What would it take for DC to become more popular in the U.S.

[Deltath]

I'm really sorry, but no matter how well you try to prove you are correct (and you are doing an amazing job) I can't take anything you say seriously after saying Viz's translation sucks.

I didn't say that.  Tenken did, but I can only assume you were directing this statement at me, since he hasn't posted here since saying Viz's translation sucked, to which you commented directly there after.  I suppose you must have been confused because I quoted your retort to his statement, but that's because I had my own points to make. =P

Also, maybe this is a dumb question, but is Trigun's popularity in America comparable to DBZ, Naruto, FMA or Inuyasha at all?

Trigun's popular, but comparable to those?  No, I'd say not.

[kyuuketsuki]

Also, maybe this is a dumb question, but is Trigun's popularity in America comparable to DBZ, Naruto, FMA or Inuyasha at all?

Considering how much Naruto and Inuyasha suck... It should be because Trigun is awesome... DBZ is classic. And FMA was pretty good, at least to the point of enjoyability.... -sigh- Why do none of the epically awesome animes take hold in America... *cough*detectiveconanandlupinIII*coughcough*

[GinRei]

Lupin was pretty popular for a while.  Well, popular enough to stay on Adult Swim for multiple years, even if it was a really late timeslot.

[kkslider5552000]

Naruto suck.... DBZ is classic

nostalgia has a weird way of making people think certain things were great 

[Deltath]

Naruto suck.... DBZ is classic

nostalgia has a weird way of making people think certain things were great 

Being classic and being great aren't really the same thing.  It's unquestionable that Dragonball Z changed the genre forever and that it started some of the good (and also terrible) conventions that are used in manga/anime today.  Sometimes a creative work deserves credit in some areas for impacting its specific medium, even if you don't enjoy the material itself.

[kkslider5552000]

Naruto suck.... DBZ is classic

nostalgia has a weird way of making people think certain things were great 

Being classic and being great aren't really the same thing.  It's unquestionable that Dragonball Z changed the genre forever and that it started some of the good (and also terrible) conventions that are used in manga/anime today.  Sometimes a creative work deserves credit in some areas for impacting its specific medium, even if you don't enjoy the material itself.

oh I see. That makes sense. I'm just used to things that are called classics being both innovative AND great (which the original Dragonball actually was).

[GinRei]

Even DBZ was good through the end of Cell Saga... if you disclude the filler.  So... yay Dragonball Kai.

[chubs191]

DBZ= Eww.

Anyway, DC just needs a good time slot (as previously mentioned) between 6-8 p.m., and it would be settled.  Kids these days are quite (for lack of a better word) evil, they appreciate a good plot, especially boys.  I think it would be quite popular here if kids had time to watch and enjoy it, but they don't even get the chance to and probably never will. 

So, unless some amazing new productions company comes along and buys out VIZ, we will never see hide nor hair of a popular Detective Conan.

[haibarakudo]

For DC to become more popular it needs a better timeslot and more advertising...

[NotSoFluent]

There are a lot of factors that work against this series in how marketable it is, really. 

-The odd-man-out position it has with American broadcast standards: too violent for kids, too childish for adults.  DC doesn't really fit anywhere, which makes it forlorn in finding an American audience. 

- The genre it's in (Kindaichi Case Files also has this unfortunate problem; Tokyopop releases volumes very rarely and refuses to pick up the rest of the series until the poor sales improve) makes it difficult to market compared to an action series or a sugary romance series.  Detective/"whodunnit" fiction isn't really big with American kids or teens unless it's crime/action/forensics-based.  Europe and Asia have contributed quite a bit to the detective fiction genre with the mysteries DC is noted for, which may explain why DC has appeal in those respective continents.

And I'd say this one may be the biggest:

- The out-dated artwork and overall quality of the earlier stories and episodes.  Episodes of Naruto and other popular action series are often much newer, animated in the early 2000s at least.  DC's first episodes were aired more than a decade ago and are relatively low-quality in comparison to mainstream series.  The artwork also has an 80s/90s look, so the design may look weird to Joe Average Anime Fan.

Tl;dr: DC doesn't have the mass appeal it would need for it to be popular with most anime fans.  I was going to put length and repetition in there as well, but most Japanese action cartoons are well-noted for repetition as well as length, and they're still very popular.

Plus, VIZ did a horrible job with translation @_@

Please.  Just because some of the names were changed doesn't make a translation horrible and absolutely unreadable.  Once one gets past the names, the translation's spot on.  I'll admit that the earlier translations by Naoko Amemiya were loose and redundantly literal (and the quality of the pages and editting was shoddy, due to their age), but she slowly improved, was replaced by Tetsushihiro Miyaki and he's done very well with the flow of the translation and its accuracy.  His translation actually made the series funner to read, IMO.

[HiddenDetective]

let's not forget that most audiences (minors and adults) are becoming spoiled by animes and manga that they constantly demand for more, making them dissatisfied with new shows (to the world or to where they live) or episodes. People often don't realize how good they got for something until it's gone. Imagine what will happen if all existing anime and manga on all media and press dissappear for a week? (actually, imagine it for 3 days will be enough)

[Kaitoukidsama]

It would need a different timeslot and a different audience. Of course a children's show isn't going to fare well on a network where viewers are encouraged to be 14 or older.

[Deltath]

Unfortunately, Detective Conan has already all but lost its chance to impact the market in the United States.  I think all supposition into what would make it more popular really is more what would have made it more popular.  Day late and a dollar short, folks.

[Girl19]

Detective Conan isn't popular in the US because it lacks 3 things:
- Advertising.
- Good time slot.
- Action.
However, even though there is no not too much action, the story plot itself is more than awesome and I'm sure it would have been enough for DC to be the #1 anime if it ever had a better time slot and more much more advertising. The lenght of the series shouldn't be a problem either because there are other long anime which are very famous (e.g. One piece).


The audiance thing isn't really a reason for why it's not popular, because I think DC is suitable for all audiances (it's concidered as a family show in Japan).
- The complexity of the cases and the deepness of the story doesn't make it a childish show; even adults can actually watch it and enjoy it.
- Kids can watch it too even though they might not understand everything, but they'd still enjoy the plot and the show. The "too much blood and violence" thing is a joke; one, because there's actually not that much of a violence and blood in DC; and two, because Kids nowadays watch every damn thing without getting hurt. I mean, come on, who are we kidding?


Other than that, in other countries, Detective Conan's popularity has always been huge!
- in Arab countries: DC is one of the most (if not, THE most) famous anime.
- In Asian countries: DC is extremely popular.
- In Hispanic countries: DC is very, very famous.
- In Europe (especially Germany, Spain and Italy): DC is still pretty much famous.


Let's just hope this huge fansubbing project will give DC another chance inside the US. However, for the time being, the good thing is: DC has a very selective fanbase. Not everyone's able to understand how great/awesome this show is; because nowadays, people, everywhere, tend to prefer stupid/empty shows (e.g. Naruto) over great/complexe ones. Hopefully this will change, someday...

[Conan-kun]

For 2 to 3 years, Funimation Channel actually aired Case Closed about 4 times a day.  Funimation's lineup was something like a 6hr block repeated 4 times.  So, DC was shown at all parts of the day even though some have often use the violence reason.  Recently, Funimation added more programming so DC was aired only once a day late at night.  Starting this week, DC has been completely dropped off their schedule.  It is not at though their airing made any difference because nobody here even mentioned it as not too many people even got that channel.  It is actually fewer now than before because they used to an over-the-air digital subchannel in some markets.  Plus, all they ever showed were the first 40+ shows over and over.  Yep.  They would go to 40-something, rinse, and repeat.  Although it is probably too late for DC to ever become popular in the U.S, I would have liked to seen somebody air it on a non-cartoon network such as truTV (formerly CourtTV) to see if it would do better.