In Japan, ∀Gundam, Yamato, Ouran High Go Blu-ray

FUNimation released the series on upscaled Blu-ray back in March 2010, but Japan will its Ouran High School Host Club BR release on August 24th. The 5 disc limited edition set will retail for ¥ 25,000 (around $ 311).

Despite Bandai Entertainment announcing a license, North America hasn't seen a release of ∀Gundam (or Turn A Gundam). So, if you're intrigued by a Gundam that not only features mecha marching onto a landscape of World War I tech, but also the work of franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, in addition to Yoko Kanno music, as well as design design by futurist Syd Mead and Capcom's Akira Yasuda, you may be jealous when you find out that Japan is getting Blu-rays of compilation movies Earth Light and Moon Butterfly on July 22nd. A set with special Akira Yasuda designed sleeves will retail for ¥ 14,700 (around $ 182), while standard editions will sell for ¥ 6,300 (around $ 78) each.

Collection DX notes that Japan will be getting DVD and Blu-ray releases of the live action Space Battleship Yamato on June 24th. Standard Edition DVD and Blu-Ray will be running ¥ 2500 (around $ 31) and ¥ 4800 (around $ 59) and include a trailer, teaser, and TV spot for special features.

Collector Editions of the DVD and Blu-Ray will be running ¥ 8800 (around $ 109) and ¥ 9800 (around $ 121) and inlucde more special features and collector items.

2.2% of Consumers Purchase 81% of Blu-ray in Japan

According to a survey conducted by Japan Video Software Association, very small number of consumers support the DVD and Blu-ray market in Japan. 4.1% of the consumers spent >30,000 yen ($370) on DVD and Blu-ray software in 2010 and their consumption made up 67.4% of the whole disc media sales. Within the Blu-ray market, the tendency gets even stronger: 80.9% of the Blu-rays were purchased by 2.2% heavy users, who spend >30,000 yen on Blu-ray softwares a year. The biased distribution of consumers reflected the fact that anime videos account for 63.2% of the Blu-ray market in Japan.

In 2010, the percentage of DVD & Blu-ray buyers was 21.2%, down 10% from the previous year. However, the average expenditure on DVD & Blu-ray has increased by 30%: $289 in 2010 and $221 in 2009. These data show that the disc software market has been losing general customers and the heavy users have been getting even "heavier".

Source: Anime!Anime!