2008-08: Manga Top 100 Volumes and Top 25 Series for August 2008

So just what is the Manga Top 100?

It's a chart of comparative manga rankings based on aggregate online sales listings. Yes, I know that's a bit of a mouthful and it might not make sense at first glance; the explanation for just what it means and why this isn't really a bestseller list (in the traditional sense) follows after the jump.

I'm going to lead with this, though:

Top 10 Manga Volumes:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto 30 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2008 [1741.2]
2. ↑2 (4) : Naruto 29 - Viz Shonen Jump, May 2008 [1659.2]
3. ↔0 (3) : Death Note 1 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2005 [1649.2]
4. ↑2 (6) : Death Note 2 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2005 [1627.4]
5. ↑2 (7) : Fruits Basket 20 - Tokyopop, Jul 2008 [1609.8]
6. ↓-4 (2) : Death Note 13 How to Read Death Note - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Feb 2008 [1599.1]
7. ↑4 (11) : Death Note 3 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2006 [1594.9]
8. ↔0 (8) : Naruto 28 - Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2008 [1592.4]
9. ↑1 (10) : Vampire Knight 3 - Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2007 [1572.1]
10. ↓-1 (9) : Vampire Knight 1 - Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2007 [1542.5]

Top 10 Manga Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [6580.7]
2. ↔0 (2) : Death Note - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2005 [4995.15]
3. ↔0 (3) : Fruits Basket - Tokyopop, Feb 2004 [4394.14]
4. ↔0 (4) : Bleach - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2004 [3568.68]
5. ↔0 (5) : Vampire Knight - Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2007 [3440.5]
6. ↔0 (6) : Warriors - HC/Tokyopop, Apr 2007 [2390.3]
7. ↑8 (15) : Rosario+Vampire - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2008 [2119.24]
8. ↑1 (9) : Kingdom Hearts - Tokyopop, Oct 2005 [2097.88]
9. ↑3 (12) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle - Del Rey, Apr 2004 [1936.66]
10. ↓-2 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club - Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2005 [1903]

The full chart, the actual "Manga 100" posted at the end of this column, is based on data pulled from online retailers that sell manga.

The methodology used differs quite a bit from other posted bestseller lists with which you might be familiar, such as the USA Today weekly book charts or ICv2's monthly posts of graphic novel sales. There are two reasons for that: first, this chart is designed to track online sales, as opposed to sales in either the direct market or in bookstores. The online market is different from retail; while some of the same titles that sell in stores are also popular online, the customer base, demand, and overall availability of titles are all different. A title isn't limited because of stocking decisions made by corporate buyers and indivdual retailers -- for the most part if it's in print and out there, then online a site is also selling it to somebody, somewhere.

Second, I track online sales because I can't get the proprietary data to which USA Today and ICv2 have access: actual unit sales in bookstores, or through comic shops and the direct market.

In place of unit or dollar sales numbers, the Manga 100 uses scores assigned to tiles based on how they rank in sites' posted "bestseller" lists, or in how highly the volumes place when a site's manga category is sorted by sales or popularity. The higher the placement, the higher the score, obviously. Our crack staff checks 10 online sales sites multiple times a week, assigning scores to the individual manga volumes based on how they rank and compiling all those points in a spreadsheet to produce the following charts.

Though -- Our Crack Staff is in fact just one guy named Matt. [That's me. Hi.]

It'd be nice to just get a batch of Neilsen Bookscan numbers, do a little fact-checking and after one or two spot fixes, to then hit the 'sort' button and get a list in under 2 seconds. It takes me about 16 hours a week to make up for the lack of that data. One shouldn't assume, though, that the lack of actual, 'real' sales data is a fatal handicap; these "aggregate comparitive online sales rankings" may not constitute a bestseller list in the traditional sense, but they are very effective at taking the pulse of online demand and reporting on it quickly. (That is to say: fan boys, otaku, yaoistas, & fujoshi -- along with their cohorts and compatriots of varying degrees of fannish dedication -- can move a title up or down the Amazon Hourly Bestseller List a heck of a lot faster than Neilsen Bookscan can track.)

The strength of an online-based method derives from the breadth of sources used, the frequency at which sources can be checked, the focus one can bring to even the smallest market segments (manga makes up less than 1% of all book sales), and the immediacy and responsiveness of online sales to consumer demand. The only trick left is developing the method.

##

Nuts and Bolts:

The August Rankings presented below represent 5 weeks of data (Mon 28 Jul through Fri 29 Aug) and 94 individual site checks. The sites:

Online Bookstores: Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Borders, Chapters of Canada, and Amazon's Manga Category Listing
Other Sales Charts: Amazon's Hourly Bestsellers, Buy.com, Deepdiscount.com, Powell's, Tower, and Virgin

All sites are loaded up at least once a week. The core sites (Amazon, B&N, Borders) are each checked three times a week, with the top 300 titles scored: #1=300 points, then proceeding down until finally a single point is assigned to last place. If you add in the Amazon Hourly Bestsellers for manga -- which differ from the Amazon Manga Category listings -- then these three sites account for about 3/4 of the total data set. The other sales sites also matter, just not as much.

For my weekly charts, which in their current form have been continuously posted for the last six months, I also track movement from week to week (or include a short note of when a title was last ranked) but since this is the first presentation of a monthly manga chart, that comparative and historical data just isn't in place yet. To partially cover the gap I've imported the volume and series rankings from the weekly chart dated 3 August. Obviously this is not a one-for-one comparison, but as a bandage it does fill in a gap -- and is better by far than a leaving a blank in the listings.

##

And on to the charts:

Before the list of bestselling volumes promised in this article's title, I'd also like to present a listing of the Top 25 Series.

To make it more meaningful, I've developed a hybrid chart showing not only the series with its rank and composite score, but also a few of the volumes (with their ranks & points) that contribute to that score. (A exhaustive description of how the series composite score is calculated can be found in a previously-posted commentary on RocketBomber; also available there is a rudimentary Charts FAQ).

Top 25 Manga Series, expanded chart

key:
rank. ↕movement (last months rank) : title - pub.info & [score] ::

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [6580.7] ::

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto 30 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2008 [1741.2]
2. ↑2 (4) : Naruto 29 - Viz Shonen Jump, May 2008 [1659.2]
8. ↔0 (8) : Naruto 28 - Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2008 [1592.4]
(+40 other listings)

2. ↔0 (2) : Death Note - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2005 [4995.15] ::

3. ↔0 (3) : Death Note 1 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2005 [1649.2]
4. ↑2 (6) : Death Note 2 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2005 [1627.4]
6. ↓-4 (2) : Death Note 13 How to Read Death Note - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Feb 2008 [1599.1]
(+14 other listings)

3. ↔0 (3) : Fruits Basket - Tokyopop, Feb 2004 [4394.14] ::

5. ↑2 (7) : Fruits Basket 20 - Tokyopop, Jul 2008 [1609.8]
19. ↓-6 (13) : Fruits Basket 19 - Tokyopop, Mar 2008 [1416.3]
44. ↓-3 (41) : Fruits Basket 18 - Tokyopop, Nov 2007 [1007]
(+26 other listings)

4. ↔0 (4) : Bleach - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2004 [3568.68] ::

36. ↓-11 (25) : Bleach 3 - Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2004 [1101.6]
38. ↓-8 (30) : Bleach 23 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2008 [1046.6]
41. ↓-7 (34) : Bleach 2 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2004 [1015.9]
(+26 other listings)

5. ↔0 (5) : Vampire Knight - Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2007 [3440.5] ::

9. ↑1 (10) : Vampire Knight 3 - Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2007 [1572.1]
10. ↓-1 (9) : Vampire Knight 1 - Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2007 [1542.5]
11. ↓-6 (5) : Vampire Knight 2 - Viz Shojo Beat, May 2007 [1533.3]
(+3 other listings)

6. ↔0 (6) : Warriors - HC/Tokyopop, Apr 2007 [2390.3] ::

32. ↑5 (37) : Warriors 3 - HC/Tokyopop, Apr 2008 [1150.9]
43. ↑12 (55) : Warriors 1 - HC/Tokyopop, Apr 2007 [1010.9]
51. ↑7 (58) : Warriors 2 - HC/Tokyopop, Dec 2007 [952.8]
(+3 other listings)

7. ↑8 (15) : Rosario+Vampire - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2008 [2119.24] ::

35. ↑158 (193) : Rosario+Vampire 2 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Aug 2008 [1119.6]
47. ↑1 (48) : Rosario+Vampire 1 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2008 [999.6]
2059. ↑new (0) : Rosario+Vampire 3 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [0.4]

8. ↑1 (9) : Kingdom Hearts - Tokyopop, Oct 2005 [2097.88] ::

28. ↑25 (53) : Kingdom Hearts II 2 - Tokyopop, May 2008 [1213.6]
99. ↔0 (99) : Kingdom Hearts vols 1-4 box set - Tokyopop, Oct 2006 [686.3]
111. ↓-25 (86) : Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories vols 1-2 box set - Tokyopop, Oct 2007 [630]
(+7 other listings)

9. ↑3 (12) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle - Del Rey, Apr 2004 [1936.66] ::

30. ↑38 (68) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 18 - Del Rey, Jul 2008 [1161.8]
117. ↑23 (140) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 17 - Del Rey, May 2008 [605.4]
175. ↓-10 (165) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 16 - Del Rey, Feb 2008 [455.9]
(+16 other listings)

10. ↓-2 (8) : Ouran High School Host Club - Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2005 [1903] ::

79. ↑21 (100) : Ouran High School Host Club 6 - Viz Shojo Beat, Apr 2006 [755.2]
84. ↔0 (84) : Ouran High School Host Club 1 - Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2005 [750.2]
104. ↓-11 (93) : Ouran High School Host Club 3 - Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2005 [669.1]
(+8 other listings)

11. ↓-4 (7) : Chibi Vampire - Tokyopop, Apr 2006 [1877.59] ::

65. ↓-15 (50) : Chibi Vampire 9 - Tokyopop, Jul 2008 [864.1]
108. ↑22 (130) : Chibi Vampire 2 - Tokyopop, Aug 2006 [639.1]
122. ↑32 (154) : Chibi Vampire 3 - Tokyopop, Dec 2006 [592.1]
(+13 other listings)

12. ↑2 (14) : Berserk - Dark Horse, Oct 2003 [1773.4] ::

55. ↑124 (179) : Berserk 24 - Dark Horse, Jul 2008 [935.4]
128. ↑14 (142) : Berserk 22 - Dark Horse, Apr 2008 [584.3]
186. ↓-88 (98) : Berserk 23 - Dark Horse, Jun 2008 [434.3]
(+23 other listings)

13. ↑16 (29) : D. Gray-Man - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, May 2006 [1417.7] ::

73. ↑390 (463) : D. Gray-Man 10 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Aug 2008 [808.3]
189. ↓-6 (183) : D. Gray-Man 9 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, May 2008 [424.5]
224. ↑6 (230) : D. Gray-Man 3 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2006 [375.5]
(+7 other listings)

14. ↓-4 (10) : Fullmetal Alchemist - Viz, Apr 2005 [1331.33] ::

146. ↓-17 (129) : Fullmetal Alchemist 1 - Viz, Apr 2005 [534.6]
165. ↓-53 (112) : Fullmetal Alchemist 15 - Viz, Dec 2007 [483.8]
191. ↓-42 (149) : Fullmetal Alchemist 16 - Viz, Mar 2008 [421.3]
(+18 other listings)

15. ↑1 (16) : Naoki Urasawa's Monster - Viz Signature, Feb 2006 [1263.35] ::

86. ↓-15 (71) : Naoki Urasawa's Monster 1 - Viz Signature, Feb 2006 [746.7]
182. ↑5 (187) : Naoki Urasawa's Monster 4 - Viz Signature, Aug 2006 [441.6]
192. ↑623 (815) : Naoki Urasawa's Monster 16 - Viz Signature, Aug 2008 [417]
(+14 other listings)

16. ↑6 (22) : Pokemon - Vizkids, Nov 1999 [1263.17] ::

102. ↑14 (116) : Pokemon Let's Find Pokemon! - Vizkids, Oct 2006 [672]
180. ↑24 (204) : Pokemon Best of Pokemon Adventures Red - Vizkids, Oct 2006 [444.3]
204. ↑6 (210) : Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventure 1 - Vizkids, Apr 2008 [404.2]
(+8 other listings)

17. ↔0 (17) : xxxHolic - Del Rey, Apr 2004 [1247.32] ::

62. ↓-24 (38) : xxxHolic 12 - Del Rey, Jun 2008 [870.3]
263. ↑99 (362) : xxxHolic 1 - Del Rey, Apr 2004 [307.9]
514. ↑713 (1227) : xxxHolic 9 - Del Rey, Jul 2007 [126.6]
(+10 other listings)

18. ↑5 (23) : Negima! - Del Rey, Apr 2004 [1182.84] ::

81. ↓-7 (74) : Negima! 18 - Del Rey, Jun 2008 [753.5]
312. ↑13 (325) : Negima! 15 - Del Rey, Aug 2007 [259.5]
411. ↑200 (611) : Negima! 7 - Del Rey, Sep 2005 [181.9]
(+16 other listings)

19. ↓-8 (11) : Junjo Romantica - Tokyopop Blu, Oct 2007 [1168.29] ::

123. ↓-17 (106) : Junjo Romantica 1 - Tokyopop Blu, Oct 2006 [591.6]
174. ↓-86 (88) : Junjo Romantica 6 - Tokyopop Blu, Jun 2008 [457.8]
231. ↓-56 (175) : Junjo Romantica 2 - Tokyopop Blu, Jan 2007 [363.5]
(+4 other listings)

20. ↓-2 (18) : Inuyasha - Viz, Mar 2003 [1133.81] ::

85. ↓-25 (60) : Inuyasha 34 - Viz, Jul 2008 [749.9]
249. ↓-7 (242) : Inuyasha 1 - Viz, Mar 2003 [330]
485. ↑16 (501) : Inuyasha 2 - Viz, Mar 2003 [144.2]
(+31 other listings)

21. ↓-8 (13) : Vampire Hunter D - Dark Horse, Apr 2008 [1103.53] ::

92. ↓-60 (32) : Vampire Hunter D (manga) 2 - DMP, Jun 2008 [714.2]
274. ↓-34 (240) : Vampire Hunter D (manga) 1 - DMP, Nov 2007 [297.2]
300. ↑6 (306) : Vampire Hunter D (novel) 1 - Dark Horse, Jun 2005 [265.8]
(+10 other listings)

22. ↑35 (57) : Warcraft - Tokyopop, Mar 2005 [1094.28] ::

152. ↑new (0) : Warcraft Legends 1 - Tokyopop, Aug 2008 [515.5]
160. ↑42 (202) : Warcraft Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition - Tokyopop, Oct 2007 [496.2]
261. ↑98 (359) : Warcraft Sunwell Trilogy 1 - Tokyopop, Mar 2007 [308.8]
(+3 other listings)

23. ↑64 (87) : Tail of the Moon - Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2008 [1092.89] ::

56. ↑204 (260) : Tail of the Moon 12 - Viz Shojo Beat, Aug 2008 [927.5]
477. ↓-74 (403) : Tail of the Moon 11 - Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2008 [148.2]
649. ↑83 (732) : Tail of the Moon 8 - Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2007 [73.1]
(+9 other listings)

24. ↓-4 (20) : Absolute Boyfriend - Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2006 [1085.45] ::

167. ↓-9 (158) : Absolute Boyfriend 4 - Viz Shojo Beat, Aug 2007 [474.8]
169. ↓-25 (144) : Absolute Boyfriend 6 - Viz Shojo Beat, May 2008 [470.1]
179. ↑2 (181) : Absolute Boyfriend 3 - Viz Shojo Beat, Feb 2007 [449.3]
(+3 other listings)

25. ↑35 (60) : Kitchen Princess - Del Rey, Jan 2007 [1066.69] ::

63. ↑589 (652) : Kitchen Princess 7 - Del Rey, Aug 2008 [867.6]
423. ↓-245 (178) : Kitchen Princess 6 - Del Rey, May 2008 [172.7]
530. ↓-126 (404) : Kitchen Princess 5 - Del Rey, Feb 2008 [119]
(+5 other listings)

##

Top 100 Manga Volumes

key:
rank. ↕movement (last months rank) : title - pub.info & [score] ::

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto 30 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2008 [1741.2]
2. ↑2 (4) : Naruto 29 - Viz Shonen Jump, May 2008 [1659.2]
3. ↔0 (3) : Death Note 1 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2005 [1649.2]
4. ↑2 (6) : Death Note 2 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2005 [1627.4]
5. ↑2 (7) : Fruits Basket 20 - Tokyopop, Jul 2008 [1609.8]
6. ↓-4 (2) : Death Note 13 How to Read Death Note - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Feb 2008 [1599.1]
7. ↑4 (11) : Death Note 3 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2006 [1594.9]
8. ↔0 (8) : Naruto 28 - Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2008 [1592.4]
9. ↑1 (10) : Vampire Knight 3 - Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2007 [1572.1]
10. ↓-1 (9) : Vampire Knight 1 - Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2007 [1542.5]
11. ↓-6 (5) : Vampire Knight 2 - Viz Shojo Beat, May 2007 [1533.3]
12. ↑3 (15) : Death Note 4 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Mar 2006 [1506.3]
13. ↑4 (17) : Death Note 7 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Sep 2006 [1479.7]
14. ↑4 (18) : Death Note 6 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2006 [1474.8]
15. ↓-1 (14) : Death Note 5 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2006 [1455.6]
16. ↓-4 (12) : Death Note 12 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2007 [1452.1]
17. ↓-1 (16) : Death Note 10 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Mar 2007 [1437.8]
18. ↑2 (20) : Naruto 1 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [1424.1]
19. ↓-6 (13) : Fruits Basket 19 - Tokyopop, Mar 2008 [1416.3]
20. ↓-1 (19) : Death Note 8 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2006 [1401.4]
21. ↑1 (22) : Death Note 11 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, May 2007 [1345.3]
22. ↑4 (26) : Death Note 9 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jan 2007 [1322.5]
23. ↓-2 (21) : Naruto 2 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2003 [1311.2]
24. ↑4 (28) : Naruto 5 - Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2004 [1257.1]
25. ↑2 (27) : Naruto 3 - Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2004 [1244.6]
26. ↓-2 (24) : Naruto 26 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2007 [1242.7]
27. ↓-4 (23) : Naruto 27 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2007 [1239.9]
28. ↑25 (53) : Kingdom Hearts II 2 - Tokyopop, May 2008 [1213.6]
29. ↔0 (29) : Naruto 4 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2004 [1190.5]
30. ↑38 (68) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 18 - Del Rey, Jul 2008 [1161.8]
31. ↑4 (35) : Naruto 6 - Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2005 [1156.8]
32. ↑5 (37) : Warriors 3 - HC/Tokyopop, Apr 2008 [1150.9]
33. ↑3 (36) : Naruto 7 - Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2005 [1128.7]
34. ↓-3 (31) : Vampire Knight 4 - Viz Shojo Beat, Apr 2008 [1123.7]
35. ↑158 (193) : Rosario+Vampire 2 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Aug 2008 [1119.6]
36. ↓-11 (25) : Bleach 3 - Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2004 [1101.6]
37. ↑33 (70) : Naruto 31 - Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2008 [1092.9]
38. ↓-8 (30) : Bleach 23 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2008 [1046.6]
39. ↑10 (49) : Dark Hunger -- Feehan, Zid - Berkley, Oct 2007 [1039.3]
40. ↑7 (47) : Death Note Another Note (novel) - Viz, Feb 2008 [1021.1]
41. ↓-7 (34) : Bleach 2 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2004 [1015.9]
42. ↑3 (45) : Naruto 8 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2005 [1015.7]
43. ↑12 (55) : Warriors 1 - HC/Tokyopop, Apr 2007 [1010.9]
44. ↓-3 (41) : Fruits Basket 18 - Tokyopop, Nov 2007 [1007]
45. ↓-12 (33) : Naruto 10 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2006 [1003.7]
46. ↓-4 (42) : Naruto 20 - Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2007 [1002]
47. ↑1 (48) : Rosario+Vampire 1 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2008 [999.6]
48. ↓-8 (40) : Naruto 25 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2007 [964.8]
49. ↓-6 (43) : Naruto 9 - Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2006 [961.4]
50. ↑2 (52) : Naruto 24 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2007 [952.9]
51. ↑7 (58) : Warriors 2 - HC/Tokyopop, Dec 2007 [952.8]
52. ↓-8 (44) : Naruto 15 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2007 [949.4]
53. ↑6 (59) : Fruits Basket 17 - Tokyopop, Aug 2007 [949.4]
54. ↓-15 (39) : Naruto 14 - Viz Shonen Jump, May 2007 [939.5]
55. ↑124 (179) : Berserk 24 - Dark Horse, Jul 2008 [935.4]
56. ↑204 (260) : Tail of the Moon 12 - Viz Shojo Beat, Aug 2008 [927.5]
57. ↑20 (77) : Fruits Basket 8 - Tokyopop, Apr 2005 [899.4]
58. ↑17 (75) : Fruits Basket 1 - Tokyopop, Feb 2004 [897.8]
59. ↑8 (67) : Bleach 1 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2004 [889.4]
60. ↓-9 (51) : Naruto 18 - Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2007 [873.2]
61. ↓-7 (54) : Naruto 21 - Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2007 [871.1]
62. ↓-24 (38) : xxxHolic 12 - Del Rey, Jun 2008 [870.3]
63. ↑589 (652) : Kitchen Princess 7 - Del Rey, Aug 2008 [867.6]
64. ↑5 (69) : Naruto 22 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2007 [865.8]
65. ↓-15 (50) : Chibi Vampire 9 - Tokyopop, Jul 2008 [864.1]
66. ↓-20 (46) : Naruto 19 - Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2007 [860.3]
67. ↓-3 (64) : Naruto 16 - Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2007 [839.7]
68. ↑8 (76) : Battle Royale Novel - Viz, Mar 2003 [833.9]
69. ↑20 (89) : Bleach 6 - Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2005 [831.4]
70. ↑20 (90) : Bleach 4 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2004 [820.2]
71. ↓-15 (56) : Naruto 13 - Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2007 [819.3]
72. ↑7 (79) : Naruto The Official Fanbook - Viz Shonen Jump, Feb 2008 [818.6]
73. ↑390 (463) : D. Gray-Man 10 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Aug 2008 [808.3]
74. ↓-17 (57) : Naruto 12 - Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2006 [803.3]
75. ↓-9 (66) : Naruto 23 - Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2007 [803]
76. ↓-15 (61) : Naruto 17 - Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2007 [792.1]
77. ↑76 (153) : Wallflower 16 - Del Rey, Jun 2008 [787.1]
78. ↑36 (114) : Fruits Basket 2 - Tokyopop, Apr 2004 [756.1]
79. ↑21 (100) : Ouran High School Host Club 6 - Viz Shojo Beat, Apr 2006 [755.2]
80. ↓-15 (65) : Gothic & Lolita Bible 2 - Tokyopop, Jun 2008 [754.1]
81. ↓-7 (74) : Negima! 18 - Del Rey, Jun 2008 [753.5]
82. ↑9 (91) : In Odd We Trust -- Koontz, Chan - Del Rey, Jun 2008 [753.2]
83. ↓-20 (63) : Angel Diary 6 - Yen Press, Jul 2008 [752]
84. ↔0 (84) : Ouran High School Host Club 1 - Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2005 [750.2]
85. ↓-25 (60) : Inuyasha 34 - Viz, Jul 2008 [749.9]
86. ↓-15 (71) : Naoki Urasawa's Monster 1 - Viz Signature, Feb 2006 [746.7]
87. ↑9 (96) : Making Comics -- McCloud - HarperCollins, Sep 2006 [744.6]
88. ↑27 (115) : Bleach 7 - Viz Shonen Jump, May 2005 [744.5]
89. ↑12 (101) : Fruits Basket 6 - Tokyopop, Dec 2004 [728]
90. ↑37 (127) : Bleach 13 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2006 [724.4]
91. ↑16 (107) : Fruits Basket 9 - Tokyopop, Jun 2005 [717.4]
92. ↓-60 (32) : Vampire Hunter D (manga) 2 - DMP, Jun 2008 [714.2]
93. ↑33 (126) : Bleach 5 - Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2005 [711]
94. ↑19 (113) : Fruits Basket 5 - Tokyopop, Sep 2004 [709.5]
95. ↑25 (120) : Fruits Basket 14 - Tokyopop, Aug 2006 [708.8]
96. ↓-24 (72) : Case Closed 24 - Viz, Jul 2008 [695]
97. ↑59 (156) : Fruits Basket 13 - Tokyopop, Apr 2006 [693.9]
98. ↑74 (172) : Fruits Basket 10 - Tokyopop, Jul 2005 [686.8]
99. ↔0 (99) : Kingdom Hearts vols 1-4 box set - Tokyopop, Oct 2006 [686.3]
100. ↓-38 (62) : Claymore 12 - Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2008 [676.3]

##

Matt Blind is a bookseller: that's his day job, working as an asst. manager at a far-flung outpost of one of the big box chains. He is also a big fan of manga, has been a blogger of one stripe or another since aught-four, drinks too much, and remembers enough discrete math from his classes at Georgia Tech to construct the truly frightening spreadsheet that spits out these charts.

Readers with questions, comments or corrections should email Matt at, not surprisingly, matt[at]rocketbomber[dot]com.