Are Blu-ray sales that important?
Summary:
- Sales of the BD Volume 1 of the second season of Mushoku Tensei are significantly lower than of the first one.
- The reason is that the show has changed its focus.
- The sales are still high enough for the current production, though.
The first numbers about Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Blu-ray release sales dropped: Volume 1 amassed 2,386 copies in the first week, which doesn't seem like a small number: we talked about Heavenly Delusion selling only 645 copies in the same time frame. But it pales in comparison to the sales of the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Volume 1 first week sales were 4,385, and the drop is pretty noticeable. What could be the reason for that?
Less action, more thoughts
The reviews of the second season of the show have been mixed. The season just finished airing in September, and the ending left some people puzzled. The first season of the show was focused on the proper, organic character growth: our protagonist was reborn as a kid but retained all his knowledge and also gained some magical powers, so he spent all this time learning all the important things about the world he lives in and studied meticulously under the watch of wonderful teachers. The second season has none of that; instead, it makes Rudy, the protagonist, depressed. Which is understandable, because he, a character who is constantly horny (probably the only not-wholesome thing about the whole show), now can't be horny, as the authors gave him erectile dysfunction.
That doesn't mean that it stints on character development — it's just the development comes with a different aftertaste. A touch of despair, if you will. And that part is what makes Mushoku Tensei fresh and interesting: the story incorporates realism, however unflattering it may be, in places where you wouldn't expect it. Depressed Rudy goes through various stages of grief, going through the stages of social improvement and then back to self-destruction on a roller-coaster that is way too relatable for a majority of the viewers.
It's too painful to like
But we don't want to relate with a character in their pain. We want to escape our own in the media. And that may be one of the reasons why this season garnered less love than the previous one. Another could be a slightly lower animation and detail quality — though the show still looks amazing, even by modern standards, and has a distinct retro-ish style. And it also has significantly less action and significantly more dialog, which may also alienate some fans of the first season. But this dialogue is used for good: it helps to establish the side characters, helps us to dive deeper into Rudy's soul and his troubles.
Considering the Blu-ray sales, around 3,000 copies for the first week is considered a decent amount for the modern times when streaming is around. And maybe the series will gain its popularity back sometime after.