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Kinnikuman Creator Disappointed by New Anime's Lack of Overseas Popularity (Updated)

One of the most popular manga and anime series in the 1980s was undoubtedly Yudetamago's Kinnikuman. While the franchise has waned in popularity over the past 40 years, it has maintained a dedicated following to the point that a new anime Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc (Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Hen, or literally, Kinnikuman Perfect Chо̄jin/Superhuman Origin Arc) aired this past summer. Unfortunately, the new anime went under the radar for many fans, especially abroad. Yudetamago, specifically Takashi Shimada of the manga creator duo, ruminated over Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc's recent 47th placing on MyAnimeList.

Yudetamago's Shimada commented on Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc's 47th spot in a recent MyAnimeList ranking on X (formerly Twitter) on October 20, “I don't really get it, maybe I should quit being a manga creator.” Shimada also linked to an article from President Online via Yahoo! News Japan: “The Number of Overseas Fans Is Rapidly Growing, Beyond Oshi no Ko… What Is This Unique 'Light Novel Anime' Set in a Japanese High School?”

Yudetamago further elaborated his thoughts regarding the low MyAnimeList ranking in a follow-up post, noting how Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc performed well on TV in Japan and on Netflix, but doesn't understand the low ranking.

The manga creator's concern is warranted as the President Online article did not elaborate the methodology used for the rankings. The article also failed to link to any rankings on MyAnimeList that it was citing. On top of this, the President Online article spoke about Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc in its section about school anime. Granted, the author of the article was speaking about revival anime series in the paragraph the series was mentioned.

It's doubtful Shimada will get his answer to Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc's low ranking in MyAnimeList as presented by President Online. As to his comments about retiring, he also clarified that he isn't retiring quite yet on October 20.

The Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Hen anime premiered on July 7 on CBC, TBS, and 26 affiliates with episode 0, which recaps older scenes with new animation. The first season ran in a new "Agaru Anime" programming block, which airs every Sunday at 11:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EDT) with the theme of presenting anime from Nagoya to the rest of Japan and the world. Pony Canyon describes it as a "12-part" series. Netflix started streaming the series on July 7 (or July 8, depending on region). The series will get a second season in January 2025.

Update: Clarified manga creator. Thanks, YackDe.

Sources: Takashi Shimada's X/Twitter account (link 2, link 3, link 4), President Online via Yahoo! Japan News, Hachima Kikо̄