Somewhere (Dream Dub)
Before he was executed, the legendary Pirate King Gold Roger revealed that he had hidden the treasure One Piece somewhere in the Grand Line. Now, many pirates are off looking for this legendary treasure to claim the title Pirate King. One pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, is a boy who had eaten the Devil's Fruit and gained rubber powers. Now he and his crew are off to find One Piece, while battling enemies and making new friends along the way.
Somewhere (Dream Dub)
If there was one show I'd want to try and introduce to the American audience, it'd be Soul Eater, mainly because it has enough action for the action-show fan, enough comedy for the comedy-show fan, and enough horror for the horror-show fan. If marketing money is no object, then I, the grand overseer of the whole production, would run several TV spots that highlight both the action and comedy of the show (which wouldn't be much of a problem, seeing as there's plenty of both.) I'd also make sure that the English adaptation of the manga was good; if people read that first and don't like it, nothing's going to get them interested in the series itself. The one thing I definitely would not do, though FUNimation seems to be going that way right now, is focus solely on the comedy or action part of the series; that cuts the audience's interest by half. Also, in an ideal world, I'd get Soul Eater a spot on a network like Cartoon Network, though likely on Adult Swim. I'd also boast about previous things I'd helped produce; somewhere along the lines I'd squeeze in a popular name like Bleach or Naruto to grab a casual anime fan's interest. I'd make a pretty good grand overseer... that is, if I had the money to do all this.
If the US anime companies had a surplus of cash (dream big, guys....), it's hard to say initially what show should be marketed to a mass audience. Safe to say, the only shows in recent memory that have truly become legends in anime fandom have been Trigun, Inuyasha, Naruto, and Fullmetal Alchemist (as well as Haruhi and Ouran, but I think those weren't nearly as widespread. I'm talking you-can-find-tshirts-for-these-shows-in-normal-american-stores popular). Recently in Japan, though I have watched and loved many shows that have come out in, say, the past two years, I have a hard time imagining any of these shows reaching and captivating a mass or even relatively mainstream audience; they would simply thrive within their niche, and die out, regardless of how much money an american company threw at it. Two shows that I WISH would reach to a mainstream audience, however, are Toradora! and Michiko e Hatchin. Though the latter could be slow-developing at times, and the former slightly annoying in it's love-square/pentagon, both anime truly had heart, and they made you just the tiniest bit happier going through your day (which I think any true piece of entertainment should strive for). Toradora! I could see reaching the general anime populus, though it may be written off as just a school drama at first; it's Michiko e Hatchin that would be tough to market: "Badass Brazillian Woman Sort Of Kidnaps A Boyish Young Girl; Adventure Ensues!". Not much of a campaign. But hey, if they have this monopoly money we're pretending they have, why the hell not? Let them think up a slogan. I just want people to love these shows. 041b061a72