tasteless or fluffy titles either, there are some genuine classics that remain virgin territory and fair game for potential licensors. So where is all the money that could be used on classic licenses going? Look at the acquisition tables following the major conventions and you'll see. The vast majority of new acquisitions made my most American companies are of NEW anime shows, movies and OAV's. The manga picks almost always come from the previous month's top ten in Japan. So the great push seems to always be on this cutting edge of what's next, what's new, what's hot NOW. The leaves what WAS sitting on the table for some other day.
To be fair, I've been sitting in the room when fans ask the big wigs why they cant license some of these classics.... It seems some are truly mired in a tangle of antiquated controlling interests and rights. Contractual language and agreements....... so ambiguous, that licensing becomes a true challenge where you can possibly loose alot of money and maybe even turn up in the red on a wild goose chase just trying to get the license. I think part of the reason there is so much new stuff licensed is because of how easy this original rights holdings language hurdle is drafted in Japan nowdays. In many cases, animation studios will seek funding from American firms far in advance of a project even coming to the screen in Japan, maybe a full year before it can be had commercially in the USA. So under this their eventual 1st refusal option to license to the property is more or less assured.
But thinking back......... New stuff wasnt always the rage. Indeed many American anime companies were built on acquiring classic titles, sometimes many years old. So I'm left with the question, is the newest stuff really what the market is demanding now with most of the profitable classics already acquired or is the blinding speed at which such material is churned out just too hard to pass up, with classic titles being left to some other day?
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