Anime News

Fullmetal Alchemist Manga Remains on Top
Date: 5/30/2005
Four Weeks on Top of Bookscan Graphic Novel List, 4 Weeks in USA Today's Best-Selling Books List


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Fullmetal Alchemist volume one has remained on top of the BookScan list for the fourth week in a row (week ending May 22nd). While this is the longest time any graphic novel has remained at #1 this year, FMA#1 still isn't the top selling Graphic Novel of the year, that honor goes to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, currently ranked #2 on the BookScan list.

Fullmetal Alchemist has also spent all four weeks in USA Today's best-selling books list, peaking at #89 in USA Today's best-selling books list for the week ending May 15th. It was ranked 128th for the week ending May 22nd.

In addition to FMA, Viz had five more of the top 10 titles, while Tokyopop has 3 of the top 10. ICv2 speculates that Fruits Basket volume 9 is "a likely candidate to end Full Metal Alchemist's reign in the next BookScan report." Previous volumes of Fruits Basket made it to the #1 position and also made it into USA Today's best-selling books list, the only other manga to do so this year. Fruits Basket volume 8 peaked at 71 on the list.

Tokyopop's latest Amerimanga, Sokora Refugees, also made it into the Bookscan top 10 graphic novel list, ranking #7. Sokora Refugees is written by Kurt Hassler, a graphic novel buyer at North America's largest bookstore chain, the Borders Group. However, the BookScan list is based on retai sales (to end customers), not distribution level sales (to stores).


#1 Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 1
#2 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
#3 Fruits Basket Volume 9
#4 Kenshin Volume 14
#5 Tsubasa Volume 5
#6 Descendants of Darkness volume 5
#7 Sokora Refugees Volume 1
#8 Naruto Volume 6
#9 Fruits Basket Volume 8
#10 Shaman King Volume 6
Source: Anime News Network