Top-Selling Manga 2013 in Japan (First Half 2013)

[Twisted007]

HxH is on hiatus for a year and half and it still sells more than Naruto

 

[-Punk-]

GO! GET! THEM! Attack on Titan ! ............#Best in the world

 

[ziggyZ]

OP>Naruto in every aspect u_u

 

[-Punk-]

Keep fvcking up Kishi u-u

 

[natssuu]

Haha, I dunno what people are here for xD Bashing Naruto in a forum that is meant for the series' fanbase, seriously you don't have to stay in here

 

[Totsuka No Tsurugi]

well this sub forum is not for Naruto so its allowed ahahahahaha

 

[Ghan]

Doesn't Matter. MAGI>all

 

[edo tensai wilmaso]

can anyone please tell me if that kuroma basket ??? is any good ....i see it's top 3 but before today never heard of it....just started reading terraformers today already at chapter 7 shyt was real be....ima continue reading it...but attack on titans.... that high so fast? it's one suspenseful manga tough

edit: sorry had no idea the the basket manga was actually about basketball???? and this is top 3???? why??? how ????.

 

[Ghan]

can anyone please tell me if that kuroma basket ??? is any good ....i see it's top 3 but before today never heard of it....just started reading terraformers today already at chapter 7 shyt was real be....ima continue reading it...but attack on titans.... that high so fast? it's one suspenseful manga tough

edit: sorry had no idea the the basket manga was actually about basketball???? and this is top 3???? why??? how ????.

Because it's a good ass manga which deserves its spot

 

[edo tensai wilmaso]

Because it's a good ass manga which deserves its spot

hmmm maybe because japanese people suck at basketball??? thats why it sells in japan ????

 

[Ghan]

hmmm maybe because japanese people suck at basketball??? thats why it sells in japan ????

Sport mangas tend to do well for some reason(Slam Dunk,Eyeshield 21,One Outs )

 

[Boa Hancock]

can anyone please tell me if that kuroma basket ??? is any good ....i see it's top 3 but before today never heard of it....just started reading terraformers today already at chapter 7 shyt was real be....ima continue reading it...but attack on titans.... that high so fast? it's one suspenseful manga tough

edit: sorry had no idea the the basket manga was actually about basketball???? and this is top 3???? why??? how ????.

Because it's a good ass manga which deserves its spot

hmmm maybe because japanese people suck at basketball??? thats why it sells in japan ????

Sport mangas tend to do well for some reason(Slam Dunk,Eyeshield 21,One Outs )

You must be registered for see images

It's Japan's Twilight.

The fangirls of Prince of Tennis migrated to this manga, and because of the threats to KNB's author, it skyrocketed in popularity. The anime was also good, which is why you're seeing Magi, Shingeki, and Kuroko own the spots that should have been Naruto's, Toriko's, and Bleach's.

I wouldn't put too much stock in Kuroko, imo. I'm a girl yet I love sports. I loved Eyeshield 21 and Slam Dunk, not just because of the boys. In Kuroko, it's like a slice-of-life first sports manga second. Don't read if you genuinely like sports because IMO it's fine for a light read. It does most things well except the sport (basketball) itself.

Sports manga don't tend to do well if they haven't got a foothold yet in the market. Take a look at Cross Manage and Haikyuu. The reason why Cross Manage didn't take off despite having characters better than Kurobasu's are because of 3 things:

1. Kuroko and Haikyuu are already there. Competition.
2. No one knows anything about lacrosse.
3. There's not one handsome guy or beautiful girl in the manga (keyword being sexy).

Haikyuu on the other hand is doing well, but is being limited right now. The reason? NOT ENOUGH PRETTY BOYS. It also doesn't have an anime yet.

There's also Kurogane which is a sports manga (Kendo), but it depended too much on strategy and was like Hikaru no Go. It would have been better if it were in some other magazine.

I wouldn't put too much stock on the temporary hits right now. Remember Ao no Exorcist? How about Toriko? They were the top manga of 2012, yet now ... Ao no Exorcist is out of the top 5 and Toriko's #13. Bleach is even worse now at 15.

 

[Escorpiius]

You must be registered for see images

It's Japan's Twilight.

The fangirls of Prince of Tennis migrated to this manga, and because of the threats to KNB's author, it skyrocketed in popularity. The anime was also good, which is why you're seeing Magi, Shingeki, and Kuroko own the spots that should have been Naruto's, Toriko's, and Bleach's.

I wouldn't put too much stock in Kuroko, imo. I'm a girl yet I love sports. I loved Eyeshield 21 and Slam Dunk, not just because of the boys. In Kuroko, it's like a slice-of-life first sports manga second. Don't read if you genuinely like sports because IMO it's fine for a light read. It does most things well except the sport (basketball) itself.

Sports manga don't tend to do well if they haven't got a foothold yet in the market. Take a look at Cross Manage and Haikyuu. The reason why Cross Manage didn't take off despite having characters better than Kurobasu's are because of 3 things:

1. Kuroko and Haikyuu are already there. Competition.
2. No one knows anything about lacrosse.
3. There's not one handsome guy or beautiful girl in the manga (keyword being sexy).

Haikyuu on the other hand is doing well, but is being limited right now. The reason? NOT ENOUGH PRETTY BOYS. It also doesn't have an anime yet.

There's also Kurogane which is a sports manga (Kendo), but it depended too much on strategy and was like Hikaru no Go. It would have been better if it were in some other magazine.

I wouldn't put too much stock on the temporary hits right now. Remember Ao no Exorcist? How about Toriko? They were the top manga of 2012, yet now ... Ao no Exorcist is out of the top 5 and Toriko's #13. Bleach is even worse now at 15.

Kuroko is no Twilight lol That was a completely stupid comparison.

Kuroko's success is pretty simple. Excellent shounen merged with a sport. The sports takes center stage but the series doesn't try to elaborate way too much into basketball. That's a plus point. Then obviously, the characters are wonderfully etched. Not only design-wise but their traits connect instantly with shounen lovers. Personally, it's the most entertaining sports manga Ive read since Eyeshield; so no complaints on it. It's even better than Slam Dunk.

I agree that Cross Manage deserve more attention; especially since it's serialized by Weekly Shounen Jump. Oh, and if you wanna read something with nearly similar start to Cross Manage, then read Shuukyuu Shoujo. Its an ecchi sports manga on football that delivers what Cross Manage essentially lacks - fanservice!

As for Ao No Exorcist, obviously it wasn't to be in Top 5. Was the most hyped anime of 2011, anime popularity reflected on early sales of 2012, craze dropped down as year passed and result is clear.

 

[Boa Hancock]

Kuroko is no Twilight lol That was a completely stupid comparison.

Kuroko's success is pretty simple. Excellent shounen merged with a sport. The sports takes center stage but the series doesn't try to elaborate way too much into basketball. That's a plus point. Then obviously, the characters are wonderfully etched. Not only design-wise but their traits connect instantly with shounen lovers. Personally, it's the most entertaining sports manga Ive read since Eyeshield; so no complaints on it. It's even better than Slam Dunk.

Blasphemy. Anyone who's read Kuroko is in it for either the slice-of-life moments or the guys. No one's in it for the sports. That's just messed up. I got pissed at Misdirection Overflow, and that was the time I realized I shouldn't take Kuroko seriously. Their characters are wonderful I agree, but connect instantly with shounen lovers? No, I don't think so. Kuroko is so full of fangirl bait that even I was drawn into it enough to praise it until I opened my eyes to the truth.

The sports never took center stage because if it did, winning would have taken more precedence over the techniques that outright take over the manga. Slam Dunk is far superior to Kuroko. Eyeshield 21 was the manga that balanced sports and fanservice for girls right; Slam Dunk was more mainly on sports but only had the minimum amount of girlservice to not affect the overall plot. Kuroko depends so much on girlservice it's horrible. Yes, I know I'm putting down myself and I admit to it being a guilty pleasure, but I'm being objective here.

I agree that Cross Manage deserve more attention; especially since it's serialized by Weekly Shounen Jump. Oh, and if you wanna read something with nearly similar start to Cross Manage, then read Shuukyuu Shoujo. Its an ecchi sports manga on football that delivers what Cross Manage essentially lacks - fanservice!

Why do you think I'd like to read something with lots of semi-naked girls? :erm:

As for Ao No Exorcist, obviously it wasn't to be in Top 5. Was the most hyped anime of 2011, anime popularity reflected on early sales of 2012, craze dropped down as year passed and result is clear.

Which is going to happen with Shingeki, Magi (the anime flopped). Kuroko has the support of a million fangirls, while Hunter x Hunter has a dedicated enough fanbase to keep going. Terra Formars will be the new Shingeki next year. Production IG cannot sustain this amount of quality in their anime for a long time. Also, the manga doesn't have enough chapters yet to warrant a long-running anime.

 

[Whit1001]

As always one piece comes out on top!

 

[Escorpiius]

Blasphemy. Anyone who's read Kuroko is in it for either the slice-of-life moments or the guys. No one's in it for the sports. That's just messed up. I got pissed at Misdirection Overflow, and that was the time I realized I shouldn't take Kuroko seriously. Their characters are wonderful I agree, but connect instantly with shounen lovers? No, I don't think so. Kuroko is so full of fangirl bait that even I was drawn into it enough to praise it until I opened my eyes to the truth.

The sports never took center stage because if it did, winning would have taken more precedence over the techniques that outright take over the manga. Slam Dunk is far superior to Kuroko. Eyeshield 21 was the manga that balanced sports and fanservice for girls right; Slam Dunk was more mainly on sports but only had the minimum amount of girlservice to not affect the overall plot. Kuroko depends so much on girlservice it's horrible. Yes, I know I'm putting down myself and I admit to it being a guilty pleasure, but I'm being objective here.

Why do you think I'd like to read something with lots of semi-naked girls? :erm:

Which is going to happen with Shingeki, Magi (the anime flopped). Kuroko has the support of a million fangirls, while Hunter x Hunter has a dedicated enough fanbase to keep going. Terra Formars will be the new Shingeki next year. Production IG cannot sustain this amount of quality in their anime for a long time. Also, the manga doesn't have enough chapters yet to warrant a long-running anime.

I don't get why people start dissing on a series; when they realize that the fanservice has quite some importance in a series as its plot/genre (shounen/sports). Fanservice and moeness has been so much overflowing in today's manga/anime, that people incredulously discard a series nowadays when they feel one of the main genre has been overshadowed by that. That's plain-fully wrong. While I agree that fanservice/moeness has gone overboard, one must admit that it's easy to overflow a series with it. On the other hand, it's not that easy to make a manga/anime with correct dose of fanservice according to me.

The keyword is not balance between plot and fanservice as you say. To me, it's about giving center-stage to the main genres; followed by highlighting the plot and characters and the fanservice may intrude itself in between. The catch is that whichever amount of fanservice is injected, it should entertain enough the readers/viewers. I compare the method similar to how action/romance/drama is used in genres; not particularly devoted to those elements. It's not about having equal balance between all elements but to make every ounce injected count and enjoyable.

You say that you had a guilty pleasure of enjoying the fanservice proposed in Kuroko but that you chose to diss it as horrible because you felt an overdose of it? That's where it doesn't follow my personal view on fanservice. If the amount of fanservice used entertained, then what's the point of complaining to it about being excessively used? Its goal was to entertain... To me, I chose to diss fanservice/moe when I instantly feel that the fanservice/moe isn't connecting and is being cringed completely. Besides, to me, Kuroko and Eyeshield got nearly same amount of fanservice with both having shounen/sports taking center stage. The only thing is that I find that Eyeshield explained its characters' objective/motive in life much better.

And as for "instant connect with shounen lovers"? I still maintain that. Sure, their design are instant hook for girlservice but their traits are very shounen-phillic. The small guy with huge heart for teamplay, the loudmouth with astonishing improvement rate, the friendly blonde with copycat abilities, one with immense tactical presence and huge IQ and so on...Those traits are very shounen-like. I can easily make an action-shounen from those characters traits from a sports-shounen manga.

I suggested Shuukyuu Shoujo because you seemed to deeply believe that pretty characters are all there needs for a sports-manga success...

Agree mostly for last part. Though Shingeki, similar to Kuroko, will mostly have a second season after a year-gap given its success. I'm also skeptical about maintaining the quality throughout the series though.

 

[Totsuka No Tsurugi]

i read Kuroko for the sport , am not in it for the stupid slice of life between Pretty BOYS, i guess Boa Statement was directed to FUJOSHI FANDOM ( CURSED THEM),

but i find it weird that you were( Boa) dissing KNB, while you're pretty hyped up about that Swimming gays anime by KyoAni this summer:'(

You must be registered for see images

yup this bullcrap, i heard that all the boys was given a girly name :sy:

 

[Boa Hancock]

i read Kuroko for the sport , am not in it for the stupid slice of life between Pretty BOYS, i guess Boa Statement was directed to FUJOSHI FANDOM ( CURSED THEM),

but i find it weird that you were( Boa) dissing KNB, while you're pretty hyped up about that Swimming gays anime by KyoAni this summer:'(

You must be registered for see images

yup this bullcrap, i heard that all the boys was given a girly name :sy:

Well, we don't know if Free! has good plot progression yet, that's why I'm hyped about it. It's the same with Kuroko, I was hyped and I thought it was a great manga. Now I only think it's a good manga. It hasn't fallen off my radar unlike titles like Naruto or Fairy Tail.

I don't get why people start dissing on a series; when they realize that the fanservice has quite some importance in a series as its plot/genre (shounen/sports). Fanservice and moeness has been so much overflowing in today's manga/anime, that people incredulously discard a series nowadays when they feel one of the main genre has been overshadowed by that. That's plain-fully wrong. While I agree that fanservice/moeness has gone overboard, one must admit that it's easy to overflow a series with it. On the other hand, it's not that easy to make a manga/anime with correct dose of fanservice according to me.

The keyword is not balance between plot and fanservice as you say. To me, it's about giving center-stage to the main genres; followed by highlighting the plot and characters and the fanservice may intrude itself in between. The catch is that whichever amount of fanservice is injected, it should entertain enough the readers/viewers. I compare the method similar to how action/romance/drama is used in genres; not particularly devoted to those elements. It's not about having equal balance between all elements but to make every ounce injected count and enjoyable.

You say that you had a guilty pleasure of enjoying the fanservice proposed in Kuroko but that you chose to diss it as horrible because you felt an overdose of it? That's where it doesn't follow my personal view on fanservice. If the amount of fanservice used entertained, then what's the point of complaining to it about being excessively used? Its goal was to entertain... To me, I chose to diss fanservice/moe when I instantly feel that the fanservice/moe isn't connecting and is being cringed completely. Besides, to me, Kuroko and Eyeshield got nearly same amount of fanservice with both having shounen/sports taking center stage. The only thing is that I find that Eyeshield explained its characters' objective/motive in life much better.

And as for "instant connect with shounen lovers"? I still maintain that. Sure, their design are instant hook for girlservice but their traits are very shounen-phillic. The small guy with huge heart for teamplay, the loudmouth with astonishing improvement rate, the friendly blonde with copycat abilities, one with immense tactical presence and huge IQ and so on...Those traits are very shounen-like. I can easily make an action-shounen from those characters traits from a sports-shounen manga.

Mmm, I 'dissed' Kuroko because I don't believe it's all that. I think it still has to prove itself, see. I've been to lots of KNB boards and you wouldn't believe the amount of rabid fans in there. Most other manga do have their own share of rabid fans but they take the cake in my experience. Also, it doesn't help that I see other basketball manga as superior, like Slam Dunk, Ahiru no Sora, Cross Over, Girl Got Game. Why? It's because I feel they really respect the sport of basketball, and not turn it into some kind of power spam fest.

Kuroko has never given center stage to its 'main genre' which is sports: it's just the premise of the show. There's a difference. It's concentrating on the players' relationships and not so much on the sport, and when it does come to the sports side of things, KNB never highlights the less-important teams, preferring to gloss over them in favor of the Generation of Miracles. You might say that because these less important teams can be skipped because they don't have GOM members in them, or even the [Silver Generation?]. But that just strengthens my point, that KNB concentrates on player relationships rather than its primary premise which is basketball. It's like watching K-dramas now; they give you an interesting premise like the girl's a wolf or the guy time-travels to the past, but 4 episodes in the premise gets dropped and you get a standard drama. It's why I described KNB as slice-of-life more than a sport or shounen manga. There's no balance. It leans heavily more on dialogue, preferring to skip the important parts of basketball in favor of unrealistic techniques that bend the rules of the sport.

I think Eyeshield 21 did the fanservice thing much better. It didn't heavily depend on it like KNB's doing now. You cannot deny it, Prince of Tennis did the same thing a few years back when it started Part 2. ES21 is what I consider balanced; you had fanservice-y characters (Sena, Hiruma, Agon, Shin, Yamato, Taka, Mamori and Karin for the guys) along with the gonks (Kurita, Monta, Toganou, Komusubi). You had rule explanations along with shounen powerups (Mini Devilbat). KNB has none of that. Most, no, dare I even say all of its characters are fanservice-y (GOM, Kagami, heck even Mitobe of all people are all pretty boys), even the men get their fill though I say KNB concentrates on its girl audience more.

You don't have many rule explanations going along with the powerups, it's just "Here's a new technique. You're supposed to just roll with it." Yes, it's shounen, but as a manga about a real sport I've come to expect some logic without it turning into some kind of smorgasbord of powers. Technical excellence doesn't matter in KNB unlike other manga (Shoyo in SD, Amino Sports in ES21), even though IRL it's one of the things that guarantees you success (San Antonio Spurs).

Your point about "instant connection" is just telling me that KNB executes tropes right, and I agree. There's nothing wrong with that, especially when KNB's first editor is known for executing tropes down to the letter (Here's a hint: he's on hiatus). What I'm saying is that I'm miffed that it depends too much on those, and people lap it up. You even say that it's better than SD, which IMO is blasphemy, as SD has not only set the standard but has proven that you don't need to depend on fanservice that much for people to like your manga. If I'd compare KNB to another basketball manga it would be with Girl Got Game. They're similar in the sense that they depend on character interactions more than on the sport itself.

So there you have it, my views on why I think KNB still has to prove itself. KNB is what I'd like to call "right place right time" manga, because not only is it popular mainly because of its sizable female fanbase, the negative promotion also counts (death threats, cancelled events). Unless I can see that it can survive on its own without being too similar to other manga in terms of plot progression (I realize that girlservice and powerups are an innate part of KNB now), it's not up there for me with others like Eyeshield 21, Captain Tsubasa, or Slam Dunk.

I suggested Shuukyuu Shoujo because you seemed to deeply believe that pretty characters are all there needs for a sports-manga success...

Oh, no. You've got the wrong idea about me. I don't believe in pretty characters = successful sports manga, or successful manga in general. One Piece has the least (IMO) pretty characters for me, yet I love it the most.

Agree mostly for last part. Though Shingeki, similar to Kuroko, will mostly have a second season after a year-gap given its success. I'm also skeptical about maintaining the quality throughout the series though.

The wise thing would be making SNK weekly, but we've all seen how that works .. and besides, Bessatsu is making so much money off it that it has really nothing to lose. You might be saying they're meeting demand, but for how long will that demand last?

 

[Totsuka No Tsurugi]

Well, we don't know if Free! has good plot progression yet, that's why I'm hyped about it. It's the same with Kuroko, I was hyped and I thought it was a great manga. Now I only think it's a good manga. It hasn't fallen off my radar unlike titles like Naruto or Fairy Tail.

what do you mean by plot progression ? am pretty sure this "Free" anime is just about a group of pretty boys, walking around topless for 20 minutes,

what else can it be ? you don't actually think they will take this swimming theme seriously aren't you ?
and why the **** they named the boys after a girl name ?

EDIT : it seems they just reveal 2 female character for this show, hmhm

 

[Twisted007]

can anyone please tell me if that kuroma basket ??? is any good ....i see it's top 3 but before today never heard of it....just started reading terraformers today already at chapter 7 shyt was real be....ima continue reading it...but attack on titans.... that high so fast? it's one suspenseful manga tough

edit: sorry had no idea the the basket manga was actually about basketball???? and this is top 3???? why??? how ????.

Kuroko no Basket is a good anime, the story is based around basketball and that is okey I guess if you like sports. But the characters are great, the character interaction is great. It's a feel good anime and althou I don't like sport anime, I enoyed Kuroko no Basket.