Akutagawa Prize-Winning Novel by Yui Suzuki, "Goethe Said Everything," Tops Bestseller List in Japan

Yes24 - "Goethe Said Everything" by Yui Suzuki Takes the Top Spot
Kyobo Book Centre - "Heunhan Namnae 21" Ranks First

In the fifth week of December, Yes24's overall bestseller ranking was topped by "Goethe Said Everything," a novel by Yui Suzuki, which won the 2025 Akutagawa Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Japan. "Stock Investment for Progress" by Professor Lee Kwangsoo of Myongji University took second place, while "The Minimum Three Kingdoms," an interpretation of the Three Kingdoms by lecturer Choi Taeseong, ranked third. Following them, Kim Aeran's short story collection "I Said Goodbye" placed fourth, and "2026 Big Star Teacher Choi Taeseong's Special Korean History: Advanced Korean History Proficiency Test (Levels 1, 2, 3) Part 1" came in fifth.

Reflecting the exceptional popularity of literature in 2025, several novels were chosen by readers in the final week of the year. The long novel "Goethe Said Everything" by Yui Suzuki, which ranked first overall, and "I Said Goodbye" by Kim Aeran, which ranked fourth, saw their sales increase by 174% and 85% respectively compared to the previous week, drawing attention. In addition, "Honmono" by Seong Haena (7th place) and "Halmae" by Hwang Sokyong (10th place) brought the total number of novels in the top 10 to four, demonstrating the strong performance of fiction.

Books to help with new beginnings ahead of the 2026 New Year also attracted attention. "Your Life Won't Change Unless You Take Action," a self-help book by Brian Stacey published last year, climbed 15 spots from 28th place the previous week to rank 13th overall and first in the self-help category. Additionally, test preparation books such as "2026 Big Star Teacher Choi Taeseong's Special Korean History: Advanced Korean History Proficiency Test (Levels 1, 2, 3) Part 1 & 2" (5th and 6th place), and "ETS TOEIC Official Test Question Book 1000 Vol.5 RC·LC" (14th and 16th place) entered the top 20, reflecting the learning needs of readers preparing for the new year.

Boosted by the release of the Korean film of the same name, the Japanese novel "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" also made a comeback. Following the film's release on December 24, sales increased by 147% this week alone, placing it 18th overall for the fifth week of December and second in the Japanese novel category. Its sequel, "Even If These Tears Disappear from the World Tonight," also rose to fourth place in the same category.

"Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight," which tells the story of a girl with anterograde amnesia and an ordinary boy, was a bestseller that stayed in the overall top 20 for 25 weeks upon its 2021 release, ranking sixth in annual sales. After being adapted into a Japanese film in 2022, it has once again drawn attention with its Korean film adaptation in 2025.

At Kyobo Book Centre, "Heunhan Namnae 21" claimed the top spot in the final weekly bestseller ranking of 2025. Holding the number one position for two consecutive weeks, it demonstrated the powerful influence of its young reader fanbase. The response to the limited edition was also enthusiastic, with adult readers showing as much interest in the merchandise as children.

This week, the popularity of novels was also notable. Six novels made it into the overall top 10. Among them, Kim Aeran's "I Said Goodbye," which was selected as the number one novel of the year by 50 novelists, made a remarkable comeback to take second place overall.

"Goethe Said Everything" by Yui Suzuki, which gained attention thanks to a recommendation from critic Lee Dongjin, also climbed four spots to third place overall. Interest in Lee Dongjin's recommended books increased around the end and beginning of the year, reflecting readers' reading trends as they wrap up the year and start anew.

Among Korean novels, "Honmono" by Seong Haena and "Grapefruit Apricot Club" by Han Roro gained support from readers in their 20s, boosting sales and placing eighth and ninth overall, respectively. "Contradiction" by Yang Gwija, which ranked tenth overall, set a record by remaining in the top 10 of the weekly overall bestsellers throughout 2025 without missing a single week.

In the foreign novel category, "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" by Ichijo Misaki soared 49 places to reach 26th overall, thanks to the impact of the domestic film release. The screenplay book, published to coincide with the film's release, also took the top spot in the arts category.