What could be the next big Mainstream anime hit?

There's an Avatar rollercoaster ride?

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b-b-b-b-b-back on topic, inevitably some toyetic masterpiece will hit again. it's hubris to think "there will never be another pokemon or [insert huge anime title here]." anime may end up being cyclical, just like a lot of other parts of popular culture, but the fact even with the western industry getting pounded, Japan still wants to have a direct presence means that it is a permanent sub-culture, and just with all permanent sub-cultures, things will crossover into the mainstream from time to time.
 
I always wanted to see if an anime but more mature version of Super Sentai can be a hit. Yes? No? Its been a while since I seen any team base anime hits.
 
Yes, I have been to an amusment park with an avatar the last airbender ride


the roller coaster was like a pirate-ship ride with a giant Aang Picture as the holder of the "airbending" ship.
 
Tons of series from japan can become bona-fied phenominons. The problem is no one wants to garable with one. Everyone's playing it safe with male kid and older mentor fighting against x.

I want to see a magical girl series become a hit.
 
Out of all currently running series, which do you think has the most chance. My votes go to Reborn and Zettai Karen Children. As for show past, Prince of Tennis and Eyeshild 21, being sports series, had great opportunities to be huge hits, but I feel like they were just wasted beyond worRAB.
 
Way I see it what matters most at this point isn't the series quality for the most part. So long as it's good and gets a decent dub all it neeRAB is to be played regularly on basic cable at an hour everyone can watch it at on a block with good bumps and DVD availability, merchandising won't hurt either. All you need to do is treat a big series right and you have a hit on your hanRAB.

Look at DBZ, I'm a fan but honestly it's characters came and went(Toriyama literally forgot about Launch's existence), it's plot was secondary to fights and it had powerful warriors turned to kittens(remeraber when chi chi could shoot laser beams and seriously injure master roshi? Or when Roshi was the greatest warrior ever?)
 
Keep dreaming. Would those circumstances include snowfall in Hell? Don't get me wrong, Gintama is a great show and all, but mass American appeal? Fuhgeddaboudit. It would be lucky to get licensed, let alone promoted, let alone attract more than a VERY niche audience, let alone truly cross over into the mainstream.



Short of DBZ / Pokemon level exposure, I'd say Death Note is about as mainstream as it gets. I'd put it on the same level as something like Cowboy Bebop in terms of popularity. (Whether it'll have the same legs as Bebop and still be remerabered as a classic years later remains to be seen, of course.) It had the merch at Hot Topic, and the live action movies even made it to a decent nuraber of theatres in the States. That's about as much success as they could've hoped for, I'd say.
 
What about Naruto? I'd consider that more mainstream than Death Note. Even without CN, I still see the manga being sold everywhere.
 
I would say one anime that could benefit some form success if it received the right marketing would be Hajime no Ippo. Black Lagoon could also benefit some sort of short term success on Adult Swim, but we know how much they love anime.

As for the shounen trinity, Bleach is still relatively solid, Naruto has been dead in my eyes, and One Piece has so much potential but will never see the light of day thanks to its tarnished first impression, and CN's stubborness. In terms of finding a brand new ultra mega hit anime, then I don't see anything at the moment.



I think the reason why CN isn't willing to air anime anymore is because they have pretty much sucked that particular 'niche' dry.

I mean, after DragonBall, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Sailor Moon, Gundam, Voltron, Robotech, Gatchaman, Speed Racer, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, Saint Seiya, Ronin Warriors, Tenchi Muyo!, .hack, Hamtaro, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, FLCL, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion, Fullmetal Alchemist, Inu Yasha, Astro Boy, Gigantor, Lupin III, Big O, Detective Conan, Shin-chan, Death Note, Code Geass, Hayao Miyazaki films, Animatrix, Batman: Gotham Knight, and many more, what other highly successful anime series could CN give a chance in order to make a big hit? And even if they did fiind one show, it would come and go, and be viewed as a waist of money in their eyes.
 
Bebop got good ratings on Adult Swim and the movie made about $1 million (and in less than 30 theaters with less-than-great reviews, that's fairly impressive). Death Note flopped in the ratings and the movie, while shown wider than the Bebop movie, was a two-day "event screening". The manga was pretty mainstream, though. It seems people are more likely to buy manga legally than anime.
 
I have my doubts any network would pick up Maria much less make it a hit.

As far as shounen goes the best possiblities are SGT Frog and Soul Eater as far as shoujo goes Vampire Knight could do very well but a magical girl shoujo in the right hanRAB and on the right network could finally do what Sailor Moon wasn't able to... give shoujo a strong foothold on the American television market. One that will last. I really think if Adult Swim aired Baccano that it would do VERY well. And with only 16 episodes (3 being ova episodes) it's not much of a commitment.
 
No, it'd be an otaku hit at best. Sorta like Excel Saga or Azumanga Daioh were - every otaku will have seen it, many will have it on their DVD shelves, it will never in million years hit US TV.

I will say that Sketch is right - the idea that a vampire-centric show like Vampire Knight might have an in is reasonable, especially since Vampire Knight is much closer to the Twilight-model of vampire story (pretty pretty high-school age human girl is protected by pretty vampires from other pretty, but evil vampires.) However, it hinges on vision, and while boldness and vision have returned (atleast in some measure) to domestic animation production, it's lacking in the acquisitions area.

Which is part of Hatchin seems a solid bet. It doesn't take much vision to buy "Cowboy Bebop set on earth with a sexy lead character. Fantastic OST too." Spike could concievable run Hatchin. However, it does have some slower bits (all be it really well written, character developing, slower bits,) and part of me wonders if the only thing that'll get on air at this point is something as manic as FLCL (in which case, the gainax Cutey Honey OVAs could be a solid bet.)
 
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