Many thanks to everyone who responded to my last column about the future of subtitles - I am glad to see that there are other people passionate about anime. Contrary to what I may have implied, there is hope for subtitled anime, but it will probably require effort from those who want to see it exist. So how do we change the world and exercise our influence? One step at a time with a heavy dose of reality to temper our passion...
Judging from those responses and other letters to EX, I see our active readership is what I would call "hard core" anime fans. Hard core anime fans buy imported laser discs, keep up on the newest and latest anime in Japan, are (or were) active in anime clubs, and (the majority anyway) prefer subtitled videos. Although this core audience is certainly part of the domestic anime market in North America, how significant is our influence?
To put fandom in perspective, let us start by taking a look at the US anime market. US anime companies (Central Park Media, Books Nippan, Pioneer, etc.) definitely value hard core fans as a barometer for titles, for supporting their domestic releases with word of mouth reviews, and to a certain extent as a purchasing segment of the market. However, it is also known that since hard core fans aren't shy about buying imported products, most anime fans have purchased or watched the anime they want to purchase or watch well before the product becomes available in the US. Add this to the fact that hardcore anime fans rarely buy the less known, B quality, anime (Crystal Triangle, Battle Royal High School, Bounty Dog, etc.) it is somewhat generous to attribute 20% of the anime sales to hard core or even dedicated anime fans.
So who controls the other 80% of the buying power? (You aren't surprised that anime companies generally equate sales with influence are you?) Indirectly, the purchasers are casual fans who rent or pick up only a few tapes here and there (and the majority of these fans want dubs). However, the direct influence is wielded by independent stores that sell the product (probably 10% to 15% of the market) and the big chains and distributors (Musicland/Suncoast, Blockbuster, Diamond Comics Distributors, etc.) that push anime into stores all across North America.
(Yes, international readers, this column is pretty US-centric. Sorry! However, that's where I am and where my expertise is; I'd like to hear about other parts of the world if you have the time...)
Combine these percentages with the fact that anime fans (and even to a large degree the independent retailers) are a contradictory rabble compared with the similar, extremely focused dozen or so major accounts who wield their buying power like a club and it becomes easy to see why anime companies find it easier to listen to the big relatively similar customers. One last factor: anime companies need these big customers much more than the big customers need anime.
When Blockbuster is selling hundreds of thousands of videos per title, why would they want to make space on their crowded shelves for anime? Because anime does sell; not a ton, but enough to make money for the video companies and for the retailers. However, to keep their space from being taken by the latest Power Ranger drivel, anime companies have to be very, very nice and release the kind of videos that have been, and will continue to be successful in these mainstream retail outlets (continued).