A Curated List of 10 Japanese Comics I Read This Year (That You've Probably Never Heard Of).

With the world of manga growing more vast by the day, it becomes a challenge to discover every significant new series. Inevitably, the biggest series capture the spotlight, but there's a plethora of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.

A particular delight for a dedicated reader is finding a hidden series in the sea of new chapters and then sharing it to friends. I present of the best lesser-known manga I've discovered recently, along with motivations for they're worthy of attention ahead of the curve.

A few of these titles are still awaiting a large audience, partly due to they all lack anime adaptations. A few are less accessible due to where they're available. Sharing any of these will earn you some notable geek cred.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Creators: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

I know, it's an unusual starting point, but bear with me. The medium embraces absurdity, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll acknowledge that fantasy escapism is my comfort read. While The Plain Salary Man diverges from the template, it embraces familiar conventions, including an overpowered main character and a game-influenced setting. The charm, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who vents his stress by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that appeared in the world, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. 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.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is one of the few published by a major house, and thus readily accessible to international audiences through a popular app. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're looking for a few minutes of silly fun, the series is highly recommended.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the genre's overpopularity, but two series changed my mind this year. The Nito Exorcists evokes the best parts of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its creepy atmosphere, distinctive artwork, and unexpected brutality. I stumbled upon it accidentally and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a powerful exorcist who eliminates cursed beings in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is focused on his safety than supporting his vengeance. The plot may seem basic, but the treatment of the characters is thoughtfully executed, and the stylistic juxtaposition between the comedic design of foes and the bloody fights is a compelling layer. This is a series with great promise to go the distance — should it get the chance.

8. Gokurakugai

• Artist: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is breathtaking, intricate, and unique. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a poor neighborhood where two species live side-by-side.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga wields magic reflecting the circumstances of their end: a suicide by hanging manifests as a choking force, one who perished by suicide induces hemorrhaging, and so on. It's a disturbing but creative twist that gives weight to these antagonists. It could be the next big hit, but it's constrained by its slower publication rate. Starting in 2022, only five volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

7. Bugle Call: War's Melody

• Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This dark fantasy manga approaches the ubiquitous battle trope from a novel angle for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it showcases massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which lets him guide troops on the battlefield, using his trumpet and upbringing in a brutal fighter company to become a skilled strategist, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.

The backdrop is a little plain, and the inclusion of futuristic tech occasionally doesn't fit, but The Bugle Call still delivered bleak developments and unexpected plot twists. It's a mature shonen with a collection of odd personalities, an interesting power system, and an enjoyable mix of strategy and horror.

6. Taro Miyao Becomes a Cat Parent?!

• Author: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its tiny paws is his sole relief from tension. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you