How a Kickstarter for this classic anime got stuck in Limbo

Key points

• The popular anime Dirty Pair was successfully financed through crowdfunding: problems arose during the production phase.
• Kickstarter reached $731,406: many backers left without rewards.
• The project faced potential cancellation due to corporate mergers; Sony's acquisition led to complications.

While Kickstarter can be a great way to raise money for projects that would otherwise have shaky profitability prospects, there's no denying that contributing to such a project is a gamble. This is because, although Kickstarter makes every reasonable effort to protect itself from scammers, the rewards are ultimately never guaranteed and delivery of the finished project may not be what was originally promised.

What happens when a project is successful but nothing comes of it? This is the situation anime fans found themselves in with a Kickstarter project for a classic anime that was supposed to be released two years ago.

What is Dirty couple?

Dirty couple is a popular Japanese science fiction anime and light novel series created by Haruka Takachiho. It premiered as a light novel series in 1979. The series is set in a futuristic universe and follows the adventures of two female protagonists who work as problem consultants for the World Welfare Works Association (WWWA), often called “3WA.” The novels were initially adapted into an anime TV series in 1985, later followed by OVA episodes, films, and other adaptations. Notable for its blend of humor and action, its strong and quirky female protagonists, Dirty couple would ultimately prove very influential in the world of anime, and later anime series with buddy-cop dynamics still borrow many of the dynamics first introduced in Dirty couple.

How popular was he?

While the series was successful enough in Japan to receive several adaptations, its real success was in America. Now, admittedly, that wasn't good Dragon Ball Z OR Pokemon level numbers, but was a consistent seller on VHS and one of the most rented titles on Blockbuster in the International section. It was one of the first titles in America that helped establish anime as a legitimate art form in the United States, and thus its popularity owes more to how the franchise helped legitimize anime as an art form in America.

The Kickstarter campaign

On October 1, 2021, Noami Entertainment (a division of Right Stuf International) launched a Kickstarter project to bring Dirty couple return to the American market. Additionally, while some OVAs and films had been dubbed into English, the series had not been dubbed into English in its entirety. Noami wanted to change that, but as a smaller studio they weren't sure if the reward was worth the cost. So they did something they were very familiar with in the past: they launched it on Kickstarter. If the project was successful, the show could be dubbed with a guaranteed sum of funds at their disposal. If it failed, the series would likely still be released, but not with new dubbing material.

Was it successful?

None of this is unusual for smaller anime companies, which usually have to spend a fortune just to acquire the license over competitors like Crunchyroll and Viz Media (which have deeper pockets). Promised prizes included records signed by the voice actors, exclusive T-shirts and BluRays of the show itself. Noami was asking for $275,000 to cover costs associated with the project and ultimately raised $731,406, more than enough to pay for the project. With the money raised, Noami began providing updates on the status of the rewards, the release window, and even announced that the audio materials were complete. Everything was going smoothly… until it wasn't.

What went wrong

The final update on the Kickstarter page was May 30, 2024, where the completion of the dub was announced. Considering the frequency of updates up until that point, it was safe to assume that everything was going smoothly behind the scenes. The problem is that things weren't going well. In fact, that was the last anyone heard about the project for months. There would be no more updates on the pressing of the records, people weren't receiving their awards, and the project was in a state of limbo. One of the things that made the situation more frustrating was that Noami had a new parent company: Crunchyroll. This is because Sony purchased Right Stuf International in August 2022. It took some time for the deal to close, but once it did, Noami would have Sony as its parent company and one would think that Sony would have the resources to bring this project to the market. finish line.

However, whenever there are mergers or companies buying other companies, there is a bit of upheaval. This usually results in layoffs, reorganizations, and sometimes key people leaving the project. AnimEigo CEO Justin Sevakis not only contributed to the Kickstarter project, but was also on friendly terms with the people participating in the project. He did some research and revealed his findings to everyone on X:

This wasn't the response fans were hoping for. What made matters worse is that Sony is so big that it has consumed not one, but TWO major anime companies (Funimation and Right Stuf International), that it was easy to see employees working on a small project like this get fired and have the project fall by the wayside. If the project had been canceled, what would have happened to the more than $700,000 raised? Fans started emailing Crunchyroll, spreading the word about the project and even tweeting about all their X-rated posts to try to get the companies' attention. Evidently, the news reached someone at the company, because on August 29, 2024, Kickstarter received a long-awaited update:

Thank you for your patience as we provide an update on the production of the dubbed version of the 1985 classic series, Dirty Pair. Thanks to all the production staff and voices who contributed to this project and, of course, to you for contributing your contribution.

The series is still in post-production and, as with many productions, delays sometimes occur.

You should receive updates on Dirty Pair every 2-4 weeks until release. We hope that a new cadence and frequency of communications will help alleviate any concerns you may have. Please know that we remain fully committed to this production, especially considering the passionate fanbase that eagerly awaits its release.

As part of your commitment to Kickstarter, starting September 3rd, we will begin shipping available portions of your Backer Rewards as the series prepares for post-production, editing, and shipping.

Stay tuned to this space for more (and regular) updates soon.

While this was the most corporate response fans could have gotten, it was at least a sign that someone had noticed and maybe things could get back on track. How much longer fans will have to wait for the BluRay is still up in the air, but at least everything is back on the radar, and hopefully that means Sony won't walk away with fans' money without providing anything in return.