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My All time Favorite Manga
10
items I have been reading manga for over twenty years, and have read across multiple genres from Science Fiction to Josei, Shonen to Horror. Some have been incredible, some decent but not memorable and others just terrible. This list is comprised of my all...
Sections
2
Series
Compilations and Short Story Collections
Series
These are my favorite manga that are a series (more than two volumes and not in a compilation).
Often hailed as one of the great shojo manga, it is also one of the best time travel manga out there. It is a blend of well-researched history, great characters and story, Red River is a must-read. I absolutely adore this series.
Chie is a normal 15-year old girl who just began dating a long time crush. Fate has other plans and the evil Queen Nakia uses magic to draw her into the very distant past in order to complete a spell that will sacrifice her to put her young son on th...
After years of demands, Viz began reprinting this series as 3 in 1 manga books. This is still ongoing with roughy half the series released in this format. It can also be purchased digitally through kindle.
Chie is a normal 15-year old girl who just began dating a long time crush. Fate has other plans and the evil Queen Nakia uses magic to draw her into the very distant past in order to complete a spell that will sacrifice her to put her young son on th...
After years of demands, Viz began reprinting this series as 3 in 1 manga books. This is still ongoing with roughy half the series released in this format. It can also be purchased digitally through kindle.
Red River - Chie Shinohara
I love With the Light and its one I have recommended countless times. It is heartwarming, heartbreaking and a masterpiece. It follows Sachiko Azuma, as she and her husband have welcomed a baby boy, Hikaru but something doesn't seem right. It is only ...
The great tragedy of this series is it is incomplete due to the tragic death of the author in a car crash. It's eight volumes collects all that she had completed before this.
The great tragedy of this series is it is incomplete due to the tragic death of the author in a car crash. It's eight volumes collects all that she had completed before this.
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child
This may be showing my age a bit but I got into Nana when it first hit the United States through Shojo Beat magazine in the early 2000s. In the time since, I have read it numerous times.
It follows the story of two women named Nana who meet on a train while moving to Tokyo and through fate end up as roommates. Along the way, we'll see heartbreak, love, the trials of relationships and careers, and so much more. This is a beloved series by one of the most well-known and loved manga-ka, Ai Yazawa.
It's worth noting that the series is notorious being on hiatus for many years due to her illness, so keep that in mind when diving into the currently 21-volume series.
It follows the story of two women named Nana who meet on a train while moving to Tokyo and through fate end up as roommates. Along the way, we'll see heartbreak, love, the trials of relationships and careers, and so much more. This is a beloved series by one of the most well-known and loved manga-ka, Ai Yazawa.
It's worth noting that the series is notorious being on hiatus for many years due to her illness, so keep that in mind when diving into the currently 21-volume series.
Nana
This is one of my favorite Josei and I actually had my eye on it for years before it finally got licensed. It's a heartwarming, realistic and pull-at-your-heart-strings story.
At a company get-together, 26-year old Tsugumi is reunited with her high school crush, Itsuki. Itsuki realized his dream of becoming an architect but suffered a spinal cord injury that left him in a wheelchair. With feelings rekindled, is there a cha...
At a company get-together, 26-year old Tsugumi is reunited with her high school crush, Itsuki. Itsuki realized his dream of becoming an architect but suffered a spinal cord injury that left him in a wheelchair. With feelings rekindled, is there a cha...
Perfect World - Rie Aruga
I had heard really good things about Colette Decides to Die before it was licensed in the United States, but those didn't do this masterpiece justice. It's easily one of the most heartwarming, feel good manga stories I've ever heard.
Colette Decides to Die follows Colette, an overworked court pharmacist who, overwhelmed by her duties, dives into a well hoping for escape—only to find herself in the underworld, where she begins treating the sick and weary dead. As she becomes entan...
Colette Decides to Die is completed and compiled into 20 volumes. Viz in North America is currently releasing 3:1 omnibus books.
Colette Decides to Die follows Colette, an overworked court pharmacist who, overwhelmed by her duties, dives into a well hoping for escape—only to find herself in the underworld, where she begins treating the sick and weary dead. As she becomes entan...
Colette Decides to Die is completed and compiled into 20 volumes. Viz in North America is currently releasing 3:1 omnibus books.
Colette Decides to Die - Alto Yukimura
Oshi no Ko is a manga (and anime series) I got into after a recommendation from a friend. Que watching the first season and picking up all the manga that had been released because it was that good.
Oshi no Ko follows a pair of children born into the spotlight who grow up navigating the glittering yet unforgiving world of Japanese entertainment. They are actually reincarnations, a former doctor and his patient, born to an idol. As they chase the...
The series is still being released in english as of this writing but the manga was completed at 16 volumes in Japan.
Oshi no Ko follows a pair of children born into the spotlight who grow up navigating the glittering yet unforgiving world of Japanese entertainment. They are actually reincarnations, a former doctor and his patient, born to an idol. As they chase the...
The series is still being released in english as of this writing but the manga was completed at 16 volumes in Japan.
[Oshi No Ko] - Aka Akasaka (story) and Mengo Yokoyari (Artist)
To Your Eternity is a manga series (and anime) that is going to yank on your heartstrings and leave you pondering. It's easily one of the most heartbreaking and engaging manga series I've ever read.
To Your Eternity follows a mysterious immortal being, later called Fushi, who takes on different forms as it learns what it means to live, feel, and grow alongside the people it meets. Its journey becomes a quiet exploration of humanity—its beauty, p...
It has been completed in Japan but is still being released in the US.
To Your Eternity follows a mysterious immortal being, later called Fushi, who takes on different forms as it learns what it means to live, feel, and grow alongside the people it meets. Its journey becomes a quiet exploration of humanity—its beauty, p...
It has been completed in Japan but is still being released in the US.
To Your Eternity - Yoshitoki Oima
Compilations and Short Story Collections
My favorite manga whose chapters were compiled (ultimately) in a single collection or are a short story collection.
This may raise some eyebrows from Junji Ito fans but hear me out. It was my first time reading his works and I was captivated by the premise as well as his artwork. It made me a Junji Ito fan.
Gyo is set in a world in which rotting, mechanical-legged fish crawl out of the sea, spreading a horrific stench and a deadly infection across Japan. As the plague evolves into a grotesque nightmare involving weaponized corpses and biological terror,...
Gyo is set in a world in which rotting, mechanical-legged fish crawl out of the sea, spreading a horrific stench and a deadly infection across Japan. As the plague evolves into a grotesque nightmare involving weaponized corpses and biological terror,...
Gyo - Junji Ito
As someone who loves history and a good story, this one checks my boxes and goes above and beyond. The story is heart-wrenching, the characters memorable and the art style gorgeous. It takes not take the horror, hope and hardship of WWII and cultural...
It follows Suzu Urano, a cheerful young woman who marries into a family in Kure, near Hiroshima, and strives to maintain hope and normalcy through daily life during the escalating hardships of World War II. As air raids intensify, food becomes scarce...
It follows Suzu Urano, a cheerful young woman who marries into a family in Kure, near Hiroshima, and strives to maintain hope and normalcy through daily life during the escalating hardships of World War II. As air raids intensify, food becomes scarce...
In this Corner of the World - Fumiyo Kouno
SOS is a collection of three short stories about love. I've read this collection over and over again. The short story “Organ” is actually my all-time favorite manga short story and it still sticks with me two decades after first reading it.
This is sadly out of print but is cheap on amazon and ebay.
This is sadly out of print but is cheap on amazon and ebay.
SOS - Hinako Ashihara