Chainsaw Man recently released its first Blu-ray in Japan, and its sales are a terrible sign for season 2. Chainsaw Man’s anime had been massively hyped up even before it was officially announced, and when it finally premiered, it quickly became a big hit for its stellar story, amazing animation from Studio MAPPA, and for how effortlessly the anime was able to invoke a cinematic feeling to tie into the series’ influence from Western cinema. The anime was easily one of the biggest hits of the fall 2022 season, if not 2022 as a whole, and when it ended, people were quick to wonder when season 2 would air.
With how much of a success Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man has been, it would be easy enough for season 2 to be all but assured, but it might not be that easy according to Japanese sales data (tweeted out by Chainsaw Man fan @SxFisthebest). The first Blu-ray for Chainsaw Man season 1 was recently released, and its sales are surprisingly low for how big of a hit it was supposed to be. Because of that, there’s a surprisingly big possibility that Chainsaw Man might not get renewed for a second season.
Chainsaw Man’s Blu-Ray & DVD Sales Are Lower Than Other Anime
In the first week of Chainsaw Man’s first Blu-ray and DVD release, it only managed to sell a total of 1,735 discs, and that’s especially low when compared to other anime. Lycoris Recoil and Bocchi the Rock! sold over 23,000 and 21,000 copies respectively, and regarding other Shonen Jump anime, Spy X Family sold 9,169 copies, and 2019's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Jujutsu Kaisen both sold over 28,000 and 26,000 copies, respectively (via Reddit). All of this makes it clear that despite its positive reception, Chainsaw Man’s commercial sales managed to fall incredibly flat.
Chainsaw Man’s poor sales, of course, are a bad sign for its chances of getting renewed for a second season. While Blu-ray and DVD sales aren’t the ultimate deciding factor in an anime’s longevity, they still play a big part in it, so Chainsaw Man having such small sales, especially compared to other anime, might keep it from getting renewed. Nothing has been said about a possible season 2 yet, but as of now, the chances of it happening aren’t great.
Why Were Chainsaw Man’s Blu-Ray & DVD Sales So Bad?
Studio MAPPA's Chainsaw Man’s sales being so low are definitely a problem, but that begs the question of why they were so low, to begin with. While the art and animation were both great, at the same time, the color palette often felt rather muted, and the animation, in addition to often employing obvious CGI, didn’t always capture the fast-paced, bombastic action that the manga was known for. Those factors could easily make someone feel that the anime wasn’t living up to all the hype it was receiving, so they could have played a part in keeping people from buying Blu-rays and DVDs, especially with all the heavy competition of its season.
Another issue, oddly enough, could have been the cinematic approach taken with the anime. The director of the Chainsaw Man anime said they avoided making Chainsaw Man too anime-like because of the series’ Western influences (via My Anime List), and that could have been a double-edged sword of sorts. While Chainsaw Man’s Western film influence gave it a highly unique feel, for diehard anime fans, the lack of anime-esque elements could feel offputting since it wouldn’t conform to what they’re looking for, thus killing any incentive to buy the physical media. That would be a terrible reason for Chainsaw Man’s sales to flounder, but unfortunately, it does appear like that could be the case.
Source: @SxFisthebest, My Anime List
