I just returned from a trip to Japan where I did… uh… a lot of manga shopping (multiple additional suitcases were purchased to get everything home) and I gotta say, this manga is a genuine phenomenon in Japan. It was the only manga I saw that got a whole shelf for a single volume to itself at Animate Ikebukuro (in the unlabeled yuri section lol), and it was featured (sometimes in multiple locations) at pretty much every manga store I visited (although I think I only saw one used copy, at a BOOK-OFF in Kyoto). It was really cool to see something so distinctive and stylish getting such a major push from its publisher.

Also, as other have said, most Kinokuniya locations in the US seem to be carrying this. I picked up my copy back around American Thanksgiving at San Francisco's Kinokuniya and there was a stack of like 20 copies, which almost never happens. Once I got to Japan I kinda wished I'd held off because I found a couple copies that still had bookstore exclusives (at one of the Animates in Tokyo and Shosen Book Tower).

last edited at Jan 14, 2024 6:38AM

I'm not too surprised. She's getting train ads, Nirvana merch, and name dropped in Kadokawa's financial reports. Somebody is making the most of it. Maybe not her since since on top of her work she keeps taking illustration jobs on the side too. I'm not sure at what point it all trickles down to the mangaka. Maybe with that illusive English language release someday.

My Kinokuniya has been carrying it on it's front display as well as the back yuri section. They are tag agnostic.

I'm not too surprised. She's getting train ads, Nirvana merch, and name dropped in Kadokawa's financial reports. Somebody is making the most of it. Maybe not her since since on top of her work she keeps taking illustration jobs on the side too. I'm not sure at what point it all trickles down to the mangaka. Maybe with that illusive English language release someday.

My Kinokuniya has been carrying it on it's front display as well as the back yuri section. They are tag agnostic.

She's probably making less than a magazine published author with a similar level of popularity, simply because those mangaka get paid for the magazine and for the volumes and she's just getting paid for the volumes. As far as side work though she draws 4 pages a week, that's a lot less than typical for those published mangaka. She's probably not desperate and doing overtime taking those illustration jobs, this manga just is probably not a full-time occupation (although it probably is temporarily right now due to the volume preparation).

She's probably making less than a magazine published author with a similar level of popularity, simply because those mangaka get paid for the magazine and for the volumes and she's just getting paid for the volumes.

I don't know how much an author published in a magazine is making, but I've always heard it's not that much, and much of their income comes from volume's sales. If you have more information, I'd be interested.
But knowing her manga is being sold at a higher price compared to your average manga (about 50% higher), I wouldn't be surprise if she was making more than a magazine published author with a similar level of popularity.

Also, no chapter this week.

I saw the new art she posted on Instagram 2 weeks ago. I thought it was someone else, not Koga, she looks mean? I wonder why Aya is crying, especially when this is hinted to be 8 years in the future.

She's probably making less than a magazine published author with a similar level of popularity, simply because those mangaka get paid for the magazine and for the volumes and she's just getting paid for the volumes.

I don't know how much an author published in a magazine is making, but I've always heard it's not that much, and much of their income comes from volume's sales. If you have more information, I'd be interested.
But knowing her manga is being sold at a higher price compared to your average manga (about 50% higher), I wouldn't be surprise if she was making more than a magazine published author with a similar level of popularity.

Also, no chapter this week.

I didn't know the sale price of the manga is higher than normal, although it makes sense and I'd imagine at least a large portion of that is because this comic isn't in normal black and white: printing with all that green ink probably changes both the printing process and the paper used. I wonder how it compares to printed copies of full color webtoons?
edit: browsing these bookstores' websites without knowing much Japanese is hard lol. And I noticed toranoana at least seemed to be adjusting prices upwards noticing I was international, listing prices in USD and then converting that back to yen at a premium higher than what was listed at first. The basic no-frills volume jumped from 1210 yen in the link in this thread announcing its versions to 1430 yen when I clicked the specific sale page for it. I sadly don't know enough to be able to make the comparison myself lol. As far as I can tell none of these sites was listing an ebook version, which feels like it would also be a useful comparison (since color in a pdf doesn't cost any extra).

last edited at Jan 14, 2024 9:51AM

Hi~ Sorry to ask here but since there is people better at japanese than me here, wanted to ask:

If Im right from the previous comments and the post of the author, buying from the four store, the items delivered are the same (keychain, etc. I know no 8p this time), except the individual illustrations like last time right? So if I just wanted extra items but dont care for the illustrations, is okey for me to buy just one?

And the drama CD has 4p? That one I will more interested honestly

I already did a preorder but wanted to have an extra one and items, but wanted to know how much can/want to expend this time, that is mostly why Im asking~

Sorry for the questions here and ty!

last edited at Jan 14, 2024 4:58PM

The items are not the same, each store has their own combination or something unique (different illustration). I'm honestly happy it's not 4 pages booklets all over again. The Drama CD is interesting indeed, I want to preorder it but I need to make sure that I can receive it first.

From what I understood:

gamers.co.jp has an acrylic key chain + a sticker with newly drawn pick charms
toranoana.jp has a unique acrylic key chain + double pocket clear file
animate has an acrylic key chain + clear file drawn by Animate
melonbooks.co.jp has an acrylic stand with key chain + clear poster

edit: browsing these bookstores' websites without knowing much Japanese is hard lol. And I noticed toranoana at least seemed to be adjusting prices upwards noticing I was international, listing prices in USD and then converting that back to yen at a premium higher than what was listed at first. The basic no-frills volume jumped from 1210 yen in the link in this thread announcing its versions to 1430 yen when I clicked the specific sale page for it. I sadly don't know enough to be able to make the comparison myself lol. As far as I can tell none of these sites was listing an ebook version, which feels like it would also be a useful comparison (since color in a pdf doesn't cost any extra).

What you're actually seeing is that for that bookseller they make you put the book in the cart AND then put a separate listing for the benefits in the cart. You might be mistaking the benefits listing for a priced up book. You can't complete the order correctly with only the benefits in the cart. So that different price is actually the benefits you need to bundle into the book order yourself. Unlike with the others where they create a single listing for book+benefits. When you put them together they come out to about the same price as the other bookstore's offerings.

(BUT from my current experience Buyee isn't letting me put preorder items from them together in one order to correctly to purchase them. I can put them into one cart on the book site but when Buyee takes over it separates them. And when Buyee tries to order them separately only the book goes through and the benefits are canceled. That seems to be a preorder specific behavior which is annoying as it could be sold out by the time it's in stock.)

If Im right from the previous comments and the post of the author, buying from the four store, the items delivered are the same (keychain, etc. I know no 8p this time), except the individual illustrations like last time right? So if I just wanted extra items but dont care for the illustrations, is okey for me to buy just one?

Each of the four stores have different illustrations. And as there are no booklets that means illustrations on the merch. So it should mean the acrylics etc. But without sample images it is a bit murky still.

last edited at Jan 14, 2024 11:20AM

Each of the four stores have different illustrations. And as there are no booklets that means illustrations on the merch. So it should mean the acrylics etc. But without sample images it is a bit murky still.

okey okey! I will wait to the stores to post like last time to decide then~ Thanks!

The items are not the same, each store has their own combination or something unique (different illustration). I'm honestly happy it's not 4 pages booklets all over again. The Drama CD is interesting indeed, I want to preorder it but I need to make sure that I can receive it first.

From what I understood:

gamers.co.jp has an acrylic key chain + a sticker with newly drawn pick charms
toranoana.jp has a unique acrylic key chain + double pocket clear file
animate has an acrylic key chain + clear file drawn by Animate
melonbooks.co.jp has an acrylic stand with key chain + clear poster

Ty so much for the info!! Then I will wait for the stores to publish the images of the items to decide. Thanks!!

What's the likelihood of Sumiko Sensei doing the English translation herself? I feel like it's probably impossible, both the workload of it and behind the scenes stuff working with English publishers that I don't know how it works. But English is a second language to her it seems; it would be so cool to have her translating her own words.

I'm jonesing...

Ty so much for the info!! Then I will wait for the stores to publish the images of the items to decide. Thanks!!

All the bookstores revealed their items. Also there is a new pop-up store running in Tokyo through February... that has better merch imo. Go figure. That one will go to online sales with remaining merch and it has international shipping.

All the bookstores revealed their items. Also there is a new pop-up store running in Tokyo through February... that has better merch imo. Go figure. That one will go to online sales with remaining merch and it has international shipping.

I just saw it! good time since I have vacations this week so I can take a better decision. Tho I really liked all, given that I will buy the CD, I will have to choose only one more. I still can't see the items in Melonbooks has in their page, the link gives me an error; so maybe I will wait for that; if not, Im between gamers or animate, since I can't buy the ones from Tora with Buyee.

Maybe I will try a hunt for the rest of items when they are out in Buyee, but that is for future me~

The CD release in 27/3 right? I wanted to ship all together but it seems I will have to think that, or send the books first and the cd later with some items ...... (It will cost me a lot but I want to do it, and is better for me to send more than 1-2 items...)

Ah! you really got my attetion on the last part hahaha I didn't know that, maybe with that is more worth the delivery cost

Like you said, all of them look great. Here are the pictures from melonbooks (it's my fav).
https://i.imgur.com/3UW7g9J.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/UaKoH8l.jpeg

I still can't see the items in Melonbooks has in their page, the link gives me an error; so maybe I will wait for that; if not, Im between gamers or animate, since I can't buy the ones from Tora with Buyee.

The Melonbooks one is my favorite out of the four if I had to pick one. Try just searching direct in their search bar if that links not working because it's still showing up as preorder when I look.

Ah! you really got my attetion on the last part hahaha I didn't know that, maybe with that is more worth the delivery cost

The pop-up is using a different shipping service than buyee from what I can see. But there's always the aftermarket. I just tell myself most things I like never get merch or only rare aftermarket stuff with a yuri tax on it so this is relatively easy compared to that at least.

Like you said, all of them look great. Here are the pictures from melonbooks (it's my fav).
https://i.imgur.com/3UW7g9J.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/UaKoH8l.jpeg

oooh!! That one is really great indeed!! I think is my fav too now hahaha thanks for the images!!

The Melonbooks one is my favorite out of the four if I had to pick one. Try just searching direct in their search bar if that links not working because it's still showing up as preorder when I look.

okey! I will try that! yes, now that I can see it, I will try to pre order that one. Thanks!

Ah! you really got my attetion on the last part hahaha I didn't know that, maybe with that is more worth the delivery cost

The pop-up is using a different shipping service than buyee from what I can see. But there's always the aftermarket. I just tell myself most things I like never get merch or only rare aftermarket stuff with a yuri tax on it so this is relatively easy compared to that at least.

And okey to this too!! Thanks for the info!, I will be looking this too and see what I do~

I feel the month-long hiatus enhances the joke of Aya dropping Mitsuki down the stairs.

if i were compared to will toledo i would also throw myself down a flight of stairs

Also what the hell Aya, how can you be a fan of all those western artists yet not understand English well enough to figure out the lyrics to Mitsuki's song were wedding wovs?

Also what the hell Aya, how can you be a fan of all those western artists yet not understand English well enough to figure out the lyrics to Mitsuki's song were wedding wovs?

I'm sure there are more than enough K-pop stans in the West who barely know a few words in Korean, if at all.

Also what the hell Aya, how can you be a fan of all those western artists yet not understand English well enough to figure out the lyrics to Mitsuki's song were wedding wovs?

Well, she understood enough to propose to Mitsuki immediately thereafter, if only inside her head.

Panicking so hard you throw your crush down the stairs.