Berserk (Deluxe Edition). It is heavy, expensive, and the greatest dark fantasy ever written. Just be prepared for "The Eclipse." We don't talk about The Eclipse. Your Turn What are you currently watching or reading? Have you been burned by a bad anime adaptation of a good manga? Or are you an anime-only fan afraid of the "right-to-left" formatting? Let me know in the comments—I’m always looking for my next recommendation.

is the action manga you should be reading before the anime drops. It follows a retired, overweight convenience store owner who used to be the world’s greatest hitman. The fights are John Wick level choreography applied to absurd situations (fighting with a ladle, dodging bullets on a Tokyo tram). The upcoming anime has a high bar to clear because the manga’s linework is already cinematic. Shifting Gears: Isekai, Rom-Coms, and Psychological Thrillers Not everything needs a sword fight every three pages.

is the current king of shonen. While the animation by Studio MAPPA is fluid enough to make your eyes bleed (in a good way), the manga by Gege Akutami is a different, grittier beast. If you watch the anime for the fight choreography, read the manga for the existential dread and clever power system. The "Shibuya Incident" arc is a masterclass in how to escalate tension on the page.

Happy binging

took the world by storm last year, and for good reason. If you think anime is just fighting and screaming, watch this. Set in a fictional imperial court, it follows Maomao, a former apothecary turned poison tester. It is House meets Imperial China with a splash of detective noir. The manga has two different adaptations (one for Shonen, one for Seinen), both excellent, but the anime’s art direction is gorgeous.

For (transported to another world) fatigue, skip the generic ones and go straight to Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation . It is controversial due to its protagonist, but it is undeniably the most well-produced anime fantasy epic in a decade. If you want a subversion of the genre, read The Eminence in Shadow —it is a parody where the main character is so delusional that he accidentally becomes a god.

Kagurabachi . What started as a meme became a genuine hit. It is a revenge story about enchanted swords in 90s Japan. It is lean, mean, and has some of the coolest paneling since Chainsaw Man .

There has never been a better time to be an anime fan. With every season bringing a flood of new titles, and back-catalogs becoming more accessible than ever, the barrier to entry is lower than ever. But for every Jujutsu Kaisen blowing up on TikTok, there is a hidden gem manga sitting unread on a bookstore shelf.