Earlier this month, I went to my local Best Buy and saw Kaze no Stigma vol. 1 on the store shelf. It was a simple clamp shell with 2 discs containing 12 volumes, or half the series. But the sticker price was a shocking $47.99. ouch. Granted, the volume has both dubbed and subbed tracks. And MSRP was $60, meaning that Funimation is pricing the show at $5 an episode.
Given the rough economic times we’re facing, consumers will hesitate to put down $48 for half a series. The fact of the matter is that $48 is a lot of money for half a show. I’m sure consumers may feel better if the package wasn’t so no-frills. Two discs in a clamp shell just won’t get anime fans to open their wallets and buy the series ASAP.
Instead, consumers at your local Best Buy and other retailers will check out True Blood Season One, or a Mad Men Season 2, or other shows that will cost $40 or less, and spend the remaining $$$ on a pizza pie to wolf down while watching their purchases at home w/ friends and family.
I believe pricing Kaze no Stigma Season 1 Part 1 at $60 MSRP is a rare misstep by FUNimation, and retailers will be stuck w/ piles of unsold copies.
