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

With the world of manga growing more vast by the day, it's increasingly difficult to discover every noteworthy title. As always, the biggest series capture the spotlight, yet a treasure trove exists of hidden gems ripe for exploration.

One of the greatest joys for fans of the medium is finding a mostly obscure series amidst the weekly releases and spreading the word to friends. Here are some of the best lesser-known manga I've enjoyed this past year, along with reasons why they're deserving of your time prior to a potential boom.

A few of these titles lack a large audience, especially as they haven't received anime adaptations. A few are trickier to read due to their publishing platforms. Sharing any of these provides 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

I know, it's an unusual starting point, but hear me out. The medium embraces absurdity, and that's perfectly fine. I confess that fantasy escapism is my comfort read. While The Plain Salary Man isn't strictly an isekai, it follows many of the same tropes, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a RPG-like world structure. The charm, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who vents his stress by entering fantastical portals that appeared in the world, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. He doesn't care about treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, 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 conveniently readable to international audiences on a digital platform. Regarding online access, this publisher sets the standard, and if you're looking for a short, lighthearted escape, the series is a great choice.

9. The Nito Exorcists

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

Ordinarily, the word "exorcist" in a manga title makes me hesitant due to the saturated market, but my opinion was altered this year. The Nito Exorcists evokes the best parts of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, unique visuals, and sudden violence. I stumbled upon it accidentally and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who eliminates cursed beings in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is focused on his safety than fueling his retribution. The premise sounds simple, but the portrayal of the cast is as delicate as the art, and the artistic dichotomy between the silly appearance of the spirits and the violent battles is a compelling layer. This is a series with great promise to run for a long time — provided it survives.

8. Gokurakugai

• Creator: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on the series is breathtaking, meticulous, and one-of-a-kind. The plot remains within from classic shonen conventions, with individuals with abilities combating monsters (though they're not labeled as exorcists), but the characters are all quirky and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a low-income area where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga wields magic reflecting the circumstances of their end: a hanging victim has the power to choke people, one who ended their own life can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that adds depth to these antagonists. This series could be the next big hit, but it's held back by its slower publication rate. From the beginning, only a limited number of chapters have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

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

• Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This bleak fantasy manga tackles the common conflict theme from a fresh perspective for shonen. Rather than focusing on individual duels, it depicts massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a ruthless soldier group to become a powerful tactician, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The world feels a bit standard, and the inclusion of futuristic tech feels forced at times, but it still provided bleak developments and unexpected plot twists. It's a mature shonen with a collection of odd personalities, an compelling ability ruleset, and an enjoyable mix of military themes and dark fantasy.

6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao

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

A emotionally distant main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its tiny paws 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