On Tuesday, the Japan Video Software Association announced its survey results on Japanese video software sales for the first half of 2009. The overall market, which includes DVDs, Blu-ray Discs (BDs), UMDs, and video cassettes, amounted to 127.731 billion yen (about US$1.381 billion). That is 90.3% of the sales in the same period last year — a drop of almost a full tenth in sales. Despite its declining sales, the DVD format is still the overwhelming bellwether with 93.1% of the video software market.
The sales of Japanese animation DVDs for general audiences was 22.447 billion yen (US$242.6 million), or 91.2% of the sales in the same period last year. This is the latest annual drop in the segment; sales in the first half of 2008 had been 88.1% of the sales in the first half of 2007. Still, anime continues to be the largest segment of overall DVD sales, with 30.4% of the yen spent and 24.1% of the raw number of releases sold. However, less anime DVDs were rented — 88.1% of last year's total.
Now that last year's Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD format war is a fading memory, BD sales jumped 386.8% to 8.443 billion yen (US$91.2 million). 1,744,105 copies were sold — an increase of 312%. BDs now represent 6.6% of the overall video software market by yen spent, and 4.5% by copies sold. Anime dominated BD sales with a 56.6% share; last year, it was only 20.9% of the market. However, only 32.7% of the BDs rented were anime.
-Led to believe that in the process of remodeling the estate the landlady removed their rooms, the boys are in a panic. Sunako is given no choice but to get a job if she wants to keep living in her tiny apartment, but her choice is questionable. It's in the red light district at a hostess bar! And the boys freak - if the landlady finds out they'll never be able to go back. -Takenaga moves back in with his family, a very prominent one who disapproves of his lifestyle and company and prefer he simply stay on the path of inheriting the family business. Will the boys be able to get him to come back? What about poor Noi? -It looks like Sunako has finally recovered from the incident that pushed her into complete seclusion. Now Noi thinks she needs to move on and fall in love with Kyohei, like she should have ages ago! But trying to get that girl involved in romance is like trying to teach a duck to climb a tree - pretty impossible.
Hime-chan no Ribon Colorful shōjo manga launches on Thursday
Shiho Komiyuno, the artist who adapted the Demashita! PowerPuff Girls Z anime into manga, has launched a remake of Megumi Mizusawa's classic Hime-chan's Ribbon (Hime-chan no Ribon) manga in the October issue of Shueisha's Ribon magazine on Thursday. In the original 1990-1994 manga, Princess Erika of the parallel-world Magic Kingdom gives a human tomboy named Himeko a magical ribbon that can transform her into any person she sees. Komiyuno's Hime-chan no Ribon Colorful remake takes the characters and background story and brings them into the 21st century.
Toei Animation adapted the original manga into a popular 61-episode television anime series from 1992 to 1993.
The North American manga publisher Tokyopop has confirmed that the Japanese publisher Kodansha has decided to let their manga licensing contracts expire. That means Tokyopop will not be allowed to complete any ongoing manga series from Kodansha or reprint its back catalog of Kodansha titles once the existing stock runs out. According to Tokyopop, the company does not know Kodansha's reasons for the decision. Among other titles, Tokyopop has licensed Chobits, Love Hina, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Rave Master, Initial D, Kindaichi Case Files, Life, GetBackers, and Love Attack from Kodansha.
Source: MangaBlog
Update: Tokyopop's Germany office had acknowledged in January that Kodansha let their manga licenses in Germany expire. Just like Tokyopop's American office, Tokyopop Germany said that Kodansha had not given a reason for the decision. Another North American manga licensee of Kodansha manga, Dark Horse Comics, is no longer listing Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell in its catalog as of this year.
Update 2: In June, the North American publisher Del Rey announced that it acquired the newer volumes of Samurai Deeper Kyo. Tokyopop had published the first 34 volumes, and Del Rey will publish an omnibus book that will combine volumes 35 and 36 in December. Dark Horse confirmed at Comic-Con International last month that it is publishing omnibus versions of Clover, Chobits, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Cardcaptor Sakura — all Kodansha titles by CLAMP that Tokyopop once licensed.
Update 3: ICv2 has confirmed that Random House is distributing the Akira and Ghost in the Shell manga on behalf of Kodansha in North America; the two titles have already appeared on the pre-order lists from the online retailer Amazon and the August issue of Previews magazine. The About.com:Manga website has posted the lists of Tokyopop's incomplete Kodansha titles, Kodansha titles that have been relicensed, and completed Kodansha titles that are out-of-print for now. Tokoypop emphasized to ICv2 and AnimeVice that it minimized the effects of Kodansha's decision a few years ago by diversifying the sources for its content. The publisher added that the decision "wasn't completely unexpected" and "has little bearing on Tokyopop's current or future stability." Thank you to Aaron Deslauriers for the Previews news tip.
