There is a lot of manga that I read but don’t post about. Here’s a quick spin through what’s currently on my priority read list, omitting series that I’ve covered elsewhere on the blog (ie. Warikan, Suito~to!)
1. Gokushufudō [極主夫道] // Ono Kosuke, 2018 (Kurage Bunch)
Snapshots of the life of ex-yakuza Immortal Tatsu, who’s now making an honest living as a house husband.
One of those manga that literally everyone reads – and if you aren’t…why? Eagerly awaiting an anime adaptation….no, a live-action version with Tsuda Kenjiro will do too!
2. Kūden (Noise) no Himegimi [空電ノイズの姫君] // Toume Kei, 2016 (Birz -> Evening)
Hosaka Mao’s never stood out. Her father’s a washed-up wannabe rock ‘n’ roll star. Her hair reminds people of Pippi Longstocking. She’s nowhere close to being part of the in-crowd. One morning, Mao hears someone singing in the classroom before school and she peeks in to discover the beautiful, mysterious Hasekura Yokiko as the source of the voice…
This started life as Kūden Noise no Himegimi in Birz before switching its serialisation to Evening, changing its name and ‘restarting’ from chapter 1 though it’s really a continuation. I’ve always had a soft spot for Toume’s works thanks to Hitsuji no Uta and this one features her trademark realistically-written characters, each suffering from their own set of problems, and they all come together to chase a dream career in music despite running into countless dead ends. The two main girls are misfits: one’s a secret guitar genius with no friends & the other’s a weird delinquent into taxidermy – the one thing that ties them together is their love for rock music (Deep Purple! Rolling Stones! Led Zeppelin!). There are slight hints of romance but I’m not really looking for that in this series – it’s the nostalgia of indie bands and the livehouse scene culture that I miss from my brief time living in Japan that makes me love this one so much. Still, it’s Toume so I’m always prepared for random hiatuses and for the story to go downhill at any time…
3. Kowloon Generic Romance [九龍ジェネリックロマンス] // Mayuzuki Jun, 2019 (Young Jump)
Within the labyrinth of Kowloon walled city lives a man and a woman who appear to be no more than mere colleagues in an estate agency, but their relationship and their past lives may not be all that they seem to be…
This one is only 20+ chapters in but I’m hugely, greatly intrigued by the world-building and the mystery of who or what our main couple used to be, and where they’re headed in this ’80s dystopian version of Kowloon where a giant sphere (named Generic Terra) floats above the city. The story has been shifting between present day and flashback as more of the protagonists’ murky past becomes clearer – there is the twist that seems all together too logical when you have enough pieces of the puzzle in place, but that there are yet more missing parts that I eagerly await to be revealed.
4. WonDance [ワンダンス] // coffee, 2019 (Afternoon)
The introverted Kotani Kaboku, who has a stutter, finds solace in the dance club with Wanda Hikari, a girl he can’t help but be attracted towards. A tale of youthful passion, friendship and perhaps..love?
With Ballroom e Yokoso intermittently on hiatus, WonDance has come in and filled the shonen dance manga void for me. Love all the little details in the dance steps as well as the wide range of music used throughout the series (here’s a playlist for songs featured so far). Only 3 volumes in, but I’m very interested to see how far this one can go.
5. Kono Oto Tomare! [この音とまれ!] // Amyū, 2012 (Jump SQ)
The koto club is in serious danger of disbanding with only 1 remaining member. Captain Takezo manages to recruit ragtag bunch of misfits by accident, including a group of delinquents and a koto prodigy who has given up the instrument. Can he not only keep the club alive, but fulfil their dreams of making it to the nationals?
Started this in earnest after the anime ended & it’s one of my favourite seishun school stories now – less (but not zero) focus on romance and more on friendship and working towards a common goal. The writing really aims straight for your feels, particularly since our 2 MCs are both so socially awkward and shoulder such heavy burdens in their respective lives – it makes my heart swell to see them grow and develop both as individuals and as part of a group. Overtaken Chihayafuru in my affections!
6. Dungeon Meshi [ダンジョン飯] // Kui Ryoko, 2014 (Harta)
Laius assembles a party to venture into the dungeon in order to rescue his sister Farlyn, who was devoured by a dragon. There they meet the dwarf Senshi who introduces the group to the delights of dungeon monster cuisine.
The premise is silly fluff but it goes so much deeper than just some RPG-like adventure. Granted, the story’s kind of taken a detour as more and more characters/parties are introduced but it keeps pulling readers back in with its unique brand of humour and most importantly, a group of incredibly likeable characters. Criminal that it hasn’t gotten animated yet but then you’ll think ‘how could they ever make anything that lives up to expectations?’ The PV was amazing, but it’s a tough ask for anyone to live up to a series that’s this consistently creative.
7. Sekai de Ichiban Oppai ga Suki! [世界で一番おっぱいが好き!] // Konbu Wakame, 2017 (Comic Cune)
Cool girl Chiaki who’s idolised by tons of juniors in her school turns out to be an idiot with a boob fetish who can’t perform properly at her archery unless she gets to grope breasts on a regular basis. She finds a victim(?) to satiate her lust, the big-boobed tsundere Harumi who goes along with the hijinks without much thought but somewhere along the way, the two start feeling more than each other’s boobs…
The premise seems like it’s scraping the bottom of the yuri barrel but I can assure you it’s the most entertaining thing you’ll read every month – you never knew that you needed to know so many things about breasts and their physics. Konbu’s also an expert at introducing new characters at the perfect timing – each new girl has added a new dimension to the ‘storyline’ just as things were starting to get a little flat. Deservedly licensed and getting a release in English from Yen Press!
8. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto [薬屋のひとりごと] //Nekokurage, Ikki Nanao based on novel by Hyuga Natsu, 2017 (Big Gangan)
Maomao, a girl from the pleasure district, works as a servant in the inner palace where she awaits the end of her contract. Her training in herbal medicine however, serves her well and she’s promoted to becoming a food taster. This only helps land her in all kinds of messy palace scandals and politics, and she must use her wits and pharmaceutical prowess to solve the mysteries that come one after the other.
Another award-winning series that needs little introduction – think Cadfael in a quasi-Chinese inner court and you’ve got the gist of Kusuriya. Incredibly well-written and well-developed (as you would expect from something that originates from a novel) yet not overly complex as similar titles in this genre tend to be prone to doing. And we’ve got a great MC in Maomao as well, smart and able to hold her own against all the conniving fools of the palace.
9. Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnuts [欠けた月とドーナッツ] // Usui Shio, 2019 (Comic Yuri Hime)
Outwardly, Uno Hinako is an OL whom everyone aspires to be like: well-liked, pretty and with lots of male suitors. The truth could hardly be more different: Hinako wallows in self-loathing and suffers from anxiety, unable to take the first step in pursuing any kind of romance. One night, she breaks down crying in public thinking she’s alone, but someone reaches out a hand to help her, and it’s her overly serious work senior Sato Asahi…
Yuri fans who have been crying out for something to fill the gap left by Yagate Kimi ni Naru might find that this series is the one…provided you’re open to mature stories featuring adults who are just as imperfect and immature as high-school girls. Hinako is incredibly relatable to any one of us who’re stuck in a rut, not knowing what we want from our lives. The romance aspect has been fairly slowburn so far as both Hinako and Asahi, a lady who’s unable to break free from the chains of family responsibility, grapple with the ideas of ‘love’ and ‘acceptance’. Easily my favourite yuri manga right now – too bad chapters are only published every 2 months, making the wait as painful as watching Hinako and Asahi struggling through their lives.
10. Otona ni Natte mo [おとなになっても] // Shimura Takako, 2019 (Kiss)
Primary school teacher Ayano goes to a bar after work one day and meets Akari, an employee of the watering hose who’s drinking on her day off. The women start up a flirting game, things escalate quickly and they’re both infatuated by the other before they know it. However, Ayano drops a bombshell on Akari by turning up at the bar one night with…her husband. A torrid love ‘affair’ commences.
This is typical Shimura so you know what you’re going to get. It’s fair to say the speed of developments is incredibly glacial at this point. Ayano’s husband and his family are fully aware of his wife’s infidelity – they’ve even moved back in with hubby’s parents as Ayano’s father-in-law is ill but still, she cannot deny her feelings for the helpless Akari, who’s now found herself trapped in an affair that she isn’t even sure she’s a willing participant in. I really liked Shimura’s last complete long-form work (Koiiji) so I’m hoping that this will be just as painfully satisfying(?) emotionally…but of course, you have to be a bit of a masochist in the first place to follow and love her works.
11. Spy x Family // Endō Tatsuya, 2019 (Shonen Jump+)
Master spy, codename ‘Twilight’ spends his days on undercover missions, dreaming of a better world. One day, he receives an unfathomably tough new mission from his masters that involves infiltrating the inner circle of a top target – but what he has to do first is…’find’ his own family!?
I am ever so wary of shonen titles nowadays having been burned by the last 3 I poured so much affection into (Shokugeki, Neverland, Kimetsu) – though I do see good things in Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, they didn’t truly hook me in….until Spy x Family comes along. Though it’s early days with <30 chapters so far, this series has lived up to the hype – I’ve laughed so hard at Twilight and his faux family’s hijinks thus far: put a spy, an assassin, an esper and a dog named Bond together and you surely won’t get anything less than chaos to the max. With the plus point that things will never get too dark, as editor Shihei Lin promises.
12. Heterogenia Linguistico ~Ishūzoku Gengōgaku Nyūmon~ [ヘテロゲニア リンギスティコ ～異種族言語学入門～] // Seno Salt, 2018 (Young Ace Up)
A linguist is convinced by his professor, who injured his back in a fall from a hot air balloon, to continue his research on his behalf. This involves journeying into the world of monsters to learn how each species communicates. Little does he know that his first port of call will bring him into contact with an interspecies (half-wolf, half-human) with whom he is able to communicate in the human language…
A sweet little story about interacting with beings who are different from mankind – not much of an overarching plot thus far as you’d expect, but it’s a truly fascinating marriage of linguistics and fantasy Fantastic worldbuilding every chapter that makes you just sit and think – have you not ever wondered how slimes communicate?
13. Ryū to Yūsha to Haitatsunin [竜と勇者と配達人] // Gregorius Yamada, 2016 (Young Jump)
Half-elf Yoshida works as a courier for the post office of the Imperial City of Idazig. Follow her perilous yet comedic travels across the fields, seas and mountains as she strives to bring you your mail in one piece!
This one is somewhat similar to Heterogenia Linguistico thematically – you have an MC travelling around lands, meeting all kinds of people/beings and hearing their stories. I’ve always been fond of the Kino no Tabi model: bite-sized, episodic tales instead of long, draggy and convoluted plotlines.
14. Ichidō Dake demo, Kōkai shitemasu [一度だけでも、後悔してます] // Miyahara Miyako, 2019 (Dengeki Daioh)
After quitting her job at a games company, Kozuka Chiyo has fallen 3 months behind on her rental payments. Her landlady (ooya-san) barges in demanding repayment, but Kozuka’s spent the remainder of her savings on beer so Ooya-san bargains with her: “Have sex with me”. Kozuka’s mind is fuzzy as she wakes up the following morning convinced that she did indeed have sex with Ooya-san, who then offers Kozuka to knock 10k yen off her debt for every ‘service’ she provides: she’ll even let her stay rent-free provided they live together. And thus, their domestic life together begins…
Ain’t yuri without some blackmail, douchey preamble eh? Don’t let that fool you or put you off though – this manga is actually incredibly cute and sweet, particularly some dozen or so chapters in when Kozuka has fallen in love with Ooya-san for real. I’m not too sure the premise will stretch much farther but I’ll enjoy their lovey-dovey antics while they last!
15. Maiko-san’chi no Makanai-san [舞妓さんちのまかないさん] // Koyama Aiko, 2019 (Shonen Sunday)
16-year old Kiyo tried and failed to become a maiko (apprentice geisha) so she’s now working as a caterer for a maiko troupe in Kyoto. This is the story of her daily life, revolving around her lovingly-cooked meals and snacks.
I’ve got an inherent weakness for food-centric stories and this one packs in a lot of cultural charm alongside the mouthwatering, unpretentious comfort food – anything from oyakodon to mapo tofu, ketchup meatballs and even melted cheese sandwiches. You can see why this is getting an anime, also on NHK, at some point in the future – it’s pure fun and informative at the same time.
16. Nettaigyō wa Yuki ni Kogareru [熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる] // Hagino Makoto, 2017 (Dengeki Maoh)
High-schooler Konatsu moves to a seaside town in Ehime following her father’s transfer overseas. Lonely and timid, Konatsu finds herself drawn towards the perfect and popular Koyuki, the sole member of their school’s Aquarium Club. This is a story of two girls who find fulfilment in each other.
Is this, or is this not yuri? That’s a question readers have been asking over the course of almost 30 chapters and only author Hagino will know if Konatsu and Koyuki will ever be canon. It’s not as blue-balling as a certain other series [cough /AniYome cough] in terms of not-so-subtle yuri subtext – heck, we’ve had the ‘tsuki ga kirei’ line already, but the pace will probably kill a lot of people more used to the instant relatively well-paced gratification of series like Citrus and Yagakimi. The relationship between Konatsu and Koyuki is your textbook ‘beautiful relationship’ characteristic of a Class S story but I know lots of fans are hoping it goes beyond that. Here’s to hoping!
18. Daiya no Ace Act II [ダイヤのA act II] // Terajima Yūji, 2015 (Shonen Magazine)
Now in his second year, Sawamura Eijun continues the battle to be the Ace/#1 pitcher for Seidō High School’s baseball team and alongside his team-mates, make it to Koshien through the West Tokyo leg of the 90th National High School Baseball Championship.
It’s no secret that I’m a sports anime addict, but I hesitate to say the same for manga – I guess my brain is too addled to be able to adequately imagine the exhilarating action in series like Haikyuu! The exceptions are Adachi Mitsuru works, which are hardly about sport, and Ace of Diamond, a series that I’ve followed since the first anime season aired in 2013 and subsequently moving on to the manga (running since 2006). It’s got all the usual hallmarks of hot-blooded shonen sports titles: friendly rivalries, edge-of-the-seat battles, long-term character development that makes you (overly) invested in the fate of this dozen or so teenagers.
19. Fumetsu no Anata e [不滅のあなたへ] // Oima Yoshitoki, 2016 (Shonen Magazine)
From the Koe no Katachi author comes an epic dark fantasy about an immortal being who shapeshifts into figures who have died throughout his life…
Or so that used to be the case, what with the story recently shifting into its 2nd main arc set in the modern world. Now the bets are all off and I’m just utterly confused as to the direction that the series is heading into…the anime is coming to NHK this autumn bar Covidelays and I’m quite nervous about how it’ll turn out – it’ll be a challenge to animate and write the first 1-2 mini arcs, for sure.
20. Kimi wa Hōkago Insomnia [君は放課後インソムニア] // Ojiro Makoto, 2019 (Big Comic Spirits)
There’s a rumour going around, that the now-defunct Astronomy Club’s room is haunted by the ghost of a girl who killed herself and cursed the rest of the members to follow her into the afterlife. The smart but antisocial Nakami is disliked by his classmates for his moodiness. While prepping for the school festival, he’s sent to the observatory to gather cardboard, when he stumbles upon classmate Isaki, who’s a popular student in his class. The one thing the 2 share in common – sleeping problems. They find refuge in the observatory, the only place where rest awaits them – so they end up making it their own cosy little private room where they can ‘sleep together’.
If you hadn’t already realised…I love stories about misfits finding kindred spirits in each other. This is not quite your typical high school love story – there is a very relaxed vibe as we watch the 2 MCs chat life and teenage strife against the backdrop of the stars. It’s so far, so wholesome but you’ve got to wonder if Nakami and Isaki will ever take the next step….me? As a sufferer of random bouts of insomnia myself, I’m just content to go on a soothing stargazing session along with our young, troubled duo.
Current regular monthly digital manga subscriptions
Comic Yuri Hime
Dengeki Daioh
Dengeki Maoh
Sporadically pick up issues of:
Kiss
Comic Rex
Galette
The Great Passage 