When it comes to manga, the industry is doing better in international markets than ever before. Not only are sales soaring in Japan thanks to series like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, but domestic pushes have made manga huge in North America. And in case you hadn’t heard, well – the rise in sales year over year is nothing short of unprecedented.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The whole conversation began online when the latest BookScan ranking went live. The late-April ranking checked into the start of May, and it ranks the 20 best-selling graphic novels for adults in the United States. And as it would turn out, the entire list is filled with manga.
This isn’t unusual these days, but the amount of trades being sold proves manga is here to stay. In this ranking, Attack on Titan came in first place all thanks to volume 33. Demon Slayer took second and third place before nabbing another five spots total. And as always, My Hero Academia sold well as volume one was picked up by new fans.
As you can see here, the list includes a ton of manga from Spy x Family to Tokyo Ghoul. Jujutsu Kaisen is also on the rise in light of its anime debut, and some surprise entries even made the cut. Hunter x Hunter volume one is still getting love on BookScan, and the same goes for Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun plus Komi Can’t Communicate.
When it comes to domestic sales, it seems shonen titles are ruling the world, and you cannot blame them. Miles Thomas, the marketing chief at All The Anime, went on to break down demand for manga stateside on Twitter. The executive shared that 53,700 copies of the top 20 best-selling manga domestically were sold last April. This April, the number rose to 345,000. That is a massive leap, and it proves manga only has room to grow overseas. So if you haven’t wanted to check out the industry, it won’t be long before you need to.
What do you think of this manga push? Are you surprised by the boost in sales or…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
