“Demon Slayer” Tops Manga Poll Among Japanese High Schoolers

Mad About Manga

A survey in Japan, conducted in early August by Line Research and aimed at students aged 15 to 25, revealed that 51% of high school students and 49% of undergraduate and postgraduate students read manga, including all kinds of print and digital comics and magazines, “once a week or more.” Meanwhile, 19% of high school students and 22% of university students “never read” manga.

Among those who do read manga, the most common way they use to “discover new titles” is through manga apps, with 42% of high school students and 50% of university students using them. But even though manga can be read on smartphones these days, bookstores still have a surprisingly strong hold on high school students, with 33% finding new titles there.

For high school students, both boys and girls are most hooked on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. One first-year high school boy stated, “I wanted to read it again after watching the movie.” The manga’s strong messages are also key, with a third-year high school girl saying “the bonds of friendship and the importance of everyone staying alive really moved me.” The second top manga for high school girls was The Apothecary Diaries, set in the imperial court of a fictional country, where a young girl working as a food taster solves mysteries. High school boys had Blue Box as their second choice, which is a love story centered around after-school club activities.

Female university students ranked The Apothecary Diaries highest, while for male university students One Piece came top. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is also highly popular among university students, ranking second for women and third for men.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)