My Top 10 Japanese Comics I Read This Year (Flying Under the Radar).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it becomes a challenge to keep up with every significant title. Inevitably, the most popular series get all the attention, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures waiting to be discovered.

One of the greatest joys for fans of the medium is finding a hidden series amidst the weekly releases and spreading the word to friends. Here are some of the finest under-the-radar manga I've discovered recently, along with explanations for why they're deserving of your time ahead of the curve.

Some of these series have not yet reached a large audience, notably because they are without anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to where they're available. However, suggesting any of these will earn you some serious bragging rights.

10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero

• Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. Comics are often fun, and that's perfectly fine. I admit that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While The Plain Salary Man doesn't fully fit the genre, it embraces familiar conventions, including an unbeatable hero and a game-influenced setting. The charm, however, stems from the protagonist. Keita Sato is your typical overworked Japanese corporate man who vents his stress by entering fantastical portals that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to defeat foes. He has no interest in treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to keep his hobby secret, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

There might be better isekai series, but this is a rare example from a top company, and thus readily accessible to international audiences via a free service. For easy reading, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're looking for a short, lighthearted escape, The Plain Salary Man is an excellent option.

9. Nito's Exorcists

• Author: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the genre's overpopularity, but my opinion was altered this year. It recalls the strongest aspects of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its ominous tone, stylized art, and shocking ferocity. I stumbled upon it accidentally and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a powerful exorcist who kills evil spirits in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than aiding his quest for revenge. The storyline appears straightforward, but the character development is subtle and refined, and the visual contrast between the absurd look of the enemies and the gory combat is an effective bonus. This is a series with great promise to become a hit — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

• Artist: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on the series is spectacular, detailed, and one-of-a-kind. The plot remains within of typical hero's journey beats, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a working-class district where people and animal-human hybrids live together.

The villains, called Maga, are born from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga wields magic reflecting the manner of death: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, one who died from self-harm induces hemorrhaging, and so on. It's a disturbing but creative twist that provides substance to these antagonists. This series might become a major title, but it's limited due to its monthly schedule. Since its debut, only a handful of volumes have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

7. The Call of War: A Bugle's Song

• Creators: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the common conflict theme from a fresh perspective for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it depicts large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—individuals possessing a unique special power. Luca's ability lets him transform noise into illumination, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a cruel mercenary band to become a formidable commander, fighting with the hope of one day stepping away.

The backdrop is a little plain, and the inclusion of futuristic tech feels forced at times, but The Bugle Call still delivered bleak developments and shocking story pivots. It's a sophisticated series with a collection of odd personalities, an engaging magic framework, and an pleasing blend of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Author: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its small claws is a unique cure for his aches. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you