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A drawing from Me & Roboco featuring many Shonen Jump characters in the Roboco style

Manga of 2023 - The Standouts

January 01, 2024 in Manga

I continue finding myself stanning for Shonen Jump and the Viz Media manga app. For $5 a month, I get so much value out of these two iPad apps. It's incredible. While not every manga on this list is on those apps, it's great that more volumes are getting translated into English in official means. It's easy to read manga for free on the internet, but try your best to support the creators!

Black & White gold

  1. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun

    Shonen-style fantasy with great comedy. I got into this series through my Crunchyroll subscription. I was surprised to discover so many familiar voices including Hinata from Haikyu!! (Iruma) and Kazuma Kiryu (Grandpa Sullivan). For 300 issues, this Isekai-esque story of a human boy being adopted by a doting demon grandfather and attending high school has all the charm and positivity we need in these dark times. It feels like we're slowly moving towards a finale, but I hope we have many more years to come with Iruma!

  1. Me & Roboco

    A fantastic gag manga that welcomes in readers from all cultures. Even though some gags are clearly designed for their local Japanese market, I still find this series wonderfully endearing. Can easily say there were late-night binge sessions that resulted in incessant belly laughs (waking my wife). Work on your knee strength and get ready for a fun time!

  1. My Clueless First Friend

    It's become increasingly clear that young love is a manga genre I can't get enough of. Being a fan of My Clueless First Friends requires dedication because the MangaUp app is a terrible, user-hostile experience. If you can tough out every attempt by the app to turn you into a whale, you'll find a charming coming-of-age tale about young adults discovering love, laughs and everything in between. Wholesome Plus Ultra!

  1. Witch Wach

    Another gag style. Almost like watching a classic sitcom. A witch moves to the human world and lives with her guardians. Lots of gags, fun long form arcs. You can set this one aside and come back to it for some nice binging.

  1. Komi Can't Communicate

    We finally got Tadami! Another high school romance with an endearing story about a girl with anxiety trying to make 100 friends. The story keeps it light, telling a narrative of Komi overcoming her incredible shyness vs a deeper analysis, but that's why we read comics! The supporting cast almost overpowers the main plot, but everything ties together well. I can read this forever!

  1. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

    What happens after the quest is over? That's what Frieren is all about. The main character, Frieren is an all-powerful elf mage who ages at a glacial pace. After her party defeats the Demon King, the heroes go their separate ways, grow old and die...except for Frieren. This is a story about rediscovering those small moments we take for granted and that life is always full of new journeys.

  1. My Dress-Up Darling

    Another great comedy / love series set against the cosplay scene in Japan. I feel like this book did not come out frequently enough. That said, every volume I purchased brings joy. Read if you want to laugh and feel great about yourself!

  1. Martial Master Asumi

    Finally, an MMA manga that's as much about teenage awkwardness as it is about combat! I couldn't pass up given where I work. It's interesting to see the book's approach to describing MMA. Like Haikyu!!, I hope this inspires a new generation of Japanese fighters!

  1. Blue Box

    Another love story set in high school. Our protagonists both want to be the very best in their sports (basketball and badminton) while navigating youth.

  1. Kagurabachi

    Fantasy Japan where swords and magic are the main weapon but we still have subways and street art. I don't remember the characters names, but this has all the makings to takeover for many of the series we're going to lose in the next few years (Black Clover, My Hero Academia, etc.)

Honorable Mentions:

  • Green Green Greens (bring me that Kuroko's Basketball Energy!)
  • Black Clover (Went on hiatus. Now we get quarterly issues. Still worth it but needs to wrap up soon)
  • One-Punch Man (A joy whenever it drops)
  • Jujutsu Kaisen (The Culling Game is confusing as hell. A case where the black and white art doesn't help with so much chaos in each panel. Hoping the anime helps clear things up)
Tags: manga
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