Looking for a manga/manhwa? Look here!

[Mahou Otaku]

Bored and looking for a manga or manhwa to read? Then you've come to the right place. I've read a lot of manga, several hundred books. A good majority is Shounen/Seinen, but you'll find some great Shoujo/Josei mixed in. My list may not appeal to everyone, but I have a feeling everyone can find something they like here, as it's a pretty wide selection.

There may be minor spoilers ahead about basic plots and settings! These are all the books I've enjoyed, and would rate at average or above. Nothing below average from my collection was added to the list. My favorites have stars, and they are highly recommended. :)

*Usagi Drop - A salary man ends up with a little girl who was his grandfather's daughter. How can this single bachelor with a heavy workload and little money deal with this crazy toddler? A rather realistic slice of life book that is compelling all the way through.

Ai Ren - A very downbeat, depressing tale of a young man and young girl who are both destined to die for separate reasons living in a deadly futuristic world, and attempting to enjoy the last moments of their lives. I'd suggest you only read this when you're already in a down mood, or it can bring you down pretty quick.

*Battle Royale - Every year, one class is selected at random to be thrown on an island to fight to the death. Many will be forced to enter the island...but only one can leave. Who will it be? Is there any way to escape this one way ticket to death?

Billionaire Girl - A great romance tale that is regrettably only five chapters long. It's a very touching tale about a young girl with a lot of money, but no real friends or life. Is it too late for her to learn about the world around her? Or will people only care about her because of her money?

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai - Several weird outcasts at a high school band together so they can discover the thing that is most mysterious to them.."friendship". Together, they create a club about making friends, and have many fun activities together.

Btoooom! - Similar in many respects to Battle Royale, again a group of people are thrown onto an island to kill each other. A few important differences, the island and weapons used are based on a FPS game; all the combatants are equipped with bombs. And the reason they're all on the island is because someone close to them nominated them; some family member or close friend chose them to die.

*Gokukoku no Brynhildr - Long ago, a boy had a close friend who attempted to show him aliens. Years later, someone who looks just like her reappears in his class. Is it her? And why does she deny any knowledge of the girl or him?

Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko - This one is rather ecchi in a funny way. A magical cat statue by a tree has the ability to take something you don't want away, and pass it on to someone else. When a boy who pretends to be a respectable guy at school wants to just be honest, he prays to the cat statue to take away his "facade" (or fake face)...the cat obliges. Now, unable to censor anything he is saying, some of the most hilarious things come out of his mouth. Can he, with the help of his new friend who lost her ability to show any emotion at all, find his facade and get it back before he says something truly embarrassing?

*The Breaker - The absolute best martial arts manhwa I have ever read. A young high school student with no ability whatsoever is thrown into a secret world of martial artists. Will he survive? Also check out New Waves, the sequel, which is still running and very good also.

*The Children's Teacher Mr Kwon - A man who is hinted at being a gangster is teaching at a school smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan - A sad story about a woman who wants to end her own life and a man on death row who'd love to live one more day. Can they even begin to understand each other?

*Aishiteruze Baby - This book is about a young girl who is practically thrown away by her mother, but is barely old enough to understand it. It's about a young man who is in High School, and barely able to care for himself, given the responsibility of taking care of her. The only manga to ever make me tear up.

*Annarasumanara - This book is about a young girl divided between the world she dreams of and the cold hard reality of adulthood. Young Ah-ee accidentally runs into a magician in an abandoned old theme park who tries to convince her to embrace the passionate childhood she used to have. Her classmate Il-Deung however, is the epitome of success - he's rich, smart, powerful. The symbol for which all adults should strive to be. Which life will she choose?

Gakuen Babysitters - A boy who loses both his parents is left with his toddler brother. With the agreement that he'll take care of the kids at the school daycare center, he stays with the principal. A great story full of emotion.

Half Prince - Trying to one-up her brother in a virtual reality online massive multiplayer RPG, a girl creates a male character in the game, and fights monsters with the help of a few close friends she meets online.

Love So Life - This is a very cute Shoujo, a story about an orphaned girl (without any angst I should add) who takes care of twin toddlers, and who has a bit of a crush on the twin's guardian. She takes care of the toddlers by remembering things her mom did for her and how she felt before her mom died - this is sure to put you on a bit of an emotional roller coaster, though it's a very upbeat story for the background it has

*Orange Marmalade - If you want teenage romance and angst, this is your book; a young vampire is in love with a boy with the perfect blood for vampires (common story, but keep reading anyway), and she can't reveal herself to him. You see, everyone already knows vampires exist in this world, and they're more hated because of it...so if she reveals her identity, her family would be forced to move, and they really can't afford it.

The Day the Magpie Cries - a bit of an oddball, a girl fights for her right to do things in the traditional manner, such as wearing traditional clothing. A very cute and fun book, I am loving this one.

Ai-Kora - Very similar to Love Hina, Ai Kora is about a man attracted to certain parts on females, such as a certain voice, certain legs, etc. What happens when he's thrown into a women's dorm filled with women that have his parts he's so attracted to? And what happens when this man who only cares about looks of women actually falls in love with one of them? A sweet, though very funny, harem/ecchi/romance.

Ao no Exorcist - The son of Lucifer chooses to become an Exorcist, one who battles against demons and the forces of darkness.

*Assassination Classroom - A fairly new manga about an alien who threatens to blow up the earth in a short amount of time unless someone can kill him. He then demands to...teach a class? And the class has to attempt to kill him before he destroys the world? Nice. The story seems silly, and the character design of Koro-sensei even more so, but you'll find yourself rooting for him nonetheless as the story gets deeper as it moves along.

Beelzebub - I didn't like this at first, but it grew on me. A delinquent is tasked with taking care of Satan's child until he's old enough to destroy the earth.

*Change 123 - A boy falls in love with a girl with three other split personalities, each of which have their own look and martial specialty.

*Claymore - a very complex tale about young girls who are somehow made half monster and forced to hunt down monsters.

*Deadman Wonderland - there's no way to describe this book in one paragraph, but suffice it to say, it's a very tragic tale. A boy is attacked in a classroom by a mysterious Red Man; all his classmates are killed, but he's left alive. He's charged with their murder, and sent to live out the rest of his life in Deadman Wonderland, a combination amusement park/detention facility.

Death Note - A small booklet that gives its holder to kill the person whose name they write inside it falls into the hands of Light, a very intelligent young man. This is a very psychological story, a battle of wits that will keep you entertained until the end.

Gamble Fish - a young man on a mission bursts into a very expensive, very exclusive school and challenges anyone to gambling matches. The catch is that every time he wins, the bet doubles. The bets get crazier as time goes on, and it's fun to watch each match get that much bigger.

*Girls of the Wilds - my current favorite manga of all time, GOTW is about a high schooler trying to take care of his siblings when his mom abandoned them. He enters Wilds school, a school that was formerly only for girls, and which teaches fighting of all types. Can he survive surrounded by martial artist girls all around him?

Love Hina - the absolute classic romance harem manga, this should be a must for anyone.

Nowhere Boy - Starting out very weakly and a bit too strangely, many might pass over this Naver masterpiece. Once time moves on, this Manhwa shows it's real energy and it develops the main characters and you see where all the pieces that were set up beforehand come together. Certainly a book worth trying out. It concerns the world's most unhappy boy and the woman in charge of making him happy again before he destroys the world (seriously).

[Mahou Otaku]

(I hope this isn't considered double posting - I ran out of room. Sorry about that!)

One Piece - Luffy wants to be the king of the pirates - but can a boy who can't swim because he's made out of rubber ever become a real pirate?

Pajama na Kanojo - borrowing somewhat from the fable of Sleeping Beauty, a young girl is stuck as a ghost wearing pajamas while her body is in a coma state. Will she ever wake up?

*Rosario to Vampire (Rosario + Vampire) - Another one of my favorites, a boy accidentally goes to a school of monsters. Knowing any humans found there would be immediately killed, he decides to leave the school and not look back...but what happens when he meets a young vampire girl? Will he be able to leave her? Season II really picks up steam, so if you feel season I is slow, you'll love second season.

Sankarea - A young girl fleeing her father ends up almost dying and becomes a zombie.

Shaman King - Tournament style battles with people who channel the power of ghosts.

*Smargs Won't Sing - absolutely phenomenal one-shot about two sisters and creatures called "Smargs" in a fantasy world.

Strawberry 100% (Ichigo 100%) - this manga almost defines the term "love triangle".

Suzuka - the classic tsundere book, a very slice of life-ish romance/harem/ecchi.

*The World God Only Knows - The so called "god of conquests" is Keima Katsuragi, a boy who has captured the hearts of hundreds of girls...in games. Shunning the real world, a misunderstanding leads to Keima making a pact with a devil to hunt down runaway souls. The only thing is, the souls nest inside the hearts of girls where they find gaps (so they can be reborn if the girl gives birth), and the only way to remove the soul is to fill the gap..with love. Can Katsuragi make a real life girl fall in love with him?

Toradora - a kind hearted man who looks like a thug and is shunned because of it...a cute little girl who is actually a raging inferno with a loud mouth... both are judged by their appearance rather than who they are, and find a kind of kinship in it. A slightly offbeat romance story.

Yu Gi Oh -the adventures of Yu Gi as he plays various games against rivals.

Yu Yu Hakusho - There's a young man who is such a delinquent, even the local gangsters fear him. He's the epitome of evil, doing horrible things to people. One day, he's walking down the street, and sees a kid going to get a ball from the middle of the street, and a car heading straight for him - not thinking, he saves the kid, but is killed himself. The gatekeeper to the afterlife says essentially, "Well, we were all set to send you to hell, I mean, you are the exact type of person who would definitely earn a ticket there. But you saved that kid, and we can't send you there after that. So tell you what, you go to earth. You take this egg, and you carry it with you while you carry out tasks. If your soul is good, the egg will hatch into something beautiful and you'll be free to go to heaven. If not, the creature that hatches from this egg will be twisted like your soul, and it will devour you. In that case, there'd be no heaven, no hell, you'll just cease to exist."

I will edit more in as I read them or think of them, and I can provide more detail for any you'd like to know about.

[Bakasama]

So I see a few Korean webtoons but don't see Tower of God, Noblesse, or Trace. That's odd considering those are Korea's most popular webcomics.

I suppose it's safe to post links to the Korean webtoons since those were ment to be read online.

For example, Girls the Wild. Unfortunately, they're in Hangul, so pretty hard to read those.

[Mahou Otaku]

So I see a few Korean webtoons but don't see Tower of God, Noblesse, or Trace. That's odd considering those are Korea's most popular webcomics.

I suppose it's safe to post links to the Korean webtoons since those were ment to be read online.

For example, Girls the Wild. Unfortunately, they're in Hangul, so pretty hard to read those.

Simply because I have yet to read them, no other reason. I can't recommend something I have yet to read, after all.

So many books, so little time.

So far, I have read, and have in my collection:

88 Josei
126 Seinen
52 Shoujo
183 Shounen

Altogether in my collection, I've read 8261 chapters. So believe me, it's not for lack of trying. I think I'll try those next, in fact.

[Bakasama]

Ah, that explains it.

Anyway I think should give you a rough idea what those titles I mentioned are about.

Tower of God: possibly S. Korea's version of One Piece in terms of popularity and praise. A boy follows a girl into a mysterious tower. At the top of the tower you get whatever you want, fame, wealth, power, etc. The series has be often compared to Hunter x Hunter. Also watch out for an awesome mangator.

Noblesse: A vampire wakes after 800 in Seoul and he's totally bewildered about changes to the world he used to know. He ends in a high school which happens to be run by his manservant, Dr. Frankenstein. Destruction of Korean buildings and humor abound.

The series feels like urban fantasy like pre-Soul Society Bleach except it replaces Ichigo with Byakuya or Itachi and the Shimigami with vampires. One of the great things about this title is awesomeness of the word, "KNEEL".

Trace: 30 years ago, people with super powers dubbed, Traces started appearing along with monsters called Troubles. This is title best explained as "Korean X-Men" or "Heroes" that doesn't suck. Also, Mr. Beggar is the best superhero name ever.

One thing I should mention, Korean storytelling seems to slow when compared to Japanese storytelling. The reason I've heard for this is Korean readers apparently like don't stories that move too fast.

[Mahou Otaku]

Ah, that explains it.

Anyway I think should give you a rough idea what those titles I mentioned are about.

Tower of God: possibly S. Korea's version of One Piece in terms of popularity and praise. A boy follows a girl into a mysterious tower. At the top of the tower you get whatever you want, fame, wealth, power, etc. The series has be often compared to Hunter x Hunter. Also watch out for an awesome mangator.

Noblesse: A vampire wakes after 800 in Seoul and he's totally bewildered about changes to the world he used to know. He ends in a high school which happens to be run by his manservant, Dr. Frankenstein. Destruction of Korean buildings and humor abound.

The series feels like urban fantasy like pre-Soul Society Bleach except it replaces Ichigo with Byakuya or Itachi and the Shimigami with vampires. One of the great things about this title is awesomeness of the word, "KEEL".

Trace: 30 years ago, people with super powers dubbed, Traces started appearing along with monsters called Troubles. This is title best explained as "Korean X-Men" or "Heroes" that doesn't suck. Also, Mr. Beggar is the best superhero name ever.

One thing I should mention, Korean storytelling seems to slow when compared to Japanese storytelling. The reason I've heard for this is Korean readers apparently like don't stories that move too fast.

Thanks. If you have any other Manga or Manhwa that are great to read, feel freee to keep them coming. I'm always looking for something good to read as I read so much.

My favorite Naver is definitely Girls of the Wilds. How do you feel about it?

[Bakasama]

Needs more Lee Go-Seul!

[Mahou Otaku]

Needs more Lee Go-Seul!

Hah hah, nice. Crazy how someone that clumsy can be a martial arts expert.

Honestly, it was weird last chapter too see Lee Moon Young with her hair down, so to speak. Well, actually not "so to speak", she literally lets her hair down. I was kind of shocked for a second to see her that way. And Dal Dal's reaction was, of course, hilarious. They act like siblings.

[Bakasama]

Yeah, Go-Seul is a bit clumsy and a ditz but according to her older sister, she's hinted to be more powerful than Dal-Dal.

Since you like shounen you check out The God of High School, it's one of those Korea webcomics I've seen that's feels like fighting shounen. One of the main character reminds a lot like Luffy. Other characters are one a former jjang and swordswoman.

There was another title similar to this I'm trying to find. It's about a lazy manhwaga with gets into a lot of debt. So how does he try to get out of it? He becomes a MMA fighter.

[teddyeatsyourface]

If I may recommend a few? :)

Lessa(Manhwa)- A Story about a demon hunter named Rano, who is trying to find his sister. Along the way he finds a person who has the same teeth structures as demons. yet is not affected by sunlight. This person is named, Lessa, who seems to remember who Rano is, but Rano does not remember who he is. Rano only dreams of this person, what are the connections between these two. Original webcomic


Blood Lad (Manga)- Staz is the vampire boss of a section of the demon world, but he has little interest in human blood. He's more infatuated with Japanese culture. When he learns that Yanagi Fuyumi, a Japanese teenage girl, accidentally wanders into the demon city, he jumps to the occasion. However, while Staz deals with an intruder on his turf, the oblivious Fuyumi is killed by a monster and becomes a wondering ghost. The disappointed Staz vows to her that he will find a way to bring Fuyumi back to life.


Fairy Tail(Manga) - Lucy is a 17-year-old girl, who wants to be a full-fledged mage. One day when visiting Harujion Town, she meets Natsu, a young man who gets sick easily by any type of transportation. But Natsu isnt just any ordinary kid, he's a member of one of the world's most infamous mage guilds: Fairy Tail.

[Mahou Otaku]

Yeah, Go-Seul is a bit clumsy and a ditz but according to her older sister, she's hinted to be more powerful than Dal-Dal.

Since you like shounen you check out The God of High School, it's one of those Korea webcomics I've seen that's feels like fighting shounen. One of the main character reminds a lot like Luffy. Other characters are one a former jjang and swordswoman.

There was another title similar to this I'm trying to find. It's about a lazy manhwaga with gets into a lot of debt. So how does he try to get out of it? He becomes a MMA fighter.

Sounds interesting. Let me know if you find it.

And thanks to your recommedation, I am now caught up with God of High School. Man, that book is killer and addictive. I couldn't stop reading it, and now I'm caught up and waiting for more.

If I may recommend a few? :)

Lessa(Manhwa)- A Story about a demon hunter named Rano, who is trying to find his sister. Along the way he finds a person who has the same teeth structures as demons. yet is not affected by sunlight. This person is named, Lessa, who seems to remember who Rano is, but Rano does not remember who he is. Rano only dreams of this person, what are the connections between these two. Original webcomic


Blood Lad (Manga)- Staz is the vampire boss of a section of the demon world, but he has little interest in human blood. He's more infatuated with Japanese culture. When he learns that Yanagi Fuyumi, a Japanese teenage girl, accidentally wanders into the demon city, he jumps to the occasion. However, while Staz deals with an intruder on his turf, the oblivious Fuyumi is killed by a monster and becomes a wondering ghost. The disappointed Staz vows to her that he will find a way to bring Fuyumi back to life.


Fairy Tail(Manga) - Lucy is a 17-year-old girl, who wants to be a full-fledged mage. One day when visiting Harujion Town, she meets Natsu, a young man who gets sick easily by any type of transportation. But Natsu isnt just any ordinary kid, he's a member of one of the world's most infamous mage guilds: Fairy Tail.

Please do, and thanks for the list.

Though myself, I'm afraid I stay away from most vampire books, I hate to say. Actually, there's only one vampire book I am reading, Orange Marmalade, I haven't found any others that are worthwhile.

[teddyeatsyourface]

I tend to stay away from Vampire books myself, but Blood Lad has a great mix of supernatural creatures and it helps that the characters are really fun and interesting.

If you ever decide to try another "Vampire" manga, then I would totally suggest that one. :)

[Mahou Otaku]

I tend to stay away from Vampire books myself, but Blood Lad has a great mix of supernatural creatures and it helps that the characters are really fun and interesting.

If you ever decide to try another "Vampire" manga, then I would totally suggest that one. :)

I'll give it a try. I don't mind trying a chapter or two of anything, it doesn't hurt anything.

As soon as I try it, I'll post my reaction here.

[Bakasama]

Annarasumanara

Hey, I know that of author/artist, HA Il-kwon, did two more webtoons. One is My Heart is Beating and the other is God of Bath.

My Heart is Beating is about a high school student with a swimsuit fetish who gets caught peeping and gets forced to join a girls' water polo team. It one of the few Korean webcomics I've seen translated for Japan. It just has new black & white art to replace the original color art.

God of Bath is about a young man who gets himself in a lot of debt but gets saved by the owner of a bath house and pay of that debt of being saved from a loan shark, he has to train to be a ttaemiri (a guy who scrubs dead skin off bathers).

If you know anything about the author's previous works, they a lot more interesting than how I described them.

[Badou]

Blood Lad is getting an anime adaptation so if you were looking for more anime to watch then that might be one for you to look out for. Very nice mix of action and comedy.

Also you should check out Psyren. It is very much in the same vein as a lot of the other series you have read and it is actually one of my favorites in recent years. Deals with time travel, psychic powers and has a lot of interesting concepts.