Curious about the manga and light novels that’s selling so well to where companies have to consult their printers and tell them, “We’ll be using you to print more of the same thing!”? This inaugural column will provide a snapshot into it!
I say snapshot because this is ultimately a very small look into what works are in-demand that companies have to reprint a volume or two (or three of). There are a lot of manga and light novels on the market, so even I wouldn’t want to cover all of them in this one space. As this is the first of (hopefully) more, this column certainly will evolve from what it is now, so feedback on what could be improved or added for future editions will be welcomed. Also as far as I can tell, the next edition of this could take place a month from now, or in mid-2021.
In other words, I can’t say when this will be done again. And if the current name will even stick either!
Anyways, there are a few things to keep in mind as you look at what titles have or are getting reprints, just so you’re clear:
- Every title has a certain amount released on its first print run, and it’s not available publicly. You generally have to be in books to know what they are, or work for the company themselves.
- So depending on what amount gets released on its first print run, it could be something that can get reprinted over a year or maybe two years from now. (As you’ll see later on, sometimes it can take five months!) Conversely, it may not show it got reprinted because that one volume got a large first print run. *coughMyHeroAcademiacoughDemonSlayercough*
- The basic idea, however, is companies print a select amount of copies of a volume based on expectations, so if it does get reprinted, it’s likely it met or exceeded expectations.
- Or the current stock is starting to run out, so before the first print editions are finished, new copies are on the way.
- Also, if you check the back of your book, you’ll note something where it says first printing or first edition. Who knows, you may have the 32nd printing of a manga or light novel:
If a title didn’t get a reprint, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s doing poorly, as digital sales could be more of a driving factor than anything else. It may, however, imply that depending on how many years certain series goes on and if the sales don’t generally improve, it may eventually go out of print. This does rely on many factors before it gets to that though.
Anyways, this first edition of the column has reprint information that companies have informed us themselves or have said so publicly. If you don’t see a certain company in this write-up, it just couldn’t happen for various reasons this time. Will note VIZ, Seven Seas, and Yen Press respectfully declined to take part in this. This column will also have reprint announcements from earlier this year that could be found, and if you note the dates that’s bolded, it’s what’s been verified by the company to us or on their socials.
So, let’s get into it:
J-Novel Club
- J-Novel Club has informed TheOASG that Patora Fuyuhara’s In Another World with My Smartphone, Yukiya Murasaki’s How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord, and Satoru Yamaguchi’s My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! saw reprints in 2020.
- All of Miya Kazuki’s Ascendance of a Bookworm (so Part 1 Volumes 1-3 and Part 2 Volumes 1-2) also saw reprints in 2020.
Dark Horse
- Dark Horse has informed TheOASG that all 5 volumes of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk Deluxe will be getting reprinted, and will be around starting in mid-February 2021.
- Kohta Hirano’s Hellsing Deluxe Volume 1 came out in July, and this is going to be reprinted already. They’ll be around in late January 2021.
- ONE’s Mob Psycho 100 Volumes 1 (Released November 2018) & 3 (Released August 2019) are getting reprinted, and should be available in February 2021.
- Both volumes of Gou Tanabe’s H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness (Volume 1 released July 2019, Volume 2 released December 2019) are getting reprinted, and will be around before this month ends.
- Lynn Okamoto’s Elfen Lied Omnibus Volume 1 (Released in June 2019) went into reprint and those became available back in late November. Volume 2 (Released in October 2019) is also getting reprinted, and should be available late this month.
SuBLime
- Natsuki Kizu’s given Volume 1 (Released February 11) and 2 (Released May 12) are getting/have been reprinted.
- Shungiku Nakamura’s The World’s Greatest First Love Volume 3 (Released in October 2015) is getting reprinted, and will be in stock possibly before the month is over, likely will be available in January 2021.
Seven Seas
- Seven Seas took to Twitter a few months ago to let everyone know they are doing reprints of 100 different titles, so they’ll be in stock soon or already are.
- They did verify they are reprinting select volumes of Nakatani Nio’s Bloom into You.
- Select volumes of Rifujin na Magonote and Yuka Fujikawa’s Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation manga are going to be reprinted.
- Select volumes of Syougo Kinugasa’s Classroom of the Elite are getting reprinted/have already been reprinted.
- All of Take’s Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! are getting reprinted/have already been reprinted.
- Yoru Sumino’s I Had That Same Dream Again (Released in July) got reprinted back in August, while the manga drawn by Idumi Kirihara (Released in July) started getting reprinted back in September.
- Volume 1 of Go Nagai’s Devilman: The Complete Classic Collection (Released in May 2018) saw a reprint back in September.
- Yoshino Origuchi’s Monster Girl Doctor Volume 3 (Released in August 2018) did get a reprint over the summer.
Denpa
- Denpa has informed TheOASG that Volumes 1 (Released in March 2019) & 2 (Released in June 2019) of TYPE-MOON and TAa’s Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family and You Someya’s Pleasure & Corruption (Released in March 2020) Volume 1 will be reprinted in January 2021.
- Shintaro Kago’s Super-Dimensional Love Gun (released June 25, 2019) went into reprint this past September/October.
VIZ
- Not actually breaking any news by saying the following works have been reprinted…a lot: My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, a majority of Junji Ito titles, and Komi Can’t Communicate. This is actually a guess on my end, but after following the Top 20 manga lists for the entire year, I’m comfortable saying volumes for those series did.
- Conversely, the manga you see in the Top 20 lists (from January to…let’s say August) likely got reprints.
- For something more concrete, VIZ Vice President of Publishing Sales Kevin Hamric did an interview with ICv2’s Milton Griepp over the summer and noted the strong sales of Tatsumi Endo’s Spy x Family, lots of backlist titles — especially Volume 1’s — having strong sales, box set sales exploding and that Q Hayashida’s Dorohedoro and Paru Itagaki’s BEASTARS had to be reprinted.