I feel like over the course of the year Manga Plus has gone from me trawling through their catalogue to find something/anything to read, to being inundated with series to the point where I can’t actually follow them all. It’s like that time when I realised I could no longer purchase all the light novel series being released by Yen Press due to the sheer volume 😅 This is obviously not a bad thing, but will require a change in approach so I don’t get overwhelmed by FOMO. Thankfully most of the series are not time-restricted, so I can pick a series back up if I hear good things about it later on.
Definite Purchases
Oshi no Ko
This is currently my favourite manga, fullstop. It’s part mystery, part Skip Beat, except a bit darker. I enjoyed reading 4 chapters a week while Manga Plus caught up to the serialisation. 2023 will be tough with a single chapter per week and all the cliff-hangers that are bound to happen. Very happy Yen Press picked this one up for physical release 😊
Spy X Family
This was probably my favourite series of 2021, but it’s slowed down a bit this year, perhaps due to the essential Lloyd flashback which is understandably light on laughs. I am liking the introduction of Damian’s mother though. Waiting for a boxset before purchasing this one 👍
Deranged Detective: Ron Kamonohashi
The title doesn’t really roll off the tongue well 😅 But I’m loving the ludicrousness of this series’ murders. Really gotta suspend disbelief at the incredibly petty reasons why people kill haha. I really hope this gets a digital release, I’m 100% sure it will never get physical. Akira Amano never getting any love over in the west 🙁
Takopi’s Original Sin
I put off reading this one cos I got told that it’s super messed up. Rather than messed up, it’s just incredibly sad. But I think watching Kotaro Lives Alone prepped me a bit for this series. It would be lovely if this one got released in hardcover, given it’s only two volumes long.
Excuse Me Dentist, It’s Touching Me!
I feel like this is my replacement for Gintama. A bunch of weirdos + stupidity galore + innuendo = hilarity. I’m apprehensive that this one is starting to wind down, but at the same time better for it not to outstay it’s welcome. I wonder if this will ever get a digital release…
Ghost Reaper Girl
Very sad this went on hiatus, it’s probably the prettiest series I was following. Chloe’s transformations make it magical girl-ish without actually being a magical girl series. Hoping it comes back next year!
On The Fence – Potential Purchases
Ayakashi Triangle
Whenever I open up Manga Plus I read this one first 😁 It *is* time restricted so I have to make sure I’m keeping up…haha. It’s funny, the art is nice and I find it hilarious that everyone and everything can turn into a pretty girl. I definitely enjoy reading it simulpub, but I’m not sure if I like it enough to want to re-read it. Unfortunately, since it’s not being published physically by Viz, I’m going to have to make up my mind soon-ish or risk it going out of print 😱
Sho-ha Shoten!
I enjoy these types of series, but the subject matter this time is a bit iffy. I like reading about the theory of Japanese comedy, but I also do not find any of the skits funny in the least. If it didn’t look extremely polished I probably wouldn’t even consider adding this to my collection, wow look at me, so shallow 😅
Dandadan
I gave this series a shot because it seemed to be getting super hyped up on the internet, but almost dropped it cos it seemed quite vulgar and not to my tastes. But thankfully they kiiinda dropped the banana-rape stuff (I’m fine with golden balls, thanks to Gintama) and introduced more characters to create a really fun gang. I only really got converted recently, hence it only being a potential purchase, but if it continues on in it’s current vein, it’ll definitely be promoted to a must-purchase in 2023.
Enjoyable Reads
MARRIAGETOXIN
The joys of dating as an awkward adult + over the top battle sequences? What’s there to not like? 😁 Well I suppose it’s lacking direction a bit at the moment, there isn’t really a main overarching story, since the whole Gero-wants-a-wife is more just the basic premise. Maybe we’ll get some evil grandma plot-stuffs in 2023 to spice things up LOL
The Kajiki Chef: Divine Cuisine
It’s Toriko x Food Wars but only seafood! The food they make *does* look delicious. Touya and Izayoi are cute, but their companion/s are a bit tropey. The artstyle is nice, quite different. I like reading this but it’s not at the top of the list.
Magilumiere Co. Ltd.
Magical Girl as a profession, it works! It’s nice to see the different work cultures between companies and see the fairly realistic politick-ing that goes on in the corporate world. I don’t wait in anticipation for each chapter, but maybe that’s because after working 9 to 5 myself, I want something less familiar for entertainment during my downtime 😋
Chainsaw Man Part 2
I honestly didn’t like the original Chainsaw Man that much, so I’m surprised at how much I like Part 2. It’s definitely because of the change in main character.
You and I Are Polar Opposites
It’s like a spiritual successor to Horimiya except with less polished art. It’s cute and sweet, but I really liked the comedy aspects of Horimiya which this is missing. I dunno if this would be too telegraphed, but I’m hoping for pessimistic-guy x girl-with-no-luck-in-love to get together.
Make The Exorcist Fall In Love
I really like the art in this, everything is nice and rounded haha. I feel like story and battle-wise it’s a solid series but nothing in particular really stands out. Maybe it needs more time to build the cast or something.
Occasional Reads
Moebana – cool, ikebana. But my enthusiasm for this series is hampered by the art and Dewakuni’s personality LOL
Ghostbuster Osamu – I probably haven’t given this series enough of a chance, but the whole fangirl grudge thing feels a bit foreign to me, so I think I just don’t *get* this series
The Vertical World – this is interesting! But I have to read it on my phone which means I’m much less likely to pick it up again.
Following, Just ‘Cause
So either I’ve already put in the time investment and the series seeeems to be heading towards a conclusion (Seraph of the End/Blue Exorcist) or I’m just following due to pedigree (Chojin X) or general hype (Kaiju No. 8). I feel like I could easily and happily drop any of these, but then something will come up that makes me think I need to pick it back up again, which means having to try and binge-read to catch-up, and at that point it’s easier to just keep up-to-date. These are pretty lousy reasons to follow a series, but it’s on me what I decide to do with my time 🙃
Dropped
I feel like Manga UP has better romantic/comedic shorts, so I’ve ditched these Manga Plus series
The first couple of chapters make these seem like generic shonen series – which I’ll only read if they are part of Weekly Shonen Jump…
I don’t really like death games, especially when it involves children, so pass.
Interested
I wanted to watch Romantic Killer and Hells’ Paradise: Jigoraku and then read the manga, but it looks like the chapters aren’t available anymore… I guess I should start Me and my Gangster Neighbour so I can keep up with the simulpub. The other ones have interesting synopses but I haven’t had time to try them yet.
Conclusion
So many great series! Weekly Shonen Jump caters to my inner 12 year old, but Manga Plus skews older, providing me with a wide variety of series to read. It sure would be nice if you could organise your library though haha. I guess it’s free, so gotta just be thankful for what we’re given, which to be fair, is quite a lot! I might need to enact a 10 chapter rule to make sure my reading list is manageable…
Categories: Manga Plus
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