How Do I Get My Teen Into Manga?

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve heard your kids mention anime and manga in passing. Manga is a weird, wonderful world that can seem tricky to navigate if you are unfamiliar. Anime is just a slang term for Japanese animation and Manga refers to a Japanese comic.

Most Anime and Manga lean more heavily into mature subjects–think PG-13 but with a bit more blood and innuendo. All of the really graphic material will be plastic-wrapped in stores and comes with a warning label. For parents looking for something more family-friendly but still exciting, here are some manga recommendations.

Fantasy

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama and Kamone Shirahama is like if Harry Potter was made by Studio Ghibli. In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, a girl born without magic dreams of becoming a witch.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition is a remastered hardcover edition of the celebrated dark fantasy series. In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Their journey to restore their bodies through the power of the Philosopher’s Stone begins here.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is an epic fantasy tale written and illustrated by legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki. Nausicaa has served an inspiration for multiple generations of artists and comic creators. The manga’s themes of environmentalism still ring true decades later.

Delicious in Dungeon is a cooking-themed fantasy manga by Ryoko Kui. When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions. Too keep his company from starving, Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: “Let’s eat the monsters!” Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons…none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!

Action

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi is perfect for any fan of superheroes who’s curious about manga. Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…

One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata is an action comedy superhero series. Bald and average-looking Saitama is strong enough to defeat any villain in just one punch. Saitama searches in vain for an opponent who can who can go toe-to-toe with him and give his life some meaning. Fans of Superman and Deadpool will die laughing while reading One-Punch Man.

Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama is like The Walking Dead but with giants. Humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humanity. For the past century, what’s left of mankind has taken refuge in a giant, three-walled city. But the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge became a record-breaking phenomenon after the manga’s anime adaptation. In Taisho-era Japan, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister back to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.

Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui is a disarmingly heartwarming action comedy. When the misfits of Class 3-E get stuck with a smiley-faced, octopus-tentacled schoolteacher with bizarre superpowers, they must take him out before he blows up planet Earth. In the pursuit of defeating their monstrous teacher, the students discover what makes each of them unique.

Chaika: The Coffin Princess by Ichirou Sakaki and Shinta Sakayama is a mind-bending adventure that combines science fiction and fantasy elements. Chaika is a mysterious girl with a coffin on her back carrying the remains of a dark wizard. Is she planning to resurrect this evil sorcerer or just lay a loved one to rest?

Romance/Comedy

Mysterious Girlfriend X by Riichi Ueshiba follows the strange relationship of Akira Tsubaki and the mysterious Mikoto Urabe. When Tsubaki accidentally tastes Urabe’s drool he discovers that she can communicate her inner emotions through her saliva. In this surprising and sweet twist on a high school romance story, boy meets girl and they learn about each other’s inner life through their highly unusual bond, and Tsubaki learns to respect Urabe as she sets a careful pace in the development of their relationship.

Ranma 1/2 by legendary manga creator Rumiko Takahashi is laugh-out-loud funny and a seminal work of the gender-bend genre. When Rama and his father Genma accidentally fall into some enchanted hot springs, the father is changed into a panda and the son morphs into a girl. The timing couldn’t be worse as Ranma is set to marry one the daughters of a prestigious martial arts school. Be ready for gender roles to get turned inside out in this endearing comedy series.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War by Aka Akasaka is an absurd comedy about two high school overachievers who secretly have the hots for each other. As leaders of their prestigious academy’s student council, Kaguya and Miyuki are the elite of the elite! But it’s lonely at the top… Luckily for them, they’ve fallen in love! There’s just one problem—they both have too much pride to admit it. And so begins the daily scheming to get the object of their affection to confess their romantic feelings first…

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun by AidaIro is a mystery series inspired by Japanese folklore. At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school’s Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls’ bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom…but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined!

Horror/Thriller

Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata remains one of the most acclaimed and provocative thrillers. When Light Yagami discovers a notebook that kills any person whose name is written inside, he decides to rid the world of criminals while using the alias “Kira.” But when Kira’s vigilante justice attracts the attention of the enigmatic detective, code-named “L”– a battle of wits for the ages begins.

The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu takes readers to a dark dystopian fairy tale. Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But not everything is as it seems… When Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world, the children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late!

Black Butler by Yana Toboso is a classic dark gothic series whose manga differs from its anime adaptation. When Ciel Phantomhive’s parents are murdered he makes a pact with the demon, Sebastian to get his revenge. Now Ciel and his demonic manservant explore the criminal underworld of Victorian London. To thwart crimes and solve mysteries it helps to have “one hell of a butler.”

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki combines horror, high fashion, and action to create a cult-favorite series among boys and girls alike. The series follows multiple generations of the Jostar family as they battle against the vampire Dio and other strange evil forces. The appeal of JoJo is the bizarre fandom the book has attracted in addition to the story itself.

Black Jack by the “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka is the perfect entry point into Tezuka’s more mature work. Black Jack is a mysterious and charismatic young genius surgeon who travels the world performing amazing and impossible medical feats. Black Jack charges exorbitant fees for his services, the proceeds from which he uses to fund environmental projects and to aid victims of crime and corrupt capitalists.

LGBTQ

Qualia the Purple by Hisamitsu Ueo and Shirou Tsunashima is a riveting romantic thriller. Through the uncanny purple eyes of Yukari, all people appear to her as robots. When Yukari is recruited into a secret organization it’s up to her best friend, Gaku to save her. Qualia the Purple is a “girl’s love” title that defies traditional categorization. The story plays with genre and readers’ expectations leaving them surprised at every turn.

Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi is a compelling and honest rendition of several students’ journey to get into art school. Blue Period also features one of the most memorable trans characters in recent years. Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. It’s an effortless performance, and, ultimately… a dull one. But he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst–and he’s about to learn how savage and unforgiving art can be.

Boys Run The Riot by Keito Gaku is a personal, heartfelt, fictional story from a transgender manga creator who has made waves in Japan and will inspire readers all over the world! In the series, a transgender teen named Ryo finds an escape from the expectations and anxieties of his daily life in the world of street fashion.

Land of the Lustrous by Haruko Ichikawa features a rich fantasy world with non-binary characters. In a world inhabited by crystalline lifeforms called The Lustrous, every unique gem must fight for its way of life against the threat of lunarians who would turn them into decorations. Phosphophyllite, the most fragile and brittle of the gems, longs to join the battle. When Phos is instead assigned to complete a natural history of their world, it sounds like a dull and pointless task. But this new job brings Phos into contact with Cinnabar, a gem forced to live in isolation. Can Phos’s seemingly mundane assignment lead both Phos and Cinnabar to the fulfillment they desire?

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve heard your kids mention anime and manga in passing. Manga is a weird,COMICONRead More