Rocket Bomber

Note: actually posted 4 July 2011 and backdated

Your Executive Summary and Index, Week Ending 16 January 2011

##

last week’s charts
about the charts
analysis & commentary

The Weekly Charts:
Week Ending 16 January 2011

Internet Archive Link: http://www.archive.org/details/MangaRankingsWeekEnding16January2011

Manga Top 500

1. ↑6 (7) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [411.9] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [395.8] ::
3. ↓-2 (1) : Hetalia Axis Powers 2 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [381.3] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Hetalia Axis Powers 1 – Tokyopop, Sep 2010 [379.5] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Black Butler 3 – Yen Press, Oct 2010 [366.9] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Naruto 49 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2010 [362.7] ::
7. ↓-3 (4) : Yotsuba&! 9 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [337.7] ::
8. ↑1 (9) : Black Butler 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2010 [326.5] ::
9. ↑2 (11) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 3 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2010 [308.9] ::
10. ↓-2 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [295.4] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of titles ranking in the Manga 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 86
Tokyopop 64
Yen Press 58
Viz Shojo Beat 55
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 35
Vizkids 30
DMP Juné 17
HC/Tokyopop 17
Viz 16
Del Rey 15

[more]

Top 50 Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Hetalia Axis Powers – Tokyopop [764.3] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [750.2] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [746.9] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [746.7] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [729.4] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Alice in the Country of Hearts – Tokyopop [627.2] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [544.9] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [527.7] ::
9. ↑1 (10) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [461.1] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [444.8] ::

[more]

Top 50 New Releases:
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

2. ↔0 (2) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [395.8] ::
3. ↓-2 (1) : Hetalia Axis Powers 2 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [381.3] ::
7. ↓-3 (4) : Yotsuba&! 9 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [337.7] ::
9. ↑2 (11) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 3 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2010 [308.9] ::
10. ↓-2 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [295.4] ::
16. ↑24 (40) : Claymore 17 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2011 [266.7] ::
17. ↓-7 (10) : Bleach 33 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2010 [266.3] ::
22. ↑64 (86) : Black Butler 4 – Yen Press, Jan 2011 [229.6] ::
23. ↑5 (28) : Dengeki Daisy 3 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2011 [224.9] ::
24. ↑1 (25) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 9 – Seven Seas, Dec 2010 [221.1] ::

[more]

Top 50 Preorders:

20. ↑43 (63) : Naruto 50 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011 [236.5] ::
96. ↑ (last ranked 14 Nov 10) : Bleach 34 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2011 [104.6] ::
126. ↑218 (344) : Toradora! 1 – Seven Seas, Mar 2011 [78.4] ::
135. ↑378 (513) : Bunny Drop 3 – Yen Press, Mar 2011 [74.0] ::
159. ↑59 (218) : Finder Series 3 One Wing in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Mar 2011 [65.7] ::
194. ↑new (0) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [59.1] ::
241. ↑ (last ranked 14 Nov 10) : Black Bird 8 – Viz Shojo Beat, May 2011 [44.0] ::
255. ↑new (0) : Highschool of the Dead 2 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [39.5] ::
279. ↑128 (407) : Hetalia Axis Powers 3 – Tokyopop, May 2011 [35.4] ::
287. ↑16 (303) : Fairy Tail 14 – Kodansha/Del Rey, Jul 2011 [33.5] ::

[more]

Top 50 Manhwa:

249. ↓-11 (238) : March Story 1 – Viz Signature, Oct 2010 [41.6] ::
323. ↓-35 (288) : Jack Frost 4 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [28.9] ::
388. ↑239 (627) : Priest 3 – Tokyopop, Nov 2002 [20.6] ::
417. ↓-170 (247) : Angel Diary 13 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [17.9] ::
489. ↓-4 (485) : Bride of the Water God 4 – Dark Horse, Sep 2009 [11.2] ::
639. ↓-52 (587) : Bride of the Water God 6 – Dark Horse, Aug 2010 [4.8] ::
696. ↑289 (985) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [3.6] ::
726. ↓-16 (710) : Magical JxR 4 – Udon, Apr 2009 [3.1] ::
731. ↑128 (859) : Tarot Cafe 1 – Tokyopop, Mar 2005 [3.1] ::
773. ↓-2 (771) : Goong 2 – Yen Press, Jul 2008 [2.5] ::

[more]

Top 50 BL/Yaoi Volumes:

45. ↑40 (85) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [158.6] ::
61. ↑9 (70) : Incubus Master (Kindle ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jan 2010 [139.5] ::
65. ↑8 (73) : Demon Contract (Kindle ebook) – Yaoi Press, Sep 2010 [137.5] ::
67. ↓-12 (55) : Silver Diamond 8 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [131.6] ::
119. ↑80 (199) : Caged Slave (novel) – DMP Juné, May 2008 [80.5] ::
151. ↓-44 (107) : Belovéd 5860 (Kindle ebook) – Yaoi Press, Oct 2010 [68.3] ::
159. ↑59 (218) : Finder Series 3 One Wing in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Mar 2011 [65.7] ::
164. ↑80 (244) : Pet on Duty Bonus Story: Pet in Love (Kindle ebook) – Animate/Libre, Aug 2010 [64.1] ::
174. ↑34 (208) : Junjo Romantica 12 – Tokyopop Blu, Aug 2010 [62.1] ::
177. ↑7 (184) : Finder Series 2 Cage in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Nov 2010 [61.5] ::

[more]

New Manga This Week (releasing Tuesday 18 Jan)

Afterschool Charisma 2 – Viz Sig Ikki
Dorohedoro 3 – Viz Sig Ikki
Fullmetal Alchemist 24 – Viz
Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus 1 – Dark Horse
Shojo Manga: Pop & Romance – Collins Design

Something Extra:

Culture Wise Japan, 2nd Edition, David Leaper, Survival Books Ltd., 9781907339332

With Respect to the Japanese: Going to Work in Japan, John Condon & Tomoko Masumoto, Intercultural Press, 9780984247127

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Don’t forget last week’s releases.

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Manga Visibility Report

(What I’m expecting 23 Jan – 19 Feb, subject to distributor availability and publisher whim)

25 Jan.

Black Butler 4 – Yen Press
Black Jack 13 – Vertical
Code: Breaker 3 – Del Rey
Laon 4 – Yen Press
Omamori Himari 2 – Yen Press

Pandora Hearts 4 – Yen Press
Spiral 14 – Yen Press
Ugly Duckling’s Love Revolution 3 – Yen Press

1 Feb.

.hack// Link 3 – Tokyopop
Adventures of Taro 2 Taro & The Terror of Eats Street – VizKids
AiON 2 – Tokyopop
Amnesia Labyrinth 1 – Seven Seas
Bakuman 3 – Viz Shonen Jump

Black Bird 7 – Viz Shojo Beat
D. Gray-Man 20 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced
Fate/Stay Night 10 – Tokyopop
Full Metal Panic! (novel) 4 – Tokyopop
Gakuen Alice 15 – Tokyopop

Genkaku Picasso 2 – Viz Shonen Jump
Gin Tama 21 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced
Grand Guignol Orchestra 2 – Viz Shojo Beat
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1 – Seven Seas
Haruka Beyond the Stream of Time 11 – Viz Shojo Beat

Kimi ni Todoke 7 – Viz Shojo Beat
Lives 1 – Tokyopop
Mad Love Chase 5 – Tokyopop
Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus 2 – Dark Horse
Maria Holic 6 – Tokyopop

Mistress Fortune – Viz Shojo Beat
Naruto 50 – Viz Shonen Jump
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 1 – Viz Shonen Jump
One Piece 56 – Viz Shonen Jump
Otomen 9 – Viz Shojo Beat

Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo 8 – Tokyopop
Pokemon Adventures 11 – Vizkids
Pokemon Areus & The Jewel of Life – Vizkids
Portrait of M & N 4 – Tokyopop
Seiho Boys’ High School 4 – Viz Shojo Beat

Slam Dunk 14 – Viz Shonen Jump
Stellar Six of Gingacho (Kirameki Gingacho Shotengai) 2 – Tokyopop
Story of Saiunkoku 2 – Viz Shojo Beat
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee 4 – Viz Shonen Jump
You & Me, Etc. – Tokyopop Blu

8 Feb.

Akira 5 – Kodansha Comics
Biomega 5 – Viz Signature
Blue Sheep Reverie 3 – DMP Juné
Deeply Loving a Maniac – 801 Media
Inuyasha VizBig Edition 6 – Viz Shonen Sunday

Jormungand 6 – Viz Signature
Kizuna Deluxe Edition 2 – DMP Juné
Love Syndrome – DMP Juné
Maoh Juvenile Remix 4 – Viz Shonen Sunday
Seekers 2 Kallik’s Adventure – HC/Tokyopop

Street Fighter Gaiden 2 – Udon
Then Comes Love – DMP Juné
Ze 6 – 801 Media

15 Feb.

20th Century Boys 13 – Viz Signature
7 Billion Needles 3 – Vertical
Black Jack 14 – Vertical
Bokurano Ours 3 – Viz Sig Ikki
Neon Genesis Evangelion 12 – Viz

The Manga Guide to Relativity – No Starch Press

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— please note online sales sites often list conflicting release dates; dates as posted above are more or less correct within a week or so. (and if books are shipping early, that’s a good thing)

First, you might need to install some fonts & Japanese language support for your browser. There are many, many resources available online for those of you who need help.

And welcome! I’m an absolute beginner at reading Japanese, but I thought I’d share some of the tips, tricks, and mnemonics I’m using to learn the Japanese alphabets (syllabaries, actually: the hiragana and katakana) and then building on that to learn the kanji – the pictographs that also make up written Japanese.

I’m not a fluent speaker (of Japanese — or English, debatably) and I’m in no position to present this as a valid or authoritative course in Japanese:

Which is why it’s available for free on some guy’s blog. ;)

##

the vowels A E I O U come out as “ah, eh, ee, oh, oo” in Spanish, German, Italian, Latin, no doubt a number of other western languages I’m not familiar with — and apparently Japanese as well. It’s just English that’s weird (ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift) and the exact pronunciation of some vowels, especially in English, depends on where you live. A Glaswegian, a Cockney, and a Southie all walk into an Australian bar — write your own joke for this one, but be prepared to translate for this quartet as the four branches of “English” are sure to be mutually unintelligible.

In Japanese, we need to relearn the ‘usual’ order: the kana are arranged A I U E O : Ah Ee U Eh Oh — and there is no Y: note the lack of any Y’s in pronunciation, as we Americans are tempted to throw onto our vowels:

“Ah” あ ア – Ah (“ah ha!”) not [fonzie]Ayyyy![/fonzie]
“Ee” い イ – Ee (sw“ee“t) not Eye. It’s spelled “i” but reprogram your ear.
“U” う ウ – a short “oo” sound, not “You”
“Eh” え エ – Eh not “E”. And yes, that means there are two vowels you need to be careful around when reading romaji. i = e, e = a. It’s Sake — “sah kay” – the e in saké kinda like the e in café — and not “saki”

Thankfully, “O” お オis Oh. So you’re already pronouncing Shōjo and Shonen correctly. 多分 (tabun – maybe).

Wikipedia has some pronunciation aids:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Open_front_unrounded_vowel.ogg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Close_front_unrounded_vowel.ogg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/U_(Japanese).ogg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Close-mid_front_unrounded_vowel.ogg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/O_(Japanese).ogg

…though of course I think the tracks not specifically labeled Japanese tend to really lay into the sound for emphasis; most Japanese pronunciation — that I’ve heard in anime ;) — tends to be short, unless an actor is drawing out a word for effect. But also, well, the same is true in English

The wikipedia article on “vowels” is also pretty damn good. The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel article not only has audio samples, it charts them on some graphs and provides at least a basic introduction to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet

##

First up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/あ

あ in hiragana or ア in katakana (romanised a) is one of the Japanese kana that each represent one mora. あ is based on the sōsho style ofkanji 安, and ア is from the radical of kanji 阿. In the modern Japanese system of alphabetical order, it occupies the first position of the alphabet, before い. Its hiragana resembles the kana no combined with a cross.

wiki is handy to quote, but not quite as helpful for students. Let’s learn あ / ア

ありがとう
Arigatō —do I need to translate this? A certain basic familiarity with Japanese is perhaps assumed.

ああっ女神さまっ
Aa Megami-Sama = Ah! My Goddess

あずまんが大王
Azumanga Daioh. Classic. Like I said, “A certain basic familiarity is assumed”

Also:

あまえないでよっ!!
Amaenaideyo!! = Released by Media Blasters as Ah! My Buddha – it’s just a harem comedy with the barest gloss of the spiritual; if you hadn’t heard of it already I wouldn’t seek it out.

per ANN: “At the temple he finds himself surrounded by beautiful female priestesses-in-training. Upon seeing a girl naked, Ikko has the ability to turn into a super-monk, performing massive exorcisms for the good of the temple.”
…
…Yep.

You can buy it from Right Stuf in a 26ep box set. If you have to.

あしたのジョー
Ashita no Joe – Classic boxing manga & anime. The original manga ran from 1968 to ‘73; you’ve likely seen references to this as a sight gag in other anime many, many times – without knowing the source

あそびにいくヨ！
Asobi ni Ikuyo! – this was given the English subtitle, “Bombshells from the Sky” —you can go watch it on Crunchyroll right now, if you like fanservice-laden anime with cat-girls. [yes, yes, Of Course I’ve seen it.] —And it’s a shade better than I let on, but only by a bit.

##

The difference between hiragana and katakana is subtle, but one can think of katakana as the “bold” or “italic” option: while used most often for words borrowed from other languages, katakana is also often used for emphasis.

アキラ
Akira – in Japanese the title is written in katakana for emphasis

アキバ
Akiba – similarly, I’ve seen the abbreviation for Akihabara (kanji 秋葉原, “Field of Autumn Leaves” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara) written in katakana

アキハバラ電脳組
Akihabara Dennou Gumi = Cyberteam in Akihabara – once again, katakana is used instead of the kanji for emphasis; this was released State-side by ADV.

アドルフに告ぐ
Adolf ni Tsugu = Osama Tezuka’s manga Adolf – in this case katakana is used for the foreign name, アドルフ = adorufu = Adolf

アクア
Aqua

アリア
Aria

both Aqua & Aria use ア twice. And, if I can be forgiven some proselytizing: You need to own as much of these as you can find in whatever format you can get your hands on. There are currently 8 manga volumes (2 for Aqua, 6 for Aria) from Tokyopop and 52 episodes of the anime (in four box sets) available from Nozomi.

##

Will any of this help you to remember あ and ア?

Comics on the iPad: sounds great, doesn’t it? I mean, the iPad is a beautiful device, easy to use, comes from Apple so you know it’s cool (and others see the Apple logo on it so they know you’re cool, too), and… um… iPad! Why aren’t you getting this?

There are 6 million of them out there already — well, maybe a few less, but if there aren’t 6 million of them now, then Apple will hit that point really, really soon [source] — and if you’re not paying attention, that seems like a Really Big Number!

My problem with the iPad (indeed, with most platforms) is that no matter how cool it is, it’s still just a small part of the overall market. On top of that, things like the iPad and the Kindle are available only from a single manufacturer — compare to DVD & Blu-ray players, which not only are manufactured by dozens of companies, they cram them into computers, game systems, TV sets, toasters, everywhere.

here, have some numbers:

6 Million
– number of iPads sold.

4 Million
– Kindles, plus or minus: estimated between 2.5 – 4 million [source 1, and 2]

Less than 1 Million
– Nooks. Though I think there are at least a million in their supply chain at the moment at the rate they’re manufacturing them. I’m sure B&N will have a big press release when that hit that magic million number.

Looks good; but compare to

73.5 Million
– iPhones [source]

62 Million
– PlayStation Portables [source]

135 Million
– Nintendo DS units [source]

…and of course, a billion computers. One. Billion. And that’s computers in use, not just built and sold to date. The billionth computer was built and sold back in 2002.

Even if one considers the ‘captive audience’ part of the iPad userbase to be a plus, 6 Million isn’t as big as it looks. compare:

12 Million
– World of Warcraft subscribers. (not units sold, but monthly subscriptions)[source; see also]

16 Million
– Netflix subscribers [source]

30 Million
– Xbox Live subscribers (out of 50 Million XBox 360 units sold, so there are another 20 million potential customers) [source]

41 Million
– PS3s sold. Add in the 62 million PSPs and that’s a potential userbase of 103 million for the PlayStation Network, though there are only 60 Million PSN accounts at the moment [source 1, and 2]

##

There are 218 Million HDTVs out there [source]. There are 277 Million DVD players — adjusting for those who own several, that’s an estimated 92 million households with DVD [source]. Blu-ray is already up to 27.5 Million players [source] — and both DVD and Blu-ray require you to buy discs at $5-40 each (heck of a lot more than the cost of an app).

3.7 Million went to Yankees games last year. [source] 2.5 Million people watch college football games every Saturday in the fall, live [source] at massive stadiums across the country; countless millions more watch it on TV — well, OK, someone is counting: 20.2 Million people watched 208 telecasts during the regular season [source] and 131 Million watched the top 20 bowl games just these last 2 weeks [source].

Millions are easy numbers to throw around.

24 Million live in Texas. 37 Million live in California — 16 Million of those just in LA. 19 Million live in “New York”, 8.3 Million of those just inside New York City Limits, and 1.6 Million plus just on a small, 13-mile-long island in the middle of the Hudson River.

The install base for the iPad doesn’t even exceed NYC. Instead of developing an iPad app, you might as well open up a comic shop in the Bronx.

##

Of course I’m being both sarcastic and facetious, throwing numbers around just to prove my own straw-man argument about the futility of the iPad as a platform. That, and I like trivia.

But go back to the very first set of numbers: including the iPad, there are about 12 million or so e-readers out there: 12 million out of a US Population of 308 Million. That number could double each year for the next 5 years — true exponential growth — and at that point there would be one e-reader for every 4 TV sets, or one for every three computers — actually one for every six computers because by 2014 there will be a projected two billion computers in use. [1.4 billion tv sets, source, via – and doubling each year for 5 years is 2⁵, 3200% — a total of 384 million ereaders world-wide in 2015.]

If we include tablets (a category that also subsumes the iPad) then maybe, yes, there will be 300 or 400 million “e-readers” — portable devices which can display books — in five years’ time. But we’re wandering a bit far from the initial premise at that point, and just because something can display books, doesn’t mean users will buy ebooks (or even read free ones).

Can you make money from an e-book? Sure. An individual author could likely make enough to live at or around the poverty line, depending on how hard she works to market the book. (Merely producing the ebook isn’t enough, as it just gets lost in the millions of available titles.) Can you make money from digital comics? By themselves? —no. But some webcomickers seem to be doing a fair job selling stuff while giving away the comics for free, and also selling books (physical books, self-published) – typically also while still giving away the comics for free. There are discussions of how to do this, resources for artists, and rare success stories on the internet, if you look [try typing something like “living on webcomics“ into a search engine, for example].

But both relentless author self-promotion and successful (or not) web comics rely on the internet, accessable from one-going-on-two-billion computer screens, your iPad, your smart phone, and even the occasional TV set besides. Using the net increases your potential audience by a factor of hundreds, maybe even a thousand.

Can DC and Marvel make money from an iPad app? Sure. Some small fraction of the 6 or [eventually] 20 or [maybe even] 100 Million iPad owners are comics fans, and some of those have money, and some of them might even be willing to buy comics for the iPad.

And 1% of 1% of 1% of a Million is still a dollar. Small fractions can add up, and some fractions might be bigger than just 1%. But why limit yourself?

What happens if the one company that makes your one platform suddenly goes out of business? This isn’t a risk with a DVD, because many companies make DVD players. This isn’t a risk with a book, as you don’t need a device to read a book at all. (Well, maybe a lamp – or reading glasses.) And I’ll grant that it likely isn’t a risk with Amazon or Apple either, at this point — But why limit yourself?

What if the *brand new thing* in 2012 isn’t an iPad, and isn’t compatible? Sure, you have your established userbase (for as long as they own and use the old devices) but unless you can port things over, your business and app sales just stopped growing and your days are numbered. It would be a relatively easy challenge to overcome, but why limit yourself to just the “now”, and just one platform?

I think we all can see the appeal of digital comics (and by extension, other full-color heavily illustrated books like school texts, cookbooks, travel guides, art books, and ‘how-to’ guides of all types). And the iPad is a great device. The two go together like peanut butter and marshmallow creme — sure, not to everyone’s taste but some folks will swear it’s the best thing between two slices of bread. Someone will come up with a way to make money off of iPad comics, and they might even make a lot of money.

But the company or individual who comes up with an internet-based solution to the digital comics problem is going to make a lot more money, and might even change the publishing industry.

Note: actually posted 4 July 2011 and backdated

Your Executive Summary and Index, Week Ending 09 January 2011

##

last week’s charts
about the charts
analysis & commentary

The Weekly Charts:
Week Ending 09 January 2011

Internet Archive Link: http://www.archive.org/details/MangaRankingsWeekEnding9January2011

Manga Top 500

1. ↑6 (7) : Hetalia Axis Powers 2 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [445.2] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [410.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Hetalia Axis Powers 1 – Tokyopop, Sep 2010 [404.4] ::
4. ↓-3 (1) : Yotsuba&! 9 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [401.5] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Naruto 49 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2010 [392.9] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Black Butler 3 – Yen Press, Oct 2010 [373.9] ::
7. ↓-2 (5) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [372.7] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [343.3] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Black Butler 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2010 [326.6] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Bleach 33 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2010 [324.2] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of titles ranking in the Manga 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 87
Tokyopop 61
Viz Shojo Beat 53
Yen Press 52
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
Vizkids 30
DMP Juné 21
Del Rey 19
HC/Tokyopop 18
Viz 15

[more]

Top 50 Series:

1. ↑2 (3) : Hetalia Axis Powers – Tokyopop [851.3] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [782.7] ::
3. ↓-2 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [775.1] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [741.6] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Alice in the Country of Hearts – Tokyopop [691.6] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [689.9] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [637.1] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [615.6] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Yotsuba&! – ADV [493.1] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [479.7] ::

[more]

Top 50 New Releases:
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

1. ↑6 (7) : Hetalia Axis Powers 2 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [445.2] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [410.0] ::
4. ↓-3 (1) : Yotsuba&! 9 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [401.5] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [343.3] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Bleach 33 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2010 [324.2] ::
11. ↑1 (12) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 3 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2010 [320.5] ::
25. ↑1 (26) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 9 – Seven Seas, Dec 2010 [216.7] ::
28. ↑50 (78) : Dengeki Daisy 3 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2011 [206.8] ::
35. ↓-3 (32) : Skip Beat! 22 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [183.8] ::
40. ↑189 (229) : Claymore 17 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2011 [172.3] ::

[more]

Top 50 Preorders:

63. ↑78 (141) : Naruto 50 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011 [135.4] ::
218. ↓-4 (214) : Finder Series 3 One Wing in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Mar 2011 [49.7] ::
303. ↑32 (335) : Fairy Tail 14 – Kodansha/Del Rey, Jul 2011 [31.0] ::
307. ↑26 (333) : Fairy Tail 13 – Kodansha/Del Rey, May 2011 [30.1] ::
310. ↑32 (342) : Shinobi Life 8 – Tokyopop, Cancelled [29.4] ::
315. ↑16 (331) : Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 2 – Seven Seas, Apr 2011 [28.4] ::
316. ↑31 (347) : Maid Sama! 9 – Tokyopop, May 2011 [28.2] ::
319. ↑21 (340) : Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1 – Seven Seas, Feb 2011 [27.9] ::
332. ↑25 (357) : Dance in the Vampire Bund Gaiden: Dive in the Vampire Bund – Seven Seas, Mar 2011 [26.3] ::
335. ↑29 (364) : Shinobi Life 7 – Tokyopop, Apr 2011 [25.8] ::

[more]

Top 50 Manhwa:

238. ↑58 (296) : March Story 1 – Viz Signature, Oct 2010 [43.6] ::
247. ↓-29 (218) : Angel Diary 13 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [42.2] ::
288. ↓-96 (192) : Jack Frost 4 – Yen Press, Dec 2010 [34.4] ::
485. ↑15 (500) : Bride of the Water God 4 – Dark Horse, Sep 2009 [11.8] ::
575. ↑58 (633) : Goong 10 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [6.3] ::
587. ↑44 (631) : Bride of the Water God 6 – Dark Horse, Aug 2010 [5.8] ::
627. ↑18 (645) : Priest 3 – Tokyopop, Nov 2002 [4.6] ::
668. ↓-12 (656) : Jack Frost 3 – Yen Press, Jul 2010 [3.8] ::
710. ↑new (0) : Magical JxR 4 – Udon, Apr 2009 [3.1] ::
771. ↑ (last ranked 19 Dec 10) : Goong 2 – Yen Press, Jul 2008 [2.5] ::

[more]

Top 50 BL/Yaoi Volumes:

55. ↑67 (122) : Silver Diamond 8 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [149.2] ::
70. ↑47 (117) : Incubus Master (Kindle ebook) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jan 2010 [127.0] ::
73. ↑58 (131) : Demon Contract (Kindle ebook) – Yaoi Press, Sep 2010 [124.2] ::
85. ↑103 (188) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [109.5] ::
107. ↑51 (158) : Belovéd 5860 (Kindle ebook) – Yaoi Press, Oct 2010 [89.9] ::
180. ↓-25 (155) : Vassalord 4 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [59.5] ::
184. ↑57 (241) : Finder Series 2 Cage in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Nov 2010 [59.0] ::
199. ↑76 (275) : Caged Slave (novel) – DMP Juné, May 2008 [56.3] ::
206. ↑58 (264) : Junjo Romantica 1 – Tokyopop Blu, Oct 2006 [54.1] ::
208. ↑19 (227) : Junjo Romantica 12 – Tokyopop Blu, Aug 2010 [53.0] ::

[more]

New Manga This Week (releasing 11 Jan)

A Place in the Sun – DMP Juné
Battle Angel Alita Last Order 14 – Viz
Case Closed 37 – Viz Shonen Sunday
Code Geass Queen 3 – Bandai
Cross Game 2 – Viz Shonen Sunday

Eureka Seven (novel) 4 – Bandai
Hyde & Closer 3 – Viz Shonen Sunday
Intriguing Secrets – DMP Juné
Inuyasha 56 – Viz Shonen Sunday
Kekkaishi 24 – Viz Shonen Sunday

Mega Man Star Force: Official Complete Works – Udon
Oh My Goddess! (2nd edition) 16 – Dark Horse
Open the Door to Your Heart – DMP Juné
Spiral of Sand – DMP Juné
Temperature Rising – DMP Juné

The Tyrant Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné
Vampire Hunter D (manga) 5 – DMP
Yakitate!! Japan 25 – Viz Shonen Sunday
Yokan: Premonition 2 Noise – DMP Juné

Something Extra:
The Complete Bad Company, Peter Milligan, Brett Ewins, Jim McCarthy, & Steve Dillon; Simon & Schuster, 9781907519468 : $20 list.

publishers site: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Complete-Bad-Company/Peter-Milligan/9781907519468

Matt’s Commentary: 2000 AD. In the context of comics, either that means something to you, or it doesn’t (there’s always wikipedia). I won’t hold up Bad Company as an exemplar of either comics or 2000 AD, but it’s coming out in a trade paperback this week.

##

Don’t forget last week’s releases.

##

Manga Visibility Report

(What I’m expecting 16 Jan – 12 Feb, subject to distributor availability and publisher whim)

18 Jan.

Afterschool Charisma 2 – Viz Sig Ikki
Dorohedoro 3 – Viz Sig Ikki
Fullmetal Alchemist 24 – Viz
Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus 1 – Dark Horse
Shojo Manga: Pop & Romance – Collins Design

25 Jan.

Black Butler 4 – Yen Press
Black Jack 13 – Vertical
Code: Breaker 3 – Del Rey
Laon 4 – Yen Press
Omamori Himari 2 – Yen Press

Pandora Hearts 4 – Yen Press
Spiral 14 – Yen Press
Ugly Duckling’s Love Revolution 3 – Yen Press

1 Feb.

.hack// Link 3 – Tokyopop
Adventures of Taro 2 Taro & The Terror of Eats Street – VizKids
AiON 2 – Tokyopop
Amnesia Labyrinth 1 – Seven Seas
Bakuman 3 – Viz Shonen Jump

Black Bird 7 – Viz Shojo Beat
D. Gray-Man 20 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced
Fate/Stay Night 10 – Tokyopop
Full Metal Panic! (novel) 4 – Tokyopop
Gakuen Alice 15 – Tokyopop

Genkaku Picasso 2 – Viz Shonen Jump
Gin Tama 21 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced
Grand Guignol Orchestra 2 – Viz Shojo Beat
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1 – Seven Seas
Haruka Beyond the Stream of Time 11 – Viz Shojo Beat

Kimi ni Todoke 7 – Viz Shojo Beat
Lives 1 – Tokyopop
Mad Love Chase 5 – Tokyopop
Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus 2 – Dark Horse
Maria Holic 6 – Tokyopop

Mistress Fortune – Viz Shojo Beat
Naruto 50 – Viz Shonen Jump
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 1 – Viz Shonen Jump
One Piece 56 – Viz Shonen Jump
Otomen 9 – Viz Shojo Beat

Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo 8 – Tokyopop
Pokemon Adventures 11 – Vizkids
Pokemon Areus & The Jewel of Life – Vizkids
Portrait of M & N 4 – Tokyopop
Seiho Boys’ High School 4 – Viz Shojo Beat

Slam Dunk 14 – Viz Shonen Jump
Stellar Six of Gingacho (Kirameki Gingacho Shotengai) 2 – Tokyopop
Story of Saiunkoku 2 – Viz Shojo Beat
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee 4 – Viz Shonen Jump
You & Me, Etc. – Tokyopop Blu

8 Feb.

Akira 5 – Kodansha Comics
Biomega 5 – Viz Signature
Blue Sheep Reverie 3 – DMP Juné
Deeply Loving a Maniac – 801 Media
Inuyasha VizBig Edition 6 – Viz Shonen Sunday

Jormungand 6 – Viz Signature
Kizuna Deluxe Edition 2 – DMP Juné
Love Syndrome – DMP Juné
Maoh Juvenile Remix 4 – Viz Shonen Sunday
Seekers 2 Kallik’s Adventure – HC/Tokyopop

Street Fighter Gaiden 2 – Udon
Then Comes Love – DMP Juné
Ze 6 – 801 Media

##

— please note online sales sites often list conflicting release dates; dates as posted above are more or less correct within a week or so. (and if books are shipping early, that’s a good thing)

Your Executive Summary and Index, Week Ending 12 December 2010

##

last week’s charts
about the charts
analysis & commentary

The Weekly Charts:
Week Ending 12 December 2010

Internet Archive Link: http://www.archive.org/details/MangaRankingsWeekEnding12December2010

Manga Top 500

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto 49 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2010 [430.6] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [407.9] ::
3. ↑15 (18) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [399.8] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Black Butler 3 – Yen Press, Oct 2010 [388.2] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Hetalia Axis Powers 1 – Tokyopop, Sep 2010 [376.0] ::
6. ↑2 (8) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [346.9] ::
7. ↑38 (45) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 3 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2010 [338.8] ::
8. ↑2 (10) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [336.2] ::
9. ↓-4 (5) : Alice in the Country of Hearts 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [331.1] ::
10. ↓-1 (9) : Naruto 48 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2010 [328.1] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of titles ranking in the Manga 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 95
Tokyopop 66
Viz Shojo Beat 49
Yen Press 48
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 35
Vizkids 33
Viz 28
Del Rey 25
HC/Tokyopop 18
DMP Juné 16

[more]

Top 50 Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [936.6] ::
2. ↑3 (5) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [844.5] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [788.4] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Black Butler – Yen Press [731.6] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [689.6] ::
6. ↓-2 (4) : Alice in the Country of Hearts – Tokyopop [673.0] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [570.4] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Pokemon – Vizkids [552.5] ::
9. ↑1 (10) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [504.2] ::
10. ↑10 (20) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [487.7] ::

[more]

Top 50 New Releases:
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

3. ↑15 (18) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [399.8] ::
7. ↑38 (45) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 3 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2010 [338.8] ::
9. ↓-4 (5) : Alice in the Country of Hearts 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [331.1] ::
11. ↓-5 (6) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 28 – Del Rey, Nov 2010 [321.0] ::
12. ↑21 (33) : Bleach 33 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2010 [318.7] ::
20. ↑92 (112) : Ouran High School Host Club 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [254.0] ::
21. ↓-4 (17) : Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Adventures 8 – Vizkids, Nov 2010 [249.5] ::
25. ↓-4 (21) : K-On! 1 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [232.2] ::
30. ↑92 (122) : Skip Beat! 22 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [213.1] ::
34. ↓-6 (28) : Spice & Wolf (manga) 3 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [204.0] ::

[more]

Top 50 Preorders:

258. ↑18 (276) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [37.0] ::
271. ↑25 (296) : Negima! 29 – Kodansha/Del Rey, Mar 2011 [33.2] ::
278. ↑44 (322) : Maid Sama! 8 – Tokyopop, Mar 2011 [32.4] ::
283. ↑20 (303) : Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo 8 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011 [31.6] ::
289. ↑141 (430) : Open the Door to Your Heart – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [30.5] ::
311. ↑139 (450) : Fairy Tail 14 – Kodansha/Del Rey, Jul 2011 [27.2] ::
313. ↑140 (453) : Fairy Tail 13 – Kodansha/Del Rey, May 2011 [26.7] ::
322. ↑133 (455) : Maid Sama! 9 – Tokyopop, May 2011 [25.9] ::
330. ↑128 (458) : Dance in the Vampire Bund Gaiden: Dive in the Vampire Bund – Seven Seas, Mar 2011 [24.8] ::
332. ↑11 (343) : Negima! Neo 7 – Del Rey, Mar 2011 [24.2] ::

[more]

Top 50 Manhwa:

262. ↑2 (264) : Legend 10 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [35.0] ::
269. ↓-31 (238) : March Story 1 – Viz Signature, Oct 2010 [33.6] ::
438. ↑38 (476) : Very Very Sweet 8 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [14.0] ::
504. ↓-44 (460) : Black God 11 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [9.3] ::
559. ↓-11 (548) : U Don’t Know Me – Netcomics, May 2009 [6.7] ::
570. ↓-177 (393) : Bride of the Water God 6 – Dark Horse, Aug 2010 [6.2] ::
583. ↓-284 (299) : Priest 3 – Tokyopop, Nov 2002 [5.8] ::
601. ↑15 (616) : Moon Boy 9 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [4.9] ::
629. ↑new (0) : Goong 2 – Yen Press, Jul 2008 [4.3] ::
657. ↑3 (660) : Black God 9 – Yen Press, May 2010 [3.7] ::

[more]

Top 50 BL/Yaoi Volumes:

69. ↑27 (96) : Vassalord 4 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [139.5] ::
209. ↓-63 (146) : Finder Series 2 Cage in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Nov 2010 [47.5] ::
219. ↓-51 (168) : A Bloody Kiss Tonight – DMP DokiDoki, Nov 2010 [45.1] ::
258. ↑18 (276) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [37.0] ::
272. ↓-64 (208) : Junjo Romantica 12 – Tokyopop Blu, Aug 2010 [33.2] ::
289. ↑141 (430) : Open the Door to Your Heart – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [30.5] ::
339. ↓-65 (274) : Ze 6 – 801 Media, Jun 2010 [23.6] ::
342. ↓-131 (211) : Incubus Master (Kindle Edition) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jan 2010 [23.4] ::
344. ↓-94 (250) : Finder Series 3 One Wing in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Mar 2011 [23.2] ::
351. ↑85 (436) : Treasure 1 – DMP Juné, Sep 2010 [22.2] ::

[more]

I used to post something very similar to this a couple of years ago; I let it lapse as a regular feature ‘cause it used to be too hard to keep up with. I have new and better tools now, and the new year seemed like a great excuse for a re-launch.

I’ll see how much commentary I can add to these new reports; I’m still more of a ‘raw data’ sort of guy, and oh boy do I have a lot of data on my hands this week. As this is a brand new feature, I hope the headings are self-explanatory; drop me a comment if you’d like clarification on any points.

New Manga This Week (releasing 3 Jan)

Adventures of Panda Man 2 Panda Man & The Treasure Hunt – VizKids, Jan 2011
Claymore 17 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2011
Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion 8 – Bandai, Jan 2011
Eyeshield 21 vol 34 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2011
Hagakure: The Code of the Samurai (Manga Edition) – Kodansha International, Jan 2011

Hikaru no Go 22 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2011
Kurozakuro 2 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011
Natsume’s Book of Friends 5 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2011
Neon Genesis Evangelion The Shinji Ikari Raising Project 7 – Dark Horse, Jan 2011
Opera Manga! – Arcana Studio, Jan 2011

Prince of Tennis 40 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2011
Sand Chronicles 10 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2011
Shaman King 32 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2011
Stepping on Roses 4 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2011
Twin Spica 5 – Vertical, Jan 2011

Something Extra:

Exotique 6: The World’s Most Beautiful CG Characters, Daniel P. Wade, Balistic Publishing, 9781921002816 : $59 list.

publishers site: http://www.ballisticpublishing.com/books/exotique_6/

Matt’s Official Commentary & Review: … [*drool*]

##

What You Missed Last Week

Aria 6 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
AiON 1 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Cafe Latte Rhapsody – DMP Juné, Dec 2010
Chibi Vampire Official Fan Book – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Death Note Black Edition 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2010

Dengeki Daisy 3 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010
Foxy Lady 3 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Guardian Hearts 3 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Hanako & The Terror of Allegory 3 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Happy Cafe 6 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010

Hetalia Axis Powers 2 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
How to Draw Manga Style – Quarto Publishing, Dec 2010
Karakuri Odette 5 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Momogumi Plus Senki 4 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Neko Ramen 3 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010

NG Life 8 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Ratman 3 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
Silver Diamond 8 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko 1 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010
There’s Something about Sunyool 2 – Netcomics, Dec 2010

VB Rose 11 – Tokyopop, Dec 2010

##

Manga Visibility Report

(What I’m expecting 9 Jan – 5 Feb, subject to distributor availability and publisher whim)

11 Jan.

A Place in the Sun – DMP Juné, Jan 2011
Battle Angel Alita Last Order 14 – Viz, Jan 2011
Case Closed 37 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011
Code Geass Queen 3 – Bandai, Jan 2011
Cross Game 2 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011

Eureka Seven (novel) 4 – Bandai, Jan 2011
Hyde & Closer 3 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011
Intriguing Secrets – DMP Juné, Jan 2011
Inuyasha 56 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011
Kekkaishi 24 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011

Mega Man Star Force: Official Complete Works – Udon, Jan 2011
Open the Door to Your Heart – DMP Juné, Jan 2011
Spiral of Sand – DMP Juné, Jan 2011
Temperature Rising – DMP Juné, Jan 2011
The Tyrant Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011

Vampire Hunter D (manga) 5 – DMP, Jan 2011
Yakitate!! Japan 25 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2011
Yokan: Premonition 2 Noise – DMP Juné, Jan 2011

18 Jan.

Afterschool Charisma 2 – Viz Sig Ikki, Jan 2011
Dorohedoro 3 – Viz Sig Ikki, Jan 2011
Fullmetal Alchemist 24 – Viz, Jan 2011
Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus 1 – Dark Horse, Jan 2011
Shojo Manga: Pop & Romance – Collins Design, Jan 2011

25 Jan.

Black Butler 4 – Yen Press, Jan 2011
Black Jack 13 – Vertical, Jan 2011
Code: Breaker 3 – Del Rey, Jan 2011
Laon 4 – Yen Press, Jan 2011
Omamori Himari 2 – Yen Press, Jan 2011

Pandora Hearts 4 – Yen Press, Jan 2011
Spiral 14 – Yen Press, Jan 2011
Ugly Duckling’s Love Revolution 3 – Yen Press, Jan 2011

[and… deep breath… this is a big one]
1 Feb.

.hack// Link 3 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Adventures of Taro 2 Taro & The Terror of Eats Street – VizKids, Feb 2011
AiON 2 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Amnesia Labyrinth 1 – Seven Seas, Feb 2011
Bakuman 3 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011

Black Bird 7 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011
D. Gray-Man 20 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Feb 2011
Fate/Stay Night 10 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Full Metal Panic! (novel) 4 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Gakuen Alice 15 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011

Genkaku Picasso 2 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011
Gin Tama 21 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Feb 2011
Grand Guignol Orchestra 2 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011
Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 1 – Seven Seas, Feb 2011
Haruka Beyond the Stream of Time 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011

Kimi ni Todoke 7 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011
Lives 1 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Mad Love Chase 5 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus 2 – Dark Horse, Feb 2011
Maria Holic 6 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011

Mistress Fortune – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011
Naruto 50 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 1 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011
One Piece 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011
Otomen 9 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011

Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo 8 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Pokemon Adventures 11 – Vizkids, Feb 2011
Pokemon Areus & The Jewel of Life – Vizkids, Feb 2011
Portrait of M & N 4 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Seiho Boys’ High School 4 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011

Slam Dunk 14 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011
Stellar Six of Gingacho (Kirameki Gingacho Shotengai) 2 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011
Story of Saiunkoku 2 – Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2011
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee 4 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011
You & Me, Etc. – Tokyopop Blu, Feb 2011

##

— please note online sales sites often list conflicting release dates; dates as posted above are more or less correct within a week or so. (and if books are shipping early, that’s a good thing)

Dates are those listed by major trade distributors (Bookazine, Ingram, Partners, PGW, et al.) and not Diamond — if that serves as explanation.

Your Executive Summary and Index, Week Ending 05 December 2010

##

last week’s charts
about the charts
analysis & commentary

The Weekly Charts:
Week Ending 05 December 2010

Internet Archive Link: http://www.archive.org/details/MangaRankingsWeekEnding5December2010

Manga Top 500

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto 49 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2010 [438.6] ::
2. ↑3 (5) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [410.3] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Black Butler 3 – Yen Press, Oct 2010 [390.5] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Hetalia Axis Powers 1 – Tokyopop, Sep 2010 [385.1] ::
5. ↓-2 (3) : Alice in the Country of Hearts 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [366.2] ::
6. ↑30 (36) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 28 – Del Rey, Nov 2010 [363.8] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Black Butler 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2010 [338.0] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [336.8] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Naruto 48 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2010 [325.0] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [315.8] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of titles ranking in the Manga 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 95
Tokyopop 58
Yen Press 52
Viz Shojo Beat 45
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 35
Vizkids 31
Del Rey 28
Viz 27
Dark Horse 18
HC/Tokyopop 18

[more]

Top 50 Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [920.6] ::
2. ↑2 (4) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [778.7] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Black Butler – Yen Press [760.6] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Alice in the Country of Hearts – Tokyopop [725.0] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [716.0] ::
6. ↑1 (7) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [573.1] ::
7. ↑3 (10) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [560.7] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Pokemon – Vizkids [533.6] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Hetalia Axis Powers – Tokyopop [497.4] ::
10. ↑2 (12) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [489.3] ::

[more]

Top 50 New Releases:
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

5. ↓-2 (3) : Alice in the Country of Hearts 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [366.2] ::
6. ↑30 (36) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 28 – Del Rey, Nov 2010 [363.8] ::
17. ↓-3 (14) : Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Adventures 8 – Vizkids, Nov 2010 [268.0] ::
18. ↑13 (31) : Vampire Knight 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2010 [266.6] ::
21. ↑21 (42) : K-On! 1 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [251.3] ::
25. ↓-10 (15) : Bakuman 2 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2010 [236.7] ::
28. ↑61 (89) : Spice & Wolf (manga) 3 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [210.4] ::
33. ↑133 (166) : Bleach 33 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2010 [201.9] ::
39. ↓-22 (17) : D. Gray-Man 19 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2010 [186.2] ::
41. ↓-16 (25) : Lucky Star 7 – Bandai, Dec 2010 [184.7] ::

[more]

Top 50 Preorders:

250. ↓-46 (204) : Finder Series 3 One Wing in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Mar 2011 [38.6] ::
277. ↑8 (285) : The Tyrant Who Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [33.1] ::
296. ↑5 (301) : Negima! 29 – Kodansha/Del Rey, Mar 2011 [29.6] ::
303. ↑3 (306) : Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo 8 – Tokyopop, Feb 2011 [28.7] ::
304. ↓-33 (271) : Naruto 50 – Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2011 [28.5] ::
322. ↑20 (342) : Maid Sama! 8 – Tokyopop, Mar 2011 [26.8] ::
343. ↓-2 (341) : Negima! Neo 7 – Del Rey, Mar 2011 [23.6] ::
349. ↓-1 (348) : Haruhi Suzumiya Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 8 – Yen Press, Mar 2011 [22.6] ::
355. ↓-1 (354) : Kizuna Deluxe Edition 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [22.2] ::
377. ↑45 (422) : Black Butler 4 – Yen Press, Jan 2011 [20.6] ::

[more]

Top 50 Manhwa:

548. ↓-39 (509) : U Don’t Know Me – Netcomics, May 2009 [8.4] ::
778. ↑ (last ranked 5 Sep 10) : Totally Captivated 2 – Netcomics, May 2008 [2.4] ::
783. ↑ (last ranked 31 Oct 10) : Totally Captivated 3 – Netcomics, Jun 2008 [2.3] ::
823. ↑ (last ranked 5 Sep 10) : Totally Captivated 1 – Netcomics, Feb 2008 [2.0] ::
238. ↓-9 (229) : March Story 1 – Viz Signature, Oct 2010 [40.2] ::
264. ↑250 (514) : Legend 10 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [34.6] ::
299. ↓-68 (231) : Priest 3 – Tokyopop, Nov 2002 [28.9] ::
393. ↓-135 (258) : Bride of the Water God 6 – Dark Horse, Aug 2010 [18.6] ::
460. ↑new (0) : Black God 11 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [12.0] ::
477. ↑new (0) : Very Very Sweet 8 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [11.3] ::

[more]

Top 50 BL/Yaoi Volumes:

96. ↑156 (252) : Vassalord 4 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [106.8] ::
146. ↓-54 (92) : Finder Series 2 Cage in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Nov 2010 [74.8] ::
168. ↓-60 (108) : A Bloody Kiss Tonight – DMP DokiDoki, Nov 2010 [61.7] ::
208. ↓-46 (162) : Junjo Romantica 12 – Tokyopop Blu, Aug 2010 [48.8] ::
211. ↓-114 (97) : Incubus Master (Kindle Edition) 1 – Yaoi Press, Jan 2010 [48.2] ::
250. ↓-46 (204) : Finder Series 3 One Wing in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Mar 2011 [38.6] ::
274. ↑12 (286) : Ze 6 – 801 Media, Jun 2010 [33.6] ::
276. ↑118 (394) : Demon Contract (Kindle Edition) – Yaoi Press, Sep 2010 [33.1] ::
277. ↑8 (285) : The Tyrant Who Falls in Love 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2011 [33.1] ::
293. ↓-21 (272) : I Want to Bite (novel) – DMP DokiDoki, Jul 2010 [30.6] ::

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