The Pulse has posted Diamond’s sales figures for November. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that Shojo Beat cracked the top 300 comics list at #274 (and just surprised that Shonen Jump didn’t make the cut). I’ve been wondering about sales on the anthology, and while comics specialty shops are a small piece of the overall pie, it’s nice to see it get a little bit of traction. (I can’t remember Jump ever coming in significantly higher in the rankings.)
I’m not surprised at all to see Fruits Basket Vol. 12 leading the top 50 manga list. There’s only one volume of Naruto on the list (#2), but maybe LCS shoppers catch up faster than bookstore customers. Twenty-two manga titles (from Tokyopop, Viz, Dark Horse, Del Rey, ADV, and – gasp! – CMX) cracked the top 100 graphic novels list.
I’m glad to see the debut volume of Eden and Genshiken Vol. 3 among the 22. (I think Genshiken gets stronger with each new installment.) I’m disappointed that Cromartie High School Vol. 4 didn’t make it, though it did place 32nd in terms of the month’s manga. (I came in late to CHS, but I’m enjoying catching up.)
Much of the weekend was devoted to Christmas shopping (because I’m either a procrastinator, a masochist, or both), but I did manage to work in some manga purchases, one being CHS Vol. 1. The other was the first volume of Sensual Phrase, because Johanna Draper Carlson has named it manga worth reading, and that’s good enough for me.
I got around to reading the latest volume in another book from that category, Hot Gimmick, and wow, was that a corker. Revelations! Earth-shattering decisions! Reversals! Comeuppance! And the continuing emergence of something that resembles a spine in our heroine, Hatsumi!
I’m always relieved to see someone like a title when they’ve purchased it partly on my recommendation. Tangonat has a positive review of Go! Comi’s excellent costume drama Cantarella.
Speaking of recommended reading, today’s offering in the Love Manga Advent Calendar is particularly choice, so go take a look and enter.
Technical difficulties will delay the posting of this week’s Flipped, but really, it’s not like it’s insulin or anything.