ICv2 released their report detailing the top 20 best selling manga in the United States for the month of May 2024.
For this analysis, we'll be focusing on the Top 20 Manga for May 2024 which tracked sales data from May 5th. 2024 through June 1st, 2024. (30 total days of sales data)
You can find our previous break down covering the Top 20 Manga the United States for April 2024 here. and you 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 Graphic Novels for May 2024.
Publisher | Titles ranked in the Top 20 Manga |
Viz Media | 16/20 |
Dark Horse | 2/20 |
Yen Press | 1/20 |
Kodansha Comics | 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 April 2024.
Publisher | Titles ranked in the Top 20 Manga |
Viz Media | 16/20 |
Dark Horse | 2/20 |
Square Enix | 1/20 |
Yen Press | 1/20 |
Source: Behind The Manga March 2024 Circana Bookscan - Top 20 Author, Manga, Superhero Graphic Novels)
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 May 2023.
Publisher | Titles ranked in the Top 20 Manga |
Dark Horse | 1/20 |
Kodansha | 2/20 |
Seven Seas | 1/20 |
Viz Media | 15/20 |
Yen Press | 1/20 |
The Breakdown (Publisher Ranking)
Dark Horse maintains their 2 spots with the Berserk Deluxe editions between April and May, which have been an continuous success for the publisher. Square Enix had been replaced by Kodansha for the May rankings due to A Sign of Affection showing up on the chart.
Yen Press maintains their single spot in the top 20 for May with the release of Oshi no Ko, which has been one of the publisher's newest hit titles. Viz Media maintains their domination of the chart, retaining 16(!) spots.
It generally seems like Kodansha and Square Enix seem to switch places from time to time depending which of their hit series releases a volume that month.
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: 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)
Both Berserk Deluxe volumes 1 and 2 broke the top 5 in highest grossing manga in the US achieving a combined gross of $876,124.74 (Vol 1:$658,368.30 and Vol 2: $217,756.44).
Compared to the combined gross of the two volumes in last month's breakdown, this is a 5.48% decline ($926,964 vs $876,124.74).
Individually, volume 1 saw a 3.62% decrease in sales when compared to last month ($683,113.35 vs $658,368.30) while volume 2 saw a 10.7% decrease when compared to last month ($243,851.22 vs $217,756
44).
Even with the performance decrease, the series continues to perform strongly for Dark Horse. I would guess that the series is beginning to enter their 'cooling' period where they will maintain this type of performance moving forward.
Chainsaw Man volume 15 is the latest English volume release in the series (as of May 2024). Similar to previous releases of new volumes within the series, this volume also placed near the top of the charts.
Compared to the previous volume's English debut, there was a 14.4% decrease in total dollars grossed (Vol 14: $556,575.80 vs Vol 15: $476,314.74) and number of units sold (Vol 14: 46,420 units vs Vol 15: 39,726 units). Chainsaw Man is still considered a best seller for Viz Media, even with the decline.
A Sign of Affection has its first debut in the top 20, with volume 8 placing in the 12th spot earning $64,872.06. It would be safe to say this sales performance was due to the anime boosting the series popularity.
Kaiju No 8 volume 1 also placed at number 14. While the latest volumes in the series would place when they debut, prior volumes do not return to the charts until now. This could be contributed from the boost by the anime which started airing in April.
An unexpected appearance was made from Black Clover where volume 35 debuted at the 19th spot on the chart earning $48,883.23! From my research, none of the volumes for Black Clover have placed in the top 20 until now.
The surprise is that Black Clover does not have an ongoing anime to give it a boost. Its movie, Sword of the Wizard King, released in June 2023. My only guess is that the series' first season joining Netflix while seasons 2-4 joining Hulu around the same time, allowed people to catch up and pick up the manga from where the anime left off.
Publisher Analysis & Future Speculation
As a whole, Viz Media is running as expected, claiming majority of the spots in the top 20 with their best selling properties (Spy x Family, Chainsaw Man, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, etc.).
Something to keep an eye on is the decline in total gross by the latest volumes of Chainsaw Man on release. My guess is that Chainsaw Man is starting to settle in its sales performance. Basically, we will see the number of units sold hang around this number, potentially until the movie comes out.
Black Clover being on the list was a surprise but I don't think it will replicate the same success with the next volume.
I will say, I think Kaiju No 8 will become more successful since we're seeing volume 1 reappear on the chart after so long. I could see it growing, having two volumes on the chart due to the anime boost.
Oshi no Ko's latest volume showing up on the chart is expected. The series was considered one of Yen's best selling debut titles last year.
With season 2 of the anime releasing, I expect more of the previous volumes to show up on the charts.
Like usual, Berserk is the series that is selling incredibly well for the publisher. While there has been a bit of a decline, the deluxe editions still gross a lot of money.
I am curious to see how well the Trigun Deluxe editions will do for the publisher and if we'll see them on the list in the future.
A Sign of Affection was a surprise to see on the chart. I could see the series continuing this momentum in the near future. I am curious to see if the release of the omnibus format will impact the series' sales whether it will show up on the charts or not.
Citation
Circana Bookscan. Circana BookScan. (n.d.). https://bookscan.npd.com/
Alverson, B. (2024). Pro: May 2024 Circana Bookscan - Top 20 author, manga, superhero graphic novels with actual sales. ICv2.
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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