Ask John: Is Anime Getting More Expensive?

Question:
Is it just me, or is anime getting more expensive?

Answer:
I think, if anything, it’s actually getting cheaper. For the most part, though, I think the cost of the domestic anime scene is generally holding steady.

Anime is definitely getting cheaper in Japan, although we’re talking about a very big “relatively.” A decade ago it was common for anime films on VHS to retail for the equivalent of $150 American in Japanese stores. Now, films like the second Card Captor Sakura movie and Ah! My Goddess movie do still retail for roughly $80 on VHS, but at the same time it’s now possible to buy Studio Ghibli films in Japan that used to retail for 14,800 yen for only 4,700 yen. American fans may be shocked at paying $50 for a 30 minute long OAV at Japanese retail price, but that’s still cheaper than anime used to retail for in Japan.

In America, anime has always been expensive relative to more mainstream home video for several reasons. Domestic anime releases have to cover the costs of licensing a show from the expensive Japanese market. Then these domestic releases also have to make up for the difference in profit accounted for by relatively small sales. A major Hollywood release will sell millions of copies in America alone. A major, best selling anime release can probably only hope for several hundred thousand sales because of the relatively small size of the anime consumer market in America. Consider that for titles like Jubei-chan and Rurouni Kenshin that make it to the top of the American sales charts, there are titles like Maison Ikkoku that sell less than 600 copies in all of America. A decade ago, when anime first hit the American home video market, the standard price of a subtitled cassette was $34.95 for an hour or less of animation. In today’s market it’s possible to get 2 1/2 hours of animation on DVD for only $29.99 or even less. The costs of DVDs fluctuate wildly because of the nature of the medium. While some 6 episode OAV series are released on a single 180 minute DVD for $29.99, other equally long series are released on three 60 minute DVDs at $29.99 each. A new title may be released on a single 180 minute long DVD for $29.99 while an older title of equal length may be released to DVD for $19.99 or $24.99. This fluctuation may be attributed to several factors: the age and status of the license (an old catalog title doesn’t have to pay for its translation & license any longer because the prior VHS sales have already recouped these expenses), fees charged by the DVD replicating factory employed, the time and effort required to produce the DVD, the financial status of the company releasing the DVD series, and the potential market for the DVD title.

Anime is unquestionably less expensive in America now than it was in 1988 when anime companies began releasing dubbed and subtitled tapes in America. And as the market for anime continues to grow, pure capitalist market economics will slowly decrease the cost of anime in America. For the serious collector, anime may seem to be getting more expensive based on the fact that there are simply more titles and releases to buy now than ever before. And careful comparison of particular releases to others may reveal numerous examples of uneven pricing strategies on domestic releases, but the number of “expensive” releases is offset by the number of “bargain priced” or relatively inexpensive releases also coming to market.

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