’Solo Leveling’ Vol. 25 Tops Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 as Paperback Release Lifts ‘Naruse’ Title to No. 2

DUBU, Chugong and h-goon’s Ore Dake Level Up na Ken (Solo Leveling) Vol. 25 debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Book Hot 100, on the list released July 2.

The title is the manga adaptation of the popular South Korean web novel, and this volume wraps up the main story. The book places at No. 2 in both brick-and-mortar and e-books to claim the overall top spot.

The paperback edition of Mina Miyajima’s Naruse wa Shinjita Michi wo Iku went on sale June 24, and the novel vaults from outside the top 20 to No. 2. The title scores points across five metrics: No. 1 in brick-and-mortar, No. 2 in e-commerce (EC), No. 8 in social media, with additional placements in subscriptions and e-books. The cumulative sales of the “Naruse” series have now surpassed 2.5 million copies.

Last week’s No. 1, the latest volume of the Sunday GX manga adaptation of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries), stays in the top 3 at No. 3, retaining its No. 1 position in e-books. Present, an anthology novel in which seven leading contemporary authors each contribute an original story on the theme of “summer,” enters at No. 5, topping both the EC and social media metrics. Yu Nagira’s Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku, set for a live-action film adaptation in October, scores points across five metrics to break into the top 10 for the first time at No. 9.

The Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 is a comprehensive chart combining physical sales, e-books, library loans, subscription data and social media activity. Below are the top 10 titles on this week’s list, tracking the period from June 22 to 28.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate the title’s metric placements for brick-and-mortar, EC, e-books, subscriptions, and social media, top 20 only. English title given if translations or adaptations exist.)

1. Ore Dake Level Up na Ken (Solo Leveling) Vol. 25, DUBU, Chugong, h-goon (2/–/2/–/–)

2. Naruse wa Shinjita Michi wo Iku, Mina Miyajima (1/2/–/–/8)

3. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto ~ Maomao no Kokyu Nazotoki Techo ~ (The Apothecary Diaries) Vol. 22, Hyuuganatsu, Minoji Kurata, Touko Shino (5/–/1/–/–)

4. Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru (From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman) Vol. 9, Shigeru Sagazaki, Tetsuhiro Nabeshima, Kazuki Sato (3/–/5/–/–)

5. Present, Kotaro Isaka, Kaori Ekuni, Riku Onda, Kaho Nashiki, Sonoko Machida, Miyuki Miyabe, Honobu Yonezawa (6/1/–/–/1)

6. Blue Lock Vol. 39, Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura (4/–/9/–/–)

7. 777 Triple Seven, Kotaro Isaka (8/–/–/–/7)

8. Majo to Sugoshita Nanokakan, Keigo Higashino (7/–/–/–/–)

9. Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku, Yu Nagira (–/–/–/4/5)

10. In The Megachurch, Ryo Asai (–/–/–/3/2)