Japan's Weekly Blu-ray & CD Rankings for Oct 22 - 28

by dtshyk
Oct 30, 2012 1:20 AM | 150 Comments

Here are the weekly Blu-ray & CD rankings for October 22nd - 28th.

Blu-ray
*1, 29,757 29,757 Strike Witches The Movie Limited Edition
*2, 27,326 27,326 Sword Art Online vol.1 Limited Edition
*3, 18,033 18,033 Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon II vol.2 Limited Edition
*4, *9,176 *9,176 Kuroko no Basket vol.4
*5, *6,577 *6,577 Hyouka vol.5 Limited Edition
*6, *6,380 *6,380 Accel World vol.4 Limited Edition
*7, *5,525 *5,525 Dog Days' vol.2 Limited Edition
*8, *4,688 *4,688 Haiyore! Nyaruko-san vol.5 Limited Edition
*9, *4,392 *4,392 Guilty Crown vol.10 Limited Edition
10, *4,235 *4,235 Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse vol.2 Limited Edition
11, *4,179 *4,179 (Yuru Yuri ♪♪ Live Event 2)
12, *3,774 *3,774 Aquarion Evol vol.7
13, *3,482 *3,482 Joshiraku vol.2 Limited Edition

DVD
*1, 10,872 10,872 Kuroko no Basket vol.4
*2, *6,844 *6,844 Sword Art Online vol.1 Limited Edition
*3, *4,227 *4,227 Strike Witches The Movie Limited Edition
*4, *3,709 *3,709 New Prince of Tennis vol.4
*5, *3,263 *3,263 Hakuouki Reimeiroku vol.2 Limited Edition
*6, *2,674 *2,674 Tales of Symphonia The Animation: Sekai Tougou-hen vol.3 Limited Edition
*7, *1,958 *1,958 Dog Days' vol.2 Limited Edition
*8, *1,927 *1,927 Bleach Shingami Daiko Shoshitsu Hen vol.3
*9, *1,801 *1,801 Marmalade Boy DVD Box
10, *1,715 *1,715 Arcana Famiglia vol.2 Limited Edition
11, *1,564 *1,564 Momo e no Tegami
12, *1,419 *1,419 Accel World vol.4 Limited Edition
13, *1,247 *1,247 Tsuritama vol.5 Limited Edition
14, *1,202 *1,202 Guilty Crown vol.10 Limited Edition
15, *1,081 *1,081 One Piece Jidaigeki Special
16, *1,070 *1,070 Aquarion Evol vol.7
17, *1,021 *1,021 Hiiro no Kakera vol.5
18, *1,018 *1,018 Hyouka vol.5 Limited Edition
19, **,982 **,982 Haiyore! Nyaruko-san vol.5 Limited Edition
20, **,930 **,930 Queen's Blade: Rebellion vol.5
21, **,902 **,902 Shirokuma Cafe vol.4
22, **,862 **,862 Smile Precure! vol.5
23, **,811 **,811 Toriko & One Piece Collaboration
24, **,808 **,808 Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse vol.2 Limited Edition
25, **,768 **,768 Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi. vol.2 Limited Edition
26, **,706 **,706 Joshiraku vol.2 Limited Edition

Single CD
*1, 54,559 54,559 Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse "Go to the top"
*4, 38,071 38,071 Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 2: Eien no Monogatari "Hikari Furu"
*6, 13,171 13,171 Macross FB7: Ginga Rukon - Ore no Uta wo Kike! "Nyan Nyan Fire!! ~Totsugeki Planet Exposion" "Virgin Story"
*7, 11,832 11,832 Zetsuen no Tempest "happy endings"
*8, 11,306 11,306 Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! "Sparkling Daydream"
10, *9,730 61,634 Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari "Luminous"
11, *9,103 *9,103 Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne "Self Producer"
21, *4,660 *4,660 K "Kings"
22, *4,475 *4,475 To LOVE-Ru Darkness "Rakuen Project"
25, *4,008 *4,008 Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb "Open☆Canvas"
27, *3,518 *3,518 Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder "Parade!"
31, *2,523 11,851 Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun "Q&A Recital"
34, *2,293 *2,293 Chou-Jigen Game Neptune V "Shinjigen! Fotune Matarial"
35, *2,177 *2,177 Medaka Box Abnormal "Believe"
41, *1,905 *1,905 Girls und Panzer "Dream Riser"
43, *1,784 *1,784 Inazuma Eleven Go 2: Chrono Stone "Te wo Tsunago"

Source: Oricon Youtaiju

20 of 150 Comments Recent Comments

I don't get why SAO is so popular, don't get me wrong it isn't a bad show by any means but it is THAT amazing. Guess my taste must just be wierd :P

Nov 5, 2012 12:12 PM by edl01

^ Sorry I missed that. Should have spent more time reading the chart instead of reading only the bottom section.

I also managed to find it in the list of released titles in Amazon Stalker. It is buried in the huge amount of titles released on Oct 26. The final points reached is 2796 pts so it is not too far from the final number (though still quite a bit of overestimate).

Nov 1, 2012 10:37 PM by symbv

Thanks for sharing the data!

I notice that Smile Precure BD Box does not show up, even though it was released in the past week (Oct 26). It does not even show up in the list of released titles in Amazon Stalker http://www27392u.sakura.ne.jp/no_update_index.cgi where other Oct 26 releases show up...

I went to check 2ch about the mysterious rise of Chuunibyou titles more than one day after its first broadcast (which reach all the major cities in Japan) --- a lot of discussion but no one really had a convincing answer. So it remains a mystery.

Nov 1, 2012 10:29 PM by symbv

jmal said:

Yeah but unfortunately, it's only because of an event ticket announcement. =/ Jumped 54 spots in one hour after that was revealed. I wish it could rank 50th or better just on its own merits, because this probably won't amount to much.

Well, this is almost the only way to get your top 3 shows to be the top 3 bestselling in the season, right? :-) So guess we should not complain much :-) Besides, as past experience show, it is still entirely possible event ticket does not move the ranking this much (look at Total Eclipse vol.2), so I guess such positive reaction of fans is still commendable, as we all know nowadays people often buy BDs for reason outside the inherent merits of the anime itself - the extras, the commentary, drama/music CD, event ticket all count. At the end what sells wins ;-)

Hidamari not likely to be in top 3 when all dust settles, but it is good to see it bask in the glory of the moment, even though it may be a short one.

Nov 1, 2012 8:11 PM by symbv

jmal said:

On a completely unrelated note, this is absolutely beautiful:
*18位/*19位 (**2,949 pt) 中二病でも恋がしたい! (1) [Blu-ray]
*28位/*29位 (**2,255 pt) 中二病でも恋がしたい! (2) [Blu-ray]
*29位/*28位 (**1,977 pt) ガールズ&パンツァー (初回限定生産) 1 [Blu-ray]
*34位/*41位 (**2,005 pt) 中二病でも恋がしたい! (3) [Blu-ray]
*36位/*43位 (**1,940 pt) 中二病でも恋がしたい! (4) [Blu-ray]
*38位/*45位 (**1,919 pt) 中二病でも恋がしたい! (6) [Blu-ray]
*39位/*47位 (**1,931 pt) 中二病でも恋がしたい! (5) [Blu-ray]
*54位/*54位 (**1,319 pt) ガールズ & パンツァー 2 (初回限定版) [Blu-ray]
*61位/*61位 (**1,260 pt) ガールズ&パンツァー (初回限定生産) 3 [Blu-ray]
*65位/*67位 (**1,233 pt) ガールズ&パンツァー (初回限定生産) 4 [Blu-ray]
*76位/*75位 (**1,133 pt) ガールズ&パンツァー (初回限定生産) 6 [Blu-ray]
*78位/*76位 (**1,129 pt) ガールズ&パンツァー (初回限定生産) 5 [Blu-ray]

If only Hidamari were doing the same thing, my top 3 shows would all be dominating right now.

Jmal, your wish has been granted !!!

I've just checked Amazon, the current top ranking titles of this season are

16 Chuunibyou vol.7
19 Chuunibyou vol.1
32 Girls und Panzer vol.1
45 Hidamari Sketch x Honeycom vol.1

CONGRATULATIONS !!!

Nov 1, 2012 7:57 PM by symbv

Wow... SAO was gobbeled up like candy. nearly 30k sales in the first week, it's a cultural hit

Nov 1, 2012 7:33 PM by GodlyKyon

^ The strange thing is that a "god-tier" episode usually shows its effect almost immediately. The BD ranking for Madoka and SAO rose rapidly up in Amazon once ep.3 and ep.10 was aired respectively. The rise took place over the whole night and it was impossible to miss. However this is not what we see in Chuunibyou, granted the "god-tier" effect of this ep.5 is not on the same level as Madoka ep.3 or SAO ep.10 but still....

Nov 1, 2012 11:34 AM by symbv

jmal said:
I was going up and down on SAO in a wild love-hate rollercoaster, but the premise and foundation was really interesting and I was willing to waive away a lot of the things I didn't like because I saw so much potential. Episodes 11 and 13 especially made me think "Wow, I think this show has finally addressed my biggest criticisms. We're on the right path!". I put it on my October order and knew I had a few weeks to cancel before Amazon shipped it out.
Then episode 14 hurt that enthusiasm a lot, and episode 15 (or rather, a specific character) just murdered it.

Seems I am the direct opposite of you - instead of love-hate rollercoaster, once I have my expectation settled regarding the animation, direction and screenplay adaptation quality by ep.3 or so, I have been on a cruising level in terms of love/hate: generally entertaining and worth watching but definitely not something I'd call great or get excited about. And it may have to do with my habit of researching the original work before I start an anime adaptation -- it usually helps me set the mood and expectation, and knew what is on offer and what is not. In SAO's case I never expect to see thrilling fights but I want to see Kirito x Asuna so ep.9-13 are what I patiently waited to see. This approach did not disappoint me and I am happy to have taken the ride. So overall I count myself satisfied and I am enjoying the ALO now, one-dimensional character notwithstanding - it is just that it is not up to import level to me but it is entertaining to watch as it airs.

jmal said:
Some of them are hurt by DVDs not ranking this time. KoiChoco was guaranteed to drop a lot because Vol. 1 had both a event ticket app and was cheaper. NakaImo dropped because Vol. 1 had the naked poster or whatever. LagRin went up a handful of copies, for what it's worth. AGE is just AGE. Kokoroko was in the 2.5-3.0k range people guessed, though on the lower end of it. I thought it might be more like 2.8k at least. So no, not the most impressive bunch.

For anime that is based on VN/ero-game/harem LN the order in terms of sales for vol.1 was KoiChoco > NakaImo > Hagure > BokuH. However if the order of BD sales we currently know stays when we have DVD data, we'll have Hagure > NakaImo > KoiChoco > BokuH (I think BokuH will stay at bottom). My perception is that by the end of the series, NakaImo got the best feedback while BokuH got the worst. KoiChoco might have got better sales if another heroine got the MC but that's just a speculation.

I also noticed it being mentioned in 2ch. What is interesting is that even though the major cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya all got Chuunibyou broadcast on Wed night. The sales rank of Chuunibyou did not move much on Thu. But tonight (Thu night) Animax, a cable station, aired the show and suddenly the whole series jumped up in ranks. I wonder why this should be so... Are there more potential Amazon buyers among Animax watchers than the network channel watchers? A bit puzzling...

Nov 1, 2012 11:21 AM by symbv

I knew the DVDs were'n included, but it would still not reach 50% of Vol. 1 I think. I only looked up the Vol. 1 sales though, guess it's no surprise considering the sales of the other volumes.

Nov 1, 2012 11:09 AM by Alcoholicide

Higashi_no_Kaze said:
Well, not too bad for Kokoro Connect I guess.

But 1,8k for Natsuiro Kiseki doesn't look too good, not even half of what Vol. 1 sold in its first week :/
I hope it's because this week was big and Vol. 1 was a limited edition.

Remember that the first volume included DVD whereas subsequent volumes only included blu-ray.

Nov 1, 2012 10:59 AM by kuuderes_shadow

Well, not too bad for Kokoro Connect I guess.

But 1,8k for Natsuiro Kiseki doesn't look too good, not even half of what Vol. 1 sold in its first week :/
I hope it's because this week was big and Vol. 1 was a limited edition.

Nov 1, 2012 10:39 AM by Alcoholicide

jmal said:

I considered it only because I import a lot of shows. If I imported just 1-2 titles it never would have been under consideration, but I imported 6 from Summer, so it didn't need to be one of my tip top shows.

But there is not a minimum number of titles you need to import I guess? If it is not up to par (as it's shown at the beginning in my opinion) you can just take it off the list... I guess something in SAO caused you to consider it to be import-worthy at least up to near end of 1st cour?

jmal said:

Weekly sales - Title Vol. # [format ranked]
2,588 - Kokoro Connect Vol. 1 [BD]
2,161 - Hagure Yuusha no Aesthetica Vol. 2 [1557 BD + 604 DVD]
1,895 - Rinne no Lagrange season 2 Vol. 2 [BD]
1,856 - Natsu-iro Kiseki Vol. 4 [BD]
1,615 - Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! Vol. 2 [BD]
1,455 - Kidou Senshi Gundam AGE Vol. 9 [BD]
1,437 - Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate Vol. 2 [BD]

Thanks for sharing the data. This is relatively quick it seems as 2ch do not always post these late week data.... All are doing a bit less than what low expectation we already have it seems?

Nov 1, 2012 10:36 AM by symbv

rederoin said:

Hikarusuke said:
SAO domination. I love seeing the haters mad because they can't give a valid reason why they hate SAO.

I dislike it because of the characters and the horrid romance, how is that not a valid reason?

I not saying people can't hate it. I like the anime myself though I prefer the novels but people act like it's Guilty Crown all over again its not that bad.

Nov 1, 2012 9:52 AM by Hikarusuke

Well looks like SAO hit the 34k stalker was predicting. Granted it was 34k for just the BDs, but w/e.

I hope Hyouka gets an extra 1-2k next week since this week was pretty packed. It's been pretty consistent the past 4 volumes so it'd be a shame to see it stop now.

Also great to see Chuunibyou's single up there. It's a great song. The OP itself was pretty seizure inducing though lol. Glad they changed it last ep.

Nov 1, 2012 9:08 AM by Yvese

IcecreamManwich said:

Nidhoeggr said:

It's like the Japanese are programmed to automatically buy the anime that panders to otakus the most - regardless of quality.

As I said earlier, those works are LN adaptation and to sell that amount you need far more than the otaku. You need people like the LN fans who are not otaku, most likely not even regular anime watchers at all, to buy the BDs.

Nov 1, 2012 8:23 AM by symbv

^ I actually love the romance most....

jmal said:
Wouldn't yet classify myself as a hater of SAO (just a few weeks ago I was about to import it) but my opinion of it has soured quite a lot, and it's not terribly hard to explain my reasons why: overpowered protagonist, sidelining of all the other interesting characters, deeply inconsistent writing quality, intolerable second cour antagonist, numerous scenes that cared more about "being cool" than making sense visually, and so on.

You actually thought about importing it? The average animation quality and economical direction effort with questionable adaptation decision quickly convinced me it is not one of my top titles in the season, and by ep.3-4 I knew that it was not going any better and is not something for my collection. That said, I am a big fan of Kirito x Asuna pairing and their story is some of the highlights in the story, anime or novel - for that I have my doujin to fall back on :-)

Hikarusuke said:

SAO domination. I love seeing the haters mad because they can't give a valid reason why they hate SAO.

There are many criticisms against SAO and while a lot are valid, much of the hatred I see here or in other places is quite misplaced and misguided (I am just back from a debate session where some claimed SAO is one of the most "sexist" anime in another corner of MAL) -- I do not consider myself a big fan of SAO at all but I still cannot help joining the debate seeing how insensible some of the complaints are.

Nov 1, 2012 8:18 AM by symbv

Hikarusuke said:
SAO domination. I love seeing the haters mad because they can't give a valid reason why they hate SAO.

I dislike it because of the characters and the horrid romance, how is that not a valid reason?

Nov 1, 2012 7:42 AM by rederoin

Nidhoeggr said:

dtshyk said:
Temporal Blu-ray + DVD Rankings for Summer 2012 (the first volumes)
*1, 34,170 Sword Art Online
*2, 22,254 Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon II
*6, *7,274 Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse

It's like the Japanese are programmed to automatically buy the anime that panders to otakus the most - regardless of quality.

Nov 1, 2012 7:30 AM by who_dat_ninja

SAO domination. I love seeing the haters mad because they can't give a valid reason why they hate SAO.

Nov 1, 2012 7:03 AM by Hikarusuke

jmal said:
Oricon is the best source we have, but it has some limitations:
1. It does not count sales of rental shop copies.
2. It is not good for tracking sales of low-selling shows, because they don't make the rankings, or only make it once.
3. It's not great at tracking the long tail of sales, because if you sell 100 units a week for 10 weeks, you probably won't ever rank, and that means we miss out on 1,000 sales.

Occasionally, distributors will publicly announce how many units of something they've sold or shipped. Unsurprisingly, they only tend to do this with major hits, because it's good PR.

There can be a huge difference between what the distributor reports (which is the more accurate number) and what Oricon reports. You can see a comparison of distributor claims vs Oricon reporting for a number of titles, right here.

Just find the latest example of the discrepancy between Oricon numbers and numbers reported by the distributor.

In the quarterly report by TBS television (which is the major producer of K-On) http://ke.kabupro.jp/tsp/20121101/140120121025024183.pdf , it reports the contribution of K-On movie to its revenue and profit. It says it sells 226k BD/DVD copies, not counting 45k copies distributed for rental. In Oricon, the final figure, combining the limited edition and standard edition, the figure is 164k not counting rental copies. The discrepancy is not as big as Noitamina and many other anime, but it is clear that the underestimation of Oricon for the actual sales can still be substantial.

Nov 1, 2012 1:48 AM by symbv

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