The 2025 Shosen bestseller is the book that tells the secret behind the birth of Pokémon!

The 2025 Shosen bestseller is the book that tells the secret behind the birth of Pokémon!
~Announcement of Shosen and Horindo Bookstore's 2025 bestsellers~

We at Shosen Co., Ltd., which operates the Shosen and Horindo bookstores in Tokyo, have compiled their own list of bestsellers for 2025. (The compilation period is from December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025.) While various companies have already released their own bestseller rankings, our own ranking, which follows our own unique path as a "hobby bookstore" and "crazy bookstore," has once again produced a unique lineup this year.

Along with the overall ranking, we've also compiled a list of the top five books in each genre that we're focusing on. You might even find something that you haven't read yet, or that you've never even heard of. Be sure to check it out as a read for the New Year holidays.
 

 

Top 10 Overall Sales

The top overall sales ranking is "Game Freak: A Creative Group Redefining the Global Standard of Play," which we have republished with Tomisawa Akihito and Ohta Publishing. The book vividly depicts the atmosphere and anecdotes from when the hugely popular game "Pokémon" was born. Our company alone has sold approximately 5,000 copies. It is already on sale nationwide, so it is a book that we would like all junior and senior high school students who want to get involved in games to read. (Doesn't that seem like something Shosen would read?)

Coming in second place is the "Nintama Rantaro Animation Art Book," which has already sold explosively, just like the popularity of the movie. This has traveled to many readers all over the country, mainly through Shosen Online.

And third place goes to "Elf History: A 3-Volume Set (Volumes 1, 2, and 3), " a doujinshi that compiles a vast amount of information about elves that appear in fantasy works. With zines getting a lot of attention in the media these days, this is a bold entry.

The fourth-placed book , "Man After Man: Anthropology of the Future Re-edition," is also part of a re-release project with Ohta Publishing. It's a bizarre book that depicts the evolution of humanity tens of thousands and millions of years from now. This book is also available nationwide.

As you'd expect from Shosen, the sixth, seventh, and ninth places are all from the "railway genre." With the anniversary also coinciding, a lot of railway books were sold. And eighth place "Fifth" and tenth place "Eradicating Goth Gods" are works by Asukabe Katsunori, with whom we've been working since last year on the re-release of his works. "Fifth" is a series of past short stories, including some new writing, and was published as our company's first doujinshi. "Eradicating Goth Gods" is the author's first new work in 15 years, which has been much talked about due to the impressive volume of the title.

This year, thanks to the support of our readers, we were able to deliver many works to you.

This is a book from a genre we're particular about. It's a book that we've been able to bring back to the world in collaboration with the authors and publishers. And it's a book that fans have been eagerly awaiting for the past year, loudly proclaiming, "I love this!" We'll continue to sell a variety of books!
 

 

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Top 10 Overall Sales

Here we have compiled a top 10 list of books that have sold the most copies, regardless of their price. The final volumes of the globally popular comics "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "My Hero Academia" are both ranked in the top 10.

Also in the top rankings were our exclusive reprint projects, "Game Freak: The Creative Group Redefining the Global Standards of Play" and "Fifth," which came in second and third place, and just below them was "Man After Man: Anthropology of the Future Re-edition," which also came in fourth place in the sales rankings, coming in eighth place.In other words, three of the ten books are reprint projects by our company.

There are still many works that people would like to read again or get, so we would like to continue working with publishers to bring many more works to the world.

Furthermore, two timetable titles unique to "Railway Bookstore" have been ranked again this year. "Freight Timetable" and "Tobu Timetable" have achieved the remarkable feat of being in the top 10 for three consecutive years since 2023.
 

 

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Products that would be difficult to rank in a typical bookstore have made it into the rankings at Shosen/Yorindo Bookstore.

We are sure you will find the product you are looking for at our company.

We look forward to your visit!

 

■ Top 5 Literary Books

Katsunori Asukabe topped both rankings, making up an astonishing 70% of the entire Literature/Paperbacks list. It's a familiar sight at Shosen and Horindo bookstores, but he's set to dominate the nation in 2026. Don't miss out.

"Amacha Zurcha" is a limited reprint by Horindo Bookstore. "Illustrated Apocalypse Hotel Management Record" is a popular title from Shosen. The special offers and promotions have been well received. And "National Treasure," which is also included in this trendy lineup, is a book that really sold well this year.
 

 

■ Top 5 Paperbacks

 

 

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Below are the top 5 books in each of the nine genres that Shosen Co., Ltd. focuses on and that are supported by many enthusiastic fans.

■ Top 5 Mathematics Books

Professor Fumimoto Kato's "Introduction to Category Theory" from Kodansha Bluebacks took the top spot despite being released in October. This has caused a big stir, as "there were no books on category theory in Bluebacks." In second place is Professor Shunichi Amari's "Brain, Mind, and Artificial Intelligence (Expanded Edition)," which explores the true nature of artificial intelligence and humans.

Following last year, the two authors' books took first and second place.

 

 

■ Top 5 Pro Wrestling

The top spot on the 2025 pro wrestling book rankings goes to Natsupoi's "29/30," a book celebrating her 10th anniversary since her debut. The event and fair were also a huge success. The rankings are packed with information on pro wrestling from back then and the future.

A UWF commemorative exhibition will be held in Akihabara from the end of the year! Let's continue to enjoy pro wrestling books!

 

 

■ Computer Top 5

The top spot was taken by a popular topic related to artificial intelligence. In addition to "LLM Prompt Engineering," many other books related to artificial intelligence were published. LLM stands for "Large Language Models." "Revised New Edition: Introduction to Design Learning from Good Code/Bad Code" was also well-received at the book fair featuring author Daiya Sengaku. "Tidy First?" is another book about code improvement and software design. Preparation books for the Information Processing Engineers Examination, which many people take, also ranked second and fifth.

 

 

■ Top 5 railway-related topics

This year has been a year in which railway books worthy of being called permanent keepsakes have been prominent.

Among these rankings, the one that deserves attention is "Railway Photography by Hirota Naotaka," which is in 5th place. This is a compilation of Hirota's work, and any railway fan will have come across it at least once. I hope that this book will be placed on more and more bookshelves and remain in the collection.

What kind of year will next year be? We look forward to seeing you at the store where you can find a book that you will want to keep forever.

 

 

■ Top 5 Comics

[By sales]

[By number of volumes]

 

The final volumes of popular works such as "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "My Hero Academia," as well as the first new release in four years, "Yotsuba&!", have all generated a lot of excitement among the general public, and sales have also increased at Shosen. Meanwhile, works that are not yet widely known to the general public, such as "Anna Comnena Today" and "The Complete Blue Car Special Edition," have also seen significant increases in sales.

We will continue to promote many works next year so that you will come to Shosen to discover works that you cannot find anywhere else.
 

 

 

■ Top 5 Light Novels and New Literature

The number one light novel/new literature title, "Purple Qualia," was republished in a limited run of 10 copies by Horindo Bookstore. It was a huge hit and sold out quickly. The number two title, "Duke, Please Leave Me Alone, I'm a Bad Wife," was well-received as a comic book, and when the original was published as a book, it included a large number of newly written R-scenes, making it a huge hit.

The third-placed "The Man I Loved Said to Die in My Sister's Place. 7" will be running a pop-up shop at Shosen Book Tower from January 9th, 2026, in collaboration with "The Beloved Daughter of a Villain Family, Reincarnated as a Yakuza Daughter in an Otome Game," a work by Amekawa Touko, author of the fourth-placed "The Villainess in the 7th Loop Enjoys a Free and Carefree Life as a Bride in a Former Enemy Country: A Collection of Short Stories," which has been announced for an anime adaptation.

 

 

■ Top 5 fortune telling

 

Taking the top spot is the Shosen exclusive "Maido Ookini! Osaka Dialect Tarot"! This is a hugely popular fortune-telling book that not only lets you ask a question and quickly flip through to the next page to receive a humorous message in Osaka dialect, but also teaches you some tarot and Osaka dialect.

The results of 2nd and 5th place show that the products that made it into the rankings make it clear that 2025 was a year that focused on "prophecy."

Coming in third place is a unique tarot book that contains six techniques in one volume, created by its creator, Ryuji Kagami, and five other people (a total of six people).

The fourth place item is also a product sold exclusively at Shosen, and is a zine written by Maki Akari and Ivy Akane that has been sympathized with by many readers, and is designed to give courage and help you live positively.
 

 

 

■ Top 5 Idol Photobooks

All of the photobook rankings are made up of works that were produced through events. Seto Kanna, who has made a spectacular transition from gravure idol to sexy actress, has both her first and second photobooks in the list at the same time. Her first event sold out immediately, while her second event doubled the limit and took the top spot. In second place is OCTPATH's long-awaited first photobook, and many fans also attended the events for Kawase Moe and Taguchi Aika.

Next year, we will continue to provide more opportunities for guests and fans to meet in person.
 

 

■ Top 5 Medieval Europe

This classic book about bread in the Middle Ages and the culture and society surrounding it has taken first place!

"Anna Comnena" is a comic that vividly depicts the strange fate of the Byzantine princess, the only female historian of the Western Middle Ages! The final volume was finally released this year, and its official doujinshi came in second place.

The top four titles are all reprints and limited editions by our company. You can only get them here!

 

 

What did you all think of Shosen's unique rankings?

In addition to the genres mentioned this time, we also stock more products specialized for hobbies…not only books but also goods related to various genres. We aim to continue to be a bookstore that is fun to look at, fun to visit, and fun to buy! We look forward to your visit again. Of course, you can also purchase the works that were ranked this time from our online shop. (Some items are sold out.)

Please use this service to find a companion for the New Year holidays.

Shosen Online https://shosen.tokyo/
 

 

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Company Profile

Shosen Co., Ltd.

He operates two bookstores, "Shosen" and "Horindo Shoten." He deals in a wide range of books and miscellaneous goods, including "railways," "idols," "pro wrestling," "mathematics," and "fortune telling." He also holds many events related to his books.

Shosen URL https://www.shosen.co.jp/
 

 

Store Information

Shosen Grande

Address: 1-3-2 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone number: 03-3295-0011
Business hours: 11:00-20:00
Store URL : https://www.shosen.co.jp/grande/

Shosen Book Tower

Address: 1-11-1 Kanda Sakumacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone number: 03-5296-0051
Business hours: 11:00-20:00
Store URL : https://www.shosen.co.jp/tower/

Horindo Bookstore Takadanobaba Branch

Address: FI Building 3F, 1-26-5 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Phone number: 03-3208-0241
Business hours: Monday to Saturday 11:00-21:00 / Sundays and holidays 11:00-20:00
Store URL : https://www.horindo.co.jp/shop/
 

Shosen Online
Store URL: https://shosen.tokyo/
 

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Animate Holdings Co., Ltd. Press Release: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000007612.000016756.html