It’s March! I recently found out that this is Manga Madness, where people discuss the manga series they enjoy or recommend. Since my last video on YouTube about my manga collection, my little “library” has grown. I’m not sure how much I own right now, but within the next three to five years, I plan on growing it more, space permitting.
Without further ado, here are the series that I recommend from my collection.
- Spy x Family
- The Way of the House Husband
- Mashle: Magic and Muscles
- Boys Run the Riot
- Kaiju No. 8
- Witch Hat Atelier
Spy x Family
Spy x Family, the most recent winner of the 2023 Crunchyroll Awards for “Best Comedy,” “Best New Anime Series,” and “Best Anime Ending Sequence,” highlights the perspectives of our beloved protagonists: Loid Forger (codename “Twilight”), a Westalis spy, Yor Forger (neé Yor Briar) an assassin (codename “Thorn Princess”), and Anya Forger, an esper. All three of them make up a hodgepodge of a family on order to cover up their identities. As of this post, Spy x Family has nine volumes in English printed from Viz Media. There are seventy-five chapters out currently to read digitally on the Viz Media/Shonen Jump app and it up dates every two weeks to a month. Spy x Family has also been confirmed for both a movie and a second season. I look forward to watching both when they come out.
The Way of the House Husband
The Way of the House Husband follows ex-Yakuza member, “Immortal Tatsu” through his current status as a house husband. This series shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. There are many instances of Tatsu doing daily things such as shopping for groceries or biking down the block and he still clocked for being a Yakuza member. From his ragtag of former underlings and boss, to the police officers and neighborhood association that he treasures, he is loved by them all despite his demeanor. But the attention that he fights to win the most is from his wife, Miku.
The Way of the House Husband currently has nine volumes available in English, two seasons of anime on Netflix, a live action drama, and a live action behind the genius of the series curated by the voice actor and live action actor Kenjiro Tsuda.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
The title of this series is exactly how the plot goes: Mashle’s world thrives around magic. People’s level of magic determines their place in society. It is simply unheard of for someone to be a non-magic user. Anyone of this existence would be persecuted by death. Here enters Mash Burndead, a markless young man adopted by an edlerly man who is pretty weak himself. But then one day, Mash’s obsession with cream puffs got him in trouble to the point where he and his adoptive father almost died. In order to have his adoptive father live peacefully and keep his own existence, Mash enrolls in Easton Academy, where he will muscle his way to becoming a Divine Visionary.
The plot of this feels like One Punch Man, Black Clover, and Harry Potter were spliced from each of their series and woven together to make this hilarious and meme worthy coming of age story. The anime is set to air this Spring and is my highly anticipated favorite of the season. Mashle has eleven volumes available English, 148 chapters available on the Viz Media/Shonen Jump app updated weekly.
Boys Run the Riot
Ryo Watari, a trans boy in high school struggles in school because his school does not accept him as the gender he wants to be addressed as. Because of this, he is ostracized, leading him to befriend Jin Sato, an upperclassman that was held back a year. Both are interested in streetwear – Ryo feels the most comfortable in them because they align with both his gender identity and expression for him. Jin is interested because it is a means to express himself through fashion. They both create the brand “Boys Run the Riot” together.
Boys Run the Riot is an excellent narrative for trans youth and even adults. It brings things into perspective and provides affirmation and solidarity. The series is complete and has four volumes. The author is also trans so there is more incentive to read since there is adequate representation. Trans Day of Visibility is March 31 and if you would like to read something that brings awareness, this series is perfect.
Kaiju No. 8
Even though the demographic is shonen, Kaiju No 8 is the first shonen series that I’ve read that stars a 30+ year old. Kafka Hibino, age 32, dreams of fighting kaiju alongside his childhood friend. Instead, he is stuck as clean-up crew when the kaiju are defeated. Because of his constant failure of the Defense Force exams, he continues to clean. He suddenly becomes the thing he wants to fight: a kaiju, after a freak accident during clean up.
Kafka shows that no matter what age, how many attempts and shots in the dark you make, you keep moving towards your vision. As of this post, Kaiju No. 8 has five volumes in English, 82 chapters that update every two weeks on the Viz Media/Shonen Jump app, and an anime coming out in 2024 produced by Production I.G. (Haikyu!, Great Pretender, Psycho Pass, Prince of Tennis). I’m hoping that the anime is adapting the manga appropriately but also excited that it’s coming.
Witch Hat Atelier
Lastly, I have a recent pickup. I’ve been eyeing this series for the past couple of months. I finally picked up Witch Hat Atelier at my local Barnes and Noble and Kinokuniya and started reading. To have something whimsical and intricate written and drawn in this day and age is amazing. Yet alone by an award winning artist, Kamome Shirahama. She is a recipient of an Eisner award (2020) for her contribution to comics as a cover artist. She has done various cover art for both DC and Marvel. We can tell that her work is gorgeous, and her attention to detail is definitely portrayed in Witch Hat Atelier.
Coco, a daughter of an artisan, dreams of becoming a witch. Little to her knowledge, in order to become a witch, it isn’t as whimsical as she thinks it is. Here enters Qifrey, a notable witch himself who needed cloth. Nearby, there were Noble witches whose flying carriage needed to be repaired, and Qifrey tasks Coco to be his lookout at her house as he does the spell because magic is sacred and if put into the wrong hands, catastrophe will run amuck.
Though Coco does do the task, a piece of cloth flies into her window, causing her to climb and witness Qifrey performing the ritual. She finds out that magic is inscripted as opposed to cast. Once Qifrey leaves, Coco opens a book with a pen and paper that is given to her by a strange witch donning a brimmed hat. She attempts to copy the signs that Qifrey made, which in turn causes a disaster to happen: her mother and home are frozen in stone.
Coco is now under the tutelage of Qifrey alongside three other girls her age where their goals are to become full-fledged witches. Coco has to play catch up because she hasn’t received formal training in inscription yet. Her goal now is to save her mother and to uncover who the strange brimmed hat person is since it is forbidden to give magic tools to just anyone.
With the synopsis of the series, it reminds me of Full Metal Alchemist/Brotherhood, Card Captor Sakura, and Ojamajo Doremi (Magical Doremi) in both the whimsical aspects and crossing forbidden lines. This manga is something I look forward to picking up all the time. I really hope that fans of the series I’ve listed will also enjoy Witch Hat Atelier.
Witch Hat Atelier has 11 volumes, 67 chapters, an anime confirmed for production, and three volumes of their spin-off called “Witch Hat Kitchen.
What manga have you been reading? Let me know in the comments. I look forward to reading your recommendations.
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