Manga and anime have become a staple in pop culture. What could have been formerly known as a niche interest has taken the world by storm and only continues to grow. Though there are the series we’ve come to associate the medium with, there are countless manga out there that deserve a place amongst the best of them. Here are our manga recommendations.
If You Like Sailor Moon, Try Tokyo Mew Mew.
Sailor Moon definitely helped put the magical girl genre on the map, and this gave birth to plenty of other magic girl series, like Tokyo Mew Mew by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi.
Tokyo Mew Mew follows Ichigo Momomiya, a middle schooler who gets her DNA merged with that of an Irimiote cat. Donning cat ears and a tail—and, of course, a cute transformation sequence—she teams up with Mint Aizawa, Lettuce Midorikawa, Pudding Fong, and Zakuro Fujiware to fight aliens, protect the planet, and try to live normal lives.
This 7-volume series has seen success with an anime adaptation, a spin-off called Tokyo Mew Ala Mode, and a rebooted titled Tokyo Mew Mew New, which aired in 2022.
If You Like Inuyasha, try Rin-ne
Rumiko Takahashi is a fireball in the manga industry, producing long-running series after long-running series consistently since the late 1970s. These include Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, and Inuyasha, which was a first anime for many and continues to be a series we hold dear to our hearts. After Inuyasha, Takahashi went on to create Rin-ne.
Sakura Mamiya could always see ghosts, and when she meets her mysterious classmate, Rinne Rokudo, she’s the only one who can see him. It turns out Rinne is a shinigami—sort of. His grandmother is a shinigami and his grandfather was human—and he exorcises spirits to the Wheel of Reincarnation. Unfortunately, exorcising spirits costs money, which Rinne doesn’t have—in fact, he cries tears of blood when he spends too much—and hilarious antics ensue.
Unfortunately, Rin-ne did not gain the recognition Inuyasha did, though it was popular in Japan, with 40 volumes being released. However, this is one of our manga recommendations as the series showcases Takahashi’s unique art style and humor, and it’s honestly hilarious and worth a read.
If You Like Fullmetal Alchemist, Try Silver Spoon.
It’s no secret that Fullmetal Alchemist is a masterpiece, deftly combining humor, drama, and some of the most traumatic moments in manga history. After this incredible series ended, Hiromu Arakawa decided to try something different with Silver Spoon. Whereas Fullmetal Alchemist is dark and magical, Silver Spoon is more light-hearted and takes place on a farm, which is influenced by Arakawa’s real life experiences.
Yuugo Hachiken decides to enroll in Ooezo Agricultural High School, where he finds that becoming a farmer is not as easy as he believed. He must learn how to milk cows, wrangle animals, and care for a farm, which takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and patience.
If you’re looking for something to ease the pain of seeing Nina Tucker turn into a dog, Silver Spoon seems to be Arakawa’s way of apologizing for putting us through so much suffering. This is why the series is on this list of manga recommendations.
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