No export for you, gaijin!

[Queen Michael]

There's this manga series I really enjoy. It's called Angel Bank, and it's a manga for adult women who want to learn about the world of career change. Problem is, it's only available to me if I import the books from Japan, since it's never had an American release. [footnote]I'm not a scanlation fan, but even if I had been it wouldn't have mattered since there are no scanlations available either.[/footnote]

Needless to say, it's a pain having to import the books from Japan. (And looking up all the business terms I don't understand. I'm good at learning languages, but there's always something I haven't learned yet, you know?) How about you? What do you wish got an official release where you live?

 

[Marter]

There have been some movies I've wanted to see that I had to import. Most recently, a small film called Happy Now. I've got about a dozen or so imports that never got a North American release.

 

[Zontar]

There's a shot list of anime in my mind I'd love to see available for import, first and foremost being Macross. I own what little there is to be had here in North America (ADV redub of the original, Macross 2 and Macross Plus) but most of it remains off limits to us in all but fansubs and the rare fandub.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

There's a shot list of anime in my mind I'd love to see available for import, first and foremost being Macross. I own what little there is to be had here in North America (ADV redub of the original, Macross 2 and Macross Plus) but most of it remains off limits to us in all but fansubs and the rare fandub.

You can thank Harmony Gold for being complete jackasses on this one. The rights to Macross and Robotech are a complete mess.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The TokyoPop Cowboy Bebop manga. It's not very good but I already have the first two volumes and wish I could complete the set.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, Australia is a world leader in piracy, because things, if they reach here, do so many years after the rest of the West. Game of Thrones comes to mind.

The last season of H2O: Just add Water aired in the UK about 3 years before it was shown in Australia. And it is an Australian show.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Still waiting on my English release of Yakuza 5, SEGA!
And don't think I've forgotten about Monster Hunter: Frontier, Capcom! Why must you taunt me by showing me all these new, amazing, gigantic monsters that I'll never get the chance to kill!

 

[immortalfrieza]

Quite a few Tales games have yet to get a release in the west or the ones they do release are obvious half assed cash ins. Most recently Tales of Hearts R is getting a release, but Namco seems to be going out of their way to make it fail. They not only put it on PS Vita, which as a poorly selling handheld is already the kiss of death for the sales of the game, but they refuse to bother to put in voice acting, something Namco is more than capable of doing, even doing cheaply. I hear they're going to do the same thing with Tales of Innocence too. I don't know about everybody else but I'd much rather have nothing than something half assed, the first experience is the most important and thus a half assed work is going to taint one's opinion of it, even if they go and release an improved version later.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

A few manga for me, as well. Two of my favorite manga are Franken Fran and Saitama Chainsaw Shoujo, neither of which ever gotten a US release.

Also, a few obscure bad anime I'd buy just for the sake of having them. I would buy the shit out of Mars of Destruction (If it was, like, a dollar.), but I know no company would spend a dime on licensing that or any of Idea Factory's OVAs.

Oh, and those Madoka Magica games. I don't care if I don't have a PSP or Vita. I just want them.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

Honestly...? Between fansubs/fan translations of manga and Crunchyroll, a lot of my needs are being met.

The problem is games. Still waiting on Valkyria Chronicles' sequels to pop on over, plus a plethora of VNs, and...well, PC ports, damn it. Atlus PC ports? My god. I'd never leave my home.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Honestly...? Between fansubs/fan translations of manga and Crunchyroll, a lot of my needs are being met.

The problem is games. Still waiting on Valkyria Chronicles' sequels to pop on over, plus a plethora of VNs, and...well, PC ports, damn it. Atlus PC ports? My god. I'd never leave my home.

The VN front is starting to get better. CLANNAD is getting an official localization now(the Kickstarter is still going, but has already gone past its funding goal), Grisaia no Kajitsu is coming soon(with the sequels as stretch goals), and if these are profitable, I can't see them stopping any time soon.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

The VN front is starting to get better. CLANNAD is getting an official localization now(the Kickstarter is still going, but has already gone past its funding goal), Grisaia no Kajitsu is coming soon(with the sequels as stretch goals), and if these are profitable, I can't see them stopping any time soon.

*nod*

Grisaia, especially with the anime currently airing, is probably (read: hopefully) going to make some of those goals. I'd like to see more on portable platforms though, like Vita and 3DS...or even Android! I mean, really, it's the simplest form of game. Why aren't they more widely available?

...I still want that OreImo psp port, damn it.

 

[Krustosaurus]

Years ago I went to a convention in London and bought volume one of The Wallflower anime, which only contained five episodes and they haven't released any more. It would've been nice to have the rest.
I also bought the first volume of Inuyasha but had to return it since the video and audio was out of sync and they decided not to release any more of that either. Apparently every dvd had the same problem. I guess I'm just unlucky with these things. Other than that, I don't think there's anything else.

 

[Ikaruga33]

There's a shot list of anime in my mind I'd love to see available for import, first and foremost being Macross. I own what little there is to be had here in North America (ADV redub of the original, Macross 2 and Macross Plus) but most of it remains off limits to us in all but fansubs and the rare fandub.

This.
Get fucked Harmony Gold.
Robotech ain't worth shit.

 

[Worgen]

An anime called nichijou, it will never get a release here despite being amazing. Apparently it flopped pretty hard in japan. You can find it on streaming sites but I want a nice dvd collection of it.

 

[gigastar]

I have a list of japanese light novels id like to check out.

Unfortunately its not easy, since i only know of their existence by association with other series, and of course theres nothing to be found about them on the english-speaking internet.

Id also say the second half of Trails in the Sky, but thats finally getting localised early next year.

There's a shot list of anime in my mind I'd love to see available for import, first and foremost being Macross. I own what little there is to be had here in North America (ADV redub of the original, Macross 2 and Macross Plus) but most of it remains off limits to us in all but fansubs and the rare fandub.

You can thank Harmony Gold for being complete jackasses on this one. The rights to Macross and Robotech are a complete mess.

Core of the problem being that one idiot judge who granted permanent, exclusive distribution rights for Macross in NA to HG.

Sure, HG can go eat shit, but that unknown judge was the one who slammed the door on an alternate distributor.

 

[Ikaruga33]

An anime called nichijou, it will never get a release here despite being amazing. Apparently it flopped pretty hard in japan. You can find it on streaming sites but I want a nice dvd collection of it.

http://www.madman.com.au/series/home/16590/nichijou-my-ordinary-life
You know you can get it on DVD right.

 

[Kaimax]

I'd like to see more on portable platforms though, like Vita and 3DS...or even Android! I mean, really, it's the simplest form of game. Why aren't they more widely available?

It's because besides having to make the SFW version (If one doesn't exist) and all the costly things of a port. First and foremost there are very little VN companies that are actually interested in the portable market.
All the ones that are already on handhelds are either New IPs, or from a company with a very strong fanbase and budget.
The Former case Photokano (Enterbrain) which was a new IP on the PSP, remade later for the VITA. The latter case is White Album 2 (LEAF/AQUAPLUS), with it's PS3 and Vita Port. In both cases, Both companies have a large fanbase and the money to support it.

So, Most of them simply don't have the confidence to enter the handheld market.

OT: Since I can actually read Japanese I don't really find a problem importing stuff from Japan, but for me it's always the cost. I just wish my country has a better currency exchange value lol.

 

[Something Amyss]

I honestly haven't run into this problem in years, but most of my current exposure to Japanese content comes through channels that already reach America.