Why are DVDs in Japan SO SUPER EXPENSIVE?

[Mahoujin Tsukai]

I checked the price of anime DVDs in Japan and discovered that they are SO EXPENSIVE. (Not just anime DVDs but all DVDs in general). An anime DVD boxset can cost 38,000 yen! (some go even higher).

And even the anime DVDs at second hand stores aren't cheap.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

That's just the way it is, I'm afraid. Why, I don't know, but new CD's are about 3000 yen, so it's not just DVDs where this is an issue.

 

[NANGI]

Konnichiwa Mahoujin-san!

It is a very simple reason. In Japan, the cost of 30 minutes Anime is about fifteen million yen. Of course there are some big sponsors for a famous TV Anime, Naruto, Pokemon, Dragon ball and etc. But most of minor TV Anime and Original Video Anime(OVA) have not big sponsor. And minor TV Anime and OVA is selled very expensive price to collect debts. But you need not worry, because Japanese Otaku pay out big money for Anime.


窶愿ｺ窶怒窶堙姑但ﾆ男ﾆ陳≫?堙債、30窶｢ﾂｪ窶堙娯?敕披?枠ﾋ?ｪ窶怒窶堙個催ｬﾂ青ｬ窶堙?500窶毒凪?ｰ~窶堙吮?堙??堙娯?敕ｯ窶廃窶堋ｪ窶堋ｩ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。窶猫窶督ｼﾂ催ｬ窶｢i窶堙坂?佚･ﾅｽﾃｨﾆ湛ﾆ竹ﾆ停?愴探ﾂー窶堋ｪ窶堙や?堋ｭ窶堙娯?堙?、ﾂ青ｧﾂ催ｬ窶敕ｯ窶堙哉湛ﾆ竹ﾆ停?愴探ﾂー窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧﾂ出窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。窶堋ｵ窶堋ｩ窶堋ｵﾂ深窶禿ｩﾋ徃窶堙姑但ﾆ男ﾆ陳≫?堙｢ﾆ棚ﾆ椎?ﾆ淡ﾆ段ﾆ停?ｹﾆ池ﾆ断ﾆ棚ﾆ但ﾆ男ﾆ陳≫?堙債、ﾆ湛ﾆ竹ﾆ停?愴探ﾂー窶堙遺?堋ｵ窶堙?青ｻﾂ催ｬ窶ｰﾃｯﾅｽﾃ絶?堋ｾ窶堋ｯ窶堙?催ｬ窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。窶懌?凪?漏窶堋ｻ窶堙姑坦ﾆ湛ﾆ暖窶堙ｰ窶ｰﾃｱﾅｽﾃｻ窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩ窶堋ｽ窶堙淞、DVD窶堙債坂?壺?堋｢窶冤窶冓窶堙??敕娯?昶?樞?堋ｳ窶堙ｪ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。窶堙?窶堋ｿ窶堙ｫ窶堙ｱ窶愿ｺ窶怒窶堙姑棚ﾆ耽ﾆ誰窶堋ｪﾂ坂?壺?堋｢窶冤窶冓窶堙??堙?DVD窶堙ｰﾂ購窶愿ｼ窶堋ｵ窶堙??堋ｭ窶堙ｪ窶堙ｩ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙ｰ窶冦窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶堋ｱ窶堋ｻﾂ、ﾂ青ｻﾂ催ｬ窶ｰﾃｯﾅｽﾃ絶?堙?ﾆ湛ﾆ竹ﾆ停?愴探ﾂー窶堙遺?堋ｵ窶堙?但ﾆ男ﾆ陳≫?堙ｰﾂ催ｬ窶堙ｩ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堋ｪ窶堙??堋ｫ窶堙ｩ窶堙娯?堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｪﾂ。

窶堋?窶堙ｩﾋ?凪?督｡ﾂ、窶愿ｺ窶怒窶堙俄?堋ｨ窶堋｢窶堙?絶?昶?伉ｽ窶堋ｭ窶堙姑但ﾆ男ﾆ陳?催ｬ窶｢i窶堋ｪﾂ催ｬ窶堙ｧ窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堙娯?堙債、ﾆ棚ﾆ耽ﾆ誰窶堋ｪDVD窶堙｢ﾅ?ﾃ麺廣ﾆ丹ﾆ鍛ﾆ炭窶堙ｰﾂ坂?壺?堋｢窶冤窶冓窶堙??堙?ﾂ購窶愿ｼ窶堋ｵ窶堙??堋ｭ窶堙ｪ窶堙ｩ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶堙??堋ｷﾂ。

窶愿ｬ窶禿

 

[Mahoujin Tsukai]

OK, thank you for the replies.

 

[Illusional]

it's the same reason why the US charged about 6 bucks for a pack of cigs verses japan's 300 yen. they have different taxes.

raverboy

 

[Hezam]

OMG OMG !!
I cant belive it !
The Anime here is very cheap,I buy 1 DVD contains 7 episodes of Anime for $3 ( 3 US Dollars ) ^^
I bought many many anime as a crzy anime ^^

 

[Incognito69]

WOW! What kind of anime did you buy, Hezam? Mine are all around $US30. About 10 fold of yours...geez....

 

[Hezam]

I have about 30 anime or more.
some of them contains 100 episodes or so,Like Rurouni Kenshin and One Piece 387 eposides !!

I have many many anime...love them ^^

 

[Incognito69]

WOW! 30 animes? And they all cost $3? Where can I get them? I can't find any cheap animes T_T

 

[tho_den3010]

How expensive! I guess because they're original DVDs. My Chinese friends tell me, in their country they buy RIPPINGS just a bout 1 USD/DVD.

 

[Hezam]

I buy the anime from this website :
http://www.animedown.tv/index.php#
it's Arabic and it's the biggest Arabic website for anime..
All anime there is Arabic subbed.

 

[Haruspex]

1, is it official?
2, what region are the dvds?

If it is unofficial and/or the region is: 0, the answer is easy, they are bootlegs.
Even if the region code is not 0, I suspect something fishy, as it is just too cheap. Way too cheap.

 

[Hezam]

Yes,it's official.
I dont know the region but the DVDs are original...
They are famous is Saudi Arabia and all Arabic countries.
When you buy any DVD they transfare it to you wherever you are.

By the way,everything is cheap in saudi arabia and people are rich.

 

[Haruspex]

The problem is that in order to be allowed to release another's intellectual property, they need to pay for that right. The studios I am sure are willing to negotiate, but that price difference is just simply astonishing.

 

[Hezam]

That's strange !
I saw many english websites selling Subbed anime !
Maybe they should pay alot of money to get the license ?

 

[Haruspex]

Subbed anime is a disgrace of the dvd market. 11 out of 10 times, subbed anime without a translated audio track will be profit made using the time and effort the fansubs put into subtitling the anime. In other words, people burning it to dvd and selling it on as official, when it is not.

 

[danarch]

Subbed anime is a disgrace of the dvd market. 11 out of 10 times, subbed anime without a translated audio track will be profit made using the time and effort the fansubs put into subtitling the anime. In other words, people burning it to dvd and selling it on as official, when it is not.

Well, I hope you mean the bootleg stuff (which I absolutely despise) and not the official releases by companies like Funimation and the like. I would actually prefer if they would sell versions of the DVDs without the English audio tracks just so I wouldn't have to worry about disabling them everytime I watched a DVD; also because I wouldn't have to wait for some anime (e.g. Eva 1.0) to be released because they have to record the audio tracks which take a lot more time than the subtitling. But, I simply prefer subtitled anything (movies, anime, etc.).

 

[Hezam]

I prefer the subbed anime - Movies because it's better with the original audio.
I watched some english and arabic records and they were very bad and stuped,Anime should subbed only,No records to any languages.....

 

[8werner8]

I checked the price of anime DVDs in Japan and discovered that they are SO EXPENSIVE. (Not just anime DVDs but all DVDs in general). An anime DVD boxset can cost 38,000 yen! (some go even higher).
And even the anime DVDs at second hand stores aren't cheap.

Everything is super-expensive in Japan - or at least it feels so. I guess that's more of an exchange rate issue.