‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Tops Billboard Japan Book Hot 100

Hyuuganatsu, Minoji Kurata, Touko Shino’s Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) Vol. 22 debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Book Hot 100, on the list released June 25.

The volume is the latest installment of the manga version of the title, serialized in Gekkan Sunday GX. The volume bows atop the chart with three metrics landing in the top 10: No. 1 for e-books, No. 2 for brick-and-mortar and No. 9 for EC.

Blue Lock Vol. 39 follows at No. 2, leading the brick-and-mortar metric. Last week’s No. 1, the manga version of Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) Vol. 32, comes in at No. 3.

Kotaro Isaka’s 777 Triple Seven hits No. 5. The paperback edition of the latest entry in his “assassin” series originally published in 2023 went on sale June 16. The title places No. 4 in social media, reflecting a renewed wave of attention. Asako Yuzuki’s BUTTER was also released on paperback this week and jumps from outside the top 20 to No. 10.

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 15 to 21.

(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. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto ~ Maomao no Kokyu Nazotoki Techo ~ (The Apothecary Diaries) Vol. 21, Hyuuganatsu, Minoji Kurata, Touko Shino (2/9/1/–/–)

2. Blue Lock Vol. 39, Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura (1/–/2/–/–)

3. Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) Vol. 32 (Comic Edition), Taiki Kawakami, Fuse, Mitz Vah (3/–/15/–/–)

4. Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu (Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy) Vol. 17, Kotora Kino, Kei Azumi (5/–/8/–/–)

5. 777 Triple Seven, Kotaro Isaka (6/–/–/–/4)

6. ONE PIECE CHOPPER’s Vol. 1, from ONE PIECE (by Eiichiro Oda) (4/18/–/–/–)

7. Fire Dome Vol. 1, Mizuki Tsujimura (11/12/–/–/1)

8. PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Shinsekai FAN BOOK, PRODUCE 101 JAPAN (–/1/–/–/–)

9. Henna Ie (The Strange House) Vol. 7, Uketsu, Kyo Ayano (10/–/6/–/–)

10. BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki (–/10/–/7/5)