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Yeah, Cartoon Network totally screwed over Gundam Seed. The franchise has not recovered since. I thought for sure that the popularity that Gundam Wing had would have been sustainable, now it seems that Gundam Age won't come to the west since Bandai USA has pretty much given up on dubbing any more Gundam material (Gundam Unicorn will be the last hurrah).

I think the only chance any anime of noterity has of making it in the west is if CN or Nickelodeon take a leap of faith and give it the air time and publicity necessary, but that seems like a wish upon a star right now.

Well, Bandai USA shuttered up last year too, so TRSI is releasing the rest of Unicorn stateside. Overseas releases have been doing poorly for years, so this is no surprise. Unicorn appeals primarily to the diehards anyway and as an OAV series, there's less material to risk.

Typically, the AU Gundams (Wing, SEED, 00, G, some others, and Age counts too, I guess) have more widespread appeal because they're standalone and don't tie in with other series so much, and for Wing, SEED, and 00, specifically, the bishounen designs grab the fujoshi demographic that's otherwise lost to Gundam. SEED could have done well in the US, and honestly, I still don't really get why it didn't because the fandom was nuts in Japan, but the 5am death slot certainly didn't help.

I think FUNimation licensed 00 for US release? I assume they did because I know it has a dub and no one but FUNi and Viz dubs things anymore. 00 even aired on TV somewhere, I think? Maybe Syfy. Don't think it was CN, though it could have been. I don't remember because I didn't have a TV by that point. I guess it did pretty poorly, though I'm mainly judging by the lack of cosplayers for the series I've seen at cons in the last few years. This, also despite being similarly successful to SEED in Japan.

Age probably won't make it over because its demographic is younger, and US companies depend on DVD and merch sales, etc, more when they aren't getting much out of a broadcast (if at all), and kids don't have money, frankly. And it takes too much time to grow the fanbase by getting them while they're young. Companies are doing a lot better targeting the already existing audience with simulcast and new series, but this also means it's harder to do research on what will be good since you're airing things alongside Japan and don't have a prior market to test a property on. (On the upside, I imagine the untested series makes licensing slightly cheaper for them, and people like me really enjoy simulcasts.)

Primetime broadcast for anime does seem like a pipedream these days, but I guess it doesn't affect me much, personally. I'm pretty happy with my stream options, and kids get their exposure one way or another, even if it's pirating. The 12-18 age group at conventions is still the largest, even if they're also the group that spends the least money. P:

So basically the best saturation effort equals plenty extra orange cones when I'm driving back into the city. Thanks Kiri, or should I say KY.

No, no, you are confused. KY is Kentucky and Kentucky is you.

I never really got that nickname. Yeah, I'm from Kentucky, but I feel like I'd disappoint everybody when they come to find that I don't sound like a redneck. Not that there's a shortage of that kind of thing in the state, I just disavow any participance.

Gundam... unicorn?


what the *?

@3DX, your defining feature was being the only person from Kentucky? Who knows?

@Alpha, yeah, it has one horn and *.

I once saw a unicorn with two horns.

I once saw a eunuch eat an ear of corn.

I'm back *!