The CMB manga was created by Etsushi Ogawa, and ran in Shounen Magazine from 1997-1999. There are 17 volumes in total, published by Kodansha. However, the manga was separated into two seasons. The first 5 volumes are called "Chuuka Ichiban!" which only cover episode 1 to episode 20, and the rest are called "Shin • Chuuka Ichiban!".
The manga and anime are very different in terms of character and plot development, you can read about them here. Note that I have only read volumes 1-5. Hopefully I will get the rest of them soon! From what I have read though, I find the anime much more interesting than the manga, probably because the manga is not as funny and "colourful". Also, the style of art goes downhill as the manga progresses. If you compare volume 1 to volume 17, you will notice one major difference...all the characters seemed to have gained weight XD
Below are cover thumbnails of all 17 manga volumes, along with ISBN numbers and release dates.
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312238-7 Released On: 02/16/96 # of Pages: 186 Price: 388 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312238-7 Released On: 04/17/96 # of Pages: 181 Price: 388 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312283-2 Released On: 06/17/96 # of Pages: 179 Price: 388 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312238-7 Released On: 08/12/96 # of Pages: 178 Price: 388 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312359-6 Released On: 12/13/96 # of Pages: 215 Price: 388 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312412-6 Released On: 05/16/97 # of Pages: 179 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312424-X Released On: 06/17/97 # of Pages: 181 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312445-2 Released On: 08/12/97 # of Pages: 185 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312480-0 Released On: 11/17/97 # of Pages: 181 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312502-5 Released On: 01/16/98 # of Pages: 184 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312537-8 Released On: 04/17/98 # of Pages: 179 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312558-0 Released On: 06/17/98 # of Pages: 185 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312582-3 Released On: 08/17/98 # of Pages: 184 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312618-8 Released On: 11/17/98 # of Pages: 182 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312643-9 Released On: 01/14/99 # of Pages: 186 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312664-1 Released On: 04/16/99 # of Pages: 226 Price: 390 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-312708-7 Released On: 06/17/99 # of Pages: 231 Price: 390 Yen |
And just back in March 12 2003, the Chuuka Ichiban manga series began its second rou in Bunkobon format (compressed manga). The difference between a Bunkobon and a tankoubon is that the former comes in a much smaller size, but contains more chapters in each one. I personally prefer the tankoubon because I enjoy the larger images, but you want to pay less for the whole series, bunkobon would be a better choice ^^ You can currently purchase the bunkobon through Yahoo! Japan Shopping
Below are the covers of the 3 bunkobon published for "Chuuka Ichiban!", and 2 bunkobon for "Shin Chuuka Ichiban" ^^
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-360483-7 Released On: 03/12/03 # of Pages: 283 Price: 620 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-360484-5 Released On: 03/12/03 # of Pages: 299 Price: 620 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-360485-3 Released On: 04/11/03 # of Pages: 273 Price: 620 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-360677-5 Released On: 12/??/03 # of Pages: 272 Price: 620 Yen |
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ISBN Number: ISBN4-06-360678-3 Released On: 12/??/03 # of Pages: 281 Price: 620 Yen |
