In most contributions on the history of Japanese animation overseas, the main focus is on the success of the series or movies, on fans and their practices, on piracy, etc. At times, however, researchers ought to use different frameworks. It is here that the analysis of global creative industries can step in and focus on the international flows of cultural products as transactions which need human intermediaries and entrepreneurial vision. To illustrate this, a concrete case will be reconstructed. In 1978, the science fiction animated series UFO Robo Grendizer (1975-77, Tôei Dôga) was broadcast in Italy and France with high share ratings. Its success led to a great amount of merchandising, media coverage, and a public debate. Its impact, moreover, paved the way to hundreds of more anime series. The chapter discusses the role of the human traders involved in the transactions between Tôei Dôga and the European businessmen and producers who took part in the negotiations. It will be demonstrated how a few intuitional individuals took their chances in the, back then, growing and competitive television market, and placed at a convenient price a show which ignited a cultural and commercial boom for the years to come.