Comics are more popular than ever before. Sales in Switzerland increased by 14.4 percent in 2022. This was the result of an assessment by market research institute GfK Entertainment. The increase in sales is mainly due to manga, as the characters often have big eyes and a boyish face, often referred to as comics from Japan. When asked by Blick, major bookstore Orell Füssli also confirmed that manga is selling more frequently. Branches sold around 15 percent more than the previous year. “The rate is even higher in some branches where we put more emphasis on manga, especially new ones,” says Alfredo Schilirò, spokesperson for the Orell-Füssli bookstores. As early as 2021, the proportion of manga sold was significantly higher than the previous year. This is particularly striking because book sales in Switzerland as a whole fell by 1.4 percent.
But the explosion is noticeable not only in ordinary bookstores, but also in specialized stores, such as the manga store Zuriko in Zurich. There are about 600 manga titles in the store.
Streaming services increase popularity
The series “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “Demon Slayer” and “Spy X Family” are currently the most popular. Huge formats and extra-thick volumes from series like “Naruto” and “Dragon Ball” also sell very well at Orell Füssli, says a spokesperson for the Orell-Füssli bookstore.
Manga store Zuriko also sells anime. These are Japanese cartoons or TV series. Zuriko also sells cosplay items. In cosplay, people create a character from a manga or anime series.
The rush to manga in Orell Füssli is explained by the two-year pandemic. In these, the anime portfolio has been expanded to streaming services. Zuriko also attributes the boom to streaming services. As a result, anime and manga are found more in break areas. Manga is especially popular with children and teenagers. In Europe, East Asian pop culture is booming, so the Taiwanese beverage bubble tea is so popular. This is a refined tea drink with tapioca pearls and sauces. Korean pop music called K-pop is also trending. Boy group BTS is considered the most successful Korean group of all time.
The subject of the most popular manga is:
Jujutsu Kaisen
The story is about a student whose world is turned upside down by a curse. The Japanese drama has been coming out since 2018. The author of the adventure and fantasy story is Gege Akutami. The setting is the Japanese city of Sendai. Withdrawn from Jujutsu Kaisen in 2020.
demon hunter
Demon Slayer also hails from Japan and appeared there from 2016 to 2020. The drama is about two cursed brothers. A fight ensues when they encounter a demon hunter. Demon Slayer is set in the Taishō period, which lasted from 1912 to 1926.
Spy X Family
Spy X Family is also from Japan written by Tatsuya Endo. In the manga series, a spy must start a family to fulfill a mission. The story mixes reality with a fantasy world. The anime television series began airing in April 2022 and its second season has been running since this month.