Will there be a Goblin Slayer Season 2? While only the anime production committee can answer that question definitively it’s possible to analyze the chances of a second season. Popularity and the resulting financial numbers are the biggest factors influencing a decision and it just so happens the sales numbers for the Goblin Slayer Blu-Ray/DVD box sets have just come in.
While not critically derided in Western reviews like The Rising Of The Shield Hero anime, Goblin Slayer suffered from some mixed reviews early on since rampaging goblins raping human women was a prominent part of the story. But the criticism subsided quickly since rape was only used as an early plot device. Once the setting was established Goblin Slayer largely became a dark fantasy/isekai story with a cynical tinge. And any controversy doesn’t seem to have harmed the sales number.
The Oricon charts track from February 18th through the 24th and the Goblin Slayer Volume 1 Blu-Ray/DVD box sets came out on February 20, 2019. Volume 2 is scheduled for March 20, 2019, and Volume 3 is set for April 17, 2019. The Goblin Slayer 1 Blu-Ray sold 3,361 copies and the DVD 804 copies.
To put those sales numbers in perspective, Attack On Titan Season 3 (see our article on Attack On Titan Season 4) sold 4,435 Blu-Ray copies. My Hero Academia Season 3 actually did worse, selling only 2,612 Blu-Ray copies. Both of those anime are being renewed for a new season, although you have odd ducks like Overlord Season 3 selling 7,222 copies and yet Overlord Season 4 is keeping audiences waiting.
In years past it was considered conventional wisdom that an anime needed to sell over 3,000 disc copies in order to be seen as viable for a second season. Crunchyroll, Funimation Now, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu have changed all that.
The anime industry has shifted in the direction of revenue from international streaming and merchandise sales (figurines, etc.) becoming the overriding factor in determining whether to produce an anime sequel.
“Overseas streaming services such as Crunchyroll have a larger effect each year on the financial success of anime,” Kadokawa producer Junichiro Tamura explained in a recent Reddit AMA session. “I do think international demand has a huge impact on production decisions and will have even more as we move forward.”
Therefore, the biggest factor influencing the fate of Goblin Slayer Season 2 is its popularity on streaming platforms. Thankfully, that means Goblin Slayer Season 2 has a great chance of being greenlit for production. Not only did the first season finale promise a “return,” the TV show dominated the top spot on Crunchyroll so much so that a Crunchyroll popularity report listed the United States as “Goblin Slayer country.”
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