Every December, the Japanese magazine Kono Manga Ga Sugoi (which literally translates as “This Manga is Great”) publishes a ranking of the 100 hottest manga of the year. They’re actually ranked in two separates lists: 50 titles targeted at male readers, and 50 titles for female readers. But don’t worry, you’re allowed to – and you should – be interested in works presented in both lists! The ranking usually consists of a mix of the year’s best-sellers and newly published indie titles, but most often it showcases the next big things to come.
For example, Attack on Titan ranked 1st in 2010, and Spy Family took the crown in 2019 with only 2 volumes published at the time. While a lot of the titles introduced have not been translated into English, yet – or any other language for that matter – they do provide us with an insight as to what may become available worldwide in upcoming years. So, let’s late dive into the Kono Manga Ga Sugoi 2024 Top Ten Manga, to help you decide what you should keep on your radar.
10. Journal With Witch
by Tomoko Yamashita / Published by Sodansha
The tale of a shy novelist and her sister’s orphaned child living together.
At the funeral of her older sister, 35 years old Makio can’t overlook the fact that her 15 years old niece, Asa, is being passed around among relatives. She decides to take her in on the spur of the moment, despite her natural shyness. The morning after getting home, she’s quickly reminded how unsuited she is for living with someone else. However, Asa welcomes life with her aunt, an adult who doesn’t behave like one.
9. Dear Shimazaki in the Peaceful Land
by Goten Hamada & Takeshi Seshimo / Published by Kodansha
The action-filled tale of a former-soldier hoping for a normal life.
Abducted by an international terrorist organization as a child and turned into a combatant, Shingo Shimazaki finally escapes after 30 years and returns to his hometown in Japan. He finds work there in a local café and also as a manga assistant, but will he manage to live a peaceful life in this new environment?
8. Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?
by Asami Rito / Published by Kodansha
A shocking thriller about the daughter of an ex-cop killed on Christmas Eve.
Komugi’s father, a former police officer, is killed on the eve of Christmas. The suspect is apprehended and therefore the case is closed. But events are set in motion again the day Komugi opens a letter that her father left for her. It contains a list of persons and a message from her father claiming that if any name on the list was to be charged with a crime that would be a false accusation. On that list, there’s the name of her father’s killer…
7. Thunder 3
by Yuki Ikeda / Published by Kodansha
A groundbreaking sci-fi adventure that is sure to amaze the entire world!
Pyontaro, Hiroshi and Tsubame are a trio of teenagers nicknamed “The Small 3” in their junior high. One day, they find a mysterious disc in Pyontaro’s home. When they play it, a doorway to another world opens up, and Pyontaro’s younger sister Futaba goes through it. Now, they have to follow her…
6.Iyahaya Atami-kun (“Oh Dear! Atami-kun”)
by Asa Tanuma / Published by Kadokawa
The love life of an irresistible young man who prefers men.
Atami is a high school student blessed with such a handsome face that girls confess their love to him almost every day. But Atami likes men. And he often falls in love. While he still hasn’t got over the boy who rejected him in the past, he starts to develop feelings for one of his seniors…
5. Kanda Gokura-cho Shokunin Banashi (“Kanda Kogura-cho Craftsmen’s stories”)
by Akihito Sakaue / Published by Leed Publishing
A collection of historical shorts depicting Japanese traditional handicrafts with overwhelming details.
Set during the Edo period (1603-1868) in the district of Kanda Gokura-cho, where the spirit of “Edokko” – the people born and raised in the traditional Tokyo – is particularly strong, this amazing work of art depicts various Japanese craftsmen. A barrel maker, a swordsmith and even a tatami mat maker earnestly face traditional handicrafts with only their own skills and willpower.
4. Ki ni Natteru Hito wa Otoko Janakatta (“The Person I’m interested in isn’t a Man”)
by Sumiko Arai / Published by Kadokawa
A love story between two women that garnered a lot of internet attention.
Aya is a high school girl who’s having a huge crush on a mysterious young “guy” working at the CD shop. He has great taste in music and, while he’s always wearing a mask, she finds him so attractive. What she doesn’t know is that he’s actually Mitsuki, an inconspicuous girl from her class to whom she never paid any attention before.
3. Daemons of the Shadow Realm
by Hiromu Arakawa / Published by Square Enix (in Japan and the US)
The newest series from Hiromu Arakawa, the author of the renowned Full Metal Alchemist.
Yuru is a small boy who lives in a village deep inside the mountains, where he hunts wild birds and lives a peaceful life in the rich surrounding nature. However, for some mysterious reason, his twin sister Asa is imprisoned in a jail inside the village to “perform her duty”. What is the secret concealed in this tranquil hamlet basked in unnatural mystery?
2. Umibe no Stobu Oshiro Kogani Tanpenshu (“The Stove by the Sea” – A Collection of Short Stories)
by Kogani Oshiro / Published by Leed Publishing
Seven bittersweet short stories depicting scenes of ordinary life scattered with extraordinary elements.
Sumio is a young man who always had the same stove by his side since he started living alone. A week after his girlfriend left him, the stove can’t stand seeing Sumio pitying himself any longer and starts talking to him…
“The Stove by the Sea” is only the first story of this collection of moving and curious tales.
1. The Days of Diamond
by Hirai Oohashi / Published by Shueisha
A baseball coming-of-age drama about a prodigy and the people around him.
Athletically-gifted Jiro Ayasegawa is so good at sports that he feels alienated. People lose every game to him, and some others give up on their dreams. While he’s struggling with that loneliness, he comes across the Bambies, a youth baseball team whose motto is “having fun”. Jiro finally learns to enjoy playing baseball with everybody, until something drastically changes everything…
The question is which will be the first one translated into anime?
I would say Daemons of the Shadow Realm as the author previous works have all been adapted into anime and it’s already being published in the US too. But even though they’ll never make it outside of the Japanese market, a lot of these titles may get a movie or TV adapatation (with real actors).
I would say Daemons of the Shadow realm because most of the author’s previous works have been made into anime. But even though they’ll never make it out of the Japanese market, a lot of thoses titles will probably get a movie or TV adaptation.
I would say Daemons of the Shadow Realm because most of the author’s previous works have been made into anime before. But even though they’ll never make it outside of the Japanese market, a lot of those titles will probably get a live-action movie or TV show.