You may have noticed the second Dragon Box from FUNimation going in and out of stock on various online retailers. We had hesitated on reporting about this since there did not seem to be much of an issue — places like Amazon and RightStuf would ultimately get another batch of them, and fans went along their merry way. When the listings began disappearing (even when they would return with more stock yet again), many fans, including us here at the website, were unable to get a concrete answer from FUNimation as to what was going on. Some retailers said that the stock was out, more might be coming in… nothing consistent was getting out there in terms of common language.
In the latest episode (55) of Anime News Network’s ANNCast, FUNimation’s Marketing Director Lance Heiskell dropped by and answered a few questions about the franchise. Kai continues to do well, and the franchise and its purchases are reinvigorated thanks to the television partnerships with NickToons and TheCW4Kids. Furthermore, “Season Nine” from the orange bricks is their second-best-selling item so far in 2010 (behind only Evangelion 1.11).
Of most interest and relevance to our audience, however, was a confirmation that FUNimation’s Dragon Box sets are “limited”. What that exactly means was not described in any detail, unfortunately, but it was also confirmed that the second set is indeed low on stock. What it sounds like is that the Dragon Box sets have either a finite stock that will be exhausted, or will be dwindled down as interest dives. You can listen in to this week’s podcast for a little more speculation, and we will certainly do our best to follow up with FUNimation and get some definitive answers.
In the mean time, you may wish to pick up any sets you have not already grabbed! Here is a quick link list for your convenience:
- Dragon Box 1: $32.49 @ Amazon / $44.99 @ RightStuf
- Dragon Box 2: $41.49 @ Amazon / $44.99 @ RightStuf
- Dragon Box 3: $40.99 @ Amazon / $44.99 @ RightStuf
- Dragon Box 4: $36.49 @ Amazon / $44.99 @ RightStuf
The fifth set is due out sometime in early 2011. As should be apparent from our reviews of the first and second sets, these are exactly what we have wanted for years upon years, and we toss our full support behind them.