[quote name='crowbb']Anime has actually gone down a ton in price the last couple of years. Why in my day we used to walk through 17 feet of snow while wearing boxes on our feet for shoes just to buy 2 episodes on VHS for $30-35 and we liked it!
I used to buy bootlegs, but rarely do anymore now that you can often find a box set for $40 or so. Big O is definitely not the only one that is cheap. Last week I picked up 52 episodes of Astro Boy for $50. I have piles of box sets I have paid $50 and under for, a lot of them under $40. Here are some of them: Space Pirate Mito, Ushio and Tora, Nadia box sets 1 and 2, AD Police, Kurogane Communication, Steel Angel Kurumi, Sorceror Hunters, Arc the Lad, Nadesico, Gunparade March, Astro Boy, Devil Lady, Brain Powered, Soul Hunter. ADV is particularly good at having cheap box sets. Most of these were in the 35-40 range for the box set and most were bought at either Best Buy or anime conventions. I also got the entire series of Excel Saga for under $50 when BB had that 20% off all anime sale last year.
You still see $100-200 box sets now and then but the number of cheap ones continues to rise. Nowadays the only bootlegs I feel the need to buy are of shows that will likely never come over like Mazinger Z and Metal Armor Dragonar.[/QUOTE]
Actually more popular titles usually retail a box set for more than $50, especially if the series is more than 26 episodes. It's rare to see a popular, modern series under $50 and if it is it's usually thanks to a good sale. Anymore they have sort of phased the box set out a little as new releases get the collectors box with the 1st volume (sometimes they will release a box set over a year or so later ala Berserk). I agree, the prices have gone down a little but compared to most other DVDs they remain quite high, generally due to liscening and importing costs and just general lack of demand.