When we think of anime releases, we typically refer to when it was first released in Japan. However, anime has become very popular internationally and it seems inevitable that some anime would end up having their first release outside of Japan. However, I want to make some clarifications before I dive into this topic. First, I’m not going to include premieres at film festivals as I want to focus on general releases instead and I’m not going to focus on anime that are based on Western properties and are made specifically for Western audiences. Having said all of that, let’s take a look at some examples of anime that saw their first release outside of Japan.
The first example comes from a franchise that I really enjoy, that being Lupin the Third, in the form of Lupin the Third: Part IV: The Italian Adventure. A coproduction between Italy and Japan, Lupin the Third Part IV began airing in Italy just over a month before its release in Japan. Interestingly, there were also two episodes which were released as OVAs in Japan but were aired on Italian television. As far as I can tell, this was the only Lupin TV series to air internationally before its release in Japan, understandably due to the copyright issues that were only solved a few years prior, but it’s fascinating nonetheless.
Another example that sprang to mind was Space Dandy. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, who had previously directed Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, I remember the anticipation so many had and the excitement when it was revealed that Space Dandy would be airing in the US on Adult Swim before its release in Japan. How successful the series ultimately was is a bit of a mystery to me but I do recall it being the first instance I ever saw an anime being released internationally before releasing in Japan.
While not quite the same as the previous examples, I thought it worth mentioning both Sonic X and Ultimate Muscle, known as Kinnikuman in Japan, as their releases were somewhat unusual. Looking at Sonic X first, the first two seasons were aired in Japan first before being released in America, by far the norm for anime, but, due to international success and poor ratings in Japan, the third season didn’t air in Japan until 2020, fifteen years after it aired elsewhere! Similarly, Ultimate Muscle had a second season that was developed specifically for international markets and only aired in Japan months after it had aired in America.
I had intended to finish this article by discussing Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, an anime film originally made with English voice actors, but it turns out that it actually did receive a Japanese release before the US. There is a possibility that it may’ve had a release in Hong Kong before Japan but, given that I cannot find any specifics about it, I thought I’d quickly look at the recent FLCL series instead. The original 2001 OVA series FLCL was a cult hit but it wasn’t until 2018 when sequels began to be released with the titles “Progressive”, “Alternative”, “Grunge” and “Shoegaze”. These were made in collaboration with Adult Swim and debuted on the channel in the US first. An interesting caveat to this is that two compilation films were released in Japan for Progressive and Alternative. The compilation film for Progressive came out in Japan a few months after Progressive had aired in the US but the Alternative compilation film came out the same day as the airing of its first episode in the US.
Let me know your thoughts on anime that saw their first release outside of Japan, what other examples you’re aware of, whether you were aware that any of the anime that I mentioned had been released outside of Japan first, some of the reasons you think an anime might be released like this and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!