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Make the Exorcist Fall in Love ☆

This manga caught my eye initially purely based off of its unique artstyle. The lines are thicker, but the shapes and characters are softer. The series, however, is sparse in terms of softness, and while its characters do have moments of peace, the story is anything but peaceful.

Make the Exorcist Fall in Love follows the young Priest whose name is literally always just boy or Priest and his protection of Imuri, a demon girl sent by Satan whom he thinks is an innocent bystander caught up in a war of attrition between Satan and his Sins and the humans and their Priests.

And while these threats are very real, they are often overshadowed by the depth of the relationships between the characters on different sides of this eternal battle. All of the characters are electrifying, especially Imuri and Verg, and their decisions never fail to enthral me. I hope this story is far from over.

Petals of Reincarnation

Petals of Reincarnation is an odd manga for me to recommend because I’m not entirely sure what part about it I like and there are some pretty wild warnings I need to get out of the way. The characters in this story all claim the power of a “Great” through their magic system (and some even become them) and it’s very interesting and very clearly well researched. All of the powers are interesting and tailored to a specific aspect of that real person's legacy.

The problem begins when “Greats” can be heroes or villains of history, meaning that some pretty wild characters show up with some pretty insane powers, the easiest example being Hitler and his power of panoptic vision using anything that has a swastika on it. Kinda baller, but also wildly gray area.

The characters are memorable and distinct while the cast grows exponentially, as do the threats the core group comes in contact with, and the threat of death is very real. Characters die and stay dead and that is awesome and twists feel real and earned by the story when friends become villains or villains become friends. A very fun ride.

Yumekui Merry ✔ ☆

Yumekui Merry is my all-timer. It is the first manga I read because of an anime and it was, unbeknownst to me, still ongoing, allowing my first manga to also be a hell of a ride as I watched it go from scan group to scan group, struggling to finish, catching up to the raws only single digit chapters away from the finale.

I love this manga with my whole heart, and with only a jaunty 141 chapters, it breezes right by. It has one of my favorite MC's, commits wholeheartedly to its premise, and sticks the very difficult landing it set up for.

To give a little more of what is actually going on in the story, it starts with our main man Yumeji, a student with friends and hobbies, joining together with Merry, a person not from around these parts, hellbent on send Dream Demons back to the Dream World. They monster-of-the-week their way into an overarching story with many twists and turns and ends with them essentially fighting god. It's awesome.

After the Rain ✔

This manga had me on the edge of my seat right to the end, which is odd, because most of its chapters are structured more as checkpoints than real dramatic or nailbiter moments. The slow and steady pace at which the romance marched felt unstoppable, which was booth enthralling and terrifying.

This was a 45 year old manager who is just trying to collect his paycheck getting asked out and pursued by a 17 year old girl who is a high school junior. Bad bad bad bad wrong bad no!

These two characters are slowly defined through repetition and go through tremendous growth, especially our main girl, and throughout the story it always feels teetering close to an uncrossable line. However, the story does end in a hopeful manner and in a way I think many people would be happy with. It’s not bittersweet, it isn’t wrong, it’s certainly not bad, but perfectly.

Yancha Gal no Anjou-san ☆

When I started reading manga initially, I basically only read romance for a bit, and a lot of them were just okay, or I dropped, or both. This manga, however, despite starting out similar to many that I dropped, only got better and better with time and I can confiidently say is one of the better ensemble-long-running-romance manga.

Despite not being completed, the story feels like it could both go on for many more chapters without going stale or end in a dozen chapters with a heartfelt conclusion I'd be happy with. It strikes a perfect balance of progression and evolution while staying true to its original, slice-of-life charm.

Do be warned, though, there's a bit of ecchi in there, nothing too crazy, but it's there. Even with this "downside," though, this series is great as it follows along the highs and lows of a cute high school romance. Just overall very sweet.

You and I are Polar Opposites ✔

This manga is quick as heck so you better read it. Coming in at only 65 chapters, this manga did the unthinkable: ended high. While I would have loved a dozen or so more chapters to wrap up some of the looser ends, the trajectories and momentum of the finale chapters send off the manga in the best possible way.

While at first, this early ending did annoy me slightly, in retrospect, it was a wise choice. This romance between not just the main two but their many friends and friends they make along the way build out a friend group of misfits that is as colorful and believable as the ones you often find in high school.

The characters are exaggerated in the best ways, leaning more towards endearing than cringey, and are written in a very “this is so me” way that has you relating to many little parts of many characters. It’s great stuff. It’s short. Why are you still here? Go read it!

Hope You're Happy, Lemon ☆

Hope You’re Happy, Lemon is a body swap story that feels like it was actually thought about before writing. The swaps happen right from the get go, not between two crushes but of exes who haven't spoken in years. The swaps happen every other day so they are forced to become closer, but at arms length, and this setup also gives way to strategy as they essentially have to “share” their bodies.

All of the characters are college aged and speak honestly so often that it is a breath of fresh air. You know when you read a manga and you can’t stand it because all of the drama of the past 30 chapters could have been solved by like, one conversation? This manga is whatever the opposite of that is. Misunderstandings still happen but characters just like, talk, and things get figured out. It’s so nice.

All of the characters that are part of this slowly created love dodecahedron are easy to root for and have multiple potential places that I would be happy if they ended up. So thoughtfully crafted, and such fun dialogue, and I didn’t even get a chance to mention the art! It’s simply fantastic. Thank you so much skitters for showing me this.

Seven Sleeping Beauties ☆

So like, I’ll be honest. I thought this was gonna be a pretty trashy harem manga with decent art. This was like half right. It is still more ecchi than it needs to be, and it is still a harem, but the largest improvement is an actual MC and an actual plot.

Sir Alec, our MC, is the most genuine, thoughtful, real person in a harem I have read in a long time, maybe ever. He has thoughts, is respectful of women, has flaws and makes mistakes, but grows and learns. His chemistry is believable with all of the girls, his interactions are always cute, and he’s only a little dense.

The plot is also very interesting. There’s both political drama from Alec’s home country wanting to invade and also the question of the curse that put a whole kingdom to sleep. It’s awesome! Why aren't there more harems like this?

Oh yeah, and the girls are hot or whatever. (My favorites are Chiara and Flora.)

Disclaimer:

I'll be so for real, guys. I'm awful at staying up to date with dramas. Both of these manga are incredible but I also have them both paused because I am simply too stupid to follow monthly releasing dramas. Sowwy.

Fool Night

Fool Night is an impossibly beautiful manga. I don't think another manga on my recommendations comes close to the consistent, staggeringly high bar of high quality, imaginative art that Fool Night delivers every chapter. It’s also so specific to its story and captures a vibe of both vibrance in organics and the bleakness of the synthetic.

The story of Fool Night takes place at what is essentially the end of the world and the fragile balance of order that remains as things slip deeper and deeper into corruption and chaos. The science fiction elements are detailed but easy to follow, the politics are pervasive, and the ticking clock is loud.

Oh yeah, the story starts with our protagonist essentially getting a two year timer placed on his life, with two years being the generous outcome. Absolute banger. This world where people become plants for the sake of giving oxygen to the few who are left is a story I can’t wait to finish so I can binge because as it is now, it sits in the back of my head even though I haven’t read a chapter in months.

Yona of the Dawn

I probably could have put Yona of the Dawn in any one of these categories, but Drama just felt right. This story has action, romance, drama, fantasy, period piece, adventure, and at least two sick as hell pirate arcs. It’s truly insane how much stuff happens in this manga.

Yona, the character, is the perfect character to root for as she grows from a weak, protected princess to a political threat to the man who killed her father. The supporting cast, as it grows, is one of my favorite bands of adventurers I have ever followed, and honestly Hak steals the show. I love him so much he’s so perfect.

If you enjoy reading manga and can actually read on a monthly schedule, I encourage you to try out Yona of the Dawn and really, even if you aren’t great with monthly releases, start it anyway. You will not regret it.

Kindergarten Wars

So back when I started this manga, it had about 12 chapters translated using pretty rough MS Paint skills and Comic Sans so when I say that even from the beginning this shit had me hooked, you know I’m not lying. This is the epitome of over-the-top and flashy combat but commits just as hard to the characters' relationships that creates some of the most gangbuster panels I have ever laid eyes on.

I mean, even the premise is something to behold: The world's strongest killers are given a chance of redemption by guarding a kindergarten of the world's most important children and surviving for a year - and one year is a lot harder than it first looks. The comedy and action that come from the teachers pulling off the most insane stunt to kill a threat while making the children feel like nothing is wrong is nothing short of mental gymnastics that even a conspiracy theorist would have trouble making.

The inventive imagination of the mangaka for fresh action and comedy only heightens the soft romances that take place in the background of a very dark world. It’s great, and it’s in its final arc too.

The Kingdoms of Ruin ☆

The Kingdoms of Ruin might just be the single most overkill story I have ever read, and I know what I already said about Kindergarten Wars. A two person war waged on all of humanity waged by the human apprentice of a witch joined by a witch who hates her specialty magic and whose specific overall goal is the end of all humanity - oh and by the way humanity has Mega Science Tech™ by the way.

The worldbuilding on display is expansive, the fights are incredible, and the two leads are exceedingly lovable. While Doroka is the more obviously lovable one, her charm, even without magic, is able to change our MC Adonis into a much kinder and more interesting character and one I can root for in the more recent chapters of the manga.

I love science versus magic and this manga is that in abundance. It’s beyond edgy but I kinda love how hard it commits to it. I even own this one physically.

Now That We Draw /// The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún /// The Voynich Hotel

Wait that's not manga!

Brother, I am well aware. I don't quite have enough anime that I truly, unequivocally recommend for its own whole page. It's going to live here and you're going to have to learn to live with that. I wish I did, but I don't have as much time as i used to to watch anime. All of these are complete and theyre all my absolute favorite so don't worry about searching for symbols on this page. Assume I love each one so so so much.

The Big O (and The Big O II)

Have you ever considered how much fun it would be if Batman had a robot maid sidekick and had a giant robot? Because that gets us about 80% of the way to the The Big O. It takes place in Paradigm City, the City of Amnesia and follows (brace yourself) Roger Smith as he detectives his way through negotiating between people, as that’s his job. He’s a negotiator.

This job usually ends up with him in a giant mech suit called the same thing as the shows name and is awesome every single time. While the show's first season is almost entirely episodic as it introduces new characters and we familiarize ourselves with the world, the second season fully commits to a longer scale mystery about whythis is the City of Amnesia.

There is endless lore to this show that can be dug up, and some really good youtube videos too, but just consuming the show without the extra homework is rewarding enough as it is. Just like in Batman, the many villains are the star of this show. An impeccable snowstorm marathon show (too specific?).

Gurren Lagann

This one comes with homework. That’s your warning.

Gurren Lagann is the mecha anime by Gainax. No buts. This show is incredible from start to finish and is the purest form of the “power of friendship” shown in the best possible way. People die. The world is bleak. They barely scrape by 90% of the time. But they get back up, and they keep trying, because that is how a fucking drill works baby.

It is such an unbelievably intoxicating ride with hot characters left and right, an emotionally resonant story, and sick as hell giant robots. I am also genuinely worried I might accidentally be cribbing from the homie BREADSWORD as I write this.

The homework, for Gurren Lagann, is to watch this video. It is the best video on YouTube not made by me and I have watched or listened to it probably a dozen times. Does watching it make the show better? I don’t know. Is it important to watch for the greater context and human story of a creator who shows just how good the emotional storytelling in a silly show about fighting robots is for dealing with grief? 100%

Violet Evergarden

I’ll say it. This was the anime that made me cry for the first time in, like, five years. I did not have the most healthy relationship with my own emotional intelligence as a teenager. This show, however, helped to start to change that.

Violet Evergarden is a slow and patient show that delicately portrays a number of heavy topics through the lens of our main girl Violet as she turns from a military tool into a person. We get to watch as Violet, who has gone through so much herself, writes letters for those who cannot write and must imbue the words with feelings she has never known and watch as those feelings slowly begin to wear away at her machine-like personality.

It’s a beautiful story and I personally recommend only watching the one season of anime. The first movie is fine but I haven’t seen the second movie because I don’t like the direction it takes. Lucky for us, though, the anime's one season is a perfect story as is, so that’s that!