sales Blu-ray and DVD in Japan have revealed a surprise for fans of the anime "Solo Levelingdata Oricon shows surprisingly low sales for the first Blu-ray and DVD volume of the series.
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According to data from the Oricon website, from March 25 to 31, 2024, the anime "Girls Und Panzer Final Chapter Part 4" topped the list with 32,614 copies sold. In second place was "Gushing over Magical Girls Vol. 1" with 8,114 copies, followed by "Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror [Limited Edition] Vol. 7" with 3,380 copies.
On the other hand, “Solo Leveling” failed to achieve a prominent sales position, and no concrete numbers were even published. The lowest-ranked Blu-ray/DVD volume, “Mashle: Divine Visionary Selection Exam Arc Vol. 1”, indicated that “Solo Leveling Vol. 1” (released on March 27) likely sold fewer than 634 units in its first week. The low sales of “Solo Leveling” added to those of other popular anime, such as “Undead Unluck” and “Shangri-La Frontier”.
Fans generally consider Blu-ray/DVD as a sign of whether an anime will receive future seasons; both "Shangri-La Frontier" and "Solo Leveling" have already announced second seasons. "Undead Unluck" has also confirmed that it will make a major announcement on August 1, 2024, and many suspect it will be a continuation.
While it's unclear why "Solo Leveling" wasn't as successful in Japan, comments from Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini suggest that this was always a possibility. In an interview with The Verge, he highlighted that "sometimes certain stories may not be something that our partners can create and produce primarily for the Japanese audience." He then cited this franchise as a series worth investing in given its broader audience.
Internationally, “Solo Leveling” was far more successful. On MyAnimeList, the world's largest anime database, which also has 95% of its users outside of Japan, “Solo Leveling” was among the highest-rated series of the season. Furthermore, it had a surprisingly low dropout rate among viewers who had started the series. The low sales of “Solo Leveling” in Japan may be disconcerting to some, but they demonstrate that the success of an anime can vary significantly depending on the region and target audience.
Source: Oricon News