I'm honestly really surprised how well received last year's post was so I'm very enthustastically writing this one and I hope you're able to find some cool new stories from this!!
Also I'm going to put an * next to the titles that are still on-going, just so you know these are my opinions of the story so far, and maybe by the time you pick it up, it's advanced a lot more.
Waiting for the Sunlight (Youkou wo Matsu)
Not starting of this list in a particularly positive light, but it is an interesting story.
Yoko has dreams of creating pottery, her main goal: to restore the village's old tanuki statue. Her dreams are shortly crushed with the onset of World War II.
This manga was commissioned for the 80th anniversary of the war, and I think it paints a unique perspective. I feel like it really offered a perspective I've never gotten to see before about the war from the average Japanese citizen's perspective. This is not a manga about the war, and it's not about its aftermath, like the bombings. You see the people in Yoko's life are divided between those aware of government manipulation and those who take every word the emperor says as utter truth. It really is an interesting period piece that I think is a valuable perspective. I would really recommend this story as it offers an important and unique perspective that can help people undemonize Japanese citizens during this time.
Side note: I do have a greater appreciation for pottery making now too. I got a little tanuki statue for Christmas and being able to appreciate the craftsmanship makes it all the cooler.
Stellar Friends (Seikou Ooja)
A short story of a boy and girl who have fun searching for all sorts of paranormal things, but this ends up becoming the literal death of Okuta (Octo-chan). However, a star alien grants Yota's one true desire of resurrecting her.
The art style is really cool for this one, that's why I checked it out, it's very visually striking. But as for the story, it's okay. A 6/10. After Octo-chan is revived, you find out this is not meant to happen, that for every universe, only one wish can be granted, but many other people are having their wishes granted as well, so they must all fight in a battle royale scenario so there can only be one. It's not a masterfully executed story, and it's pretty short, which could have lent itself to more development. Battle royale-type shounen tend to have larger casts, and this simply didn't have the time for it. But at least we do see some development in the ones we have. The core of the story revolves around healthy relationships and the ability to move on for the welfare of yourself and the other person. Honestly, the characters still did grip me even if I wasn't super invested.
For as short as it is, I'd say check it out anyway. I think there's enough merit here to get through it.
Darkest Corners of the Heart (Kokoro no Ichiban Kurai Heya)*
Mangaka's from all walks of life find themselves in a voice call to come up with stories using the word game. Each person says a random word, and they must all make a short scary story that incorporates these words.
Okay, this is a unique one, and something I was not expecting to find myself nearly as invested in as I was. At first it's fun to just hear a short spooky story each chapter, but quickly it becomes something a lot more nuanced. The stories often reflect the own mangaka's deepest fears and insecurities. There's a sort of therapy to making stories about these concepts and having a community that understands these feelings, and in some ways, is uplifting to some of the mangaka. I think this story is something that people in creative fields will really enjoy on a level that others can't. There's a fundamental understanding of certain things, like true visceral feelings about plagiarism, work underperforming, being trapped in one target audience/genre, and new generations taking over, that this manga knows very well from personal experience.
Because of the surprisingly intimate chords it struck with me, I really recommend this manga because it's something that rarely gets talked about in at least a manga setting. I don't know how the general public is receiving it, but I can certainly tell you, as an artist, especially since I'm working on a comic, it hits home.
It's Boichi the goat's manga!!
Jim, the son of the most feared desperado, vows to take down this age of desperados by becoming the best marshal the world has seen.
A simple premise, but it's a very intriguing story so far. Helped massively by Boichi's incredible drawings, it offers a unique twist on the Western genre. As Jim and his quickly growing crew fulfill bounties, we learn about an extensive amount of world-building that makes this a very interesting parallel world to our own. I don't want to get into it, but it's super cool. There are a lot of steampunk elements mixed in, which are made all the more impressive by Boichi.
Honestly, I really just wanted to read this because it was made by Boichi, and he's always been a massive inspiration to me for how wonderfully detailed and beautiful his art is. The manga has this really cool thing where it inserts bits of colors here and there to add emphasis to the colors in the sky or the metals on machines or guns. It's really neat, and it really lets the art of the manga stand out even from Boichi's other works.
The world is continually unraveling more secrets, and characters have grown on me quickly. I definitely recommend this one!
Maison and the Man-Eating Apartment (Hitokui Mansion to Ooya no Maison)*
First of all, the English translation hurts me so much cause they should have called it the man-eating mansion, because while yes, this is an apartment, mansion is still an English word, and it sounds SOOO much better. Okay, the title really bothers me, but we need to move on...
Maison is born to be the new landlord of the apartment. It's the last remaining bit of humanity as the rest of the outside world is currently dead from the apocalypse. This apartment has been stuck in time moments before the Earth was destroyed. People aren't too concerned about that, though, as everyone seems to have made a pretty good life for themselves here. But there are a few rules: don't explore the apartment or suffer the wrath of the Apartment Man. Maison, however, is a curious kid and uncovers too many dark secrets that make her a primary target.
I love these kinds of stories about dystopian worlds. This one is particularly interesting since, on its surface, everyone is enjoying life, despite their conditions, and Maison too enjoys life, but quickly sees the dark underbelly that everyone else is completely oblivious to. There are a lot of questions to be answered, and every chapter reveals something and asks more questions. It's a fun, action-packed ride with some amazing world-building.
The Creepy and Freaky (Kowaiyasan)*
At this shop you can find all sorts of spooks! The main attraction is picking out a box and opening it up to see a scary story unfold.
Very similarly to Darkest Corners of the Heart, this was one I wanted to check out for the spooky little stories and ended up becoming thoroughly invested in a much larger underlying story.
The scares hit surprisingly strong in this. The artstyle of this cute Animal Crossing-esque world, juxtaposed by the creatures and ghosts, can genuinely take you off guard. The story is obviously heavily inspired by SCP stories and it's cool to see this in a manga format. I have to warn you this manga is an extremely slow burn. It's going to throw a lot of characters at you, plot lines, and seemingly unrelated things at you a lot and it's not going to tie anything together for awhile. But, where the manga's finally gotten to now it was well worth the wait. Things are lining up and this story has immediately become a lot more engaging and I'm so invested in where it's going on.
Don't Call it Mystery (Mystery to Iu Nakare)*
Totonou Kunou is just an average college student who enjoys the simple things in life, and certainly doesn't feel like getting involved in intricate mysteries, but he does. All the time.
I LOVE this manga, it's super good and very much at a different pace compared to every entry so far. This is extremely slice of life as you watch mysteries unfold over a longer period of time, intricately piecing the mystery together and getting to know the characters of each case to better understand who would really have the motives to be the culprit. As a big Detective Conan fan, this is like a dream, it's so detailed and interesting as it also serves as a character study.
Totonou is so disinterested in what he's doing he's able to paint very detailed stories around the mysteries he becomes involved in, he just gets people. And so, when he does make deductions, there's a sort of tenderness to it that I've never felt with any sort of mystery I've read or watched before. Also helped by the beautiful and soft drawings this manga consistently has.
A slower read for sure, but one I highly, highly recommend.
Otr: of the Flame (Tomoshibi no Otr)*
Otr has heard the many sagas of great Viking warriors, and soon finds himself on a saga of his own as the Ice Kingdom threatens to conquer everyone. He shares a burning soul with the Flame Spirit, Fylgja. The two, along with their growing team, vow to take down the Ice Kingdom.
I was immediately interested in the artstyle of this one, with how cool the character designs look, the unique lineart, and even the colors in the color pages.
Admittedly, I wasn't really sure if I'd stick around for the story or if I'd end up dropping it. It felt like your basic shounen at first. But I've found myself thoroughly invested in the world-building, interesting battles, and attached to the many characters (Khutienn is wonderful, and I want nothing but the best for him). All helped by the beautifully detailed artwork. The characters truly feel like they're on a journey, and I always look forward to where it'll take them next.
A little less obscure, considering this is one of two manga I've read this year that already has an anime. But still obscure enough that I wanna talk about it.
Naho receives a letter from herself 10 years in the future, telling her what and what not to do, so she doesn't end up regretting her choices in the future. Mostly involving the new boy in school, Kakeru.
Some massive plot points drop pretty quickly, so I won't give a real detailed description here, but this is a really interesting manga. Not having any reason to believe that the letter isn't a prank, she makes a mixed bag of decisions, which differ so much from the letters that it means she's on her own. I'm a sucker for time-travel stories, and this story shares many similarities to Erased (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi), which is my 2nd favorite manga of all time.
It's a nice manga to read for younger and older people. For those currently in high school, it tells them to go with your gut feelings, and sometimes you don't have time to live in "what if scenarios" and sometimes that can mean the world to someone. And for someone a bit older like me, past grade school, who can appreciate this from a future perspective. I think we all have a lot of regrets, especially those involving friends we wish we could change, and it's nice to read a story that encourages keeping strong friendships. This story does lean into romance, but the more important thing is being friends, and I really enjoy that message. It gets emotional and not for the faint of heart at times, but it's a lovely story.
Also, I'm curious if anyone has seen the anime. Is it worth watching? I heard one time a million years ago that it butchers the plot of the manga but that was one opinion, let me know if I should watch it or not.
Class of Brains (Gunnou Kyoushitsu)*
Tsutsuno walks into class one day to find out all of his classmates and friends have been turned into brains in jars. A woman comes into class to inform him that Earth has been conquered by aliens and plans to cultivate humans that can develop psychic powers for a larger space war.
Class of Brains isn't too far along yet, so I don't have strong opinions on this one yet, but it has potential. I like the plot and ideas more than the actual execution. One thing I found really interesting is that while humanity is extremely weak compared to other planets, they are highly valued for power because they are the only ones who have beliefs in things like religion and the supernatural, and because those beliefs are so strong, they can develop psychic powers. It's a cool concept, and I hope they go more into that at a later date. I'm worried it will sink into a more formulaic battle royale story, but I want to hope and pray it's more nuanced than that.
Also, a minor gripe with the art, while the art itself is nice and highly detailed, Ichima clearly has a steady hand and great ability; I can tell a lot of the art was traced over 3D models. I'm going to assume this manga is being made through Clip Studio, which has models you can pose however you like, so it's not an issue of theft, but it's a little distracting. Because of that, sometimes the poses can feel very stiff because they're not allowed to have exaggerated expressions. For a manga dealing with things so ungrounded like psychic powers, I think a rougher style would fit in well. I hope Ichima gets more comfortable drawing these characters over time, and we get some really cool art from it.
My Kitten is a Picky Eater (Neko ni wa Neko no Neko Gohan)*
Taiyo comes across a stray kitten at the brink of death on a cold winter night. Worried for it, he takes it in quickly and soon finds himself the new owner of this kitten he calls Yuki. Yuki won't eat cat food, so Taiyo must learn to become a chef for him and create meals just for him. Yuki manages to open Taiyo's world as not only is he becoming more passionate about work, a great chef, but also finding more friends. All thanks to one kitty.
This story is really heartwarming. As someone who's had many cats my whole life, a story like this rings home. Luckily, I've never had a cat as picky as Yuki, but I really treat my cats like family, and honestly, better than a lot of humans. The story is clearly written by someone who has experience with cats, which also helps educate people on how to properly take care of cats to give them the best life they can have. At the end of each volume, she includes insights into her life with her cats and inspirations for the manga story. I love how she connects her work with so many emotions and genuine love for her pets, and that's why I think the story hits its mark so well.
If you like cats, this is a really wholesome read.
Killer Crush (Killer ga Sarang e Ppajeosseul Ttae)
I'm also counting manhwa :)
Daehyok is a famous romance movie star, but his real dream is work in noir films. After another failed audition, he waits in the car while his manager runs into a convenience store. Walking in to start his shift is a wonderfully terrifying guy, and Daehyok forms the plan to study his face, and maybe then he can finally land the role he's dreamed of. Little does Daehyok know, but this man, Taeman, is actually a hired killer who only works at a convenience store to train himself to act nice when dealing with the most insufferable people. What starts off as a sham friendship may be quickly developing into something more...
As a gigantic fujoshi, I'm actually surprised it's taken me this long to talk about a proper yaoi, but most of what I read are fan comics, so it was nice to start fresh with an entirely new story. And OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS!!! From the very start, having Taeman's hardest challenge being working in retail is the funniest thing ever; I speak from experience. I know I come from a place of bias but I really do find this manhwa to be well written in every aspect, it knows how to balance moods so well. It's hilarious, wholesome, intimate, intense, stressful, and thrilling all when it needs to be. I'm also biased to any story that can get me to laugh out loud. I really think it's hard to take words you're reading in your head and turn that into something so funny that I can't help laughing, and Killer Crush had me doing this consistently, and also had me screaming when anything bad happened, or it was super wholesome. But, I'm easy to fujo out. I generally like stories with organized crime, too. Killer Crush is the perfect storm of literally everything I like.
You can ignore this part if you're not a fujoshi as well, but let me fujo out for a second, cause guys, Taeman is shorter than the Daehyok, and it's really freaking cute, and he's really shy cause this is his first crush ever omg omg.
Emeraldas wanders the sea of stars searching for something she's lost. On her infinite quest, she encounters a boy named Hiroshi Umino, whom she keeps a distant eye on as he wishes to also journey across the universe.
This is actually my first time reading a Leiji Matsumoto work. I've only watched the anime adaptations of his work so far, but I haven't seen the anime for Emeraldas, so this is my first time experiencing Emeraldas's story. Of course, I was aware of her as she plays a key part in Captain Harlock's story as well. I haven't actually completed the manga yet, since I have these as physical volumes and had to wait a while to actually get the 2nd volume delivered.
I'll admit, though, this manga is pretty boring. It has a very weird pace. For a while, I thought Hiroshi would actually be the main character, but then he just goes away for a long time, and now we've been focusing more on Emeraldas. Progress never seems to really be made. Every chapter involves Emeraldas and/or Hiroshi encountering bad people, and she kills them, and they move on. Almost every time, no one gains any new information to help progress the story, so I feel like the story is going in circles. So, while I adore Matsumoto's stories, Emeraldas's is lackluster and from what I've read so far a disappointment. I have a little over halfway left in the story, so let's hope it can at least reach a conclusion, but I can't say I recommend it.
The Bateren Tales (Bateren Kaidan)*
During the Edo Period, those who practiced Christianity were demonized by the government. Those who were found guilty of practicing it were forced into the Kirishitan Rescidence, which served as a prison. Jobei's parents were such prisoners, but both passed some years ago. He still remains at the residence, and all is relatively peaceful, until one day, a foreign exorcist is brought into the residence.
To be completely honest, I've been really bad about catching up with this manga. I've been so busy that I'm not caught up, and because of that, I can't provide a lot to say since this manga only came out this October, and one full volume hasn't even released yet. But I have a lot of faith in this one (haha get it)! I've always been a big fan of historical works, and while I was aware of the demonization of Christianity during Edo, I know it only on a surface level, and whatever Samurai Champloo explained lol. It's especially interesting that our two main characters are from the "Christian" point of view. Jobei doesn't even seem to really practice at all. I'm not sure if he's even Christian, but he's still a victim of the prison. Also, Antonio, the foreign priest, was sent in as well to perform exorcisms on members of the residence in secrecy.
There's a lot of good, but most of what I've read has purely been establishing so far, so as far as where the story goes, I couldn't say, but I'm loving the concept. I decided to read because of the interesting art style again, and I've continued to really enjoy it. It's one of those manga that feels like the world is meant to be seen in black and white, y'know. I keep telling myself, I hope when the volume cover gets revealed, there isn't a splash of color on the characters lol. It's also cool that the title pages for each chapter are styled more like Edo-period paintings in the way they're formatted and the odd angles they were drawn from.
This manga could go in all sorts of directions since this is just the start, but so far, I like it! And I think it's worth checking out.
The Genius Bakabon (Tensai Bakabon)
To put it simply, this is a manga about stupid people doing stupid things. Mainly following Bakabon's Papa and not actually Bakabon, we get to watch him not have any common sense or real grasp on reality as he does silly things for a chapter. And the plots can be about anything, maybe they'll time-travel, or go to an alien planet, or simply go to the beach. The only slight storyline is at the very start when Bakabon's brother is about to be born, but they keep messing up because they keep screaming in the hospital, which is preventing him from coming out.
2025 was the year of Bakabon for me. I started watching the anime in May, and I'm still going through the whole series, and in the middle of that, I started the manga too. If you couldn't tell by the artstyle, this is one of Fujio Akatsuka's other works, but it is far more obscure than Osomatsu. So, I currently have this manga on hiatus since it's very hard to get ahold of chapters. I have the first volume and the only official translation I've been able to find, which I think was actually intended for Japanese people to learn English, since the book is in both English and Japanese lol. I want to continue reading, but it'll be a slow thing since it'll probably cost me a lot, since I can only order physical manga from Japan. The store I found the manga in only really has the translation book and the first volume in Japanese, and that's it.
Okay, this wasn't much of a review, so what do I actually think of it? It's really stupid as a name like that would suggest, but it's fun. Read this, shut your brain off for a little bit, don't question anything, and you'll have a good time. It still has that glimmer of Akatsuka witty humor mixed in there too, it can be quite clever. But the paragraph above is just to warn you that if you are considering reading this manga, it's not easy to find, and again, outside of the one book I found, Bakabon does not have an English translation, and it's very pun-heavy, and Papa just mispronounces words all the time. He says "Konyanyachiwa" instead of "Konnichiwa. So, it's not a beginner-friendly manga for sure. The anime's not any "better either; it's never been officially translated, so you really can't consume Bakabon in English, unfortunately. I found a Spanish dub of Heisei, but that's about it, sorry gang.
With all those roadblocks, if you can read Japanese, yeah, it's fun, it's a silly read I recommend.
I've officially caught up on JoJo reading parts 7, 8, and 9! Again, don't think it warrants much mention since they're so popular. It might be blasphemy to say that while I really enjoyed part 7, I still prefer parts 3 and 4 over it... And 8 I'm just not really a fan of, I don't think characters really got to develop, so I never felt attached to the story much at all. 9 though, it has potential to get into my top 3 parts, I'm really liking it so far.
Hunter x Hunter: I don't know what keeps me going back to this series. I've watched absolutely all of the anime and thought it was.... okay. It had its moments that I enjoyed, but overall, it was boring to me. Why, after all that, I decided to finally read the manga, I don't know, but I did. I'm 154 chapters in as of writing this, and I actually enjoy it. Unfortunately, Greed Island is just boring no matter what, but the pacing is so, so much better than either adaptation (and better pacing means I get to see much less Hisoka!!!!! 🎊🎈🎉). I enjoy the art style much more; I like its rougher, sketchier look than the anime. So, I finally find myself enjoying Hunter x Hunter for the first time in my life, very exciting. That's what I've been spending the past few months reading and taking up a lot of manga time lol.
And there were a few more manga I dropped after a chapter:
Beast Orange: I thought this could have been cute, an animal learning about the human world, but it was immediately trying to pivot into romance and how that "makes you human," and I'm aroace as hell, so I wasn't having it.
Nice Prison: Super Psychic Policeman Chojo immediately crossed my mind when I saw the cover to this one, and oh my god, I'm sorry I ever compared Chogoat to this... Admittedly, the first chapter wasn't the worst thing I've read, but it had the same vibe of a stand-up comedian that just wasn't able to work with the crowd, so you have to sit there awkwardly as they go through the routine... I told myself if I started hearing good things about it, I'd go back to it. I felt like it had potential if it could just stick a landing. And then around 6 months later, I randomly remembered and looked up reviews, and even the more positive ones weren't great. And the art was pretty rough, too. I hate to bring up art like this because anyone has the potential to tell a good story, and I know with time Suganuma could definitely improve a lot, but nothing worked just quite right.
That concludes another year of manga. Somehow I read the exact same amount as I did last year, wish I read more since there are so many I still need to read, but what can ya do? Anyway, I'm really happy to say that I didn't read any complete stinkers this year. Some are better than others, but overall, everything is unique and tells compelling stories.
Just like last year, I hope you found something that might pique your interest and give it a try! It'd be cool if you let me know what you think of any! Or what you thought this post. Have a great 2026, and may your manga be plentiful.
