Oricon’s latest sales numbers are out for April 2020 and there is an unexpected twist according to their fresh ranking.
Going by Oricon’s latest sales stats, TV anime Demon Slayer unsurprisingly managed to retain its number one spot as the most loved franchise in Japan.
It was followed by an unexpected entrant on the list. Disney owned sci-fi extravaganza Star Wars found remarkable success among Japanese fans, making it the second-most-loved franchise.
The final installment of the 9-part long movie series titled Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker released last year in December. All episodes of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars also dropped on Disney + last month.
After this unexpected departure from non-Japanese production, anime 5-Toubon No Hanayahome took up the third spot on the list based on the manga’s sales. It is followed by the all-time favorite anime One Piece on the fourth spot, and the stage-play Touken Ranbu at 5th spot.
There is no denying the fact that the entertainment industry has taken a major hit during this coronavirus pandemic. In Japan, apart from the live-action dramas and movies, several animation projects had to be either canned or delayed.
But that doesn’t mean video consumption has slowed down, with millions under lockdown. In fact, it is quite the opposite, if Oricon’s numbers are to be believed.
Oricon is a Japanese enterprise that providing market data and ranking information for music, video, books, and more.
The complete list of the top 20 franchises and their sales performance is available on Oricon’s official website.