Manga’s landscape may be changing rapidly, and potentially for the worse in light of recent events, but it’s been undeniable for a while that it’s been a truly dominant presence in the print comics scene. While it’s easy to see manga as the blueprint for anime and merely a stepping stone, to do so is to commit a disservice to the diverse and talented creators who contribute to its medium across many genres. Some manga have continuously either eluded a worthy anime adaptation, or in cases like Berserk, seemingly exist in their best form on the page rather than on the screen. But following the 2020-era pandemic, a new wave of manga has swept up public interest.

While cases like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer quickly garnered acclaim as hits for younger generations of anime fans, their manga predated the events that facilitated their true boom. It was only in the years following that fans latched onto the medium more closely, with new manga developing eager followings of their own, across not only the predictable shonen offerings, but across shojo, josei, and seinen as well. The most exciting part of new-gen manga, beyond the simple sense of discovery, is the potential for new fandoms to form, new bonds with like-minded readers over some truly great material, giving otakus an increasingly vast landscape of great content to devour and discuss.

Hirayasumi

The most recent seinen serialization from the brilliant Keigo Shinzou, Hirayasumi is significantly less weird than his previous hit, Tokyo Alien Bros., and may be his most resonant yet. Focusing on the familial bond of former actor and freelancer Hiroto Ikuta and art student Natsumi Kobayashi, Hirayasumi follows the trials and tribulations of adulthood in a healing slice-of-life format.

For those finding the premise familiar, especially of a wholesome lad chasing his dreams only to fall into a humbler lifestyle and inherit his grandmother’s run-down home after she passes, it’s vaguely similar to a slice-of-life J-drama. Each chapter is a heartwarming episodic rendition of the two as they attempt to find their balance in life, work, and potentially romance.

Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite

Hakusensha as a publisher may be most famous among certain audiences for Young Animal’s Berserk, but for a broad spectrum of readers, its Hana to Yume magazine is revered as a shōjo hitmaker. One particular creator known for Kamisama Kiss and a ton of other Hana to Yume stories, returned in 2022 with a new mix on her usual tricks.

Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite focuses on Hina Arukado, a vampire living in Romania whose father, wishing to bring joy to her shut-in life, introduces her to anime. Through the discovery of “Vampire Cross”, Hina becomes a devout otaku and stans its hit character Mao. This prompts her to move to Japan and carry out her weeb odyssey.

Soon, Arukado meets sophomore college student Kyuta Amanatsu, whose personality and looks strongly resemble Mao, yet he shows few of the interests she has. The usual Suzuki magic then shows itself through their bonding amid dangerous supernatural misadventures. With rival vampires, a protective father, and various charming male characters, it’s a sweet romantic comedy that doesn’t bite too hard.

Parashoppers

Shonen manga readers will never not crave a truly fascinating battle system, and Parashoppers ups the ante by also being incredibly fun. The crazy bit is, it does all this despite thoroughly being a death game, contriving a battle royale where players can buy and resell abilities, with them having to battle others to grow their points balances to advance to each round, with a murky potential for fatal consequences around the corner. Each fight in Parashoppers is a battle of wits, with even the most mundane-sounding ability, from protagonist Amaragi Mitsusada’s bizarre ability to control one piece of straw, to Rio Onizuka’s ability to rapidly expand the size of packaged bread.

Parashoppers turns its abilities into an economy of sorts, with each power having a fluctuating value based on how effectively each user can deploy them in battle. It often makes for hilarious turns of events, including trapping an opponent in a mascot costume while Onizuka’s expanding bread roll nearly suffocates them, sealed by Mitsuada’s straw holding the zipper closed, with a rigid logic keeping the chaotic premise in check. The powers make sense, the humor is on point, and each fight feels engaging and rewarding to follow, making this Weekly Shonen Sunday hit one to follow.

Shinobi Undercover

While plenty has already been said comparing the new series from Candy Flurry creators Ippon Takegushi and Santa Mitarashi to Naruto, it stands on its own merits, too. Outliving its short-lived Shonen Jump predecessor, Shinobi Undercover is into its second year as its flexes with dynamic shading, stronger paneling, and breathtaking action like something out of late-stage My Hero Academia.

The series itself focuses on Yodaka, a ninja and member of Public Safety (not to be confused with Chainsaw Man’s organization) charged with protecting Aoi Mukai at her high school. While the premise is familiar, its execution, blending their wholesome school slice-of-life dynamic with intense action against rivals, dangerous fugitives, or prominent clans, make this a consistent Shōnen Jump banger.

Choujin X

For readers craving body horror and something new from Sui Ishida, the creator of Tokyo Ghoul, Choujin X is exactly what the doctor ordered. While playing second fiddle to the heroic Azuma Higashi, Tokio Kurohara soon finds a path to empowerment and character development when a Choujin suddenly threatens their lives. Choujins, essentially superpowered humans with enigmatic, unique abilities explained as the series progresses, were an object of Tokio’s fears, while Azuma, presented with a strange injection that’d give them Choujin powers of their own, advocated its use for their mutual survival.

Choujin X is obviously fascinating for its unusually bold character designs, particularly Tokio’s beastification with his vulture-like features. But the series is also deeply compelling in the contrasting characterization of its two leads, especially as time passes, with their respective neuroses coloring the reader experience as time goes by. With nefarious players angling to capture Tokio for his potential links to a particular prophecy, Choujin X is a worthy experience for any discerning reader, and hopefully one that won’t be ruined by a poor anime adaptation like its predecessor was.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat

A stellar reminder of yuri’s applications to all audiences, She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat from Kadokawa Shoten is a perfectly cozy josei read showcasing companionship and kinship over slow-burn sexual tension. It has struck a chord, too, with fans not just in the lesbian, asexual, and aromantic community, but across a broader readership for several reasons.

Initially focusing on Yuki Nomoto, a single woman in Tokyo with a love for cooking yet a small appetite, the story explores Nomoto’s slow discovery of her sexuality as she shrugs off the notion that she must live to please the men in her life. When she meets Totoko Kasuga, a big eater who appreciates Nomoto’s company, everything changes.

Each chapter is episodic in nature but features a spectrum of food porn based on home cooking, social media-inspired dishes, eating out, and convenience store treats, as Nomoto, Kasuga, and more discover themselves through cuisine. It’s sweet, wholesome, and one of the most authentic, LGBT-focused stories, comforting general audiences while being enlightening for its target readership.

The Bugle Call: Song of War

Fantasy manga is gaining significant spotlight thanks to critical acclaim for hits like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Witch Hat Atelier, and Dungeon Meshi. While Shueisha is certainly mopping up the competition lately with its current biggest mainline Shonen Jump fantasy hit, its monthly magazine, Jump Square, has a killer manga of its own.

The Bugle Call: Song of War isn’t just an idle recommendation from critics; Vinland Saga creator Makoto Yukimura has even sung its praises. Focusing on Luca in a Europe-inspired dark fantasy realm, cursed by his knack for communicating orders in endless battles via bugle despite dreams of becoming a musician, the story takes a turn after his strange secret emerges.

Marked by a strange branch growing out of his head, Luca soon demonstrates the gift of creating visuals with his bugle, able to precisely guide troops to victory thanks to tactical training by his mentor. For this, Luca and other “Branch-hexed” individuals are taken in by the mysterious Pontiff as they take down his rivals for him.

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All

An emerging hit that seems to draw a much broader readership, this series, affectionately titled the “Green Yuri” is exactly as it’s described. With backdrops rendered in a bright lime green hue, the series stood out from its competitors in its humble origins as a short Twitter story.

Yet, the series became a slice of life yuri phenomenon in just under four years, with an anime on the way. The series predominantly focuses on the point of view of Mitsuki Koga, an employee at the record store run by her uncle, as she is mistakenly seen by gyaru Aya Oosawa as a cool, stylish boy upon whom she immediately develops a crush.

This initial understanding becomes a beautiful romance told across mostly 4-page anecdotes with odd exceptions, like chapter #37. Brimming with style and especially great for fans of the ’80s and ’90s with grunge and funk rock like the RHCP on display, it’s got great characters, a slow-burn romance at its core, with Mitsuki’s absurd occasional “rizz” a particular highlight.

Tower Dungeon

One can never truly go wrong when it comes to a Tsutomu Nihei manga. The Blame! and Knights of Sidonia creator may be best-known for sprawling cyberpunk worlds and sci-fi premises, but his latest output has gone all-in on fantasy. Despite the simple premise on the surface of a regicidal necromancer kidnapping the princess, with a straightforward mission of the kingdom and their conscripts raiding the Tower of the Dragon to rescue her, things soon take a turn for the worse.

The series focuses on Yuva, who is initially portrayed as a bumpkin, and while he ventures into the sprawling tower, with surprising amounts of guidance from his commander early on, readers and fellow characters alike wonder what the big deal is about him. But as fans will soon catch on, from his uncanny ability to shoulder enormous amounts of weight, to various reveals down the line, not all is what it seems with Yuva.

Typical of Nihei, the central tower is itself an impossible structure, a floating pillar in which climbing the interior is no simple task. Others have died attempting it, with readers understandably being able to see shades of Dark Souls grimdark elements to its visual storytelling and resident horrors as the main crew climbs. With a mission to reach the 100th floor, and Yuva being given a mysterious orb to trade for the princess’ freedom, Tower Dungeon is a fascinating foray into fantasy for such an established visionary in the sci-fi genre.

Kagurabachi

Debuting in the fall of 2023 as Shōnen Jump’s “next big thing” matching the hype and energy of other contemporary hits like Jujutsu Kaisen, Kagurabachi was a fascinating hit in the West. In fact, fans genuinely wondered beyond the initial salvo of endless Peter Griffin edits and AI-generated memes whether Kagurabachi deserved the “is good, actually” treatment.

But Kagurabachi is good, actually. In fact, it’s great. Blending revenge thriller pastiche of Tarantino, John Wick, and Matt Reeves-era Batman movies, Kagurabachi is perfectly fitting as a series to latch onto even for newcomers to manga. Kagurabachi gets readers hooked with its first two arcs, but the Sword Bearer Assassination Arc, its longest by far, is genuinely incredible.