Since it's been so long, here's a new top 20 list :)
Once again in no specific order!
20th Century Boys (And it's sequel)
This manga re-defined what I thought was excellant storytelling. The twist,, omfg please read it if you have not already. It's an experience. It's a thriller mystery and the mangaka is the same author of Monster. (11/10)
7 Seeds
If you enjoy reading shoujo and sci-fi mangas, then this is a must read for you. It's a hidden gem and I haven't met many people who've read the entire story. Of course I was only recently able to finish it. There used to be sparse chapters because of some issues with groups picking it up and dropping it just as quick. Anyways. So this is a big favorite of mine because I feel like this is one of the most realistic stories that I've ever read in the genre. The mangaka knows a lot about culture, science, history, classical music, medicine, forensic medicine, physics, animals and even video games. She works it in seamlessly. (10/10)
Here's the MAL synopsis: "In the immediate future, a giant meteorite has collided with earth. All living organisms, including mankind, have been wiped off the face of the planet. The government, who had foreseen this outcome, took measures to counter the worst-case scenario. In particular was Project "7SEEDS," in which five sets of seven young men and women were carefully selected and placed into teams (Spring, Summer A, Summer B, Autumn and Winter). Each participant was then put under cryogenic sleep in hopes of preserving the continued existence of mankind.
When those men and women awoke, they found themselves suddenly thrust into a cruel world. While bereft and grieved over forever losing their loved ones, they sought to find ways to survive."One Piece
Goes without saying. I think Oda is a mastermind and with every chapter release I can't wait to see the ending he's had planned out for years now. If you don't already know, it's a story that follows Luffy on his journey to become the king of the pirates and be the one to find One Piece. (9/10)
One-Punch Man
The web comic and manga adaptation are my favorite works to keep up with these days. I like ONE's original web comic but I also really love Murata's adaptation. I like the changes and his art along with ONE's revised story. The manga is incredible. Basic summary - Saitama is the most powerful superhero, that might sound great but he faces an existensial crisis that he is just too powerful. For the story I find myself dead laughing a lot. Sometime's characters think that Saitama just wants his hair back. And somehow no one has really ever paid attention to him, so they think he's just an amateur that happens to finish off weakened monsters. (10/10)
Ibara no ou
A mysterious disease ravages humankind, petrified bodies are dropping everywhere you see. In an attempt to preserve humankind, multiple men and women are put into cyrogenic sleep in hopes that they wake up in a future where the cure exists. But when they finally awake are they actually saved..?
In my opinion it's a hidden gem in it's genre. There are a lot of excellent plot twists and I think Iwahara Yuji is a genius at using paneling throughout his work, information seems to flow seamlessly from one section to the next. Every character conversation is significant and I think that's really important in a mystery survival story. It's excellant, I really recommend this one. (9/10)
Kekkaishi
A story like Naruto and Bleach that puts both of them to shame. This is written by a female mangaka, and the way it starts is that you follow MC completing missions and finding out small truths with humor and spoof chapters mixed in. Where it gets better is that you start to see bits and hints of a greater plot that slowly starts to pull you in. With the plot, the author keeps you on your toes, constantly we are questioning the characters motivations and the true villain is not revealed until much later on, but it's very satisfying. I really like that she has a plot planned out and sticks to it. Also our MC is not a powerhouse for most of the story, he actually is pretty hopeless most of the time, it's refreshing. The female lead is opposite of the male lead in the right ways. Anyways before I tell the entire story...haha, I think this one should be read right away too. It's great. (10/10)
Kakukaku Shikajika
This one is similar to Bakuman and I think both are excellant. Kakukaku Shikajika is about the making of a mangaka but it takes more of autobiographical approach. The story is about a young woman reflecting on her youth and the start of her journey to get to her current self at the end, it's never too over-dramatisized. I really admire it's subtle emotions and how there's regret running throughout the entire story but never overbearing. She does a lot of reflecting on some of what happens around her. Honestly I've cried reading this before, like twice now. It's very good. (9/10)
Koe no Katachi
I like the moral dilemma that the characters face. Like if you were a bully, would you try to change who you are? Or if you were the victim, would you forgive your assailant? It's interesting. I never feel like it's insulting or forgetting the actual trauma that is left behind from abuse such as bullying. The first part of the manga introduces us to the male and female leads, male MC is the type of person that deserves our hatred. He bullies a deaf girl and subsequently ruins his life and the relationships around him (classmates, friends). I like that we follow him transforming from the bully to becoming a good person. He tore his life apart and then is seen trying to mend the broken pieces together. It's amazing how he stands his ground even through the shame and hatred that he holds towards himself. This is another story written by a female mangaka, and is also a debut story. It's a must read. (10/10)
After the Rain (Koi wa Ameagari no You ni)
It's a great story between two characters whose age gap is 28 years. (If you're not comfortable with such big gaps I don't recommend this one). Akira the female lead develops feelings for her divorced manager. This story isn't all about romance though. For the two leads, they both have something to regret and in their budding friendship they learn from each other. Kondou sees the youth that he thought he could never seen again and begins to get back some courage to write again thanks to Akira. And Akira realizes that in her break from the track club, it isn't the end for her. Her interactions with Kondou shapes her decision to run again at the end of the manga. Another thing, I see Akira's "love" as more admiration than anything else. (9/10)
Rookies
A high school baseball is left in shambles after the previous year when all the members were suspended after they started an all out brawl in an official match. Now with the suspension over, a new professor named Kawato joins the ill-famed school and attempts to start the club back up again. What he finds is thugs and bullies who are only interested in woman, smoking and doing nothing. Not until under Kawato's guidance do they discover a new dream called Koshien. It's an incredible story for the underdogs. Throughout the story they have to work extra hard to be able to play and gain everyone's trust back. Honestly this story surprised me a lot while I was reading it, it's not predictable at all. The only part of the manga that I find a fault in at all, is how many chapters are focused on each match. Otherwise I recommend this, it's a good story. (10/10)
Colette wa Shinu Koto ni Shita
Yet another take on the greek story between Persephone and Hades. One day the MC Colette a girl whose been asking about the purpose of her being a doctor, decides to escape her duties and falls down a well. Hoping to enter a different world, she wakes up to find herself in the land of the dead. Despite what you remember of the original tale, this is a heartwarming story between Colette and the King of the underworld Hades. I really love this one and it gets very emotional at times. Here's a little spoiler, she loses her parents in a pandemic at a young age and then is taken in by her doctor/foster parent, who also dies not too far into the future. I've cried a lot reading this too. Despite that I really recommend it. (9/10)[/li]
Edens Zero
This is Hero Mashima's diamond in the rough. What I think Fairy Tail could have been, I say that because the biggest difference between the execution of these stories is that Mashima has a plan as to how it's going to go. FT was kind of a story that got plot as it moved along and it did suffer for it. It's rough to reread FT because you see the mistakes immediately. (8/10)
Edens Zero is vastly different, it follows Shiki Granbell and Rebecca Bluegarden on their adventure together in space. They meet on Shiki's homeplanet after Rebecca stops to film a b-tuber video. They have to eventually escape though because the robots that Shiki has lived with since a child have gone mad..or not? I think the story is good and the art is Mashima's refined style from the later half of FT. This is a sci-fi/mystery/adventure style manga. While it may be weird that many characters resemble the FT characters, you get used to it pretty fast. Mashima does actually add in some completely original designs later on. I really think that this is going to be one of the top mangas in a few years. Each conflict doesn't take too long, and the arcs pass by relatively quickly. I think ppl should start reading it now. It's that good.
Honey Lemon Soda
I don't see much talk about this manga even though I'm sure that it's fairly popular. It's a bit of a replica of Kimi ni Todoke. The female lead Uka is constantly being misunderstood and bullied for her odd behavior. She wants to change but thinks she can't achieve this. Not until she meets Kai Miura does she finally try. It's a typical story of the shy girl falling in love with the popular boy and eventually going out. If you enjoyed the blueprint (KnT) then you'll like this too. It really shows off her resolve and willingness to change for the better. (8/10)
Jutsu Kaisen
The anime/manga of the season. I remember reading the one-shot a while ago and wanting to keep up with it but the actual translated chapters being released were so slow that I forgot about JJK for a long while. A couple months ago I got caught up and I now I'm at 133 chapters. (10/10)
The story is set in a world where supernatural monsters known as curses exist in the background of human society. To combat these curses, there are powerful humans called
Jujutsu sorcerers able to subdue them. In this conflict our MC Yuuji finds himself in the middle of such a struggle when he decides to be selfless and take on the worst curse of them all, Sukuna Ryoumen. Yuuji swallows a finger of Sukuna's and finds that he is easily able to restrain the curse as the vessel. But in doing so he is now classified as the greatest threat to the world, he becomes a high class level curse and is detained and sentenced to death. Before meeting his fate, Gojou approaches him with an alternative to consume the rest of the curse. If he dies so does Sukuna. With this prospect Yuuji accepts and jumps head first into the supernatural world.
I think recomment this one because it doesn't shy away from the gore. If someone dies or is injured you're going to see everything happen. There's a giant battle that happens and without spoiling it, I had to stop reading to process what happened. Poor Yuuji.
Machida-kun no Sekai
This one is a wonderfully wholesome story about a high school boy named Machida-kun who is the eldest son of his family. The first chapter makes a really good impression and that alone got a ten out of me. It’s primarily about Machida’s journey. In the first chapter alone we are brought along his struggle of finding his strong points. Machida is bad at sports, academics and doesn’t have any special talents. Yet he unshakably loves all people deeply, at every turn he takes action with kindness, not for himself but simply because he loves everyone. While he continues to try to find any good points of himself, little does he know, every action he does simply attracts others love for him, more and more because he is simply kind and gentle. As such, we follow how one life can connect to each others in many ways. All around it's really sweet and I recommend it ten times over. (10/10)
Ookiku Furikabutte
A baseball story that follows a young teen named Mihashi who arrives to his new school and is convinced that he's a lousy baseball player. At the baseball club he meets catcher Abe and the coach Momose and together they work to make Mihashi and the new freshmen team shine. I recommend it because as far as baseball mangas go this one shines the brightest. The mangaka know's her stuff and you see how much care she has put into her work. You don't have to know everything about baseball because with this story you easily learn everything. It's a masterpiece. (10/10)[/li]
Tongari Boushi no Atelier
A story that follows the young witch in training named Coco. A person who used to be the humble daughter of a dressmaker, she was always fascinated with magic and the witches that cast it. Despite the strict precautions they use to hide their methods from the public, Coco spies on the skilled witch Qifrey and realizes that her favorite picture book is actually a magic book in disguise! In her exictement she tries out a spell and finds out the hard way the disaster they can cause. Qifrey rescues her in time and realizes that she's the first solid lead he has to the dangerous organization called the Brimmed Caps. Before Coco can get on with her studies she first has to get along with the other apprentices in the Atelier.
This story is really charming and I love the gorgeous aesthetics of the art. Each panel looks as if it could be it's own painting, it differs from the typical style we see in shounens and shoujos. The characters are lovable and and fun to read. (9/10)
March Comes in Like a Lion
A story about shogi and the life of Rei Kiriyama. It's very heartwarming and emotional. Rei withdrawes into himself and only comes out of his shell until he meets the Kawato sisters. (8/10)
Flat
One of my favorite stories about a high schooler maturing up. Heisuke our MC is a pretty terrible human being, he's self centered. His main focus in life is baking and eating sweets, everything else is left by the wayside. In typical teenager fashion, when left with his young cousin he decides it's okay to leave him be while he goes out shopping. Of course Aki is okay but he still gets upper-cutted by his mom. After getting a badgering from his mom and aunt, Heisuke makes a turning point and starts to take his babysitting a little more seriously. Aki is the type of kid that's shy and bashful, even through his back you can tell what the kid is thinking. I like that this manga is a more serious slice of life. It's very good and I treat it as a comfort manga that I re-read at odd times. (10/10)
Chichikogusa
This is a story between a medicine seller and his young son and their struggles to deal with the loss of a loved one. Torakichi the father is a flawed person and due to the nature of his work he couldn't always be around his family. From day one he's had a strained relationship with his son Shirou. It wasn't until his wife passed that they are forced to be together.
This is a really relaxed story, and I think what it does is exceptional. It's not groundbreaking or anything. But I've cried more times than I can count because of how real everything is. Shirou is a young child who is thinking of complex issues even if he can't vocalize like the adults around him. (9/10)
Honorable mentions:
- Kimetsu no Yaiba | Black Clover | Ani Tomo | Ao no Exorcist | Asadora! | Gangsta! |