A Curated List of 10 Comics I Read This Year (That You've Probably Never Heard Of).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it's increasingly difficult to track every noteworthy title. Inevitably, the mainstream series get all the attention, yet a treasure trove exists of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.

A key pleasure for fans of the medium is finding a mostly obscure series in the sea of new chapters and recommending it to friends. I present of the best lesser-known manga I've enjoyed this past year, along with motivations for they're worth checking out ahead of the curve.

Several entries here are still awaiting a large audience, notably because they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be trickier to read due to where they're available. But recommending any of these provides some impressive fan credentials.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Creators: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

I know, it's an unusual starting point, but bear with me. Manga can be silly, and it's part of the charm. I'll acknowledge that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While the title diverges from the template, it embraces familiar conventions, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a game-influenced setting. The appeal, however, is found in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who unwinds by entering fantastical portals that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to smash monsters. He doesn't care about treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to maintain his double life, protect his family, and leave the office on time for a change.

More polished fantasies are out there, but this is one of the few released by a leading publisher, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences via a free service. For easy reading, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're in need of a few minutes of silly fun, this manga is an excellent option.

9. The Nito Exorcists

• Creator: Iromi Ichikawa
• Released by: 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 evokes the best parts of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its creepy atmosphere, stylized art, and sudden violence. I started reading it by chance and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who kills evil spirits in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's joined by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is focused on his safety than fueling his retribution. The plot may seem basic, but the treatment of the characters is subtle and refined, and the visual contrast between the silly appearance of the spirits and the gory combat is an effective bonus. This is a series with the capacity to run for a long time — provided it survives.

8. Gokurakugai

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

If breathtaking art is your priority, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is breathtaking, meticulous, and one-of-a-kind. The story doesn't stray far to traditional battle manga tropes, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, manage the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a poor neighborhood where two species live side-by-side.

The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the circumstances of their end: 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 gives weight to these antagonists. It might become a major title, but it's limited due to its infrequent release pace. Since its debut, only five volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

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

• Creators: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This dark fantasy manga examines the ever-present fight narrative from a fresh perspective for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it presents large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability lets him transform noise into illumination, which helps him command armies on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a cruel mercenary band to become a formidable commander, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The world feels a bit standard, and the insertion of sci-fi elements can seem jarring, but it still provided grim twists and unexpected plot twists. It's a grown-up battle manga with a cast of quirky characters, an engaging magic framework, and an enjoyable mix of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao Becomes a Cat Parent?!

• Author: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A emotionally distant main character who follows the philosophy of Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and subscribes to ends-justify-the-means takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—supposedly since 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