Method

Colophon and sold prices

This page is a dated snapshot of Japanese Volume 1s. Later volumes can be added; each one keeps its own colophon and price band.

Printing

Open the back of the book. You want 第1刷 and a date that matches the first run. Seller text saying 初版, “first edition,” or a price mark like ¥390E is not enough — those get faked or reused on later printings all the time.

Prices

The band is the middle of sold Volume 1 first printings: the span from the lower quartile to the upper quartile, not a single fair price. Copies with the obi (帯), sealed copies, and graded slabs stay out of the book band. When the obi sells on its own, it gets a separate band.

The dataset is partly curated by hand. A few small mistakes can remain. They are not expected to skew the results.

Popularity

The chart’s popularity number is still the fixed score of the stored tier. A separate count of sold Volume 1s is not wired in yet.

Tiers

• S+ Apex. Clears both fame and near-mint price by a gap above the next stripe.
• S Keys. High fame with a real near-mint price, or fame high enough to offset a mid price.
• A Core. Strong on at least one axis and solid on the other.
• B Selective. Mid-diagonal: a dated first printing is worth buying when the price is inside the band.
• C Opportunistic. Recognizable, with a near-mint floor that is still cheap.
• D Watch. Lower attention, or a cheap floor; the default is to pass.
• E Not a chase. Neither widely looked up nor expensive.