VIZ reports strong sales for Inuyusha DVD movie
by Kit

Thursday, October 14 2004

Strong sales of feature film and manga combined with impressive ratings for televised series validates popularity of property in North America.

VIZ, LLC has announced the continued success of its Inuyasha property across a variety of mediums, with proof positive from its Nielsen Bookscan and Videoscan sales numbers.

The release of the feature film, INUYASHA: Affections Touching Across Time on DVD and home video on September 7th has been met with enthusiastic support from fans, press, and retailers alike. The title has sold more than 30,000 units to-date and has occupied the number one spot on Nielsen Videoscan’s Anime Rankings for three consecutive weeks. Over 800,000 DVDs of the INUYASHA series have been sold since March 2003. The success of the feature film carries through the momentum that continues to drive the animated Inuyasha television series, which currently airs on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block of programming. Inuyasha is one of the most popular programs on cable among 12-17 year olds. The popularity of this property has prompted an exclusive partnership between VIZ and Borders Group, Inc. (BGI), the parent company of Borders and Waldenbooks. The exclusive is for a one-of-a-kind version of the INUYASHA: Affections Touching Across Time DVD with a special 3D lenticular cover.

On the literary side, INU-YASHA graphic novels also continue to show strong sales numbers. The recently released Volume 19 of the INU-YASHA manga series has been ranked Number 3 on Nielsen Bookscan’s Graphic Novel Top 50 List for the week ending October 3, and Volume 1 is at Number 18 in its 77th straight week on top, confirming a growing interest among new fans. Also, available exclusively at Waldenbooks and Borders, a Graphic Novel box set, which combines Volume 19 of the manga series and a limited edition Inuyasha figurine.

“The popularity of Inuyasha on multiple sales fronts is gratifying,” states Liza Coppola, vice president of sales and marketing for VIZ. “The availability of the property on DVD, home video and television, combined with a prolific manga series, allow fans to enjoy Inuyasha in a variety of mediums. The well developed characters and plots appeal to both kids and adults and the impressive sales numbers confirm the zeal with which North American audiences have embraced Inuyasha. As the holiday shopping season begins, INU-YASHA manga and anime selections are sure to top many gift lists and I look forward to fans and retailers continuing to help to drive this momentum into 2005.”

--- Kit