Fuyumi Ono holds Japan Book Hot 100 for second week

Fuyumi Ono's Yumei no Kishi: Juni Kokuki has held No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 for a second week.

The chart was released on Oct. 1 and tracks the week of Sept. 21 to 27, according to Billboard. It is back-to-back weeks at the top for the fantasy novel. The hold keeps Ono clear of a busy field of manga, picture books and film-linked fiction.

The book is the first new volume in seven years in Ono's Juni Kokuki series, known in English as The Twelve Kingdoms. The long-running fantasy series is celebrating its 35th anniversary. For this chart week, the novel ranked No. 1 in sales through physical bookshops, No. 1 in online retail and No. 4 in social media discussion.

The Book Hot 100 blends four measures into one ranking. They are print sales, e-books, subscriptions such as library loans, and social media buzz. A book therefore needs both purchases and conversation to climb or to stay at No. 1.

Yama Wayama's Onna no Sono no Hoshi Vol. 5 held at No. 2. It has now spent three straight weeks in the top three. The manga volume placed No. 2 in e-books and No. 4 in physical shops for the week, showing strength across both print and digital readers.

Keiko Shibata's Pan Dorobo to Sasurai Ramen moved up to No. 3. It debuted at No. 4 the previous week. The title is the eighth entry in Shibata's Pan Dorobo picture-book series, which is written and illustrated for young readers and read aloud at home and in classrooms.

Further down, Yu Nagira's novel Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku climbed from No. 9 to No. 6. The rise comes ahead of a live-action film version due in theatres on Oct. 9. The film stars Ryusei Yokohama and Suzu Hirose.

What makes this stand out is the mix sharing one top 10. An anniversary fantasy novel sits beside a manga, a picture book and a romance with a cinema release on the way. Different age groups. Different formats. One chart.

For readers, this means choice. The current list covers continued series and new screen adaptations side by side. The next update will show whether Ono can extend the run to three weeks.