Why do some animes that do well in Japan not do well in America and vice versa

[ParaParaJMo]

OK, Why do some animes do well in Japan and not in America and vice versa?

For example, Big O for the Vice Versa. It did very terrible in Japan and yet it did well in America that it got a 2nd season. I just didn't like how the art and animation of the show reminded me of the 4th volume of the Batman cartoon series with the more streamline look.

I heard rumors that's yes and no the case with Cowboy Bebop. The first half of the series was on some satellite network in Japan, and the last half went straight to video or something. I also heard the Samurai Champloo was not really intended to succeed in Japan, but rather in America because of Cowboy Bebop being continously aired on Adult Swim.

Now onto a subject I sorta know more about. Why some anime succeed in other countries or in home countries like Japan and why not America.

Saint Seiya, I would say never really caught on the same way it did in Europe and Mexico. Saint Seiya came to America way too late at the WRONG time. I think if they aired this anime back in the late 80s or early 90s. It would have achieved the same success DBZ did back in 1999-2003. I say it was a big mistake to not air Saint Seiya back then. Saint Seiya has everything kids and older people would love. Great action and story and characters. I live in a community with lots of Mexicans and they're guarnteed to know and love Saint Seiya.

Gundam never really achieved the same success in America as it did in Japan. In Japan, Gundam is a franchise hit. It's their Star Trek. While in America, it's just another anime.

Then there's Fist of the Northstar/Hokuto no Ken. Strangely enough despite the content, kids loved the show. It was popular amongst kids and it kind of never really had too much controversey I guess. I can understand why this never really got popular with the violence and it came at a time when anime didn't have a niche yet. But I find it highly influential.

Now onto manga. It's really a shame Ringu ni Kakero never really got popular outside of Japan for what it achieved in Japan (such as it put Shounen Jump on the map). But with the very wrong portrayal of other nationalities (Germans as Nazis, Italians as mobsters, Americans as a motley crue team of a jive talking black guy, a cross dresser, leader of the New York Hells Angels branch, a death row inmate.....and a KKK Grand Wizard), I can guess why it never made it outside of Japan. I'm surprised most hardcore Saint Seiya or Masami Kurumada fans never heard of it. This is one of the main mangas that established Shounen Jump in Japan and influenced YYH, DBZ, Naruto, and all the other stuff Shounen Jump produces. It was also Kurumada's debut work. Without RnK, there'd be no YYH, DBZ, Naruto, or PoT.

Then again, it all comes down to I'm the only few people on this forum that likes Gundam, Hokuto no Ken, and Saint Seiya

[overwatch]

Simple answer is that different nations have different opinions and views as a whole. Thus some titles will be big hits in some countries and flops in others. As to working out the patttern - it can't really be done easily as there are many factors.

[Bragi]

Hmmm.. i thinks is because of the culture difference and preferences of the target audience. example: some audience may prefer cute looking protagonist while some my prefer hot sexy girls as the main role. The influences and what sells in a particular country may not particularly sell equally in another. Classic example is clothes: Some prefer warm and thick while some skimpy and less, or simply depends on whats hot and popular. It may also depend on the real target market of the producers. What's hot and popular in Japan my or may not be hot in some other areas of the world.

[nikoko-nozomu]

I agree that culture is the main reason a lot of animes succeed in some countries and bellyflop in others. Different cultures have different values and what might be considered appropriate in Japan might be viewed as totally inappropriate or offensive to foreign audiences.

I'm totally going to show how pathetic my original anime fandoms were here, but in Digimon 02 there was a scene where the Chosen Children saw a digimon peeing and he got mad because of it; the scene never made it to the dub in its entirity because its contents were deemed inappropriate for American children.

Other times, it might be how the values of the cultures are portrayed by the characters that affect how well/badly the anime is received. For example, Sailor Moon's Usagi, whose dream was to become a wife and mother, epitomize the stereotype Japanese girls are supposed to aspire to, while the independent, outspoken Rei who had higher goals in life was somebody a lot of American girls could identify with.

No matter how you look at it, it all boils down to culture.

[VraieEsprit]

No matter how you look at it, it all boils down to culture.

Yep, pretty much.

One of the things that makes me so attracted to anime is the fearless way the Japanese seem to go into themes and topics without real fear of causing offence. It's like that horrible oppressive wave called "Political Correctness" hasn't fully penetrated the East, and what a relief it is, too!

(Not that I advocate any form of discrimination. I just think that P-C has gone to over the top extremes in some sectors, especially talking as someone who is technically "disabled". Note the quote marks ^_^).

It annoys me when something's dubbed into English with amendments to make it more "acceptable" - whether it's done in the US or Canada - or when it's spliced up for the American/English market and bits are cut or redubbed to make it "approprate". I guess that makes some shows not fully translate...because major plot points are eroded (and of course there's an element of in-joking which might only be really comprehensible in the country of creation).

But at the end of the day, there's no denying the vast differences in western and eastern culture.

Long may it continue.

Vraie

[The Wing Man]

Alot of the anime's you named are closer to american culture then japanese, like cowboy bebop and I am not saying it dosen't have stuff the japanese can relate to but alot of the characters like spike comeoff more american then japanese.The jazz music is more american and the whole look of it is kinda star wars mixed with classic american cinema, now shows like gundam have giant robots and the japanese love giant robots and the characters are easier for the japanese to relate to.

Basically some anime's are liked more by americans and are culture then the japanese culture and we seem to like violent anime's alot more, I read that the ninja scroll movie didn't do as well in japan as it did in america.I think that has alot to do with the violence and nudity in the movie, not saying we are bad people but bloody anime's do seem to be very popular in america like hellsing.

[PanzerJager]

its simple... Americans are stupid, uneducated slobs who don't value art of any kind.. (obviously this is a gross generalization, and Im primarily referring to the people in my school)


done believe me? why don't you come to my school.