[atleastoptimal]

Though there are probably at least 10 anime series Americans know about (Pokemon, Naruto, Dragonball-z, Yu-gi-oh, Death Note, Demon Slayer, One Piece, etc.) more often than Eva. Eva is a relatively strange anime in contrast. Is it that Eva is more "Japan"-coded than the other ones, which are more "American"-coded, thus they would have an outsized impact overseas but not comparatively in Japan?

[Andrex]

Time and place sort of thing. There could easily be another timeline where Evangelion and Sailor Moon swap places popularity-wise in the US. The demographic for anime on broadcast television in the late '90s and early 2000s, when Evangelion was getting dubbed, just skewed too young for it to really be profitable in any way. If I remember correctly, it only ever had one complete run on Adult Swim, a late night block which really limited its exposure. I don't think End of Evangelion has ever aired on a major broadcast network. (The Rebuild movies did get play on the revived Toonami about a decade ago, though.)

I don't think Evangelion would ever have been a breakout hit, per se, like DBZ, but depending on the circumstances it definitely could have had moderate success.

[krapp]

Isn't Evangelion (in)famous for its use of Western religious and occult symbolism? I don't think it's more "Japan" coded than say Death Note (with Western characters) or One Piece (based loosely on Western pirate lore.)

[atleastoptimal]

It's more Japan-coded in that the framing of Christianity and the occult is from a Japanese perspective: it views Christian symbolism via an outsider's lens, as an abstract, esoteric ancient cult (which it is, but not in the common way it's perceived in the West)

Also, Eva is much more, for lack of a better term, adult-themed, thematically complex, and sexually weird than Pokemon, One piece, etc. This certainly would make it less universally popular as a cultural export.

[earthboundkid]

Eva is on some level a parody of Gundam used to explore adult themes of depression, isolation, loneliness, parental conflict, and figuring out your sexual identity. It's more like Akira or Ghost in the Shell than it is like Pokemon or One Piece. For an American analogy, it's like Watchmen vs. Superman. Watchmen is a case of taking the kids entertainment of superhero comics and using it to explore more adult topics.

[breakbread]

Or put another way, they’re both deconstructing a genre

[falcor84]

> Though there are probably at least 10 anime series Americans know about ...

I can't help but feel you're significantly overestimating the "average familiarity" here.

https://xkcd.com/2501/

[atleastoptimal]

Read the end of the sentence after the parenthetical: "more often than Eva". I mean that if you asked any random American to name an anime, I'd wager if they knew any they'd know one of those much more often than Eva, it's about relative awareness, not absolute awareness.

And I'm pretty sure at least Pokemon is well entrenched into popular culture. Death Note and One Piece have had Netflix series, also indicated a good amount of penetration in the average market.

[antonvs]

Eva was on Cartoon Network in the 2000s (a censored version, but still.) That's where I first watched it. Other shows I watched around that time included Ghost in the Shell SAC, Trigun, some Cowboy Bebop.

I recognize most of the names you mentioned, but haven't watched any of them other than to check if they interest me.

Obviously Pokemon is better known, but other than that it's going to depend a lot on age group.