ICv2 News Reports 2004 Market Trends

According to estimates from comic industry market watch company ICv2, English translated manga saw a 40-50% sales increase in mainstream American bookstores in 2004. The American manga publishing industry is now estimated to be valued at $110 to $140 million, up from $90 to $110 million in 2003. However, 2004’s manga growth rate is a sharp decrease from the tremendous 100% growth in 2003. Likewise, the domestic anime market remained steady or shrunk in 2004. While anime was a $550 million market in 2003, 2004 estimates place its value at $500 million up to $550 million. The decrease is blamed on slowing mainstream anime sales and declines in the mainstream popularity of Dragon Ball home video.

The best selling manga of fourth quarter 2004 were:

1. Rurouni Kenshin
2. Fruits Basket
3. Naruto
4. Inuyasha
5. .Hack
6. Tsubasa
7. Trigun
8. D.N.Angel
9. Hellsing
10. Negima

The best selling anime franchises of fourth quarter 2004 were:

1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
2. Dragon Ball Z & Dragon Ball GT
3. Inuyasha
4. Yu-Gi-Oh!
5. Initial D
6. Neon Genesis Evangelion
7. Yu Yu Hakusho
8. Gungrave
9. Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli
10. Wolf’s Rain

Source: ICv2 News