Ask John: Why Haven’t Early Miyazaki & Takahata Anime Been Licensed?

Question:
Would the hypothetical need to pay royalties to the author’s estates and/or publishers be behind why we have yet to get classic Miyazaki and Takahata shows based off of children’s stories-as Future Boy Conan and Anne of Green Gables? Or are these shows just perceived as potentially weak sellers, because of similar failed attempts to succeed with Sherlock Hound, Nobody’s Boy Remi, and Dog of Flanders? I also noticed in an Anime Sols survey that they were considering bringing over Oshii’s adaptation of The Wonderful World of Nils. So maybe the rights to the original stories aren’t a big deal? But then if that were entirely the case, then Maurice LeBlanc’s estate would not have given licensors so much trouble over Lupin III. So what do you perceive as the culprit in the minimal domestic interest in these classic adaptations?

Answer:
I am in a position to only speculate about why pre-golden era heritage anime titles such as 1978’s Future Boy Conan and 1979’s Anne of Green Gables have yet to officially reach American release. I can’t dismiss the possibility that the estates of Alexander Key or Lucy Maud Montgomery would oppose the international licensing of these particular anime, or demand royalties in amounts that make international distribution prohibitively expensive, but I suspect that the core reason behind their absence if America is much simpler and more obvious. These two titles, along with other early Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata directed shows such as Heidi of the Alps, 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, and Jarinko Chie have roughly comparable American recognition and market potential as 1979’s Rose of Versailles, which is to say, not very much. Hayao Miyazaki does enjoy a limited degree of mainstream American name recognition now, and he’s certainly the highest profile Japanese animator known in America, but sales of Studio Ghibli films domestically are predicated heavily on their promotion and profile from distributor Disney, and their timeless look and animation. Mirai Shounen Conan may be Miyazaki’s first solo complete television series direction, but it’s also a show that now visually looks much more dated and primitive than his feature film works. The audience that will eagerly purchase films including Nausicaa and Totoro is not necessarily the same audience with an appreciation for vintage TV-quality anime that would purchase Future Boy Conan or similar titles.

Comparable titles have been brought to America before to middling success, at best: Sherlock Hound, Nobody’s Boy Remy, Animal Treasure Island, Taro the Dragon Boy, Puss in Boots. Granted, the recent American debut of Rose of Versailles, the domestic re-release of Miyazaki & Takahata’s two Panda Go Panda films, and the launch of AnimeSols suggest that time and the interests of American anime collectors have changed slightly, certainly opening a possibility for titles like Mirai Shounen Conan and Akakage no Anne to reach America. But these chances still seem very small and remote. Rose of Versailles and other pre-golden era anime have received extremely limited American distribution and consumer support. Observation of AnimeSols’ DVD purchase committments reveals exactly how limited American otaku support for vintage anime actually is.

Practically speaking, only two American distributors seem interested in licensing and distributing pre-golden age anime: Discotek and Nozomi Entertaiment. [I’m consciously excluding Sentai Filmworks since its only pre-1980s title is a re-release of Gatchaman, one of its own prior catalog titles.] Consumer sales for Discotek’s recent bargain-priced release of Kyatto Ninden Tyandee, a more recent title with greater American recognition than Future Boy Conan, have been dismal. Sales of Rose of Versailles appear to have been sluggish as well. Both distributors should be applauded for their committment to acquiring and releasing classic anime, but I imagine that both distributors have been preoccupied with the titles they already have. So acquiring more niche market vintage titles may be a concern but not a foremost immediate priority. Both Future Boy Conan and Anne of Green Gables are Nippon Animation titles; Nippon Animation is not presently involved in AnimeSols’ distribution effort. The primary culprit behind the minimal domestic interest in pre-golden age anime is literally minimal domestic interest; as of today, America has only two niche distributors that presently distribute any pre-1980 anime on DVD [Manga Entertainment’s Castle of Cagliostro is out of print. Disney’s earliest Studio Ghibli title is 1984’s Nausicaa. AnimeSols hasn’t released any DVDs yet. Sentai Filmworks’ earliest catalog title in present release is 1993’s GS Mikami.], and the number of American consumers that actually purchase vintage anime on domestic DVD remains so small that vintage anime acquisition and release from Discotek and Nozomi Entertainment is motivated more by respect for the medium than revenue generation.