Japan&#039;s Weekly Blu-ray &amp; CD Rankings for Oct 28 - Nov 3

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Sep 2012

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As promised I am posting this first report on Amazon Stalker sales projection estimate for 2013 Fall Anime. If I remember correctly, the first time I posted such report in summer was the first week of August, so the timings match. By now most shows have 4 to 5 episodes aired and almost all shows have BD/DVD solicited on Amazon for sufficient time for the Stalker projected sales number to be generated. This is a good time to review the performance of the shows so far at the one-third point of the cour. And here we go.

One significant observation from Japanese forums like 2ch about this cour's anime is that there are quite a lot of people saying that while they do not see a show that is overwhelmingly eye-catching and attention-grabbing, they also think the shows in this cour overall more interesting and entertaining than usual. This means that more people are following more shows than they usually do but the flipside seems to be that sales do not benefit from this broader interest from anime watchers.

In short, the performance of shows in this cour is generally weaker compared to the last 2 cours and this is visible both at the top tier and the bottom pile: We have fewer and weaker "big hits" (>10k sales) not to mention super hits that sell >20k, and we have more titles that are projected to sell below the Manabi line.

Earlier last month I predicted that the TOP FOUR bestselling titles in this cour are likely to be Infinite Stratos 2, Kuroko Basket 2, Little Busters! Refrain and Kill la Kill. I still maintain this prediction although the position of Kill la Kill is less certain since its lacklustre performance over the last 2 weeks.

I have been paying close attention at the shift in sales projection numbers in the past 2 weeks and intriguingly most of the titles never moved more than 0.3k in the projection. This indicates amazing stability most of the titles have settled down to in terms of sales ranking (and by extension popularity among the disc-buying consumers). Unfortunately almost all the hardly moving titles are those which are projected to sell below the Manabi line. The biggest shifts in sales projection all come from those at the top tier.

That said, Infinite Stratos 2 and Kuroko no Basket 2 did not actually move much since setting into around 12.5-13k (IS2 vol.2) and around 13.5-14k (KuroBas2) of projected sales. IS2 vol.1, with >15 min of extra footage and cheaper price, is going to sell a lot more than vol.2 (stalker projects 20.7k). Both have stable and sizable fanbase and both, particularly for KuroBas2, are thought to sell more than the Stalker estimate as fans are more likely to buy the discs at storefront instead of from internet retailers like Amazon. Both will also show some drop from the sales of first season but the drop does not seem to be unreasonably huge (the >30k sales of IS is always thought as an outlier performance for an anime of this genre).

For the other two titles I predicted to be among the TOP FOUR BESTSELLING of the cour, Little Busters! Refrain has seen drop of over 1.5k in projected sales over the past 2 weeks. One major reason is that it is still taking time for its ranking (and thus projected sales) to settle down. However, the current settled ranking is beyond #100 and this does not bode very well for its sales projection in the coming weeks. As the series is still in a build-up stage and the climax much expected by fans has yet to come, it may still shoot back up in ranking later. Kill la Kill also settled in a position beyond #100 in Amazon and also shed almost 2k over the past 2 weeks in projected sales. It seems that a lot of fans who got hyped and excited by the shock and awe sakuga in the early episodes have front-loaded the orders, pushing the title very high at the beginning, and as the show has settled down into more conventional and familiar pattern, the show's ranking has also rescinded. The filler-like episode 4 also contributed to the weakening performance as it failed to deliver the usual new episode boost in ranking after it aired.

Compared to the above 2 fastest dropping series, the 2 biggest winners this cour are Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio and Non Non Biyori. Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio amazingly gained almost 2k in projected sales over the past 2 weeks (>40% increase). Many fans found it to be unexpectedly entertaining, with good balance of fighting, strategy thinking and story development on the one side, and appealing and attractive moe girls on the other. Most expressed relative ease of getting into the CG without too much problem and some even found it hard to believe that they could feel so moe towards characters generated wholly by CGI. And as I previously stated in another sales thread, Aoki Hagane has very very lucky timing as it rides on the huge wave of popularity of KanColle, which also has warships manifesting as young girls and unexpectedly took Japan by storm since April this year. Non Non Biyori is the anime that I heard "much better than I expected" comments most often in forum among the series in this cour. It seems the anime has struck a chord with the audience about the simplicity and innocence appeal of the countryside, as well as the nostalgia or yearning for spending time as a child in such environment. Like KinMosa in the previous cour, there are a lot of praises about the effort and love from the staff on developing/adapting the story and providing wonderful art and animation. Its episode 4 received universal praise for making an apparently generic and cliched story powerfully touching and moving, confirming the notion that often execution matters even more than the story itself. Since that episode was aired, it added almost 1.5k to its projected sales.

One title that could not be skipped before we move to the lower tiers is Strike the Blood. Because of the late timing of its being solicited in Amazon, its sales ranking has not yet settled down. Currently it is pointing at 7.5k but I could see it will settle at a lower value, at perhaps 6k or so. Still it is substantially better than what a lot of people expected before this cour started. One key reason for its popularity is the extremely high popularity of the heroine Yukina, whom many deem to embody the perfect blend of moe, ecchi, cuteness, strength, aggressiveness and feminine coyness. The popularity of the anime also rubbed off on the sales of its original Light Novel as it boosted the sales of the volume 1 substantially more than 2 years after its publication.

After these title, there is a gap when we do not have any title with projected sales in the 4k-5.5k range. And below that the top of the middle tier is, interestingly, Valvrave 2 which got much revile back in its first season. Projected to sell at 3.9k it does not show much of a 2nd season drop. In fact so far the feedback of this 2nd season has been decisively positive. It could be because detractors in the 1st season no longer came back to check this show, but it can also be attributed to the perception by fans that the story is less crazy in springing oddball surprises but instead has calmed down and is easier to follow, even if this still means the story is quickly paced and surprises/mysteries still show up.

For the other titles above the Manabi line, Teekyuu3 maintains the 3.5k or so fan base inherited from the first 2 seasons; Yowamushi Pedal is generally deemed entertaining; Machine Doll has comparatively weak CG but compensates by eye-catchingly moe girl characters (and the addictive denpa ED), and it also has a reasonably large LN fanbase; Gundam Build Fighters is a surprising hit as a lot of people find the story to be unexpectedly interesting, the characters to be appealing (including the minor characters), and the parade of different gunpla models to be meticulous and wide ranged.

On the borderline of Manabi line, we have a bunch of anime that are popular to different extents but for some reason the popularity does not translate into good sales projection. Fans find the adaptation of the supposedly weaker Opening Chapter of White Album2 to be well done. Some even went as far to say that the story comes off better than what they remember, perhaps because back then it was overshadowed by the Closing Chapter. Kyoukai no Kanata suffers from a cast fans find not to be that interesting (particularly the heroine Mirai) and a perception that the story lacks a purpose and direction. Yet the usual high technical quality from KyoAni on background art, animation, sound and music surely keeps people watching. Yozakura Quartet gets fans' approval as a fine remake effort and receives praise of keeping a good balance of the ensemble cast and their appeal. The good action sakuga also gets good feedback.

As for the rest, Log Horizon keeps people tuned with a steady tale of entertaining encounters in MMORPG context. Freezing2 and Magi2 seems to be heading towards just around half of the sales of the last few volumes of the 1st season. Walkure Romanze took many watchers by surprise at the effort and care in the sakuga of background, horse and the jousting action. However, as a fan service anime, it also looks rather tame on that front. Blazblue sees quite a lot of watchers dropping as they perceive it to be unwelcoming to people who do not know the game. Nagi no Asukara, despite its beautiful art, does not get people enthusiastic as they deem the story to have too much emotion drama and they also find the impetuous MC definitely unappealing. SekaTsuyo, a really low budget anime, actually does a bit better than unexpected as it smartly employed well known seiyuu to voice the groaning and moaning wrestlers - apparently it really knows its niche. Yu-Sibu, Tokyo Ravens, Outbreak Company, Gingitsune seem to belong to the "good enough for people to watch but not captivating enough for them to buy" category. For the two NoitaminA shows, Galileo Donna gets praises for very good character design as well as mecha design and background art, but its story is deemed to be plodding and sometimes does not really make sense. Samurai Flemenco gets praise for its eccentric humor but tokusatsu comedy is also considered very much a niche market for BD/DVD sales.

For those with <1k of projected sales, Tesagure! actually did better than expected. The CGI-based characters turned out to be quite acceptable. The rookie seiyuu do a reasonably good job, especially in the ad-lib part of the episode, although the humor, either in the scripted or the ad-lib part, could be a hit-or-miss affair. Coppelion has people complaining about the blue-tinged background and the thick-line bordered character design. Also many find the story not that interesting and wonder about its direction. Some had their expectation set by the action-filled OP and were disappointed by lack of tense or thrilling actions thus far. Meganebu sees people drop out in droves as early as episode 2 as many people view the whole premise to be rather pointless, and it is definitely not moe enough for the targeted female audience either.

13.6k KuroBas2
12.5k IS2 (vol.1 20.7)

9.4k LB! Refrain
7.7k Kill la Kill
7.5k Strike the Blood
6.5k Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio
5.5k Non Non Biyori

3.9k Valvrave2
3.4k Teekyuu3
3.3k Yowamushi Pedal
3.1k Machine Doll
3.0k Gundam BF

2.9k White Album2
2.7k Kyoukai no Kanata
2.7k Yozakura
2.4k Log Horizon
2.3k Freezing2
2.2k Magi2
2.0k Kyousougiga (vol.0 2.4)
1.9k Walkure Romanze
1.9k Blazblue
1.8k Yu-Sibu
1.8k Tokyo Ravens
1.7k Nagi no Asukara
1.6k Outbreak Company
1.5k Gingitsune
1.4k SekaTsuyo
1.2k Samurai Flemenco
1.1k Galileo Donna
1.1k Golden Time
1.0k NouCome
0.9k Tesagure!
0.6k Coppelion
0.5k Meganebu

symbvNov 5, 2013 9:03 AM

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 5:02 AM

#4

SilentTruth

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May 2011

5184

Hmm, IS 2 in dominating, though the selling was nearly 20k for BD. Is this a good sign or the opposite of it?

Nov 5, 2013 5:03 AM

#5

rainbowcakes

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Sep 2012

381

Thank you for the report, symbv.

Nov 5, 2013 5:10 AM

#6

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Sep 2012

10121

Key observations:

1. IS2 vol.1 sales is 80% of the first week sales of IS vol.1, so looks reasonable for a second season. However vol.2 seems to be heading to much lower sales at 13k or so.

2. KinMosa is outselling Haganai2 (6281 vs 6208)

3. Tamayura is amazingly stable in sales. There is virtually no drop of sales from previous season. Indication of how loyal its fans are.

4. Finally we see Neptune, Rokyubu and KinMosa's DVD ranked.

On music side

- quite a number of OP/ED for this cour's anime are charted (and the theme song of the new Madoka movie as well). Arpeggio and Kyokai no Kanata's OP doing particularly well.

- A LOT OF drama CDs voiced by male seiyuu charted

symbvNov 5, 2013 6:48 AM

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 5:15 AM

#7

mistress_kisara

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Dec 2007

606

Wow, all those Rejet drama CDs ranking! Yay for Vanquish Brothers!

Nov 5, 2013 5:26 AM

#8

phoenixalia

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Mar 2010

3041

I seriously hope Yowamushi Pedal and Samurai Flamenco do better in the coming weeks. There isn't much hope for Flamenco but hopefully YowaPedal does at least 5k or so.

I do hope both series are storefront titles.

For Flamenco, if it just crosses the Manabi Line, that's enough for me. It was the surprise of the season for me, and from the forums it looks like it's not only me. Tokusatsu comedy...I did not know the meaning and googled it. So it is used more in live action, could that be the reason why it's projected to sell so little?

Check out the News Club for daily rankings, discussion on future CD and BD releases, manga and novels. New members are welcome!

Nov 5, 2013 5:29 AM

#9

sickVisionz

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Jul 2010

83

symbv said:
stuff

It would be interesting to see how Amazon Stalker predictions compare to the stuff on this list now that the actual numbers are in.

Nov 5, 2013 5:38 AM

#10

Skipchmosha

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Sep 2011

489

>*1, 18,758 18,758 IS: Infinite Stratos 2 Vol.1
lol

Nov 5, 2013 5:47 AM

#11

HauntingShock

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Feb 2012

3122

Just noticed, did you forget about Diamond no Ace?

Nov 5, 2013 5:51 AM

#12

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Nov 2011

5359

Nice to see that Tamayura sold above its stalker estimates.

sickVisionz said:

symbv said:
stuff

It would be interesting to see how Amazon Stalker predictions compare to the stuff on this list now that the actual numbers are in.

Are you talking about the summer estimates? or what?

HauntingShock said:
Just noticed, did you forget about Diamond no Ace?

Its not on Amazon yet.

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Nov 5, 2013 6:04 AM

#13

HauntingShock

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Feb 2012

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rederoin said:

Its not on Amazon yet.

Oh. No wonder.

But I'd like to hear the reception in Japan, symbv :D

Nov 5, 2013 6:19 AM

#14

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Nov 2011

5359

Oh sweet, NNB is now at the top of the Autumn anime amazon rankings.

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Nov 5, 2013 6:23 AM

#15

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Sep 2012

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sickVisionz said:
It would be interesting to see how Amazon Stalker predictions compare to the stuff on this list now that the actual numbers are in.

Take IS2 Vol.1 for example. Stalker projected 20.7k; actual sales is 23.6k (as expected Stalker underestimate for this kind of anime). Error is 14% which looks pretty good to me.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 6:31 AM

#16

Impressionnant

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Nov 2013

4

I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

Samurai Flamenco is definitely my favourite show this season. I hope it does well in sales.

Nov 5, 2013 6:36 AM

#17

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Sep 2012

10121

HauntingShock said:

rederoin said:

Its not on Amazon yet.

Oh. No wonder.But I'd like to hear the reception in Japan, symbv :D

For anime fans who frequent 2ch and are steeped in watching midnight anime, Diamond no Ace is "air anime" - no one is talking about it and no one seems to be watching it (or admits/declares he is watching). This is usually the case with anime that is not aired in midnight time slot but there are also clear exceptions like Gundam BF, Magi or PreCure.

Impressionnant said:
I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

See MMORPG action and adventure animated in anime in a relatively easy and casual setting?

symbvNov 5, 2013 6:40 AM

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 6:38 AM

#18

Zhou

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Feb 2012

5478

So Coppelion is going to flop big time? Damn it.

Nov 5, 2013 6:46 AM

#19

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Sep 2012

10121

phoenixalia said:
Tokusatsu comedy...I did not know the meaning and googled it. So it is used more in live action, could that be the reason why it's projected to sell so little?

Tokusatsu genre is almost always live-action and usually it is drama not comedy. So the combination of tokusatsu, comedy and anime is quite innovative, and it even throws in elements of idols (very popular these days in Japan) and ideas from "Kick Ass" in it. I don't really think that the combination turns off audience. Instead I think people are quite entertained by it. That said, for discs buying consumers I am not sure the niche is there for this series. People may be amused by it but feeling compelled to spend a small fortune to own the discs could be something else.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 6:46 AM

#20

Shuhan

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Jun 2012

6491

Disappointing.

Nov 5, 2013 6:48 AM

#21

Vene

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Jul 2009

5266

No info for Kami Nomi yet?... :(

Nov 5, 2013 6:51 AM

#22

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Sep 2012

10121

Bakura said:
No info for Kami Nomi yet?... :(

Not ranked in the prelim list today. The threshold is 2191 and projected sales for KamiNomi is 1.8k It should show up in the full list coming this Friday or Saturday though.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 7:10 AM

#23

hpulley

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Sep 2012

3948

After episode 5 which I thought was amazing, Non Non Byori is at least for this very moment, the highest ranking first fall anime volume:
***,*65位/***,*63位 ★ (**1,348 pt) [*,*34予約] 2013/12/25 Non Non Biyori Vol.1 [Blu-ray]
***,*66位/***,*65位 ★ (**4,034 pt) [*,*18予約] 2013/12/25 IS<Infinite Stratos>2 Vol.2 [Blu-ray]

It won't outsell IS2 vol.2 of course but I hope it sells well and is certainly on my must-import list!

Nov 5, 2013 7:11 AM

#24

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Jun 2013

22

Impressionnant said:
I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

Well, it's not like there are a lot of people caring for the show. Look at the sales prediction numbers and take in account that anything that sell less than 3k isn't in a good situation. If nothing changes Log Horizon won't even pay it's production costs (manabi line). Some people like it but most are not caring much.

For me watch Log Horizon is the same as watch a friend playing a MMORPG online in a computer (it can keep you entertained for some minutes, but in general, is not very fun).

Nov 5, 2013 7:18 AM

#25

Mr_Gutts

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Nov 2008

3339

Mark00 said:

Impressionnant said:
I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

Well, it's not like there are a lot of people caring for the show. Look at the sales prediction numbers and take in account that anything that sell less than 3k isn't in a good situation. If nothing changes Log Horizon won't even pay it's production costs (manabi line). Some people like it but most are not caring much.

For me watch Log Horizon is the same as watch a friend playing a MMORPG online in a computer (it can keep you entertained for some minutes, but in general, is not very fun).

I kinda like the op song though

Nov 5, 2013 7:24 AM

#26

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Nov 2011

5359

Mark00 said:

Impressionnant said:
I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

Well, it's not like there are a lot of people caring for the show. Look at the sales prediction numbers and take in account that anything that sell less than 3k isn't in a good situation. If nothing changes Log Horizon won't even pay it's production costs (manabi line). Some people like it but most are not caring much.

For me watch Log Horizon is the same as watch a friend playing a MMORPG online in a computer (it can keep you entertained for some minutes, but in general, is not very fun).

It airs on NHK-E, a daytime channel, BD sales are barely relevant to the show.
Its also one of the most popular shows this season, in the western fanbase.

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Nov 5, 2013 7:26 AM

#27

kuuderes_shadow

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Dec 2011

8943

For me the great thing about Log Horizon isn't the series itself but the amount it fires up my imagination. In that respect (and that respect only) it's the top anime of the season for me. There's rather a lack of that sort of thing this season, so I guess it's filling in a niche that otherwise would be left empty, and I'm grateful to it for that.

I wouldn't even consider paying Japanese anime prices for it, though, even without customs + shipping basically doubling the cost of anything I buy over what it would cost in Japan.

There is no such thing as shit taste. Only idiots who think everyone should have the same taste as they do.

Nov 5, 2013 7:27 AM

#28

RyanSaotome

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Apr 2010

2026

I'm glad to see IS2 is doing well. Should get near 26-27k after a few weeks, at least.

Nov 5, 2013 7:30 AM

#29

tsubasalover

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Nov 2007

31283

symbv said:

CD Single
*7, 15,863 *96,638 Kakumeiki Valvrave 2nd Season OP "Kakumei Dualism"
10, 10,376 *10,376 Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova OP "Savior of Song"
11, 10,093 *10,093 Kyoukai no Kanata OP "Kyoukai no Kanata"
15, *6,262 **6,262 Meganebu! OP "World's End"
53, *1,111 **4,277 Kakumeiki Valvrave 2nd Season ED "Realism"
54, *1,098 225,537 Shingeki no Kyojin OP "Jiyuu e no Shingeki"

CD Album
15, *6,638 *6,638 Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-hen character song by Nakagawa Kanon starring Touyama Nao "Colors"
34, *2,491 *2,491 Saiyuki Character CD ~Son Goku~
63, *1,235 *1,235 Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-hen character song by Nakagawa Kanon starring Touyama Nao "Birth"
80, *1,062 *7,395 Brothers Conflict Character Song Concept Mini Album ② "Ko☆Do☆Mo"
84, *1,040 *5,248 Free! Remix Mini Album

Interesting.

symbv said:

32, *2,578 *2,578 Inoue Kazuhiko Shinsengumi Kekkonroku Wasurena-gusa Vol.1 Kondou Isami[/url]

It should be Vol.3 because Vol.2 and Vol.1 are already out.

I ♥ Two Syaorans from Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and TRC!!!

Nov 5, 2013 7:34 AM

#30

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tsubasalover said:

symbv said:

32, *2,578 *2,578 Inoue Kazuhiko Shinsengumi Kekkonroku Wasurena-gusa Vol.1 Kondou Isami[/url]

It should be Vol.3 because Vol.2 and Vol.1 are already out.

Yeah, that is a typo. Corrected.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 8:09 AM

#31

NemuriNezumi

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Jun 2012

955

yey for kurobasu predictions~

- I only draw freestyle! -

Nov 5, 2013 8:24 AM

#32

Hoppy

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Nov 2008

27788

That's impressive as Non Non Biyori has given me the exact same feeling for almost the same reasons. The sales predictions for the top anime are similar to what I've predicted earlier.

symbv said:

*5, 11,592 11,592 "IdolM@ster Million Live!" The IdolM@ster Live The@ter Performance 07

I'm glad I'll be seeing some of these wonderful girls being animated next year.

Nov 5, 2013 8:29 AM

#33

Vene

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Jul 2009

5266

symbv said:

Bakura said:
No info for Kami Nomi yet?... :(

Not ranked in the prelim list today. The threshold is 2191 and projected sales for KamiNomi is 1.8k It should show up in the full list coming this Friday or Saturday though.

Gonna wait them, thanks.

Nov 5, 2013 8:34 AM

#34

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Jun 2013

22

rederoin said:

Mark00 said:

Impressionnant said:
I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

Well, it's not like there are a lot of people caring for the show. Look at the sales prediction numbers and take in account that anything that sell less than 3k isn't in a good situation. If nothing changes Log Horizon won't even pay it's production costs (manabi line). Some people like it but most are not caring much.

For me watch Log Horizon is the same as watch a friend playing a MMORPG online in a computer (it can keep you entertained for some minutes, but in general, is not very fun).

It airs on NHK-E, a daytime channel, BD sales are barely relevant to the show.
Its also one of the most popular shows this season, in the western fanbase.

I really doubt the BD sales are "barely" relevant for this show my friend. If it was getting a strong TV audience i would agree, but thats not the case. A lot of people spend their money for this title be animated and i really doubt they are not carring in get their investiment back (or get some profit if possible).

About the western popularity, keep in mind this season is pretty weak in popular titles. I may be wrong but popular titles usualy have more than 50k members on MAL after the first month of the season.

Lets compare it with the summer season (weakest season together with winter season):

MAL members on on July 31 ( end of the first month of summer season) :

01 | FREE! | 43.825
02 | Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! | 40.792
03 | Danganronpa the Animation | 40.654
04 | BLOOD LAD | 39.610

Log Horizon MAL members today is 39,178. So, it's even less popular than Blood Lad, Dagan Ronpa, Watamote and Free.....

I not even being mean comparing it with SAO or SnK popularity.

Nov 5, 2013 8:39 AM

#35

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Nov 2011

5359

Mark00 said:

I really doubt the BD sales are "barely" relevant for this show my friend. If it was getting a strong TV audience i would agree, but thats not the case. A lot of people spend their money for this title be animated and i really doubt they are not carring in get their investiment back (or get some profit if possible).

About the western popularity, keep in mind this season is pretty weak in popular titles. I may be wrong but popular titles usualy have more than 50k members on MAL after the first month of the season.
.

No, BD sales really aren't as relevant as you seem to think they are(for log horizon). It airs on a government funded channel during daytime, its the late night shows that need BD/DVD sales.
But I don't think I know enough about this subject to explain it correctly, so I'll wait for somebody else who is more informed about this subject to do this.

Regarding its popularity in the west, just look at the download numbers on the torrent sites.
http://i.imgur.com/LavSy4N.jpg

Only KlK and KnK are above it.

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Nov 5, 2013 8:42 AM

#36

Offline

Sep 2012

10121

Mark00 said:
I really doubt the BD sales are "barely" relevant for this show my friend. If it was getting a strong TV audience i would agree, but thats not the case. A lot of people spend their money for this title be animated and i really doubt they are not carring in get their investiment back (or get some profit if possible).

"Barely" relevant may be exaggerating a bit, but rederoin is right in saying that for an anime sponsored by NHK, the public broadcaster, the BD/DVD sales matters a lot less. A public broadcaster does not always think in terms of monetary profit and only recently I read an article (in a Japanese magazine) about anime in NHK and this is precisely the point mentioned as one of the "good things" for the audience, presumably because this means NHK can just go and sponsor anime that is not aimed for commercial success, thus providing diversity of choices to the audience.

BTW, rederoin, where and how did you get that torrent data for this cour's anime?

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 8:44 AM

#37

Alcoholicide

Offline

Feb 2010

34597

@Mark: It makes total sense to compare it to shows that have been finished for weeks. I bet you 100 dollars that 2 months after Log Horizon has finished airing it has more viewers on MAL than any of those you mentioned.

Of course it doesn't compare to SAO or SnK, but they are the exceptions. At least it's BETTER than SAO so I'll gladly exchange that for some popularity with the mainstream audience.

I probably regret this post by now.

Nov 5, 2013 8:45 AM

#38

Offline

Nov 2011

5359

symbv said:

Mark00 said:
I really doubt the BD sales are "barely" relevant for this show my friend. If it was getting a strong TV audience i would agree, but thats not the case. A lot of people spend their money for this title be animated and i really doubt they are not carring in get their investiment back (or get some profit if possible).

"Barely" relevant may be exaggerating a bit, but rederoin is right in saying that for an anime sponsored by NHK, the public broadcaster, the BD/DVD sales matters a lot less. A public broadcaster does not always think in terms of monetary profit and only recently I read an article (in a Japanese magazine) about anime in NHK and this is precisely the point mentioned as one of the "good things" for the audience, presumably because this means NHK can just go and sponsor anime that is not aimed for commercial success, thus providing diversity of choices to the audience.

BTW, rederoin, where and how did you get that torrent data for this cour's anime?

source

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Nov 5, 2013 8:47 AM

#39

Offline

Sep 2012

10121

^ I wonder who is this nyaatracker... I guess it was he who actually input the titles of this cour's show and runs a program he wrote himself to generate the chart?

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 8:50 AM

#40

Offline

Jun 2013

22

Mr_Gutts said:

Mark00 said:

Impressionnant said:
I don't understand what people see in Log Horizon. No story. No tension. Not much drama.

Well, it's not like there are a lot of people caring for the show. Look at the sales prediction numbers and take in account that anything that sell less than 3k isn't in a good situation. If nothing changes Log Horizon won't even pay it's production costs (manabi line). Some people like it but most are not caring much.

For me watch Log Horizon is the same as watch a friend playing a MMORPG online in a computer (it can keep you entertained for some minutes, but in general, is not very fun).

I kinda like the op song though

Is not bad but i like Arpeggio of Blue Steel OP more ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwENz04T7h4 ). I do like rock but Log Horizon OP is a mix of Rock and RAP, and i am not a big fan of Rap.

Nov 5, 2013 8:50 AM

#41

Nachtwandler_21

Offline

Sep 2009

2920

Funny thing that IS vol. 1 actually contains an OVA and ep 2 of S2 if I remember right.

Good to see Tamayura sales didn't drop from S1 it's still gives us hopes for more.

And I just hope for descent sales of WA2. Cause it's the best drama-romance series I saw last seasons and Closing chapter really deserves adaptation.

Nov 5, 2013 8:52 AM

#42

Offline

Sep 2012

10121

Mark00 said:
If nothing changes Log Horizon won't even pay it's production costs (manabi line).

One thing: The manabi line is not really a line for breakeven point in terms of recovering production cost. That is a myth. Jmal and I have explained its purpose and origin in an earlier thread:

http://origin.myanimelist.net/forum/index.php?topicid=523817&show=140#msg18677282
http://origin.myanimelist.net/forum/index.php?topicid=523817&show=140#msg18677876

Nachtwandler_21 said:
Funny thing that IS vol. 1 actually contains an OVA and ep 2 of S2 if I remember right. .

Not really. Vol.1 has the extended ep.1 (containing new footage which we originally thought is an OVA) and the ep.1 as aired on TV. Ep.2 will go to vol.2.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 9:03 AM

#43

VioLink

Offline

Jan 2011

2858

symbv said:

CD Single
*7, 15,863 *96,638 Kakumeiki Valvrave 2nd Season OP "Kakumei Dualism"
10, 10,376 *10,376 Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova OP "Savior of Song"
11, 10,093 *10,093 Kyoukai no Kanata OP "Kyoukai no Kanata"
15, *6,262 **6,262
21, *3,760 **3,760 Nagi no Asu kara OP "lull ~Soshite Bokura wa~"
23, *3,604 **3,604 Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova ED "Blue Field"
27, *2,941 **2,941 Non Non Biyori OP "Nanairo Biyori"
29, *2,616 *46,363 Log Horizon OP "database feat. TAKUMA(10-FEET)"
37, *2,029 *23,086 Kuroko no Basket 2 OP "The Other self"
53, *1,111 **4,277 Kakumeiki Valvrave 2nd Season ED "Realism"
54, *1,098 225,537 Shingeki no Kyojin OP "Jiyuu e no Shingeki"

Nice to see these selling well. Still there are plenty of good Fall OP's that didn't make it above 1,000 this week it seems (Kyouogiga's, Yozakura Quartet's, Gundam BF's, Tokyo Raven's). Galilei Donna's and Samurai Flamenco's haven't gone on sale yet but I hope they make it up there

Zhou said:
So Coppelion is going to flop big time? Damn it.

That really sucks because they have enough material for a season 2 and low sales might prevent it from happening.

[center]

Nov 5, 2013 9:06 AM

#44

Offline

Sep 2012

10121

VioLink said:

Nice to see these selling well. Still there are plenty of good Fall OP's that didn't make it above 1,000 this week it seems (Kyouogiga's, Yozakura Quartet's, Gundam BF's, Tokyo Raven's).

Kyousougiga's OP was in last week's chart. Gundam BF, Tokyo Raven and Yozakura Quartet's OP will be in next week's chart.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 9:08 AM

#45

ThangLong

Offline

Dec 2012

3019

Mark00 said:
About the western popularity, keep in mind this season is pretty weak in popular titles. I may be wrong but popular titles usualy have more than 50k members on MAL after the first month of the season.

Lets compare it with the summer season (weakest season together with winter season):

MAL members on on July 31 ( end of the first month of summer season) :

01 | FREE! | 43.825
02 | Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! | 40.792
03 | Danganronpa the Animation | 40.654
04 | BLOOD LAD | 39.610

Log Horizon MAL members today is 39,178. So, it's even less popular than Blood Lad, Dagan Ronpa, Watamote and Free.....

I not even being mean comparing it with SAO or SnK popularity.

KLK got 57K and KnK got 55K by the end of October, so I don't think Fall's most popular shows are any less popular than other seasons' ones, specifically within MAL's demographic.

symbv said:
"Barely" relevant may be exaggerating a bit, but rederoin is right in saying that for an anime sponsored by NHK, the public broadcaster, the BD/DVD sales matters a lot less.

In fact, do we know whether NHK sponsors Log Horizon? Day-time anime are actually paid by the broadcaster based on their ratings like normal television shows, providing that the anime don't have objectionable contents. So far, Log Horizon has been a very teen-friendly anime.

Nov 5, 2013 9:12 AM

#46

Offline

Sep 2012

10121

ThangLong said:
In fact, do we know whether NHK sponsors Log Horizon?.

Yes, NHK's name is the sole name in the credit under Production, so I am sure about it.

Besides, no other TV channel except NHK broadcasts the show and NHK always makes its own domestic shows. So if you see an anime that is aired on NHK, you can bet that this will be an anime sponsored and produced by NHK.

symbvNov 5, 2013 9:20 AM

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 9:15 AM

#47

kuuderes_shadow

Offline

Dec 2011

8943

Mark00 said:
I may be wrong but popular titles usualy have more than 50k members on MAL after the first month of the season.

You are wrong. No series has ever reached 50k watching on MAL within a month. Top 4 are:
1. Kill la kill (current season)
2. Shingeki no Kyojin (Spring this year)
3. Kyoukai no Kanata (current season)
4. Free (summer this year)

Obviously 50k members is a bit different, but I don't think anything other than those top 3 would have got that many. Those 3 are the only ones to have hit 40k watching within a month of the season starting.

kuuderes_shadowNov 5, 2013 9:22 AM

There is no such thing as shit taste. Only idiots who think everyone should have the same taste as they do.

Nov 5, 2013 9:24 AM

#48

ThangLong

Offline

Dec 2012

3019

symbv said:

ThangLong said:
In fact, do we know whether NHK sponsors Log Horizon?

Yes, NHK's name is the sole name in the credit under Production, so I am sure about it.

Then, it is not a loss for Statelight even if Log Horizon does not sell very well. Concern for the animation studio's success is one of the main reasons we track sales anyways.

Nov 5, 2013 9:28 AM

#49

Offline

Sep 2012

10121

ThangLong said:
Then, it is not a loss for Statelight even if Log Horizon does not sell very well. Concern for the animation studio's success is one of the main reasons we track sales anyways.

On the flipside, it is also well known that budget in NHK anime is often more limited than an anime running in a commercial station, so when you know the anime you watch is a NHK anime, you should not expect fancy art or sakuga for example.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Nov 5, 2013 9:30 AM

#50