The light novel series “Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose” has officially come to an end with the publication of its Volume 13. But, instead of a triumphant farewell, The end of the series has been more of a silent funeral, with sales that did not even manage to make noise in the rankings.
The author had already anticipated it: the collapse in sales was inevitable. And the numbers speak for themselves (they correspond to the sales figures at the launch of said volumes):
| Vol. 1 – 79,000 copies Vol. 2 – 11,000 copies Vol. 3 – 24,000 copies Vol. 4 – 31,000 copies Vol. 5 – 27,000 copies Vol. 6 – 25,000 copies |
Vol. 7 – 28,000 copies (beginning of the anime) Vol. 8 – 21,000 copies (month the anime ended) Vol. 9 – 13,000 copies Vol. 10 – 7,000 copies Vol. 11 – 2,000 copies Vol. 12 – (Out of ranking, data not available) |
And the final volume… better not even ask. The author himself spoke out on social networks, making it clear that the sales debacle was a direct consequence of the anime's terrible animation. According to him, when an adaptation suffers from such notorious “animation collapses,” the consequences on the original work are devastating. Although an anime usually increases the popularity of a novel, in this case the opposite happened: the poor quality of the series drove away new readers instead of attracting them.
«The first volume sold more than 200,000 copies. But the last one didn't even reach a tenth of that figure“, wrote. The author also highlighted that although certain technical errors in the anime went viral (such as the infamous “badly animated dance”), that did not help sales at all. «It only served to make us laugh at us on the internet, but people didn't go and buy the novel».
The reactions in forums were immediate. Here are some of the most notable comments:
- «Kuroha won! Although with this ending, I would say it's a bittersweet victory».
- «If the author wouldn't complain so much, maybe he could get another adaptation. But after this, I find it difficult».
- «The anime was a disaster, yes. But the story also became too long and that also affected sales».
- «The exact moment sales went to hell: the dance chapter».
- «Many authors hoping for anime should take note: better quality over anything else».
- «To say the anime was a disaster is an understatement. But honestly, the story didn't help either.».
Fountain: Yaraon!
©二丸修一 (著), しぐれうい (イラスト)/ KADOKAWA
