I fail to see how this appeals to the casual market... anime is far from mainstream. Yes, there are anime such as Naruto that appeal to kids, and a much fewer ammount of young/full adults. However for the most part, although it has become extremely visible in the subculture of the internet, it has yet failed to truly become mainstream.
I say that the anime cover, if anything, will turn casual American customers off. Casual doesn't mean cutsey, and hardcore doesn't mean gory. I know plenty of people who don't play games at all, yet buy "hardcore games" (e.g. GeoW or Halo 3). Valkyria Chronicles is certainly less mature and violent that GeoW or Halo 3, however it does have a harder learning curve (I suck at it. Gonna try to beat it again without grinding) and more niche qualities than more popular games.
