The 10 Best Comics I Read This Year (Which Are Mostly Unknown).
With the world of manga growing more vast by the day, it's increasingly difficult to keep up with every worthwhile new series. As always, the most popular series dominate conversations, but there's a plethora of undiscovered treasures ripe for exploration.
A key pleasure for fans of the medium is finding a hidden series in the sea of new chapters and recommending it to friends. I present of the best lesser-known manga I've enjoyed this past year, along with reasons why they're worthy of attention prior to a potential boom.
Several entries here are still awaiting a large audience, notably because they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to where they're available. Sharing any of these provides some impressive fan credentials.
10. An Unassuming Salaryman Revealed as a Hero
- Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
- Publisher: Shueisha
- Find it on: Manga Plus
Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but let me explain. The medium embraces absurdity, and it's part of the charm. I'll acknowledge that fantasy escapism is my comfort read. While this series diverges from the template, it follows many of the same tropes, including an overpowered main character and a RPG-like world structure. The charm, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who vents his stress by exploring strange labyrinths that emerged suddenly, armed only with a baseball bat, to defeat foes. He has no interest in treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.
More polished fantasies are out there, but this is one of the few from a top company, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences via a free service. For easy reading, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're looking for a short, lighthearted escape, the series is an excellent option.
9. The Exorcists of Nito
- Creator: Iromi Ichikawa
- Released by: Shueisha
- Available on: Manga Plus
Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the abundance of similar stories, but two series changed my mind this year. The Nito Exorcists evokes the strongest aspects of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, stylized art, and shocking ferocity. I stumbled upon it accidentally and became engrossed at once.
Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who purges ghosts in the hope of avenging his teacher's death. He's paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than fueling his retribution. The premise sounds simple, but the portrayal of the cast is subtle and refined, and the artistic dichotomy between the silly appearance of the spirits and the bloody fights is an effective bonus. This is a series with great promise to go the distance — if it's allowed to continue.
8. Gokurakugai
- Author: Yuto Sano
- Released by: Shueisha
- Available on: Manga Plus; Viz
If breathtaking art is your priority, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on the series is breathtaking, intricate, and unique. The story doesn't stray far to traditional battle manga tropes, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're not labeled as exorcists), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the backdrop is compelling. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, manage the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a working-class district where humans and beast-men coexist.
The villains, called Maga, are born from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the way the human died: someone who hanged themselves has the power to choke people, one who perished by suicide can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that adds depth to these antagonists. Gokurakugai might become a major title, but it's constrained by its infrequent release pace. Starting in 2022, only five volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.
7. The Call of War: A Bugle's Song
- Creators: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
- Released by: Shueisha
- Available on: Viz
This grim fantasy manga approaches the ubiquitous battle trope from a new viewpoint for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it depicts massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a cruel mercenary band to become a powerful tactician, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.
The world feels a bit standard, and the addition of advanced concepts can seem jarring, but this series still surprised me with grim twists and unexpected plot twists. It's a mature shonen with a group of eccentric individuals, an compelling ability ruleset, and an interesting combination of strategy and horror.
6. Taro Miyao Becomes a Cat Parent?!
- Author: Sho Yamazaki
- Released by: Shueisha
- Available on: Manga Plus
A emotionally distant main character who follows the philosophy of Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—supposedly since a massage from its small claws is a unique cure for his aches. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you
