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Chainsaw Man Blu-ray’s Abysmal Second-Week Sales Lead to More Director Controversy


Chainsaw Man Blu-ray’s Abysmal Second-Week Sales Lead to More Director Controversy Denji

After incredibly low first-week sales, things continue to look grim for the Chainsaw Man anime. Now, it’s reported that the Chainsaw Man Blu-ray has only sold a bit over 300 units in its second week, thus leading to more controversy regarding its director.

Chainsaw Man was one of the biggest hits of 2022 when it came to discussions and streaming numbers online. Particularly, many fans outside Japan loved the adaptation, though some are more critical of the animation.

But it seems that the Japanese reception of the show is the reverse, that is if the Blu-ray sales are to be looked at.

Chainsaw Man Low Blu-ray Sales

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During its first week on sale, the Chainsaw Man Volume 1 Blu-ray only sold 1,735 copies. This is an incredibly low amount compared to not only other 2022 anime hits but also other shonen anime.

For reference, other shonen anime like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen had first-volume Blu-ray sales in the five figures.

Even if Chainsaw Man is a bit more of a niche anime than those, the sales do not match the show’s promotion.

Meanwhile, the second-week sales are even lower at just 325 copies. While some believe that the MAPPA store sales are not counted, many still think this is an abysmally low number for such a highly anticipated show.

Because of this, many fans of the show, especially in the west, have started talking about the controversy over the show’s director among Japanese fans.

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Chainsaw Man Anime Director Controversy

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In a previous interview, Chainsaw Man director Ryu Nakayama explained that he wanted to make an anime with a more realistic style compared to other shows.

It seems that fans in Japan interpreted this as criticism towards other anime and the fans themselves.

Because of this, a lot of hate has been directed towards Nakayama, enough that he had to limit replies to his Twitter account.

The director’s comments, coupled with the polarizing style of the series points to the anime being unpopular with many Japanese fans.

Most of these are based on western fans’ discussions though, as the language barrier between the two fanbases makes knowing the sentiment of Japanese viewers more difficult.

Whatever the case may be, some fans are now fearing for the show’s future given the low Blu-ray sales.

After all, it is believed that Blu-ray sales are a big factor for an anime series to be renewed for a second season.

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