With SHAFT’s next production featuring a loli vampire who likes to run around topless, it has certainly generated a lot of fan base hype and interest. Since the manga already being released by Seven Seas, it brings up the question: is it possible for a show like this to get a North American release?
Despite some of the controversial content of this show, I think this show has a good chance of getting licensed at some point in the States. The fact that there’s already some established presence with the manga makes this title desirable for anime licensing companies. It’s just a matter of how well it gets perceived by the Japanese audience and the dvd sales there, as well as how well the manga is selling here (which, unfortunately, I do not know or have sale figures to make a judgment).
But even putting all that aside, I don’t think the content alone is enough to prevent it from getting licensed. Many other shows that were questionable and controversial have been licensed in the past. A good recent example is the acquisition of Strike Witches. When it was announced that it was licensed, it caused an uproar among anime fans for and against the show, as seen here. Likewise, the company who licensed the show even bragged about how they did the unthinkable. Other shows as well like Puni Puni Poemy, where it was banned in New Zealand, Elfen Lied, and Kite (eventually) were released into North America without any real controversies. So I don’t think the problem here is worrying about if it’s too controversial to be licensed here. Rather, the chances of it getting license depends on the success of the show given it’s current presence here in North America and it’s popularity.
No comments:
Post a Comment