Umineko - Merchandise (Figurines, Artbooks, DVDs, etc.)

[zato_1one]

Umineko no Naku Koro ni *1,170+***612=*1,782 (Studio Deen)
2009/10/23 *1,170 Vol. 1 Collector's Edition Limited Edition (DVD) (Two episodes up to current volume)
2009/10/23 ***612 Vol. 1 Collector's Edition Limited Edition (BD)

I'm very surprised with this figure of sales. I think that this series is quite popular in Japan considering the fanbase of Higurashi and VN. Is DEEN to be blame here? I'd say what a waste! Turning such niche series into this state.

[Exellon_Nanoha]

Originally Posted by TsundereCake

I requested an order from HobbyLink Japan, but they rejected it ;_;

wow, I didnt no they could reject like that.

[Marion]

Originally Posted by zato_1one

I'm very surprised with this figure of sales. I think that this series is quite popular in Japan considering the fanbase of Higurashi and VN. Is DEEN to be blame here? I'd say what a waste! Turning such niche series into this state.

I'm not too surprised. The dvd only carries like two episodes and the extras in the collectors edition aren't that amazing either

[ameskitty]

I'd say the episode count is fairly typical (the only other "normal" tier I've seen that I think would have been more reasonable for a series like Umineko was about 500-1000 yen higher with an extra episode, anything cheaper is usually shoujo). The crazy pricing in Japan is why I haven't yet been sucked into buying R2s .

But yeah, for that price and for the length of the series, the extras in the LE aren't anything special at all. Most at least have a postcard or pencil board or something tangible :P. The extras disc is just a given. You think they would've at least tried to compete with the many other series people want to buy.

And the Gold Edition - that would cost ~130000 yen over the course of the entire series, which is just plain crazy. Even otaku have their limits, and I'm not surprised it didn't show up on the charts .

EDIT: Plus it's always amused me that the entire VN costs 1/3 the cost of a single DVD of the anime XD.

[TJR]

Higurashi Kai was successful at that episode count and price (8000+ copies sold for Vol. 1). With Umineko, I'd guess that fans were unimpressed with the quality of the show.

Originally Posted by the_rogue

You think they would've at least tried to compete with the many other series people want to buy.

That's the thing. They likely expected Umineko to sell on the popularity of the game, so there was probably less incentive to add extra value.

Overall though, I'm not sure if extras are a dealbreaker. They sweeten the deal for collectors, but they don't create hits out of what would otherwise be flops.

Originally Posted by zato_1one

Is DEEN to be blame here?

I think DEEN is too convenient of a target. They put the show together, but they don't plan the basic pacing of the series, nor are they responsible for financing. They animate what they're told to animate, and they work within a budget.

Most likely, the producers got confident from Higurashi and figured they could score another hit with similar specifications (same director, lead writer, and anime studio; similar budget?).

[Ithekro]

Or some people are waiting for the series to finish before investing in this one. It would be bad to start something that totally screwed up at the end, and judging by the VN reader...there is a chance they might mess it up. But that chance is becoming smaller and smaller as they get closer to the end.

[ameskitty]

Obviously series quality and believing that it'd "just sell" on its own are the main issues, not gonna argue with that (especially since a large audience of this show has already bought/read the much cheaper and VN, compared to Higurashi where that audience was relatively small) .

[Tsuyi]

Originally Posted by TsundereCake

Spoiler for Ep.4:

After seeing human-Sakutarou in the preview, I sure hope there's a shota rape victim sheet.

Oh man, I would so ttly buy this~<3 xDD /arrested

Do shota dakimakura/bedsheets even exist? lmao

[Li Jianliang]

A few more Umineko goods coming out soon...
**The golden butterflies shall lead those who seek the goods**


Tomitake Flash T-shirt
Release date: Early January 2010
Price: 2,625 yen (~$29.23)
- Only available in Japanese men's size L (roughly US men's size M)
- 100% cotton with silk screen printing
- Replica of George's shirt from his Okinawa date with Shannon. References his resemblance to Sucky Photographer Tomitake from Higurashi, in the game at least.



Ushiromiya House Master's Ring
Release date: December 17th, 2009
Price: 1,260 yen (~$14.03)
- Only available in Japanese ring size 13 (= US ring size 6.5)
- Made of metal, comes in its own jewelry box
- Replica of a key item from Umineko, great for cosplayers.

I'm getting the ring to see how it really looks.

[ChibiBear]

I'd totally buy one of those just so I could go around saying that I'm the head of the Ushiromiya family (And Kanon is mine )

[ParasolPop]

Well, with the pacing of the first episode, I'm not at all surprised about the sales figures. Hopefully the figures will be much more generous with the second DVD, and beyond.

[USCPharmacist]

Does anyone has the sale figure of the normal dvd and bd sales? Collector sales might be a predictor but actual sales is what important to the bottom line for DEEN? no? I don't want them to cut budget or cancel Chiru all together.

[KoiYuki]

Here are some figures from eBay. can't seem to find any better pics (or any pics at all) on any other sites.

Spoiler for Maria figure:

Spoiler for Pop-out cushions:

Spoiler for Chibi figures:

[ameskitty]

They might be bootlegs if you can only find them on eBay...but darn those Battler and Jessica figures are cute *wonders aloud if a Kanon is available*.

[ParasolPop]

The Shannon/Jessica pillows look pretty legit. Either that, or someone was able to capture the anime's character design down to a t. I'm not sure if I like that Maria figure or not, but at least it's still a figure of her.

[TsundereCake]

These all look like scans from a magazine; the Jessi & Shannon pillows look very much like the Hanyuu & Rika pillows put on the market recently. Otherwise, the figures look like run-of-the-mill Banpresto works.

[KoiYuki]

I'm pretty sure all those things came from Banpresto, which is legit. I even have Higurashi figures in that chibi style, and I've seen them have Higurashi pillows like that too, including the popping-out.
http://www.banpresto.co.jp/japan/amu.../11/46120.html

Can't find anything on Banpresto's website for Umineko though, including the Jessica figure that came out a while ago.

[ameskitty]

Ah, well, sweet then . I might just have to get a hold of one of those...

Oy, I don't see a standalone Battler though, and as much as I like the other figures in the set (especially Jessica) it's expensive to ship the whole thing ><.

If somebody can find a place where a standalone Battler can be obtained I'd be eternally grateful :3!

[HigurashinoUmineko]

Originally Posted by KoiYuki

Can't find anything on Banpresto's website for Umineko though, including the Jessica figure that came out a while ago.

Actually I heard that the Jessica figure is supposed to come out in March 2010.

[Vegitto-kun]

What are pop out pillows?