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 sales come from Yahoo Auctions closed listings (about the last 180 days), PayPay Flea sold listings, and Mercari sold listings. Each search is walked page by page, up to 40 pages. A row counts only when the title is this series, Volume 1, and a first printing. Sets, later volumes, and the wrong book stay out.

Currency buttons use fixed rates from 2 October 2026 (BoJ / ECB). They are for reading the page, not for live FX.

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.