A home for
collectors.
Every collection starts with a discovery. Here are the tools to recognise it, understand it and put it in context.
First Printing Manga has an ambition: to become one of the most comprehensive resources for Japanese first-print volume ones. Built by collectors, for collectors, it brings together publishing history, physical details and real sales.
Know the book.
Before you buy.
From vintage classics to newer generations: a historical archive of the volumes that started it all. Search by title, creator, year, genre or obi; sort by earliest printing or price.
The story and the edition
Plot, creators, publisher, imprint, ISBN and documented printing details. Start by identifying the book.
The book, up close
Front, back, dust jacket, obi and colophon in the photographic dossiers. Explore details with the magnifier and compare them with your copy.
Details that matter
Different or identical reprint obi, clipped coupons and edition-specific details. Notes beneath the photographs help you know what to check.
CHOOSE A VOLUME
Dossiers grow with the evidence: some have full photographs, others a reference cover. Details still awaiting verification remain clearly marked.
Read the market.
One copy at a time.
Every copy has its own characteristics. To assess its value, look at the book and jacket condition, page quality, the presence and completeness of the obi, and any interventions. The same care matters when buying or selling an ungraded copy.
Completed sales help you compare similar copies and understand price differences. The dust-jacket grade refers to the book’s jacket. A graded price is a market reference; it does not automatically apply to an ungraded copy.
TRY A COMPARISONSame title. Same grade.
Same title. Same grade.
See what changes.
Open graded prices to compare sales.
These are comparisons of actual sales, not isolated effects: sale timing, format and unfiltered characteristics may also matter. Open each group to inspect its sales; the full database lets you change every filter and distinguish auctions from fixed-price sales.
Learn to recognise interventions too
One evolving database feeds graded prices, this preview and archive ranges. Ranges span the grade-and-obi medians of Not altered copies over the last three months, or an explicitly labelled historical period.
Find your way.
With the right resources.
A toolkit to help you find your way in the market. Read a colophon, identify a first printing, spot warning signs of a counterfeit, understand grading and consult BGS population reports: practical guides to open alongside a listing or the book in your hands.
BROWSE THE RESOURCES
Grading · Slabs and the market
BGS grading: what you need to know.
Read the label, explore the grades and learn to inspect the book before submitting it.
Read the guide
Grading · Alterations
Altered. Look beyond the grade.
Eight slabs, eight interventions to understand. Learn to read BGS notes and see how much they can matter to the price.
Read the guide
Authenticity · Tankōbon
Fake tankobon. Look at the details.
38 photographs, zoomable comparisons and sources: inspect the details before buying.
Read the guide
Authenticity · Zasshi
First appearances. Spot the warning signs.
40 first-appearance photographs, issue-specific checkpoints and official facsimiles explained.
Read the guide
The basics · Identification
First printing. Know where to look.
Colophons, dates, obi and inserts: archive photographs to help identify the copy you are buying.
Read the guide
Grading · Practical guide
How many copies have been graded?
Find the POP, read the grades and understand “POP 1”. A video and One Piece example, with data and sources.
Read the guide
The basics · Formats
Know the format. Find the right protection.
Books and magazines, sizes and editions: a practical guide to understanding your manga and choosing protective sleeves.
Read the guideStories you need to know.
At your fingertips.
New manga to discover, giants of the past and stories worth telling. The blog explores creators, first printings, new releases and the market, keeping your curiosity alive beyond your own collection.
BROWSE THE STORIES
New manga to discoverThe Bugle Call.
The Bugle Call.
When war becomes music.
A boy who sees music — and uses it to conduct a war. The Bugle Call, its 2027 anime and two beginnings to collect: Jump SQ. and the first volume with obi.
Read the article
New manga to discoverRoom 999.
Room 999.
A world beyond words.
A postal worker, an endless building and a world to unravel. Nanga Nan’s Room 999, its early reprints and the obi featuring Urasawa, Asano and Ōwara.
Read the article
New manga to discoverCOSMOS.
COSMOS.
Discover the runner-up.
Aliens, lies and insurance. Discover Ryuhei Tamura’s COSMOS, its award wins and Japan’s first printing of volume 1 with the original Tite Kubo obi.
Read the article
New manga to discoverThe Guy She Was Interested In…
The Guy She Was Interested In…
The green phenomenon.
Sumiko Arai, rock music and a misunderstanding that became a phenomenon. US sales, the CloverWorks anime and Japan’s first volume with its 850,000-follower obi.
Read the article
Giants of the pastVagabond.
Vagabond.
The seinen giant.
An acclaimed masterpiece. A first printing waiting to be rediscovered? Vagabond, Berserk and Vinland Saga through the eyes of readers and collectors.
Read the article
New manga to discoverVersus.
Versus.
Humanity against them all.
Thirteen worlds. Humanity cannot win alone. Exploring ONE’s manga, its Kodansha award, anime potential and first Japanese volume with obi.
Read the article
New manga to discoverJimoto Saikō!
Jimoto Saikō!
My neighborhood is the best.
Meet Chanel-chan, explore a neighborhood out of control, and discover the manga behind MAPPA’s Netflix anime — including Japan’s first volume and its obi.
Read the articleThese stories will also become a newsletter. Subscribe using the form at the bottom of the page: when editorial mailings begin, you will receive new discoveries and selected updates.
The WhatsApp community.
Made for collectors.
A place to feel at home, among people who understand the excitement of finding that one volume. In our WhatsApp community channels, ask questions, share discoveries and meet collectors at every stage, from a first purchase to a lifelong collection.
Find us on WhatsApp
The next piece in your collection
Share your search: we can help you find the volumes you are missing.
A second pair of eyes
Work through a legit check or a pre-grading assessment ahead of BGS, comparing photos and details. Peer assessment does not replace BGS’s final evaluation.
Stories, releases and the market
Stay up to date and discuss news and blog stories with other collectors.
Sell, trade, make room
Meet fellow enthusiasts to sell or trade your volumes. A new home for the stories you have loved.
Your passion.
On your Home Screen.
First Printing Manga is a website you can use on your phone. Add it to your Home Screen beside your apps: tap the icon and you are in. There is no need to visit the App Store or Play Store.
SAFARI / iOS
iPhone
- Open the site homepage in Safari.
- Tap the Share icon (a square with an upward arrow). In some layouts it is inside the page menu.
- Choose Add to Home Screen. If it is missing, scroll to Edit Actions.
- Check the name, enable Open as Web App if available, then confirm with Add.
GOOGLE CHROME
Android
- Open the site homepage in Chrome.
- Tap the ⋮ menu beside the address bar.
- Look for Install and create shortcut, then Install or Create shortcut. Other versions show Add to Home screen.
- Confirm the name and follow the prompt to Add or Install.