Blu-rays for "Yuri!!! on Ice" are finally on sale, however, it looks like fans would need to make a quick trip to Japan to buy it. Avex Pictures, the publisher behind hit anime series like "Osomatsu-san" and "Yuri!!! on Ice" refusing to sell its products to the international market. The announcement has been especially disheartening for "Yuri!!! on Ice" fans. The series has a large international fan base.
According to Japan Today, an online retailer which caters Japanese products worldwide, CD Japan, made an announcement that Avex Pictures "is restricting exports of Blu-ray, DVD, and CD titles." A total of six Blu-ray/DVD discs is set to be released for "Yuri!!! on Ice" containing two episodes per volume. Currently, there are two volumes released in Japan.
Avex Pictures has yet to speak up about their reason for restricting international sale. However, limiting foreign fan access is a huge loss not only financially, it could also reduce the fans' enthusiasm for the show.
Meanwhile, the first and second volumes of "Yuri!!! on Ice" Blu-rays topped local Japanese charts. The first volume released on December 30, 2016, had about 35,000 units sold in its first week, making it the top-selling anime Blu-ray of the week. The sales even increased with the second volume released on January 27 which has sold an impressive 36,000 units according to Crunchyroll. Both volumes come with advance entry tickets for an upcoming "Yuri!!! on Ice" special event on April 29 to be held at Maihama Amphi Theater in Chiba Prefecture.
The third volume of the "Yuri!!! on Ice" Blu-rays containing the fifth and sixth episode is scheduled to go on sale on Friday, Feb 24. On the other hand, the report also revealed international sale for home video releases of locally licensed "Yuri!!! on Ice" discs might begin after the entire series is released in Japan.
