Descriptions come from either MAL or Baka-Updates Manga. Spoilers are under the black bars and will show the text when you hover over it. Reviews are sorted alphabetically as they are listed on MangaDex, where I read the majority of the manga listed here. Most are listed by their English translated title first.

I tried not to mention the artwork unless there's a unique style/aspect to it because all of the manga below have great artwork and it would get tiresome to read/type "great art!" for every entry.

I did my best with the trigger warnings and I would recommend checking out any spoiler free reviews on the MAL page for any other warnings that other readers feel the need to point out.

If you're curious about some of the manga here, most of the titles that I've reviewed below have panels on my manga themed tumblr at resetmyfeelings!

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

A Happy Child

Completed (Oneshot)

A young woman takes in a peculiar child.

My Rating: 8/10

A Life Turned Upside Down - My Dad's an Alcoholic

Completed

Trigger Warning: domestic abuse (physical and emotional), suicide

Mariko Kikuchi tells the painful story of her father's alcoholism and her own journey through guilt to understanding her father's illness. She rejects the common belief that family members can and should be forgiven for anything they do, no matter how much harm they cause. This powerful, self-contained autobiographical manga began as a web series that went viral, and inspired a critically acclaimed 2019 film in Japan.

+ A extremely well made, yet extremely heartbreaking, manga.
+ I love this line from the epilogue: "It's like you paid ten thousand yen for a hundred-yen coin and keep telling yourself it's gold."

My Rating: 9/10

A Lollypop or a Bullet

Completed

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, death of a dog (when the siblings are going to see the dead dog on the mountain, the manga WILL show images of the dead, decaying dog so you will have a warning about what's coming up)

Nagisa Yamada is a cold and withdrawn middle schooler living in a rural town in the countryside. One fateful day, a transfer student by the name of Mokuzu Umino transfers into her school. She immediately garners the classes' attention for being the daughter of a renowned singer and her cute appearance. Claiming to be a mermaid, she seeks out Nagisa, the only person who seemingly harbors no interest toward her. Mokuzu declares that a storm is coming, and she wants Nagisa to be her precious friend. Otherwise, when the storm comes, Mokuzu will go back to the sea, turn into foam, and disappear.

+ I liked the two main characters well enough, even though Nagisa seemed way too mature for her age.
- Gee, I wish that the adults that had their hunches about Mokuzu's abuse actually DID something about it!!

My Rating: 7/10

Adabana

Completed

Trigger Warnings: sexual violence, child abuse, physical violence, stalking, gore

Mizuki is a quiet and reserved girl who is about to take the entrance exam. She lives with her rigid and possessive mother, concerned that her daughter's grades are not good enough to go to a good university. The only escape route for Mizuki is Mako, her only friend, with whom she shares confidences and can vent. One day, talking about the trip they plan to take after the entrance exams, Mako suggested to Mizuki an easy and quick way to earn money to make his dream come true. However, Mizuki couldn't suspect that her friend's seemingly innocent advice would have dire consequences for both of them...

+ I really liked Mizuki and Mako as main characters. They're just regular teenage girls that went through such hell in their young lives.
+ I also enjoyed the two lawyers, the female one in particular. I wanted the male detective to adopt poor Mizuki at the end!
+ I'm glad that the majority of the horrible human beings that abused the main characters got their just desserts in the end.
- Man, I just wanted the main two characters to catch a break... as the series went on, everything just got worse and worse for those two girls. Very heartbreaking.
- I still don't understand why Mizuki decided to take the fall for Yuuki at first? Or why she decided to cut up Mako's body? The low rating I gave this manga is half for the graphic abuse shown and half for the weird plot twists.

My Rating: 6/10

Alice-san Chi no Iroribata

Ongoing

After ten years, Alice returns to her hometown from Tokyo to live alone in an traditional Japanese house with a sunken hearth. Harumi, her childhood friend, nervously meets her again after such a long time, but the warmth of the hearth with Alice is just as warm as it was in the past...

+ Slow paced, "comfy" read.
- The characters are all just... boring.

My Rating: 7/10

Anesthesiologist Hana

Completed

Trigger Warnings: panels depiciting surgical procedures (nothing TOO gory), shots of needles (again, nothing too bad IMHO - and I have a terrible fear of needles), sexual harassment, workplace abuse, fatphobia (maybe idk, one asshole character goes off about how he hates fat people for like three fucking pages)

Of the major causes causing the collapse of modern medical care, the lack of anesthesiologists is most severe. At times serious and at times comical, this story of university hospital anesthesiologist Hanaoka Hanako realistically depicts her every day work and life. While she faces the struggles of hard work, low pay, and sexual harassment, Hanako is ready every day to administer anesthesia.

+ Really captures the struggles and stress that health care workers have to deal with on a daily basis. And overworked and underpaided as well... it's sad to see that nothing has changed for either Japan or the United States when it comes to helping those that work in health care take care of their wellbeing.
+ Hana and her female coworkers are very likeable characters.
- Goddamn, did this manga go downhill fast once the newer male characters were introduced. One dickhead male character seems to be there just to fondle Hana's breasts in public and be a pervert, yet he makes a big speech after a patient dies and then everyone's calling him "the nicest person" on staff. What?! And then her "teacher" literally throws a roll of gauze at her and tells her to cover her breasts but the entire incident is just glossed over like it's no big deal and Hana continues to follow his guidance. Listen, I'm all for manga covering topics like sexual harassment in the workplace (and the description of the manga even mentions it!) but having the main character become suddenly okay with their actions after those male characters give a big song and dance about how important their work is to society is so fucking stupid.

My Rating: 6/10... I really didn't want to give this series a low score because it starts out so well.

The Apothecary Is Gonna Make This Ragged Elf Happy

Completed

Trigger Warnings: aftermath of physical violence/abuse

A humble medicine peddler comes across an elf slave, saddled with disabilities stemming from months of abuse. Can he save her?

+ I enjoyed the lore and worldbuilding...
- ... more than the actual romance. Don't get me wrong, the romance between the two main characters was okay, but just okay. You could tell very early on that they were going to end up together.
- I feel like the two main characters were TOO perfect for me to actually care about them, especially the apothecary. They both were kinda Mary and Marty Sue/Stu-ish for me.

My Rating: 7/10

Asuperu Kanojo / My Atypical Girl

Completed

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, self harm, sexual harassment, bullying. Animal abuse on one page, the main female character kicks a dog that was charging towards her (she has a justifiable fear of dogs) but it's nothing graphic.

Yokoi Taku has trouble getting along with people, so he moved to Tokyo as soon as he graduated from high school. He now lives alone, making a living by delivering newspapers and drawing doujinshi, though people totally ignore his non-erotic works. One day, a girl named Saitou Megumi suddenly shows up at his door, claiming that she came all the way from Tottori to meet him because she's a big fan of one of his doujinshi. It ends up that she has faced many hardships herself, and with no intention of leaving, she ends up living with him.

+ Probably the most realistic depiction of depression and anxiety that I've ever seen in a manga.
+ The ending was decent although it left a few loose ends. I also thought adding the perverted coworker or whatever was a really odd choice? He came out of nowhere and didn't really serve a purpose.
- The main male character, Yokoi, is waaay over his head when it comes to taking care of Saitou. I can't believe that he just took her in without any questions either. It's also becoming clear in the latest chapters how taking care of her is draining him mentally, emotionally and now physically. Poor guy.
- I don't like Saitou's mother and I'm kinda confused about where her relationship stands with her daughter. I might have to reread the manga but IIRC she did nothing while her father and classmates scarred Saitou so deeply that she developed PTSD so I have no sympathy for the mother. EDIT: I reread it and yeah I still didn't like her.

My Rating: 8/10

At the End of 4 Minutes

Complete (Oneshot)

One day, Anita, an assassin without a single relative, recognizes the Grim Reaper. She discovers that if she can outlast him for four minutes, she will temporarily escape death, but...

+ Give this oneshot a shot (har har) if you want to see a badass female lead and a Grim Reaper that loves to hang out with cute animals! It was a great, quick read.

My Rating: 9/10

Azumi

Completed

Trigger Warnings: gore, rape (there's also a lot of talk about assaulting the main character by several villains), transphobia

Azumi focuses upon the life of the female assassin Azumi. The manga begins an indeterminate number of years after the Battle of Sekigahara, but as the Azumi begins her assassination missions, the manga introduces the characters into mainstream history. Many of the early assassination missions that Azumi undertakes are the assassinations of the prominent supporters and generals of the Toyotomi Clan, against whom the Toyotomi Clan expected to again go to war.

+ Azumi is a very likeable main character.
- I dunno, it just seems like the plots are repeating itself for me. Azumi goes to a new area -> meets at least one person that she gets attached to (not romantically) -> someone falls in love with her -> anyone who Azumi likes dies -> she kills a bunch of people -> she leaves -> rinse and repeat. If Azumi wasn't a great main character, I wouldn't continue reading this.
- The political plotlines are so fucking confusing to me.

My Rating: 7/10

Azumanga Daioh

Completed

The best high school stories are simultaneously funny, warm, and endearing — but most importantly, the characters come alive on the page. Get to know the girls who set a new standard for the high school experience!

+ Probably my favorite manga ever, I just love it so much. It's STILL one of the funniest pieces of literature, let alone manga, that I've ever read.
+ Very heartwarming, even at the ending.
- My one complaint is that I hate the perverted teacher but he's not a main character so it's easy to skip over his presence. Also, when I was thinking about what to write about this manga on this page, it struck me that he's the only prominant male in the story besides, well, Mr. Tadakichi.

My Rating: 10/10!

B

Beast Complex (sequel to BEASTARS)

Ongoing

A tiger and a beaver who grew up together defy peer pressure to end their friendship and join forces to fight injustice. A camel journalist who passed judgment on carnivores for years spends a life-changing night with a seductive wolf. A crocodile and a gazelle must find a way to work together as chef and assistant on a cooking show with flagging ratings. A fox and a chameleon wrestle with stereotypes about each other—and themselves. And much more...

+ It's a sequel to BEASTARS but only for a few stories. You might be confused about the lore in the short stories if you're unfamiliar with BEASTARS but I don't think you need to read that manga at all to understand this one.

My Rating: 8/10

BEASTARS

Completed

Trigger Warnings: gore (mostly carcasses at a butcher's shop), attempted rape

In a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, there exists a bias: carnivores are just mindless predators in the eyes of many herbivores. However, when an alpaca named Tem is murdered within the walls of Cherryton High School, the fear toward carnivores skyrockets to an all-time high. Legoshi, a student at this school, is a gray wolf who is quite awkward despite his fearsome appearance. When turmoil affects his school life, he is forced to confront the divide between herbivores and carnivores, as well as his own place in this society. This is further complicated by his supposedly romantic feelings toward a herbivore, which might not be what they seem.

+ Dom is the best character. ... You know, the gay ostrich that faded out of the story for no goddamn reason? (EDIT: Wait, I think he graduated after the festival or something, so that might explain it. BUT STILL!) My other favorites would have to be Zaguan, Legoshi, Gosha, Ten (the female Inarigumi leader) and Hana.
- Holy hell, talk about a rushed ending! This seems to be the most common complaint of the manga but don't let that deter you from reading the series. I think the majority of the plotlines do wrap up during the ending, though. And I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this series because of that, the manga is very good!

My Rating: 9/10

Beauty Salon in Prison

Completed

In the women's prison, there is a beauty salon that is open to the general public. If you make an appointment, a prisoner will cut your hair for you. The minds of the customers are filled with anxiety about the crime the hairdresser has committed, but the blue sky painted on the walls of the salon always manages to calm them down. Spending time with the hairdresser is enjoyable, but why did she become a criminal in the first place?

+ It's a slow paced but interesting read with a good ending.

My Rating: 9/10

Berserk

Ongoing

Trigger Warnings: ... almost everything, and I mean it. <- Click that for a detailed list on Does the Dog Die. (wtf there's a "Is a child's toy destroyed?" trigger for this series... that's so weak compared to everything else.)

Guts, a former mercenary now known as the "Black Swordsman," is out for revenge. After a tumultuous childhood, he finally finds someone he respects and believes he can trust, only to have everything fall apart when this person takes away everything important to Guts for the purpose of fulfilling his own desires. Now marked for death, Guts becomes condemned to a fate in which he is relentlessly pursued by demonic beings.

My Rating: 10/10 BUT! Unlike the other highly rated manga on here, I would not recommend this series unless you are VERY CERTAIN you know what you're getting into.

BIBLIOMANIA

Completed

Trigger Warnings: body horror (nothing too graphic imho, if you can tolerate the front cover then you'll be fine - it's basically... that but all over her body for a few pages)

Alice had woken up in Room 431 of a mysterious manor. "You must not leave this room," warned the Serpent, but she paid it no heed and her body began to rot... Will she be able to escape the cursed manor?

+ I liked Alice a lot, her charming and plucky nature was a great contrast to the grim personalities that were in the other rooms.

My Rating: 8/10

BL Metamorphosis

Completed

Ichinoi, a 75-year-old woman living a peaceful life, unwittingly buys a Boy's Love manga one day... and is fascinated by what she finds inside. When she returns to the bookstore to buy the next volume, the high school girl working there—Urara, a seasoned BL fan—notices a budding fangirl when she sees one. When Urara offers to help Ichinoi explore this whole new world of fiction, the two dive into BL fandom together, and form an unlikely friendship along the way.

+ I loooved this manga and I highly recommend it even if you don't like BL. (There's no actual BL shown except for a few panels of the character's favorite manga.)
+ I was so happy that it had a happy ending! As the story continued I found myself thinking stuff like, "I hope Ichinoi doesn't pass away at the ending".

My Rating: 10/10!

Black Lagoon

Ongoing

Trigger Warnings: gore, discussion of child abuse and CSA

Rokuro Okajima is just an average Japanese salaryman, living an average life. But when he's taken hostage by the crew of the Black Lagoon, Rokuro finds himself thrown headfirst into a deadly world of outlawed heroes, brutal villains, and blazing gunfights. Where he ends up is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain—he's in for a wild ride!

+ The female characters really are the stars here, and rightfully so.
- I'm really lost on the current plot LMAO

My Rating: 8/10

The Bones of an Invisible Person

Completed

Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse, stalking

One day, once again witnessing a quarrel between father and mother, Aya experiences a great deal of stress, due to which she gains an ability to turn invisible. At first, the girl is indulged with superpowers, but soon she makes a decision that will probably make her blame herself for the rest of her life...

- About the ending... maybe it's just me, but how the hell are the police going to believe the main character turned invisible and killed her father? There's no proof and the trial will only have to use her testimony as evidence. I know that the main character wanted to lift her burden of her actions but wanting to go to the police seems very rushed and nonsensical.

My Rating: 7/10

Bota Bota

Completed

Trigger Warning: blood, nudity

In a certain food container factory, suggestive rumors about Mako Higari say that she will sleep with anybody. Her coworker Kinoshita believes this, so testing his luck, he strikes up a conversation with Mako, and the two eventually end up in a hotel room. Soon, the pair are ready to have sexual intercourse. However, the night quickly does not go as planned—while engaged in the act, a stream of blood suddenly gushes out of Mako's nose! Mako explains this frequently occurs whenever she comes into physical contact with anything impure. Finding it unsettling, Kinoshita runs away and leaves Mako back at square one. Botabota follows Mako's journey toward obtaining a normal life where all her unfulfilled desires are achieved—which proves difficult when everyone and everything she touches is filthy one way or another.

+ Honestly I loved this manga. The premise seems really crazy, and it is, but it's oddly funny. There's no "gore", like Mortal Kombat-ish gore, just a lot of blood.

My Rating: 8/10

Boy's Abyss

Completed

Trigger Warnings: physical and emotional child abuse, lots of talking about and attempting suicide, thinly veiled pedophilia (the main character's teacher sleeps with him, as well as another adult, plus the best friend almost sleeps with a grown man - I dunno if the teenagers are of legal age in Japan though.)

As a way to withdraw from his monotonous life, Reiji finds comfort in watching the performances of "Acrylic," an idol group, and its most beautiful member, Nagi Aoe. But when he encounters the famous idol behind a convenience store in his grim town, he does not anticipate that he will soon be involved in a series of scandalous events that seem to be a repercussion of times long past.

- Good god, this manga is like a overdramatic, poorly paced soap opera at the moment. It started out decently but then every chapter ended with a 'shocking' plot twist that would come out of thin air and only served to have one character become aware of another character. Then the plot twists got crazier and weird and I stopped caring so much about the characters. Honestly, I'm only reading this at the moment to keep up with the drama because at this point it's just hilarious to me. That sounds really shitty because the manga does cover dark topics but it's handled so poorly that I don't care.
- Almost everyone seems to have the motto of "I wanna die!" or "Let's kill ourselves together!". I'm not being sarcastic.
- I... don't have any favorite characters. The character that I give the shit most about would have to be the main character's childhood friend but she too was corrupted by the shitty adults in the story and is now just as annoying as the rest of the characters in the story. Reiji, the main character, isn't 'annoying, per se, but boring and spineless. I still don't know why EVERYONE in the story is infatuated with him. I mean... EVERYONE loves this specific teenager to the point of obsession in the story. That's really what the manga is about, I suppose.
- Every adult in this story is a massive pile of garbage. When it was revealed that the author character is on the verge of dying, I was like 'good' - why was the fact that he tried to seduce that teenager girl brushed under the rug so quickly?! The mother is also basically a far less interesting version of the mother from Chi no Wadachi (see below). In fact, this whole manga reminds me of Chi no Wadachi, but nowhere near as intriguing.
- Finally fucking ended. I did end up liking the older woman that was a friend of the author character but she was literally the ONE likeable character in this story for me.

My Rating: 2/10

C

Can You Fall in Love with the Skeleton?

Completed (Oneshot)

A love story between a human and a skeleton.

+ Weird premise, but oddly cute and bittersweet.

My Rating: 9/10

Captain Momo's Secret Base

Ongoing

Content Warning: nudity

A sci-fi story about Captain Momo, a woman on board the space freighter Blue Chateau. She is alone on the 500-day one-way journey, accompanied by a cat, when she realizes that the electronic replication range that converts electrical energy into food can replicate non-food items as long as it has the data. The story depicts the freewheeling life of Captain Momo, who spends most of her time naked because she lives on a spaceship all by herself, and the serious troubles that occur during such a life.

My Rating: 7/10

Central Asian Cooking

Completed

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan has sponsored a 7-part short introducing several famous Central Asian dishes and how to prepare them.

+ Very informative and well done short panels for, well, dishes common in central Asia!
- Not really a negative point, but it's a short read and the recipes are more like guidelines to prepare the dish. If you're looking for actual recipes, I would search online for detailed recipes for any dish in the manga that you might find interesting.

My Rating: 9/10

Chi no Wadachi / Blood on the Tracks

Completed

Trigger Warning: emotional abuse, child abuse, image(s) of a dead cat (I think the manga opens with it actually - no gore, just unsettling)

Seiichi Osabe is an only child living a mundane life. Just like any middle schooler, he has friends, a crush on a girl, and loving parents. However, Seiichi's mother is extremely overprotective, which causes others to view him as a mama's boy. Although he does not consider her behavior to be unusual, a certain incident starts to open his eyes to just how dangerous her affection is. As Seiichi tries to break free from her grasp, he learns that his life is not as normal as he thought.

+ Very, very intriguing and gripping at the beginning.
- This manga quickly rose in popularity when that video from SuperEyepatchWolf came out - I watched it too - but it really hyped up the "disturbing" aspects of the series. Is the manga disturbing? Yes. Is the the most disturbing, upsetting, trauma inducing manga ever? No. Not even close.
- So, it finally ended and... meh. Just meh. I know a few people seem to like the boring ending, but it was very rushed in my opinion. It sucks to give this manga a low rating because I think it was very good in the beginning. Maybe I'll reread it in the future now that it's all done but I doubt it.

My Rating: 5/10

Claymore

Completed

Trigger Warning: blood, body horror

Claymore follows the stoic and low-ranking member Clare in her daunting trek as she searches for personal vengeance. Along the way, she encounters many unexpected things about the world, from the camaraderie and hope held fast by her sisters-in-arms to the sinister truth behind the Claymore Organization.

+ I LOOOOVED this manga! It's similar to Berserk but, well... If Berserk seems too gory and violent for you, try this series instead. There are fights and "period typical violence" but it's NOWHERE near as bad as Berserk. (I also like Clare more than Guts LMAO)
+ I didn't have a least favorite character. My five favorites would have to be Teresa, Cynthia, Galatea, Miria and Clare. It was so refreshing to read an action manga series with a plethora of likeable main female leads.
+ I thought the ending was wonderful. Mainly because Teresa came back for a bit, haha, but I wasn't expecting a happy ending for this series. AND I FUCKING HAD A HUNCH THAT IRENE DIDN'T DIE AHAHAHAHA
- I guess my one complaint was that it took me a while to learn all the female names besides Clare, Teresa and Priscilla? EVERYONE has blonde hair!

My Rating: 10/10!

Codename: Sailor V

Completed

Thirteen-year-old Minako Aino is an active tomboy who loves idols and video games, and is a popular member of Shiba Koen Junior High School's volleyball team. One day during her PE class, Minako accidentally stumbles upon a white cat, who later sidetracks her from talking to her crush. At home, Minako wonders if she is beautiful, and hearing this, the cat introduces himself as Artemis and gives her a compact mirror that shows Minako more than just her beauty. Before she can fully take in the cat's words, Minako receives a special pen that can transform her into the masked champion of justice, Sailor V! As her carefree love-seeking days begin to include adventures against the energy-seeking Dark Agency, Minako will learn to embrace the full extent of her destiny.

+ It was just alright. Nowhere near as polished and intriguing as Sailor Moon and I enjoyed Minako MUCH more in the main series than in this one. But it's worth a read if Sailor Venus is one of your favorite sailor senshi!

My Rating: 7/10

Confidental Confessions / Mondaiteiki Sakuhinshu

Completed

Trigger Warnings: In the description below, plus there's storylines on bullying, child abuse and drug use.

Confidential Confessions is a shocking new manga series that deals with many of the hard-hitting issues that teens face today. Using emotionally moving story lines and multi-dimensional characters, each groundbreaking volume tackles such topics as teen prostitution, rape, HIV, stalkers, suicide, and sexual harassment.

+ One of the first manga that I read, way back in high school. The first story still hits me hard. :(
+ For short stories, the main characters (almost all female teenagers) are pretty well written and realistic.
- Some stories can get pretty over the top, like the one about the girl addicted to drugs. Her 'friend' gets killed in a car accident right after their goodbye? Within minutes?

My Rating: 8/10

Country Diary

Completed

Kurumizawa wants to get back to the land, so he leaves Tokyo, buys a ramshackle house in a mountain village, and starts farming. He has a lot to learn, though, so he's lucky to meet local furniture maker Usa, who shows him around and helps him renovate his house.

+ Very chill and slow paced read.
+ The two main characters are cute...
- ... but they don't end up together after all that?
- I did not like the random obsessive student showing up at the end of the first volume to harass the main character. What a pointless addition.

My Rating: 8/10

D

Dakara Miyoko Desu / Therefore I am Miyoko

Completed

Housewife Miyoko has just lost her husband and has nowhere to go. Thankfully her mother and father in law agree to take her into their home. Together they enjoy their lively and humorous daily lives.

+ I LOVE this manga. The combination of hilarious and heartwarming moments remind me a lot of Azumanga Daioh.
+ Miyoko is such a sweet and endearing main character. I love her in laws too, despite the fact that they never get her name correct! All of the characters are so well written, especially for a 4koma manga. (Another aspect that is similar to Azumanga Daioh.)

My Rating: 10/10!

Do It Yourself!!

Completed

This is a story about furniture, friendship, and life. About girls that constantly toil and tinker in spite of the setbacks they suffer. They relentlessly struggle to finish what they start with their own hands, never giving up as they carve out their futures... And you are about to see them take their first steps.

+ It's cute! I'm really getting into, ah, I guess the best way to put it would be "self help manga", haha. It's a easy read.

My Rating: 8/10

E

Embrace Your Size: My Own Body Positivity

Completed

Trigger Warning: details of the author's eating disorder - very vivid drawings of her dealing with her bulimia, nothing "graphic" per se but I wanted to make a mention of it regardless

A love letter to those who dream of being fashionable but consider their weight as an obstacle, this uplifting comic essay by a plus-sized author chronicles her own journey with body positivity and learning to love herself as she is.

+ I really enjoyed the author's cute illustrations and how candidly she talked about her issues with her weight.
+ This is kinda hard to word but I'll do my best - there's no political and/or "social justice" angle in the manga. It's just a woman sharing her experiences with being a plus sized woman in Japan. She does discuss "diet culture" and "plus size body positivity" but it's not preachy in the slightest.
- She liked that awful movie I Feel Pretty and dedicated a chapter to talking about it. girl............

My Rating: 8/10

F

Freesia

Completed

Trigger Warnings: sexual violence, domestic violence, gore. There's also a arc about cats being taken away from their owners that some readers might find distressing. There's no animal abuse per se but I ended up skipping that part completely.

Freesia is set in an alternative Japanese society that is at war, and has passed a law legalizing retaliatory killings. If somebody kills your loved one, you are legally sanctioned to kill, or hire someone to kill, the victimizer. The manga is set around a character who works for a firm that specializes in these retaliatory killings.

+ The female bodyguard, Hisao, is a fucking awesome character. She's only in one arc but man, it was a blast watching her. She reminds me of a more professional Revy (from Black Lagoon).
+ I thought Mariko was a good character too, I dunno why the entire cast hated her? The other main characters would call her cruel and ruthless or whatever but she's just doing her job and it's not like the other characters are paragons of virtue either.
+ I actually enjoyed the teenage girl that was a serial killer lmao, she was great and really the only interesting part about that arc
- I didn't like the main character. He was so boring and unlikeable. The manga didn't do a a good explaining why he acts the way he does.
- As mentioned above, I REALLY did not the whole "cats carry diseases" subplot that went absolutely nowhere.
- Confusing ending.

My Rating: 6/10

Forget-me-not

Completed

Mariel Imari is a private detective trying to become a first-rate detective to be able inherit her late father's estate. By some strange reason the mysterious thief Vecchio is taking an interest in her. If that's not enough her old friends at Interpol and her siblings makes life more troubling for her.

- I'll be completely honest here - I was VERY lost when trying to follow the plot.

My Rating: 7/10

G

Ganbare! Memeko-chan

Completed

Memeko worked hard at vocational school in order to fulfill her dream of becoming an office lady. However, when she gets hired, she finds herself isolated in a department with only one co-worker! While the company president always praises her work, she'll have to keep working hard in order to get the friends and office social life that she really wants.

+ I liked the older male supervisor and I'm glad he ended up with his nice (and normal!) coworker!
+ I loved Tanaka the turtle!
- okay the last time i checked gay men don't even up marrying and having a child with a woman... Their relationship was so fucking one sided and ODD, what the fuck.
- Why did everyone fall in love with the main character? Because she's tiny and cute? Memeko was boring and the least interesting member of the workplace. Even the TURTLE had better plot lines than she did.

My Rating: 6/10

Girls' Last Tour

Completed

Amidst a post-apocalyptic world, Chito and Yuuri seem to be the final survivors of the war that brought civilization to its demise. No longer having a place to live, the girls roam around the city on their half-track motorcycle, ever in search of resources to sustain their vagabond lifestyle. Despite the bleak future ahead of them, the duo still finds ways to entertain themselves throughout this melancholic journey.

My Rating: 9/10

Gokurakugai

Ongoing

Tao and Alma, a pair of troubleshooters who work in a bustling red-light district, take on any job that requires a solution.

+ I loved the oneshot when it came out and was soooo happy when it became a series!

My Rating: 9/10

Go With the Clouds, North-by-Northwest

Ongoing

After moving to Iceland, Kei makes a living there as a freelance detective. Whether it be resolving lovers' quarrels, locating missing people, or recovering lost items, Kei hops from case to case, traveling alone on the empty roads that span the rugged Icelandic landscape. But the secrets of the land of ice and fire are not the only mysteries ahead that Kei must unravel: an encounter with an aloof Icelandic beauty makes him recall local superstitions of ghosts that roam the wild lands at night.

- I DID NOT like the chapter where the protag kidnaps a man's dog just so he could interview him. (This was in the second or third chapter so I'm not spoilering it.)

My Rating: 8/10

Goodbye My Rose Garden

Completed

To pursue her dream of becoming an author, young Hanako abandons her home in Japan to journey to England. However, belittled and rejected by the publishing company of her favorite writer, she finds herself with nowhere to turn to—until she meets Alice Douglas, a noblewoman kind enough to take her in as a maid. Hanako enjoys working as Alice's personal maid, and despite being in different social classes, the two gradually become close. One day, Alice offers to grant Hanako's deepest wish, but only under one condition—Hanako must kill her in return. Attempting to understand why she would so eagerly seek her death, Hanako learns that there is more to the noblewoman than meets the eye.

+ Likeable characters.
+ Very nice to read a manga set in Victorian England - yes, Emma is on my to read list. :)
- Plot was just okay.
- VERY abrupt ending. It's not a bad ending by any means, however.

My Rating: 7/10

GTO: Great Teacher Onizaka

Completed

Trigger Warning: attempted rape

Great Teacher Onizuka follows the incredible, though often ridiculous, antics of the titular teacher as he attempts to outwit and win over the cunning Class 3-4 that is determined to have him removed from the school. However, other obstacles present themselves throughout—including the frustrated, balding vice principal, Hiroshi Uchiyamada; old enemies from his biker days; and his own idiotic teaching methods. But Eikichi fights it all whilst trying to help his students, romance fellow teacher Azusa Fuyutsuki, and earn his self-proclaimed title.

- Kinda gave up on this mid-way through after the... fake rape plot?? I don't even know what to call it.

My Rating: 6/10

Gunjou

Completed

Trigger Warning: domestic abuse, discussion of sexual abuse

Her husband abuses her on a daily basis. Unable to stand it any longer, she asks her lesbian friend to kill her husband for her. And unable to say no to the woman she loves, the lesbian kills him...

+ I've read this manga twice and both times I ended up with different opinions. The first time after I read it I didn't like it that much, but I reread it on a whim and I liked it a lot more this time around.
+ All of the main characters are complicated and flawed, but excellently written.
- If the description seems off, it's because the two main character's names are not revealed in the story. TV Tropes described them as "Brunette" and "Blonde", which I would refer them as too, but it kinda sucks to refer to two complex characters as nicknames.

My Rating: 7/10

H

Half & Half

Completed

Trigger Warnings: suicide

Shinichi Nagakawa and Yuuki Sanada are both involved in an accident and die together. However, they are given a chance to live again. God lets them live for seven more days, but after their time is up, one of them must die again. Oh, and there's one more catch. God decrees that their lives will be shared, including emotions and physical sensations. They are also unable to leave one another's side. What will happen during those seven days?

- It was so obvious that they would fall in love. I also thought that it was really scummy for her to plan for him to get her pregnant without discussing it with him first.

My Rating: 6/10

Heisei Umare

Completed

High school girls' surreal everyday life.

+ Pretty enjoyable with funny main characters.
- Kinda a Azumanga Daioh clone but without the... substance, I guess. It's like comparing fast food to fine dining. The fast food does okay in a pinch but the fine dining can sastify your tastes much better. Uh, does that make sense? I'm hungry.
- There are so many instances of the mangaka just copying and pasting the same character drawing over and over again that it reminded me of that "ctrl alt del" comic. (You know, the origin of the "loss" meme?)

My Rating: 7/10.

Hellsing

Completed

Trigger Warning: gore, sexual assault (off screen, but it's clear what's going on)

For centuries, many secret organizations have taken part in exterminating various types of dangerous monsters. One of them is the England-based Hellsing, run by its cunning leader, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. Her greatest hunter, and trump card, is Alucard, an unbeatable vampire genetically modified by her father. Despite him being one of "them," he swore to be her protector and servant. A new crisis begins and with the help of Seras Victoria, his recently turned vampire partner, Alucard has to uncover the truth behind the mysterious vampire attacks.

+ Similar to Black Lagoon, the female characters really overshine the male characters. Integra is an amazing character and so much more interesting than Alucard.
- To this day, I'll still don't understand why Walter betrayed the Hellsing organization.
- I thought Alucard was cool, but very boring.

My Rating: 7/10

Helter Skelter

Completed

Content Warning: nudity. Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse

Japanese supermodel and fashion icon Liliko leads a posh life, wearing and promoting the biggest brands in the country. She stands at the top of the modeling industry with the beauty she has attained through full-body plastic surgery. However, Liliko's body soon begins to break down due to the extensive surgery she has been through and the medication she has taken. Worse still, her fear of growing old and being rendered useless begins to drive her insane.

+ I dunno how popular of a opinion this is, but I liked Liliko a lot. I REALLY need to watch this movie sometime!

My Rating: 9/10

Hirayasumi

Ongoing

29-year-old freeter Hiroto Ikuta is a carefree young man without a love life, regular job, or any real worries about the future. He inherits an old house from the neighborhood granny, where his 18-year-old cousin, Natsumi moves in with him to study art in Tokyo. This is a story about Hiroto and the people around him who struggle with life.

My Rating: 8/10, will most likely be higher when I continue to read it.

Honey & Honey

Completed

Honey & Honey is a realistic look at an adult lesbian couple living in Japan; to be precise, it's autobiographical. The artwork is simple, but hopefully the plot (and the information the manga imparts) will be enough compensation for those who don't like that style of drawing.

+ I really enjoyed this manga, it's a great autobiography of a realistic lesbian relationship. (I honestly want to read more nonfiction manga series but it seems like they're very rare!)
+ Very funny at times and I thought that the cute artwork was charming as well!

My Rating: 9/10

How Heavy Are the Dumbbells That You Lift?

Ongoing

Sakura Hibiki is your average high school girl, with a voracious appetite. Noticing her clothes tightening in lieu of her slowly expanding waistline she decides to look into enrolling in the nearby gym. There she runs into a girl from her grade named Souryuuin Akemi. Akemi, who has a muscle fetish tries to get Hibiki to enroll in the gym despite its high ratio of macho men. Thankfully a beautiful trainer, Machio, appears and unknowingly convinces her to enroll and start her quest to a great body.

+ Actually very informative when it comes to quick fitness lessons. Apparently there were some mistakes when it came to anatomy in the lessons part in the past? But I never noticed anything out of place. Then again, I'm very out of shape so I guess I wouldn't have noticed in the first place.
+ I was surprised at how funny this manga is!
- Lots of lewd pinup shots of the high school girls for no reason.

My Rating: 7/10

I

I Am A Hero

Completed

Trigger Warning: sexual violence, gore

Insecure 35-year-old Hideo Suzuki is forced to work as a mangaka's assistant when his own series fails due to low sales. But the world as he knows is about to be overturned. At first, not much seems to have changed, but he soon realizes that society has become a living nightmare, as the horrifying reality of what is taking place around him finally begins to sink in.

+ Great atmosphere. It actually has the feel of a realistic-ish zombie outbreak.
+ I really liked the nurse character as she was the only character besides the badass auntie who had her head on straight.
- Main character was uninteresting and boring as hell. Actually, the majority of the characters were.
- Ending was pretty... bad? There was a ending and then a follow up epilogue that made no fucking sense.
- Why the fuck did the mangaka feel the need to make the auntie younger at the end? I know that she was de-aged when she was pulled out of whatever the fuck that alien was but come on now. EDIT: I guess she "had to" de-age in order to give birth, I rushed through the ending so I forgot about that.

My Rating: 6/10

I Had That Same Dream Again / Mata, Onaji Yume we Miteita

Completed

Trigger Warnings: graphic shots of self harm

Elementary school student Nanoka Koyanagi considers herself weird. She often uses it as an excuse to avoid doing things she dislikes, such as participating in her physical education class or getting along with her classmates. Out of concern and good will, her teacher assigns her to find the meaning of "happiness"...

+ I remember reading this late at night because I couldn't sleep and literally gasping out loud when the first plot twist happened. And I cried at the ending too. I can't remember the last time a manga caused me to react in such a way.
+ Nanoka was a very charming and sweet main character.

My Rating: 10/10!

In Clothes Called Fat

Completed

Trigger Warnings: eating disorders, bullying and harassment, abusive relationships

A story that wonderfully depicts the emotions of a overweight woman with low self-esteem surrounded within the harsh environment of slim and good-looking women. She then decides to lose weight after getting dumped by her lover. The consequences and side-effects are explored further after the "achievement." Is it what she really wished for?

+ Honestly, the main character's weight struggles were very relatable.
- I dunno, I just feel like SO MUCH MORE could've been done with this manga because the foundation is all there for a solid story. But once the story gets off the rails with the evil coworker, it goes off the rails HARD.

My Rating: 7/10

J

Jobless Siblings / Hatarakanai Futari

Ongoing

Haruko is a teenage girl who shares with her brother a love of laying around the house in sweats, watching television and playing video games. Her brother has a few friends, but Haruko has a lot of problems with social anxiety. The two of them pass their days happily playing together, though their mother worries about how she's going to get Haruko to shape up enough to find a husband.

+ I relate to the sister's social anxiety a lot.
- This manga is currently at 1389 chapters and is still ongoing. I'm only up to Chapter 170 and NOTHING has happened besides the neighbor joining their friend group. Thankfully, most "chapters" are only five pages long maximum. If the characters were more likable this wouldn't be that much of a problem...
- So, yeah, maybe it's just me! But the majority of the characters are very flat and one-note. The only exception, in my opinion, is the neighbor but I don't really like her either because she's a fucking creep.
- I might relate to the sister when it comes to her anxiety problems but that doesn't mean I like her. She's quite annoying and childish. It seems like the author just tacked on the anxiety issues just for a quick explanation of why she's a NEET (or hikkomori, idk). Also, why the FUCK was there like five chapters of her trying to clean up her own pee in her brother's room? I'm dead serious.
- The translators decided to... change their religion to Norse Paganism or something? There's a instance where the sister says, "Oh my Freya!" instead of "Oh my god!"...

My Rating: 6/10. Might change in the future because I have a lot to catch up on, but probably not.

K

Kamisama ga Uso wo Tsuku. / The Gods Lie.

Completed

Eleven-year-old Natsuru Nanao is the ace of the soccer team, yet has trouble speaking to girls because of a certain event following his transfer to his current school. Due to his father dying long ago, he lives only with his mother but doesn't let this distract him from his passion for soccer, as he hopes to become a professional player. One day, a female classmate named Rio Suzumura approaches Natsuru, a meeting which signals a huge turning point in his life.

- The main character's obsession with fondling his mother's breasts was so fucking creepy and absurd. (Yes, it happens more than once.)
- The central plot twist was not surprising in the least.

My Rating: 6/10

Kawaii Hito

Completed

In the 27 years of his existence, Moriya Hanazono has been treated poorly due to his naturally scary looks. Working in his family's flower shop, he spends each day happily doing what he loves, regardless of what others think of him. Moriya's life begins to change, however, when he finds college student Hiyori Suzuki hiding in the van he was using to deliver flowers for her school's beauty pageant. Providing the right advice for Hiyori's troubles, Moriya notices the young woman visiting the flower shop frequently. Unbeknownst to him, she sees something in Moriya that no one else does: that he's actually an adorable person.

+ So cute and sugary sweet. If you want to read a light and fluffy romance manga, I highly recommend this one.
- The majority of chapters seem to resolve around the couple going places together and thinking to themselves about "just how cute" their partner is. The formula can get very repetative, but other things do start to happen near the end of the story.

My Rating: 8/10

L

La Pomme Prisonnière (sequel, kinda, to Forget-me-not but it's enjoyable without reading the prequel)

Completed

Content Warning: nudity (the main character is nude is almost every chapter)

A misty day at the waterfront and further meanderings of a nudist detective.

My Rating: 8/10

Lazy Cooking

Ongoing

Tangkwa, a university student in Thailand, knows everyone loves tasty food! But... If you keep buying ready-to-eat food... You can't save money! So, you want to cook by yourself... But you can't cook! You want to learn how to cook... It's frustrating and you're lazy! It's hard! Hold up, don't find excuses anymore. Tangkwa will teach you how to cook simple, cheap, and delicious food. Try it!

My Rating: 7/10

Little Forest

Complete

The story of a girl called Ichiko, who lives alone in a forest. Each chapter features a dish or meal scavenged or harvested from Ichiko's surroundings in rural Komori ("little forest").

+ Such a cozy, comfy manga to read. It doesn't shy away from all the hard work that goes into living in such a rural area, which I enjoyed too. There's actually two movies (or more?) adapted from this manga that I want to watch!
- I would've liked to see more with the main character's mother (even though she's not likeable) and an explanation about her disappearance (not a spoiler, it happens in the first chapters) but that plotline ended up not being resolved.

My Rating: 9/10

M

Maya-san no Yofukashi

Completed

Maya is a witch. At least, that's what she's always telling her friend Mameyama. To Mameyama, she's just an otaku girl that might have a few screws loose. Either way, the two of them spend late nights together on voice chat, talking about whatever random, trifling things come to mind.

My Rating: 8/10

Memories of Emanon

Completed

In the winter of 1967, a 20-year-old man returns home from his travels aboard a ferry, where a chance encounter forever alters his perception of the world around him. While relaxing in the cabin, he is approached by a beautiful yet enigmatic girl who introduces herself as Emanon; later that evening, the pair accompany each other to dinner. After seeing the man read a science fiction novel, Emanon offers to tell him her life story, saying that he doesn't have to believe it unless he wants to. And much to the man's surprise, she proceeds to inform him that her memory dates back over three billion years, to the very moment when life first appeared on Earth.

My Rating: 9/10

Menhera-chan

Completed

Trigger Warnings: depictions of suicide and self harm

Menhera-chan is a pessimistic girl. Byoujaku-chan is a frail girl with a wild imagination and a love for BL. Kenkou-kun is a normal boy, in body and mind. This is the story of their dark and heartwarming daily life.

+ I adore this manga. At the beginning of the series it leans more into dark "gallows humor" 4koma but then it goes into exploring the character's problems deeper and more in depth.
+ All three of the main characters are way more than just depictions of their names. It was really refreshing to see them develop through the series and each of them stood out in their own way.
+ Menhera-chan REALLY reminds me of, well, me when I was a teenager. By the end of the manga, I found myself really proud of her growth and accomplishments. Yes, she is also the girl in the witch outfit on the main page and in one of my banners. :)
+ At first I thought Byoujaku-chan was just a one-sided character but as she got more scenes with Menhera-chan, it's clear that she's a kind and attentive friend.
+ Kenkou-kun (yes I do have pages of the manga open right now so I can get the character's names right as I type this up!!!) surprised me the most as a character. I thought he would just be a third wheel to the main two girls but he stood out as a great character in his own right.
- I really did not like the addition of the former bully (?) to the main group. He really didn't add anything and just served as a foil to Byoujaku-chan. Thankfully that happens towards the very end of the series.

My Rating: 10/10!

Meshinuma

Ongoing

A dull office worker, has always been thinking about "eating rice." The ecstatic eating face is the focus of attention, thus the eating face appreciation manga opens.

+ The illustrations of the food are amazingly detailed and yummy looking.
- I think "dull" is too much of a understatement for the main character, he's so flat and uninteresting. Wakako-zake (see below) does the "person eats by themselves and enjoys the food" scenarios MUCH better because the character is describing what the food tastes like and why they're enjoying it through their thoughts and actions. In this manga, however, it's just other people commenting about his "cute face" and... nothing else.
- Speaking of his face, I know that the appeal about the main character is his "eating face" (aka what the weird-ass description above mentioned) but the appeal got boring for me after the first couple chapters. *shrug*

My Rating: 7/10

Mitsuami no Kamisama

Completed

The manga tells the story of a pigtail-braid girl after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

My Rating: 7/10

Muchuu sa, Kimi ni

Completed

A compilation of short stories about weird high schoolers.

+ I adored the second story with the girl that loves to read books.

My Rating: 8/10

Muse no Shinzui

Completed

I'm nothing but a hollow shell. It's been that way since I was rejected from art school. I live an ordinary, boring life according to my mom's instructions. I go to the job she picked for me wearing the clothes she laid out for me in search of a man she can brag to her friends about. Will I ever be happy again? It's all I can think about.

- The main character became irratating and unlikable to me REALLY quickly. She became more tolerable during the last few chapters.

My Rating: 7/10

My Broken Mariko

Completed

Trigger Warnings: discussion of suicide and child abuse

Dealing with abuse and depression since she was young, Mariko Ikagawa sought solace in Tomoyo Shiino — the start of a friendship that continued until adulthood. Now a 26-year-old office worker, Shiino is baffled when she hears a newscaster report that Mariko has killed herself. Though Shiino doubts the news at first, she accepts the truth after being unable to contact Mariko and begins to wonder the reason behind her suicide.

My Rating: 9/10

My Divorced Crybaby Neighbor

Ongoing

Ochiai is a gloomy woman who constantly belittles herself. Following her divorce, she moves into a new apartment and becomes neighbors with Sawatari, a cheerful man slightly younger than her. After Sawatari saves Ochiai from a drunk man, the two begin to meet frequently. As Sawatari's kindness melts her fears and worries away, Ochiai's long-lost happiness starts to return once more—her saddened heart now filled with many warm, sincere emotions.

+ The two main characters are likable enough. Seeing Ochiai take charge of her own life as the series goes on is great to see.
- I feel like their relationship is kinda... one-sided since we really don't see Sawatari's emotions and thoughts as they get to know one another. Yes, it's easy to tell that he likes her, but love? Uhh, maybe? It REALLY threw me for a loop when he proposed to her out of nowhere.

My Rating: 7/10

My Home

Completed

Life at home isn't easy for Mai. Even though she's still in elementary school, she's always taking care of her irresponsible, immature father. Every day is far from ordinary as Mai deals with (and occasionally joins in on) whatever childish antics her father is up to next.

+ Mai's a good main character and honestly the only character that I ended up liking.
- Okay, yeah, I KNOW this is a comedy gag manga and I KNOW I'm taking it too seriously but the mother was fucking terrible, marrying a man without her husband knowing and begging Mai to stay with them.
- The father wasn't too much better, his "too lazy to do anything lol!!!" schtick got old real fast for me, especially when some flashbacks explained that he was perfectly capable of taking care of his child in the past.

My Rating: 6/10

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

Completed

Content Warning: Slightly NSFW, some nudity.

At 28 years old, Kabi contacts a lesbian escort service. She imagines this event as a rite of passage into adulthood she has been avoiding for so long. And while this experience does not turn out to be exactly what she was expecting, it proves critical to Kabi's reimagining of her life.

My Rating: 9/10

My Lovely Ghost Kana

Completed

Content Warning: NSFW, sexual content. Trigger Warnings: discussion of suicide

Though his name may mean good luck, Daikichi is far from lucky. Losing his home and his job, he narrowly avoids being homeless when he finds an old abandoned apartment building. But the apartment isn't nearly as abandoned as it first appeared, as it's being occupied by the ghost of a girl who committed suicide there many years ago.

+ Don't let the content warning throw you off, I thought this was a very sweet and well written manga.
+ Honestly, the sexual content is not bad at all since it's all consensual intercourse. It's even cute at some times.
- It's hard to recommend this manga as it's frequently listed as hentai/NSFW due to the high amount of sexual content. But as I mentioned above, everything is consensual.
- It would've been nice to have some closure on how Hana became a ghost.

My Rating: 8/10

N

Nana

Hiatus

Trigger Warnings: abusive relationships

Nana Komatsu is a naive, unmotivated girl who spends her high school days chasing one crush after the other. Despite continually facing failure in her quest for love, her spirits have never dampened. At the age of 20, she finds herself on a train to Tokyo with hopes of reuniting with her current boyfriend. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is feisty and prideful. After joining a local band during her high school days, she falls in love with music and one of the band members. However, when faced with the choice between her relationship and her musical career, she chooses the latter and separates from her boyfriend. On her 20th birthday, she boards the same train to Tokyo, like her namesake, where she aims to become a top vocalist. The two girls with the same name but very different aspirations find themselves sitting together on their journey to the city, and, as fate would have it, eventually share the same apartment. A deep and unique bond is then forged, where they will support each other in this saga of love, music, friendship, and heartbreak.

My Rating: 8/10

Nanase

Completed

Trigger Warnings:

Nanase, a beautiful young telepath, returns to her hometown to settle down and lead a quiet life. However, her unique abilities make that impossible, even in the most remote location. Then she meets Norio, an abused little boy with extraordinary powers of his own. Nanase takes him under her wing, and from there they wander...two outsiders traveling from one strange encounter to another.

+ This has nothing to do with the manga itself but reading this and seeing that the main character's name is Nanase made me realize that I need to reread Nana, haha. And I ended up liking that manga a lot more than this one...
- Bullshit ending. Everyone dies, the end. Literally. The ending shot is just the main character dead on the ground. There's no follow up, there's no closure.

My Rating: 6/10

O

On Doorstep

Completed

NSFW, but not TOO explicit.

After stealing a wallet on a train ride, pickpocket Jimmy believes that he has slipped away scot-free. However, upon meeting the gaze of Reese Heyman, he realizes that he has been caught red-handed. Yet rather than hand him over to the police, Reese only makes Jimmy work with him at the bookstore for a day.

My Rating: 7/10

One Armed Amy

Completed (Oneshot)

Amy is an ordinary girl who lives with her beloved father. However, she is not human, but a doll made up of cloth and cotton. Why was she created, and what does her future hold?

My Rating: 9/10

Otanko Nurse

Completed

Greenhorn nurse Yukie has a strong heart and a quick temper, quickly becoming a dangerous nurse prone to creating accidents. This is the diary of her growth.

+ I actually like Yukie's rough around the edge's nurse persona - she doesn't take shit from the asshole patients but cares about the ones that treat her and her coworkers with respect.

My Rating: 7/10

P

Paradise Kiss

Completed

Trigger Warnings: abusive relationships, discussions of sexual assault

Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashion-obsessed artists who call themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends' own exclusive clothing model.

+ Despite the negative parts that I've listed below, this was one of the first manga series that I've ever read. ... back in high school, which was a long time ago... but the story and (some) of the characters still hold up today.
+ I loooove the fashion shown in the series. Ai Yawaza's style goes well with the avant-garde fashion the characters wear.
+ I remember not liking Yukari when I first read it because I thought she was "stupid" and/or "stuck up" but re-reading it as a adult, I've come to like her. Yeah, I can see how some readers would call her those things but she's, what, seventeen? I think she's actually more mature than I was at that age! And it's not like she had a great support system at home to help her out before the events of the manga began.
+ Miwako is adorable~ I love her sense of style.
+ Isabella would most likely be my favorite character in the story and she needed more lines! I feel like her and Miwako were the only two characters to support Yukari during her ordeals. Plus, she's the only person, fictional or real, to wear those lashes and not look ridiculous. yall know it's true, those eyelashes are UGLY in real life
+ Even though I was upset that Yukari and George did not get together at the end when I first read the series, now I am so glad that they did NOT even up in a long relationship.
- Okay, here I go. First off, did most people who liked Arashi just fucking forget that he raped Miwako?! I haven't watched the anime and don't plan to, but TV Tropes mentioned that it's worse in the anime because he doesn't "atone" for his actions like he did in the manga. Uh, "atone"? Shut the fuck up. (uh i'm not directing that at whoever wrote the tv tropes article i promise) If he REALLY wanted to atone AT THE VERY LEAST he should not be with her. And go to prison, but that's asking too much... even without taking the assault into consideration (and how could you not), he's such an awful character. Being emotionally and mentally abusive as well to poor Miwako and doing things like breaking her phone when he sees a text from their childhood friend, what a piece of shit. And he's rude as fuck to Yukari and any other females in the story, big surprise there.
- George wasn't likeable in the slightest. He's a typical narcisstic jerk that loves to emotionally abuse Yukari. No, having a shitty mother raise you isn't a fucking excuse to be a dickhead to your loved ones. For being the main love interest you would think he would undergo some character development but nope.
- Yukari's mother is a scumbag.
- i dunno if this should be a spoiler lmaooo but i didn't like the hairstyle that went the fashion show dress!!! i mean i liked the roses threaded through it but it would've been so much better with yukari's hair down, especially since everyone complimented her long black hair through the series. The dress was pretty though, in my opinion. I know that a lot of readers found it underwhelming.
- Isabella's ending was bullshit - why the fuck did she just travel with George without letting the rest of the group, her FRIENDS that she cared for and loved during the entire series, know? girl you are so much better than that, don't end up being george's lackey ugggh!

My Rating: 7/10. Probably would be lower if I first read it as a adult. (Does that make sense? I feel like the average rating is mostly due to nostalgia so I might change it later...)

Philosophia

Completed

Ai-chan, a pretty student in her first year in a university, meets Tomo after she asks for a cigarette light from Ai. An apathetic, budding friendship ensues as they try and survive everyday university life together with the help of their daily does of caffeine and nicotine.

- The rating for this manga would've been much higher if Tomo didn't casually mention that she's a fucking pimp towards the end of the story. I... what?!
- Weird ending.

My Rating: 6/10

Pop Team Epic

Ongoing

Two high school girls, the short and exceptionally quick to anger Popuko, and the tall and much more calm Pipimi, do insane things and swear like sailors in this absurdist comedy filled with references and meta humor.

+ Wacky and odd humor that I like.
- Some of the jokes kinda fall flat - not because it's unfunny or the translation is off, but because those jokes refer to parts of japanese culture that I'm unfamiliar with.

My Rating: 8/10

Princess Jellyfish / Kuragehime

Completed

Tsukimi lives with her fellow niche hobbyists in the all-female Amamizukan apartment complex, where the two most important rules are to avoid stylish people and men. Tsukimi has always abided by these rules until one evening—while rescuing a spotted jellyfish—she encounters a classy, princess-like woman. After allowing the girl to stay the night, Tsukimi is shocked to discover that the person is not a woman at all.

+ LOVED all the Amamizukan residents. Easily the best characters in the manga.
+ Great mix of comedy and drama through the whole manga.
+ Kuranosuke grew on me as the story continued and was really the only male character I liked.
- The rest of the male characters were just awful but thankfully they were all minor characters except Kuranosuke and his brother.
- I literally did not read any of the "prime minister problems" side plot scenes after the first volume. I wanted more Amars antics!
- The "romance" between Tsukimi and the prime minister's other son was SO one sided and weird, poor Tsukimi! She only fawned over him two or three times during their time together and yet that's enough for them to fall in love? Thankfully they didn't end up together. I'm glad that Tsukumi didn't end up in a relationship, actually.
- Hated all the bullying Tsukimi went through in the final volumes of the manga. :( I wanted to shove those dickheads off a cliff when they kept calling her "stupid" and "piglet".

My Rating: 8/10

Pupposites Attract (Seihantai na Watashitachi)

Ongoing

A man and a woman with opposite appearances and personalities meet while out walking their dogs. A timid man with a small, fluffy dog X a powerful woman with a big, fierce-looking dog...

+ Adorable! Just so cute and heartwarming.
+ Props to the mangaka for using a big dog breed (Rottweiler) that isn't seen much in Japanese culture. And with uncropped ears and tail!
- I wish the chapters were longer!

Rating: 9/10

Q

R

Reiri

Completed

Trigger Warnings: gore, attempted sexual assaults

Reiri once lived happily with her family, until the day soldiers came by after a battle. Her father, mother and brother sacrificed themselves in order for her to survive. She was only saved with the intervention of Okabe Tanba-no-Kami, who had been sheltering in the village. In his service, she grew and learned to fight well, chasing her goal of a death in battle. However, her path to death may not be as short and straight as she hopes.

+ It's very similar to Azumi (see above), but with much more depth and with likeable characters outside of the main female protagonist.

My Rating: 9/10

River's Edge

Completed

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, bullying

Haruna Wakakusa and Yamada become friends after she saves him several times from her boyfriend's constant bullying. Through him she gets to know Kozue Yoshikawa, a fellow student who also models professionally. The three emotionally stunted teens' lives briefly yet intensely intertwine for one semester before splintering from the aftereffects of one disastrous night. For both Wakakusa and Yamada, their emotional awakening fosters an unlikely friendship between the two battered souls.

My Rating: 7/10

S

Sachiiro no One Room

Completed

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, bullying

A 14-year-old girl has gone missing, and the police are looking everywhere for her. Her parents are desperate and wish for her safe return home, afraid that she is suffering in fear and tremendous pain. However, that is not the case: in reality, she has agreed to live with her kidnapper and a previous stalker, a young man whom she lovingly calls "Oniisan." She has no desire to go back to her parents—the ones who abused her physically and mentally—nor go back to school, where she endured heartless bullying. As time goes on, their bond grows stronger, and she asks Oniisan to give her a new name: "Sachi." Despite being aware of how unconventional their relationship is, the two make a promise to get married if they successfully escape both the police and Sachi's parents—or die trying. Clinging on to the littlest bit of true happiness they have found in each other, the two hold on to their only source of hope in this cruel world.

+ The characters are good, the plot is okay, and it was a intriguing read. However...
- I can never figure out if I liked this manga or not. You have to admit that the premise of a abused girl living with her stalker is pretty... uh, bad. It's much more than that, of course, but I dunno, it just seems like the main male character really got away with his actions with no consequences. Major spoiler for the ending here -> well yeah i mean he did die at the ending right before he should've been arrested, oh well
- Speaking of that ending, and another major spoiler ahead, I didn't like him, but it was bullshit how the main male character died. You mean to tell me that a aging woman managed to yank a gun out of policeman's holster and shoot a person from a distance so easily?

My Rating: 7/10

Sailor Moon

Completed

Usagi Tsukino is a cheerful 14-year-old who attends Juuban Municipal Junior High School. She prefers eating and playing video games to studying, which results in her notably poor grades. She also gets easily upset, whether by baseless insults or reasonable reprimands. It is very unlikely that she could be known as anything but a bad influence and a crybaby, but that begins to change when she meets a black cat. Given a special brooch from the black cat named Luna, Usagi can use it to transform into a guardian of justice named Sailor Moon! She is now tasked to protect the Earth from all that is evil and to find both a missing princess and a sacred jewel known as the Mystical Silver Crystal. Whether she likes it or not, Usagi's beautiful transformation marks the start of meeting the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, fighting alongside new comrades, and learning to take responsibility in this acclaimed magical girl classic.

- I love this manga, but the ending is so fucking confusing to me! What the hell happened after Sailor Cosmos was revived? Did the rest of the senshi get revived as well?

My Rating: 9/10

Samenai Machi no Kissaten

Completed

One day, Suzume finds herself unable to wake up, lost in a place known as the "Unwaking Town," Lutetia. There, she works at a coffee shop named "Quatre."

+ What a cute and calming series! Highly recommended if you want a chill read with yummy food recipes and illustrations throughout.
- Ending made me go "Huh?"... and re-reading it I still don't know what happened. But that might just be me, hence the reason I didn't add a spoiler tag.

My Rating: 9/10

Satako to Nada

Completed

Satoko is a Japanese woman on her way to attend college in America. Upon arrival, she meets her new roommate in an apartment building—and is surprised to come face to face with a thoroughly clothed woman! The two quickly become friends and Satoko learns that the woman is a Saudi Arabian named Nada. While Nada devoutly follows the religious practices of Islam, she has her own quirks—particularly a striking fashion sense and a mindful approach to life.

My Rating: 8/10

Seirei no Moribito

Completed

Once every 100 years, a Water Fairy implants an egg into a person who then becomes the Guardian of Fairies. This time, the responsibility falls on Chagum, the second prince of the New Yogo Kingdom. Chagum's life isn't easy. The king finds Chagum an inconvenience and attempts to have him killed. As a result, the queen asks a female guard, Balsa, to protect Chagum. In addition to this, beings from another world, known as Nayugu, constantly attack him in order to eat the egg carried in Chagumu's body.

My Rating: 8/10

Sekine-kun no Koi

Completed

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault

Even though he's an elite hunk, Sekine Keiichiro is a man who has lived his life out-of-focus, cursed by three handicaps: he's stoic, passive, and a Jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

My Rating: 8/10

Sex Education 120%

Completed

Naoko Tsuji, an unorthodox health teacher at an all-girls school, doubts whether the sex ed status quo truly teaches young people everything they need to know—so she ramps it up to 120%! Luckily for Tsuji, her class proves to be an almost unflappable group, including a BL fan, a lesbian, and a girl who just really likes her cat! With topics like safe sex for same-gender couples, masturbation positivity, and why sugar gliders have three vaginas, this sex education comedy is more than just dirty jokes. It's time for class!

+ Very funny and informative without being too raunchy.
+ You can tell that this manga was written by a woman because the young teenage girls are not sexualized for the male gaze in the least, even for a manga dealing with sex education. There's even an author's note at the end of the first volume about how the author describes how she created the characters to be as real as possible.

My Rating: 8/10. Will probably be higher when I read the other two volumes!

She Doesn't Know Why She Lives

Completed

Trigger Warnings: suicidal and self harming thoughts

Izumi Sumi, a 25-year-old part-timer struggles through anxiety and depression, pondering the meaning for her own life.

+ The main character's struggles with her mental illnesses are so realistic and relatable that I actually cried during one part. I dunno what part it was, it was late at night when I first read it, but damn it hit me hard.
+ I really liked the supporting characters at her job. Watching both of them support Izumi was great to see.
- There's quite a bit of fanservice of the two main female characters during the series - shots of them changing and bathing, plus bonus images at the end of the same stuff. Nothing graphic (which is why I didn't add a "content warning" with this review) but I felt that it a bit too gratuitous.

My Rating: 9/10

Shimeji Simulation

Completed

A girl who shut herself in a closet for the last 2 years of middle school realizes she has to go to high school. When she exits her closet for the first time in two years and looks at herself in the mirror, she notices that she grew shimeji mushrooms out of her head.

- I still don't know how to feel about the recent chapter that had Majime initiate having sex with Shijima. It came out of nowhere, was out of character and did not seem consensual by Shijima's account. I still read the manga, but I'm not as excited about seeing the new chapters as I used to be.

My Rating: 8/10

Shinmai Shimai no Futari Gohan

Ongoing

Trigger Warnings: image of farmer force feeding a goose for foie gras. Also has shots of meat being prepared after a deer is killed - you can see most of the dead carcass in the shot but it's not gory at all. Neither of the moments are graphic, but thought I would toss the warnings out there just in case.

After her father's remarriage, Sachi suddenly has a new stepsister, Ayari. At first, their interactions are awkward, and very brief. However, they soon discover a shared love... of food? Sachi soon discovers Ayari's passion for cooking, and the two step-sisters soon begin to bond over Ayari's delicious cooking, and begin to overcome the barriers that had once kept them apart. While their parents are away on their honeymoon, they learn to cope with their differences, and bond over a seemingly insignificant thing!

+ The two sister and their friends are very enjoyable to watch.
+ It's a very lighthearted read, I've read the translated chapters multiple times by now.
- Sachi and Ayari are way more mature and likeable than their parents. Who the FUCK leaves their two high school daughters (that have barely met each other) alone while they travel across the world for their honeymoon? I guess it's would be more common in Japan than the United States...? And they were gone for MONTHS, almost a year iirc, before actually appearing in the series.
- As per usual of any manga revolving around food, the characters are keen to describe how good the food is while they're tasting it. However, for this manga, I feel like the teenage girls are... I dunno, too mature and out of character when describing their food? For example, I don't think Sachi would call clams "the sea's bounty". I don't think it's a translation issue, and it's a minor thing to complain about anyway.

My Rating: 8/10

Shinya Shokudou

Completed

A manga that revolves around an old-fashioned all-night food stall, the various dishes that the stall owner prepares to suit the tastes of different customers, and the joys, griefs, trials and tribulations of his faithful patrons.

My Rating: 9/10

Shiosai no Majo

Completed

Would you like to try "eating" your worries? From all times and places, many guests visit one at a time. A lone witch on a lone island cooks each customer's "worries."

+ Wow, I FUCKING LOVED this manga! Every customer is a character from mythology or a folktale and it's really interesting to see how their "problems are served". That makes more sense in context of the manga, I promise.
+ Every single character was great. I love how they all showed up for a party during the final chapter, it was a great way to end the series.
+ I loved the coziness of the cabin and the beautiful underwater basement that had all those neat gifts the witch collected over the years.
- The only real negative for the manga in my opinion is the reader never finds out how and/or why the witch is trapped on the island. We know a little bit about her past with the pilot (that I totally ship) in a past life but that's about it.

My Rating: 10/10!

Shrink~ Psychiatrist Yowai

Ongoing

Trigger Warnings: deciptions of eating disorders, depression, anxiety and panic attacks (the chapters are literally the name of the mental illness that the patient of that arc is dealing with so it's easy to tell what is covered)

Panic disorder, depression, developmental disorder, PTSD... Japan is said to be a country of hidden mental illnesses, where many patients suffer from mental illnesses without being able to talk to anyone. The suicide rate is one of the worst among developed countries. How has Japan fallen into this kind of situation? Psychiatrist Konosuke Yowai confronts the problems facing Japan's psychiatric care and sheds light on the shadows in people's minds.

My Rating: 9/10

The Shut-in Newlywed

Completed

"Marriage"—when two who were once unrelated vow to love each other and wish for each other's happiness become "family." This marks the start of the married life of her dreams, or so she thought. Before she knew it, she became a shut-in!? What will the newlywed wife do!?

My Rating: 8/10

Slow Loop

Ongoing

When Hiyori⁠—a young girl whose deceased father taught her the joys of fishing⁠—headed out to sea for some alone time, she never thought that she would encounter another girl there. After a while, this girl⁠—named Koharu⁠—and her end up fishing and cooking together, and they get to know each other a bit in the meantime. During their brief time together Koharu finds out that the reason Hiyori went out to sea that day was because she's hesitant towards meeting her new step family that same evening. But what a coincidence! Koharu is also meeting her new family tonight! "No. It can't be a coincidence..." Follow these two 'sisters' and their new life together!

+ Very cute and informative. I couldn't care less about fishing but it's interesting to learn about "fly fishing" techniques!
- In one of the latest translated chapters the characters talk about how one of the other female minor characters is a "sis con" for her little sister (yeah uh) - it's played for laughs but it really caught me off guard.

My Rating: 8/10

Stigmata

Completed

Trigger Warnings: gore. Content Warnings: BL, not explicit

Minami Asako has a "unique constitution." He senses the lingering thoughts of the deceased and experiences the circumstances under which they died with his own body in a reaction similar to stigmata. This proves useful in solving difficult cases with the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigations Unit Six. Asako's partner is the reserved Superintendent Hiroto Kuroiwa, rising through the MPD ranks despite doubting his own abilities.

+ Oops, I meant to add this when I first started the page. It's probably the best BL series that I've read in a looong time!
+ Very well written, plus I didn't think that the romance plot was too rushed. I actually would recommend this series even if you don't care for BL since the mysteries of the various crimes that the unit solves are very intriguing.
+ I wanted to see more of the cool female coworker! I forget her name, and this would be a 'negative' point but she's a minor character.

My Rating: 9/10

Stretch

Completed

Komatsu Keiko and Saeki Ran are roommates. The kouhai, Ran, is studying to become a doctor and introduces Keiko to stretching exercises. This is their everyday life on how their implement stretching within their daily lives.

My Rating: 7/10

Suikoden III: The Successor of Fate

Completed

A long war between the Grasslands and Zexen has taken a heavy toll. When a long-needed truce fails, a quest is undertaken to find the legendary Flame Champion, who saved the Grasslands in another war years before.

+ Really a great retelling of the game it's based off of - Suikoden III. The Suikoden series is one of my favorite video game series ever and this was a delight to read. I bought all the physical copies as soon as they were released!
+ It was great to see some of the minor characters have more importance to the story, Salome (who is a underrated character!) being the prime example.
- Honestly, I imagine if you have no idea what Suikoden is about (... was about :( since the series hasn't been updated in YEARS and will most likely stay that way for a good long while..) then you'll most likely be confused while reading this manga. Especially since Suikoden III has a lot of references to the previous two games in the series. I could be totally wrong however! So give it a shot if it seems interesting to you.

My Rating: 9/10 but I'm a big fan of the game - it's my favorite in the series! If you have no idea what the game is about, then your personal rating might be lower.

T

This Uncle Likes Cute Things

Ongoing

Usuma Mitsutaka, 40 years old, an attractive office worker, admired by his colleagues. Of course, he has a secret he is trying to hide from everyone: he loves cute things. But with his nephew going to his apartment, Mitsutaka's secret is now in danger!

My Rating: 8/10

Tokyo Girls Bravo

Completed

The story takes place in the '80s. Kaneda Sakae, a high school girl living in Sapporo, suddenly moves to Tokyo with her mother...

+ The fashion that the main character wears is so stylish! Okazaki's artwork suits the wacky fashion so well.
- I mean this from the bottom of my heart and I'm going to be as kind as possible - the main character is a moron. Even for a teenager, her stupidity is mind blowing.

My Rating: 7/10

Tokyo Kaido

Completed

Kristiania Clinic admits youths with brain problems. Hashi is a young man who causes conflict due to an inability to lie, Hana has repeated orgasms in public, Hideo believe he possesses superpowers, and Mari doesn't acknowledge the existence of any other human. Hashi, despite lacking the understanding of other's pain, secretly draws manga. One day, a young psychiatrist named Tamaki appears, whose wife had gone missing.

My Rating: 6/10

U

Umiiro March

Completed

The story of the girls who met at Okinawa's sea. Amane who invites her neighbor living next door Sango to the sea. While bringing about a stormy mood, the two of them also head for the sea today!

My Rating: 8/10

Useless Ponko

Completed

The near future, in a quiet seaside town. Yoshioka, who had recently lost his wife, just wants to spend the rest of his days in peace. However, Yoshioka's children, worried about their father's health, sent a housekeeping robot to help him. Yoshioka's quiet life is now changing.

+ I adore Ponko, she's adorable and so charming.
+ I love the small, (mostly) quiet town that the story is set in.
+ The majority of the characters are great and likeable.
- The ending is coming up and it's REALLY rushed. The ending WAS really rushed. A good ending, but there were some unanswered questions.
- I'd forgotten how much I disliked the man who had a crush or what-the-fuck-ever on Ponko. UGGGHHH

My Rating: 9/10

V

Vitamin

Completed

Trigger Warnings: bullying, sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault, attempted suicide

High school student Sawako is caught in a compromising situation. As a result, the other students in her school bully and ostracize her to the point she looks to suicide and drops out of school. She starts drawing manga and the hobby becomes her "vitamin."

+ Unlike some of the manga listed here, I thought this series had a GREAT ending.
- I would've liked to see her former boyfriend fucking get punished for attempting to rape Sawako but it seems like his entire character was forgotten about pretty quickly. Even though he's the one that started the whole mess...
- Sawako's love for drawing manga kinda comes out of nowhere.

My Rating: 7/10

W

Wakako-zake

Ongoing

Murasaki Wakako, who is 26 years old, loves going out alone to enjoy eating and drinking, especially when something unpleasant happens at work. This manga follows Wakako through many solitary outings, where she enjoys different combinations of food and drink!

My Rating: 9/10

Wandering Emanon (sequel to Memories of Emanon)

Completed

Following the events of her night aboard the ferry, Emanon—the enigmatic girl with a three-billion-year-old memory—continues on her journey, wandering aimlessly through life with no clear destination in mind. Since the beginning of time, she has followed the same cycle: she departs from home and travels the world as a teenager while pondering her mysterious existence, eventually meeting a man and giving birth to a girl who will inherit her memories and very being.

My Rating: 9/10

Wandering Island

Ongoing

After her grandfather's death, Mikura chose to continue their island express courier service. With her seaplane and her adventurous cat, Endeavor, she lives life as she chooses. Soon, Mikura becomes very interested in a mysterious island that seems to move around, according to local legend. After some extensive effort to determine the island's whereabouts, she manages to get a brief glimpse of it from the sky. Now that she knows it's real, she's determined to find the island again, no matter what it takes!

My Rating: 9/10

Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! / No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!

Ongoing

Tomoko Kuroki is not cool. She is unattractive, socially awkward, and spends most of her evenings playing video games. Even so, no one wants popularity as desperately as she does. With one ingenious idea after another, Tomoko comes ever closer to achieving her goal—or so she thinks. Utilizing such innovative methods as imitating popular anime personas and buying expensive panties, she claws her way toward attaining the social status of her dreams.

My Rating: I have no idea, probably a 7/10 as of right now.

We Shall Now Begin Ethics

Ongoing

Trigger Warnings: physical and emotional abuse

Takayanagi is a high school teacher who is in charge of an elective course that focuses on ethics. Despite not having a full class, he aims to teach his students about the importance of moral philosophy. Many students that attend Takayanagi's class are dealing with their own issues, and by engaging in his lessons, they learn to approach their problems from a different perspective.

My Rating: 8/10

Weeds! Be Ambitious

Completed

For average girls, high school is a time of insecurity, of finding yourself and railing against your imperfections. In one particular high school, five average, unpopular girls take life one day at a time, learning as they go, and stumbling as they try to find their footing.

My Rating: 9/10

When I Returned to my Hometown, My Childhood Friend was Broken

Completed

When I was younger, one of my best friends was Kyouko. She was a brash and hotheaded young girl who, even though she was a tomboy, was still loved by her peers. To be honest, it's been a few years since I came back home. The only person I know from there was Kyouko and she seems… different?

- As of right now, it's pretty much the same formula as My Divorced Crybaby Neighbor but with different characters.
- It seems like the author really wanted to skip over some very important events like the two getting married for... some reason.

My Rating: 7/10

Witch Hat Atelier

Ongoing

Coco, a humble dressmaker's daughter, has always been fascinated by magic and the witches who cast it, despite the strict precautions they take to hide their methods from the public. However, when Coco takes advantage of a golden chance to spy on the skilled witch Qifrey, she realizes that her favorite picture book was a disguised magic book all along! In her excitement, she immediately starts testing out the various spells. When a spell causes a disaster in her home, Qifrey rescues her just in time and decides to train her, realizing that she is the first lead he has found that could help him track down the Brimmed Caps—a dangerous group of heretics who experiment with forbidden body-altering magic and spread magical artifacts among the commoners. But before Coco and Qifrey can confront the Brimmed Caps, she is going to have to improve her magical skills and learn to get along with Qifrey's other apprentices.

+ THIS. MANGA. IS. SO. DAMN. GOOD. I'm just in love with it. I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the worldbuilding, it's all just so well done!
+ I just have to mention how stunning the art is and I love how the borders for the panels are sometimes (rarely) used as if it was a part of the story. Here's an example of what I mean.
+ A very diverse cast of characters that are well written. I honestly don't have a favorite character just yet since I like all of them...

My Rating: 10/10!

A Witch's Life in a Six-Tatami Room

Completed

Since childhood, Madge has studied magic within a witches' village deep in the woods under her grandmother's tutelage. As she grew up, she constantly dreamt about living in the city, where witches of the highest caliber garner popularity and respect from the people. Running away from home, Madge sets out to begin her life in the city. Although her skills as a witch are promising, they do not fit the norms of modern society, resulting in Madge receiving a C-class witch rank, the lowest rank in the Witches Association. Set on improving herself no matter what, Madge befriends Lilica, a fellow C-class witch who lives with her in a rundown six-tatami mat apartment. Together, Madge and Lilica work to climb the rankings, taking various jobs like catching wild animals or repairing magical apparatus. With each successful quest, the duo's friendship slowly becomes stronger, allowing them to conquer all odds that may come their way.

My Rating: 7/10

X

X-Day

Completed

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, suicide attempts

It's senior year, and Rica is seriously stressed out. She's got more homework, exams, and papers than she can handle, and was recently dumped by her boyfriend. In other words: Life sucks! One day, she's chatting online when she meets three classmates who hate school as much as she does. Together, they hatch a plan to blow up the school when no one is present. The countdown is on for X-Day...

+ One of the first manga that I ever read, along with Paradise Kiss and Sailor Moon.
+ I liked the four main characters a lot. For an older manga, they were written very realistically.

My Rating: 8/10

Y

Yaiteru Futari / How to Grill Our Love

Ongoing

Due to his lack of confidence, 30-year-old Kenta Fukuyama has always struggled with romance; however, an encounter with designer Chihiro Yamaguchi completely changes his life. Despite her seemingly cold demeanor, Chihiro is friendly and compassionate, leading Kenta to develop feelings for her. Similarly, Kenta's kind and genuine nature immediately captures Chihiro's heart, and the two soon decide to marry. Shy, inexperienced, and separated by distance, Kenta and Chihiro initially face difficulties as newlyweds. Regardless, through their mutual love for BBQ and with the occasional help from their close ones, the couple gradually learns to confront their problems and advance their unique, wholehearted relationship.

My Rating: Was previously a 7/10, but I'm rereading it and liking it much more now so it'll probably go higher in the future!

Yami no Moribito (sequel to Seirei no Moribito)

Completed

Balsa returns to the country of Kanbal where she was born to face her tragic past. But consequences of that past, and the secret that lies buried under the mountains, make her task a difficult one.

My Rating: 8/10

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

Completed

In a post-apocalyptic world where an environmental disaster led to the eruption of Mt. Fuji and the inundation of Yokohama, the age of humans is in its twilight. Alpha Hatsuseno is an android and the namesake of a small cafe outside Yokohama. As her owner is away on a trip indefinitely, she has been left responsible for running the cafe. Although she rarely gets any customers, Alpha remains outgoing and cheerful. While Alpha awaits her owner's homecoming, she explores the vicinity with her scooter and camera. Throughout her journeys, she meets new people and other androids, making memories along the way.

+ I was constantly amazed by this manga when I first read it and it's always good to reread this series. It's not too long and it's just a great, relaxed manga to experience. There's a reason that it's so beloved!
+ My favorite chapter is definately the one with the glider trainer (?? i forget the correct term lmao) traveling though the dark tunnel with only the lights above to guide him after his flashlight gives out. I've never read such a cool yet scary concept like that before in any form of literature. Then there's a cute little cafe in the middle of the tunnel and it just makes you wonder how everything operates in that underground area. Very neat read.
+ Lovely characters. Alpha was my favorite out of the bunch!
- Not really a negative point, but I would've loved to have some of the mysteries explained that never got a conclusion. What happened to Alpha's owner? What was the deal with the huge airship? Did it ever land? However, this manga has a way of leading you to make your own conclusions about those plotlines.

My Rating: 10/10!

Yomawari Senshi / Night Patrol Senshi

Completed

Trigger Warnings: depictions of child abuse (physical, mental, emotional and/or sexual abuse) in almost every chapter

The author, a high school teacher, recounts his 12 years on "night patrol" in Yokohama City, where he comes face to face with youth dealing with issues ranging from self-mutilation to drug abuse.

My Rating: 10/10 but, similar to Berserk, read with caution because it has some tough scenes and plot lines to read.

Yotsuba&!

Ongoing

While most people find the world mundane, five-year-old Yotsuba Koiwai sees it as a treasure trove of amazing bustle and wonderful places to explore. When she and her adoptive father, Yousuke, move to a new city, the energetic young girl naturally sets out to investigate the neighborhood on her own.

My Rating: 9/10

Yubisaki to Renren

Ongoing

Yuki Itose is a hearing-impaired university student whose world has been shrouded with silence since birth. She has lived in the same place her whole life, and rarely interacts with others save for her best friend, Rin Fujishiro. During her commute one day, she meets the silver-haired and multilingual Itsuomi Nagi, a mutual friend of Rin. Unlike most, Itsuomi is unwavering when he learns of Yuki's impairment; this, along with his experiences abroad, fascinates and touches her. After they part, her fondness of him starts to grow. A new world begins to open for both Yuki and Itsuomi as they learn about each other's different lives.

- I haven't read this manga in a while and I think my interest started to wane when he starts treating her oddly, like he's more interested in her deafness than her character. Then again, I might be wrong because I need to catch up with the plot.

My Rating: 7/10

Yukari-chan

Completed

"Jump's most delicious" gourmet manga from the writer of Giant Killing.

+ Despite the lack of summary here, it's a good read about a teenage girl learning how to cook to help her father out after the death of her mother. I liked all the characters and there were some heartwarming moments.
- I think it's also a promotional manga for a type of rice seasoning? Which is why all of the recipes kinda boil down to "add (such-and-such) seasoning to the dish and you're done!".

My Rating: 7/10

Yumi to Kurumi

Completed

Yumi is a shy and maybe a little awkward business woman who's unsatisfied with her work life. One day she finds a ragged stuffed doll on the side of the road. She names it Kurumi and decides to clean him up and finds herself forgetting about her problems and enjoying life again.

+ Such a underrated and well done manga! I can't recommend it enough, especially if you like josei manga.

My Rating: 10/10!

Yuru Camp△

Ongoing

Setting up a tent, starting a fire, and eating noodles with Mt. Fuji in view...Rin and Nadeshiko absolutely love to camp! Enjoy their zest for travel and maybe even pick up a tip or two about roughing it in the great outdoors. You might just want to go camping yourself!

+ I cannot believe that it took me so long to read this! Well, I'm still catching up to the latest chapters, haha, but I like pretty much everything about this manga - great characters, lovely artwork, slow but eventful pacing that I like, informative. Oh, and great looking food!
- Alright, I hate to be such a 'negative Nancy' here, and I'm sure it's different in Japan than it is in the United States, but it's scary to think of high school girls going out camping by themselves in isolated areas. Maybe the manga will go into safety measures (for creatures other than bears, like, uh, humans) later.

My Rating: 9/10

Yuru Yuru

Completed

The bond between high school friends is like no other. A trio of high school girls consists of Haruka Arai, the naive but sensitive genius; Yuki Katase, the rational one with a need to keep everything organized; and Misaki Fujikura, the sociable type who gets along with almost everyone. As the three girls go about their daily lives as students, they encounter the different joys that are borne from their shared time inside and outside the classroom.

- The main three girls are WAY TOO SIMILAR for me in terms of looks and even personality to tell them apart. I never knew who's who!

My Rating: 8/10

Z


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