Aniplex has been reluctant to release Blu-ray of their anime titles. “FLAG” was the only title released in Blu-ray last year. Blu-ray Disc Association Interviewed Aniplex staff about their sales strategy this year.
Aniplex sent out questionnaires to those who purchased Fullmetal Alchemist Box Set Archives and surveyed the demand for Blu-ray releases. Here are the results:
Q1. When a new title is released in DVD and Blu-ray formats, which media do you buy?
Men
Blu-ray 50%
DVD 45%
Both 4%
Women
Blu-ray 29%
DVD 63%
Both 7%
Q2. Do you buy Blu-ray of old titles, which you have already purchased?
Men
Yes 6.9%
Yes, if possible 53%
No 40.1%
Women
Yes 2.7%
Yes, if possible 43.9%
No 53.4%
In conclusion, Aniplex decided to release the Blu-ray of new TV series targeting at male fans simultaneously with the DVD. As for the old titles, they also take a positive action toward the release of Blu-ray, especially ones for men.
They admitted that the high production cost of the Blu-ray is problematic. 1000 yen rise in the price barely cancels out the additional costs. At the end of the interview, they mentioned the possibility of the Blu-ray releases of “Kara no Kyoukai” and “Valkyria Chronicles”.
Edited
BDA erased the part of the article about the blu-ray release of “Kara no Kyoukai” and “Valkyria Chronicles”. They apologized for a misleading expression.
Source: Blu-ray Meister
According to Takayama Katsuhiko, the authoring cost of Blu-ray is four times higher than that of DVD. He said releasing new titles in Blu-ray is highly risky.
Source: Takayama’s list mania
