# Melonbooks – Doujinshi & Anime Goods Scraper (`datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper`) Actor Scrape doujin goods and otaku merchandise from Melonbooks, a major Japanese doujinshi and character-goods retailer. Get titles, prices, stock, maker, and images as clean JSON, with an option to include or exclude adult (R18) items. Ideal for market research and sourcing. No code. - **URL**: https://apify.com/datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Task Data](https://apify.com/datalab-jp) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce - **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $4.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Melonbooks – Doujinshi & Anime Goods Scraper Extract **titles, prices, stock status, maker/circle, and images** from [Melonbooks](https://www.melonbooks.co.jp/) — one of Japan's largest retailers of doujinshi (self-published manga), doujin goods, and anime/character merchandise. Built for **international fans, resellers, price researchers, and AI agents** who need structured Japanese doujin-market data without writing a scraper or logging in. No coding required: enter a keyword, run, and get clean JSON. A key feature is **optional adult (R18) coverage** — Melonbooks sells both all-ages and 18+ doujinshi/goods, and this Actor lets you include R18 listings on demand via a single flag. ### What data can you extract? | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `productId` | Melonbooks internal product ID (e.g. `3736438`) | | `title` | Product title (Japanese) | | `price` | Current price in Japanese yen (JPY) | | `listPrice` | Original list price when the item is on a time-sale; `null` otherwise | | `currency` | Always `"JPY"` | | `stockLabel` | Stock/availability label, e.g. `予約開始` (reserve open), `完売` (sold out); `null` when simply on regular sale | | `maker` | Maker or doujin circle name | | `imageUrl` | Product thumbnail image URL | | `url` | Direct link to the product detail page | | `keyword` | The search keyword used for this run | | `scrapedAt` | ISO 8601 timestamp of when the item was scraped | ### Why scrape Melonbooks? - **Doujin & otaku merchandise sourcing** — Melonbooks is a core destination for Japanese doujinshi, doujin goods, and limited anime/character event merchandise, much of which is never sold anywhere else. - **No direct overseas shipping** — because Melonbooks does not ship internationally, fans abroad rely on proxy-shopping services (Buyee, FROM JAPAN, etc.), which makes reliable, structured price and stock data especially valuable for anyone sourcing these items from outside Japan. - **Restock & release monitoring** — catch new pre-orders, restocks, and limited event goods early. - **Collector & pricing research** — track pricing history for a series, circle, or character across time-sale discounts. - **AI agents / RAG** — feed structured Japanese doujin-market data into an LLM workflow. This Actor is discoverable and callable through the [Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com/). ### How to use it (no coding) 1. Click **Try for free / Start**. 2. Enter a **Search keyword** (Japanese works best, e.g. `初音ミク`). 3. Optionally turn on **Include adult (R18) items** to also search 18+ doujinshi and goods. 4. Click **Start** and download the results as JSON, CSV, or Excel — or pull them via the API (below). ### Input example ```json { "searchKeyword": "初音ミク", "includeAdult": false, "maxItems": 100 } ```` All fields are optional — running with no input uses sensible defaults (keyword `初音ミク`, all-ages only, 100 items). ### Output example Each result is one product listing: ```json { "productId": "3736438", "title": "プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ! feat. 初音ミク ミニ色紙コレクション", "price": 600, "listPrice": null, "currency": "JPY", "stockLabel": "予約開始", "maker": "セガ", "imageUrl": "https://melonbooks.akamaized.net/user_data/packages/resize_image.php?...", "url": "https://www.melonbooks.co.jp/detail/detail.php?product_id=3736438", "keyword": "初音ミク", "scrapedAt": "2026-07-10T00:00:00.000Z" } ``` Field notes: - `listPrice` — only populated when the item is on a time-sale (holds the pre-discount list price); `null` for regular-priced items. - `stockLabel` — common values include `予約開始` (reserve open), `完売` (sold out), or empty/`null` when the item is simply on normal sale. ### How much does it cost? This Actor uses **pay-per-event** pricing: a small charge when a run starts, plus a per-result charge for each item returned. You only pay for the data you actually receive, so a 100-item run costs about the price of 100 results. Use `maxItems` to cap your spend. ### Integrations: API, MCP, and AI agents This Actor is **read-only**: it only reads publicly available product listings and performs no login, purchase, or write actions — safe for autonomous agents to call. #### API (curl) ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/datalab-jp~melonbooks-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"searchKeyword": "初音ミク", "includeAdult": false, "maxItems": 50}' ``` > Synchronous runs time out after 300 seconds. For large scrapes, use the standard [run endpoint](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2/act-runs-post) and fetch the dataset afterwards. #### Python (apify-client) ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN") run = client.actor("datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper").call(run_input={ "searchKeyword": "初音ミク", "includeAdult": False, "maxItems": 50, }) items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items print(items) ``` #### JavaScript (apify-client) ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' }); const run = await client.actor('datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper').call({ searchKeyword: '初音ミク', includeAdult: false, maxItems: 50, }); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); console.log(items); ``` #### MCP / AI agents This Actor is available through the [Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com/). AI agents (Claude, and any MCP-compatible client) can discover it with `search-actors`, inspect its inputs with `fetch-actor-details`, and run it with `call-actor` — no manual setup on your side. ### Related Actors Part of a family of **Japanese second-hand & collectibles market** scrapers with consistent, structured output, so you can combine them for cross-marketplace research: - **Yahoo! Auctions Sold Scraper** — sold-price history from Japan's largest auction site - **Japan Flea Market Scraper** — Rakuma & Yahoo! Flea Market listings - **Mercari Japan Scraper** — C2C marketplace listings and sold comps - **Suruga-ya Scraper** — used hobby goods, figures, and collectibles - **CardRush TCG Price Scraper** — trading card prices across 9 card games (Pokémon, One Piece, etc.) - **Melonbooks Scraper** *(this Actor)* — doujinshi and otaku merchandise ### FAQ **Is scraping Melonbooks legal?** This Actor collects only **publicly available** product listing data by reading Melonbooks' own search result pages — the same pages any visitor sees in a browser. It does not bypass account logins or collect private personal data. You are responsible for using the data in accordance with applicable laws and Melonbooks' terms of service. **What does "Include adult (R18) items" / `includeAdult` actually do?** Melonbooks gates its 18+ doujinshi and goods behind an age-verification step. Turning on `includeAdult` (or passing `includeAdult: true` via the API) sets the site's age-confirmation cookie for the run so R18 listings are included alongside all-ages ones. Leaving it off (the default) means the Actor only searches and returns all-ages items — no adult content is ever returned unless you explicitly opt in. **Can I call this Actor from my own app or API?** Yes. Use the Apify API or the `apify-client` libraries shown above. Every run returns a dataset you can fetch as JSON, CSV, or Excel. **Can AI agents use this Actor?** Yes. It is exposed through the Apify MCP server, so agents can find and run it automatically. It is read-only and safe to call. **Why might I need to change the proxy configuration?** Melonbooks can rate-limit or block datacenter IPs under heavy load. If you see empty results or errors, switch `proxyConfiguration` to a residential proxy with country `JP` in the input (billed at a higher per-GB rate than datacenter proxy). ### Disclaimer This Actor collects **publicly available** listing data only. It does not collect personal data. Adult (18+) results are opt-in via the `includeAdult` flag and off by default. Use responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws and Melonbooks' terms. # Actor input Schema ## `searchKeyword` (type: `string`): Keyword to search on Melonbooks, Japan's largest doujinshi and anime/character goods retailer, e.g. '初音ミク' (Hatsune Miku) or 'ブルーアーカイブ' (Blue Archive). Any plain text is accepted; Japanese keywords return the most results, though some romanized titles and circle names are indexed too. If omitted, the Actor falls back to the default keyword '初音ミク' rather than failing. Each matching product becomes one row in the dataset (one billable result), so pair with `maxItems` to control cost. ## `includeAdult` (type: `boolean`): Whether to include Melonbooks' adult (18+) doujinshi and goods (e.g. R18 doujin manga or figures) alongside all-ages items. Accepts `true` or `false`; internally this sets the site's age-verification cookie (`AUTH_ADULT=1`) so the search returns 18+ listings instead of being blocked by the age gate. If omitted, defaults to `false` (only all-ages items). Turning it on adds R18 items rather than restricting the search to R18 only; it applies to every page of the run. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of product listings to return for the run, e.g. `50` for a quick sample or `1000` for a full category sweep. Must be a whole number between 1 and 5000. If omitted, it defaults to 100 items. Each returned item is one billable result, and the Actor automatically paginates through Melonbooks' search results (stopping early if fewer matching items exist than this limit), so this field is the main lever for controlling both run time and cost. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Apify Proxy settings used to fetch Melonbooks pages, e.g. the default shared datacenter proxy or a Japan-based residential proxy (`RESIDENTIAL` group, country `JP`). If omitted, defaults to `{ "useApifyProxy": true }`, which uses Apify's shared datacenter pool. Melonbooks is a Japanese site that can rate-limit or block datacenter IPs under heavy load; if you see empty results or errors, switch to residential proxies with country `JP` (billed at a higher per-GB rate than datacenter). ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchKeyword": "初音ミク", "includeAdult": false, "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchKeyword": "初音ミク" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchKeyword": "初音ミク" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchKeyword": "初音ミク" }' | apify call datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=datalab-jp/melonbooks-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Melonbooks – Doujinshi & Anime Goods Scraper", "description": "Scrape doujin goods and otaku merchandise from Melonbooks, a major Japanese doujinshi and character-goods retailer. Get titles, prices, stock, maker, and images as clean JSON, with an option to include or exclude adult (R18) items. Ideal for market research and sourcing. No code.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "VOMXTWhoEhQBZrenP" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/datalab-jp~melonbooks-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-datalab-jp-melonbooks-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/datalab-jp~melonbooks-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-datalab-jp-melonbooks-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/datalab-jp~melonbooks-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-datalab-jp-melonbooks-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchKeyword": { "title": "Search keyword", "type": "string", "description": "Keyword to search on Melonbooks, Japan's largest doujinshi and anime/character goods retailer, e.g. '初音ミク' (Hatsune Miku) or 'ブルーアーカイブ' (Blue Archive). Any plain text is accepted; Japanese keywords return the most results, though some romanized titles and circle names are indexed too. If omitted, the Actor falls back to the default keyword '初音ミク' rather than failing. Each matching product becomes one row in the dataset (one billable result), so pair with `maxItems` to control cost.", "default": "初音ミク" }, "includeAdult": { "title": "Include adult (R18) items", "type": "boolean", "description": "Whether to include Melonbooks' adult (18+) doujinshi and goods (e.g. R18 doujin manga or figures) alongside all-ages items. Accepts `true` or `false`; internally this sets the site's age-verification cookie (`AUTH_ADULT=1`) so the search returns 18+ listings instead of being blocked by the age gate. If omitted, defaults to `false` (only all-ages items). Turning it on adds R18 items rather than restricting the search to R18 only; it applies to every page of the run.", "default": false }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of product listings to return for the run, e.g. `50` for a quick sample or `1000` for a full category sweep. Must be a whole number between 1 and 5000. If omitted, it defaults to 100 items. Each returned item is one billable result, and the Actor automatically paginates through Melonbooks' search results (stopping early if fewer matching items exist than this limit), so this field is the main lever for controlling both run time and cost.", "default": 100 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Apify Proxy settings used to fetch Melonbooks pages, e.g. the default shared datacenter proxy or a Japan-based residential proxy (`RESIDENTIAL` group, country `JP`). If omitted, defaults to `{ \"useApifyProxy\": true }`, which uses Apify's shared datacenter pool. Melonbooks is a Japanese site that can rate-limit or block datacenter IPs under heavy load; if you see empty results or errors, switch to residential proxies with country `JP` (billed at a higher per-GB rate than datacenter).", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```