2021 has been a peculiar year for the anime world and this is especially true at the level of sales of the DVD and Blu-Ray formats, which are headed by ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2’ and ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie : Mugen Ressha-hen ‘.
The two projects couldn’t be more different and yet so far this mid-year they are the best sellers, ranking the ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba’ movie in first place and the second season of the horse girls in third.
Perhaps the most curious thing is that before the demon hunters entered the game, the first volume of ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2’ was the best seller with 175,222 copies distributed until March 2021.
It is June 16 that things change, since this day the home version of ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Ressha-hen’ was released with 743,968 sales of its regular and limited Blu-Ray version.
What’s behind the numbers
While no one can deny the popularity of ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2’ this year, between the projects there is an abysmal difference in sales and this is due to two factors.
The first is that when it comes to sales, 2021 has been one of the most peculiar years in the industry, with companies doing double or even triple the usual, while others barely manage to sustain themselves.
Between the coronavirus and the state of emergency in Japan, the numbers of ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2’ are very good, but not enough to overcome the phenomenon of ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba’.
This phenomenon is precisely the point number two and it is that the series that accompanied all of Japan during the beginning of the quarantine became a piece of pop culture.
His film coincided with the reopening of theaters, which sent those who enjoyed anime and manga months ago to the nearest theaters, far exceeding the income of ‘Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’.
Proving that the third place of ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2’ is not only a feat, but also tells us not to underestimate the scope that anime has.
What do you think of ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie Mugen Ressha-hen’ and ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 2’ taking the first and third place of the best-selling Blu-Rays? Tell us in the comments.