ICv2 released their report detailing the top 20 best selling manga in the United States for the month of July 2024.
For this analysis, we'll be focusing on the Top 20 Manga for July 2024 which tracked sales data from July 7th, 2024 through August 3rd, 2024. (30 total days of sales data)
You can find our previous break down covering the Top 20 Manga the United States for June 2024 here. You can also find our backlog coverage of Circana's Top 20 Manga here
Who is Circana Bookscan?
Circana Bookscan is a platform that collects weekly point-of-sale data on various consumer products print books from over 16,000 locations which include but not limited to: e-tailers, chains, mass merchandisers, independent bookstores, and more.
While Behind The Manga can't personally access this information, Online trade magazine ICv2 publishes a report which showcases the Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels, Top 20 "Superhero" Graphic Novels, and Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels. You can access this information here
What is This Month's Publisher Ranking?
Here's a visualization to help categorize how many titles each US Manga Publisher has ranked in the Top 20 Manga for July 2024.
Publisher | Manga Titles Ranked in the Top 20 |
Viz Media | 16/20 |
Dark Horse | 2/20 |
Yen Press | 1/20 |
Tokyopop | 1/20 |
Methodology
To calculate these numbers, we counted how many titles each publisher has in the top 20 manga graphic novels and gave it a fraction. We then converted each fraction into a decimal by dividing the numerator with it's denominator. Finally, we multiply the decimal by 100 to give us our percentage.
(For example, if Viz Media achieved 16 out of 20 total spots, it's fraction would be 16/20. We then divide 16 by 20 to get a decimal value of .80. Finally, We multiply our decimal value of .80 by 100 to give us our percentage of 80% )
How does it compare to last month?
Here's a visualization on how many titles each US Manga Publisher has ranked in the Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels for June 2024
Publisher | Manga Titles Ranked in the Top 20 |
Viz Media | 18/20 |
Dark Horse | 2/20 |
How does it compare to last year?
Here's a visualization on how many titles each US Manga Publisher has ranked in the Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels for July 2023.
Publisher | Manga Titles Ranked in the Top 20 |
Viz Media | 16/20 |
Dark Horse | 1/20 |
Square Enix | 1/20 |
Yen Press | 2/20 |
The Breakdown (Publisher Ranking)
As expected, Viz Media takes the lead claiming 16 spots in the top 20. This is down from last month where they had 18. The relinquished spots seemed to have been taken up by Yen Press and Tokyopop. Dark Horse stayed the same with claiming 2 spots, similar to their performance last month. As expected, this is due to the success of the Berserk hardcovers.
What's the Total Sales Gross for the Top 20 Manga?
Here's a chart to help visualize how much in total sales each of the top 20 manga grossed for May 2024
Methodology
To calculate these numbers, we took how many units each title sold within the given timeframe. Then we multiplied the total units by its MSRP given by the publisher. The reason we chose this method is because when conducting research for this project, we've discovered that Circana Bookscan uses this same methodology in their reporting. So to stay consistent with their reporting, we decided it would be best to replicate the same methodology. (For example: Berserk Deluxe Volume 1 made it to the top 20. If it sold 13,170 units and it's MSRP is $49.99, we multiply $49.99 by 13,170 units to achieve a total gross of $658,368.30)
However, take these numbers with a grain of salt as not "every" unit was sold at MSRP as different retailers can offer the same books at different price points.
If a box set appears on the chart, each unit sold is counted as a single unit. The number of volumes within a box set is not factored into the number of units a box set sold. This is the same methodology Circana and English retailers use when calculating product sales.
The Breakdown (Total Gross Sales)
Berserk Deluxe volumes 1 and 2 take the top spots, earning a total gross of $1,047,942.37 (748,950.18 for volume 1 and 288,992.19 for volume 2). Compared to last month, there was a 1.6% sales decrease in combined gross sales ($1,047,942.37 to $1,064,737.01).
Individually, deluxe volume 1 saw a 5.37% decrease from last month's sales. In contrast, volume 2 saw a 5.76% increase when compared to the same date range. Again, Berserk Deluxe editions are still performing strongly for Dark Horse. While volume 1 has been seeing a slight decline, volume 2 has been seeing a slow increase. I expect this behavior to continue in the following months.
Alley: Junji Ito Story Collection earned $208,700 for Viz Media and took the third spot. This title performed lower than his previous title Tombs, which sppeared on the charts in March 2023 earning $259,275, but performed higher than Soichi each month Soichi showed up on the charts in July and August 2023 earning $195,525 and $148,400 respectively. Junji Ito is is considered a best selling mangaka for Viz Media and the sales show it. I expect his next licensed work will also perform well.
Stitch! The Manga Collection takes the 4th spot earning Tokyopop $176,033.91 this month. The Stitch manga has been a hit with Tokyopop, with Stitch and the Samurai appearing on the charts in September 2023. While the Stitch Manga Collection earned less than Stitch and the Samurai collection ($176,033.91 to $207,211.77), it's still a success for Tokyopop.
Delicious in Dungeon vol 14 takes the 12th spot in the series's first ever appearance in the top 20! Earning $78,120 for the publisher, the appearance of the final volume on the chart supports how popular the series is for Yen Press.
Publisher Analysis & Future Speculation
Berserk deluxe continues to perform well for the publisher. If the sales trend for the Berserk Deluxe editions continues, I wonder if we will begin to see subsequent volumes show up on the charts more often.
I'm curious to see if the upcoming Trigun Deluxe editions will appear on the charts at any point. With Trigun the Definitive Edition volume recently released (as of publishing this article), I'm curious to see if Dark Horse will have another hit on their hands or if Berserk will be the only series of theirs to make the charts.
Delicious in Dungeon's final volume showing up can be contributed to the boost from the anime. In an interview with IcV2, Yen Press's managing director Kurt Hassler mentioned that the series is one of their top sellers and the final volume showing up on the charts supports that. I would not be surprised if the box set shows up on the chart when it gets published as well.
The publisher continues to do well with Disney manga, mainly with Stitch (Note: While Tokyopop also has The Nightmare Before Christmas, IcV2 lists it as a graphics novel, NOT a manga). With this winning formula, I expect Tokyopop to pick up more Disney manga in the future.
Most of the titles listed for Viz are unsurprising. The listed volumes are usually part of the top selling series for the publisher, such as Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man, and One Piece. Even Komi Can't Communicate counts as a best selling series for the publisher with the latest volume always showing up in the top 20 (similar behavior as Dandadan).
With the upcoming anime, I'm expecting a boost in sales for Dandadan. A pattern that I have seen is that a series that already shows up in the top 20 before an anime is announced or released will generally have more of its volumes appear on the charts once the anime season ends. I'm predicting the same will occur with Dandadan.
Citation
Circana Bookscan. Circana BookScan. (n.d.). https://bookscan.npd.com/
Alverson, B. (2024). Pro: July 2024 Circana Bookscan - Top 20 author, manga, superhero graphic novels with actual sales. ICv2. https://icv2.com/articles/icv2-pro/view/57641/july-2024-circana-bookscan-top-20-author-manga-superhero-graphic-novels-actual-sales
Alverson, B. (2024). ICV2 Interview: Yen Press Publisher Kurt Hassler. https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/56230/icv2-interview-yen-press-publisher-kurt-hassler
The Publisher Ranking and Total Gross of each volume charts were created & calculated by WinterVenom with data supplied by ICv2 & Circana Bookscan.
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