Three Staff Members’ Unique Manga Recommendations

Last Updated on 2026-01-17 by a-indie

Hello! This is the A-indie editorial team.

Following our previous talk about “ささやかな楽しみ” , this time yabori (moderator), Takita, and Maririn gathered together.

The theme is “manga we want to recommend right now.”

When music lovers gather, their manga tastes also have a unique twist, don’t they?

From “classics” to “hot new releases,” and even “inexplicable bizarre works (!?).” We bring you a manga discussion where each person’s individuality explodes.

A new addition to your reading list is guaranteed!

Participants: yabori (moderator), Takita, Maririn　Illustration: フリダシ太郎

Manga the Staff Recommends: “Must-Read Now”

yabori

Today I want to talk about manga we want to recommend, which we mentioned before. Since Maririn brought this up, I thought we’d have Maririn go first.

I was thinking I’d decide what to share after seeing what everyone else has.

まりりん

yabori

Oh really! Then Takita, want to go first?

Recently, the one I’ve been hooked on is a manga called 『ありす、宇宙までも』.

滝田

『ありす、宇宙までも』

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『ありす、宇宙までも』 here

yabori

Never heard of it!

It’s written with the kanji for “universe” but read as “doko” (where). At first I thought the art style might not be for me, but when I read it, it was incredibly interesting. The story deals with what’s called “semilingual,” a term I learned for the first time from this manga.

滝田

yabori

What’s “semilingual”?

When a child receives bilingual education and ends up being half-proficient in both languages, they’re called “semilingual.” It means they can’t speak either Japanese or English properly. The protagonist is a middle school girl in this semilingual situation. She’s beautiful and athletic so she’s popular, but her Japanese is awkward and strange, so people think she’s weird. She’s convinced herself that she’s not smart, that she’s a bad student.

滝田

yabori

I see.

She meets a very intelligent boy who tells her she’s not a bad student, she’s what’s called “semilingual.” Starting from the shocking realization that “I’m not a bad child,” various things happen and she ends up aiming to become an astronaut.

滝田

yabori

Maririn, do you know this manga?

I know it. The serialization just started relatively recently, but it’s had great reviews from the beginning.

まりりん

Yes, exactly. That’s why I decided to try reading it, and I got hooked.

滝田

yabori

So Maririn, you’ve been following this manga all along.

To be honest, I haven’t read it yet. I know for sure it’s good, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

まりりん

yabori

The art style alone does seem like it would be selective about readers, but is the content that interesting?

Yes. Because I had that gap of thinking “the art might not be for me, but let me try reading it,” I ended up getting even more hooked. The story is also a success story, so it’s easy to get into right away. Only five volumes have been released so far, but from volume 1 I thought “ah, this is interesting.”

滝田

yabori

Where is this manga serialized?

Spirits (Weekly Big Comic Spirits).

滝田

yabori

Ah, it’s serialized in Spirits. What else is running in Spirits now?

『おやすみプンプン』 used to run there, right?

滝田

『ダンス・ダンス・ダンスール』 is currently running in Spirits.

まりりん

Right. Also 『九条の大罪』. The most famous one is 『土竜の唄』.

滝田

yabori

The one that ran 『土竜の唄』. I see.

Also 『ひらやすみ』.

まりりん

Ah, I like 『ひらやすみ』.

滝田

You seem like you’d like it, Takita.

まりりん

Yes, the setting is Asagaya, which is next to where I live. The drama was also good, the one on NHK.

滝田

yabori

I see.

A Suspense Mystery Manga from the Cold War Era

yabori

Alright, let’s move on. We’ll save Maririn for last. The one I want to recommend most is Naoki Urasawa’s 『MONSTER』. Have either of you read it?

『MONSTER』

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『MONSTER』 here

I watched the anime. I haven’t read the manga.

まりりん

I haven’t read it either.

滝田

yabori

Really. I learned about 『MONSTER』 in high school from someone who was incredibly knowledgeable about manga. He said there was this incredibly interesting manga. I asked “What is it? Tell me,” but he said “It’s so incredibly good, I can’t just tell you that easily.” On the third time asking, he finally said “It’s by Naoki Urasawa, called 『MONSTER』.”

He finally told you on the third time.

まりりん

yabori

Yes. So, 『MONSTER』 is about Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The protagonist is an incredibly talented doctor who saves a certain child. But that person grows up to become a dangerous serial killer. Since the doctor saved him, he feels he has to go kill him himself.

I see.

滝田

yabori

What makes that manga interesting is that the serial killer’s name is Johan. He appears in person, but there’s almost no information about him. Various people speak about Johan in fragments, and you gradually learn “this is what kind of person he is.” The way the mystery is scattered throughout is incredibly well done.

It’s definitely a masterpiece. It’s a manga whose name has remained for a long time.

滝田

yabori

Isn’t 『20世紀少年』 more famous?

That’s true. For me, it’s in the same class as Osamu Tezuka’s manga, so conversely it feels hard to approach.

滝田

yabori

Ah, I see. Naoki Urasawa also wrote 『PLUTO』 based on Osamu Tezuka’s work.

Yes. 『MONSTER』 has a different, high-class feeling compared to other manga.

滝田

yabori

Really? That manga has a high-class feel?

To use a music analogy, it’s like the Beatles.

滝田

Isn’t it more like the distance of something your friend’s parents owned when you were a kid?

まりりん

Ah, that’s true.

滝田

It’s not your friend’s manga. It’s like seeing it lined up on your friend’s parent’s bookshelf. 『AKIRA』 is probably like that too.

まりりん

yabori

Ah, like 『AKIRA』.

『AKIRA』 was made into a film and featured in culture magazines, so there are more opportunities to encounter it, making it easier to approach. Naoki Urasawa’s works don’t really have that.

まりりん

yabori

Ah, I see what you mean.

You know about it, but opportunities to actually encounter it might be surprisingly difficult.

まりりん

How should I put it, there’s a feeling of “it would be inappropriate to casually discuss it with shallow knowledge…” For me, since a friend introduced me to it, I didn’t feel the barrier was that high. But isn’t 『20世紀少年』 easier to get into?

滝田

Maybe because 『20世紀少年』 became a topic with its live-action film.

まりりん

yabori

I see. Maybe it’s like Pink Floyd.

Yes. That fits best.

滝田

yabori

Pink Floyd varies quite a bit by album, so the barrier for where to start is quite high at first. That aspect can change quite a bit depending on someone’s introduction.

Really, timing and that kind of opportunity is necessary.

滝田

The Outlier of Exile-Type Light Novel Comic Adaptations

yabori

So now, I’d like to hear Maririn’s story. Did you have several candidates, Maririn?

There are so many manga I want to recommend I could die, so I was thinking which one to choose from those.

まりりん

yabori

So after hearing what we talked about, is there a manga you want to recommend?

Should I go with something you two would like, or something you’d probably never encounter unless I recommend it here? Which would be better?

まりりん

yabori

The one we’d never encounter might be more interesting!

Okay then, um, this one. 『追放された・・・魔術師は・・・セカンドライフを・・・する』.

まりりん

yabori

Huh, what!? Say that again (laughs).

『追放されたチート付与魔術師は気ままなセカンドライフを謳歌する』. It’s called “チート付与” for short.

まりりん

『追放されたチート付与魔術師は気ままなセカンドライフを謳歌する。』

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『追放されたチート付与魔術師は気ままなセカンドライフを謳歌する』 here

yabori

What an amazing title. Can’t remember it in one go (laughs).

In one word, it’s a seriously incredibly weird manga.

まりりん

yabori

What do you mean (laughs)?

Well, it’s a light novel comic adaptation.

まりりん

yabori

Ah, a manga based on a light novel?

Yes. Originally it was a web novel serialized on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō” with the same title, and it’s a comic adaptation of the novel. But basically, what happens in the comic adaptation isn’t in the original.

まりりん

yabori

What do you mean?

Everything except the character names is different from the start.

まりりん

yabori

Ah, so the content is completely different from the original?

Well, it follows it somewhat at the beginning, but basically the interesting parts in the manga aren’t in the original.

まりりん

yabori

Really (laughs).

Yes. And the art is drawn in a pretty unskilled style. It was talked about initially, but gradually it becomes interesting as an ability battle manga.

まりりん

yabori

I see.

And now, of course the main characters’ story is interesting, but the little stories about supporting characters are also seriously incredibly good. But there are also occasionally seriously bizarre gags thrown in. No matter how many good stories there are, they’re still not in the original novel, so it’s really a weird manga.

まりりん

yabori

『ドラゴンボール』 also started as a gag manga and became a battle manga. Is the image something like that?

Basically yes, but it’s always bizarre.

まりりん

yabori

Even when it becomes a battle manga, it’s still bizarre? It’s bizarre throughout (laughs).

It’s really interesting as a manga and has good stories occasionally, but after thinking “wow, this is a good story,” on the next page there’s a tuna crying its eyes out.

まりりん

yabori

What?

When you defeat a dragon it drops a submachine gun, and the guild master next door is clearly a nouveau riche black company president.

まりりん

yabori

What? Really… like the world is just wrong?

Exactly. The guild master of the protagonist’s guild goes to pachinko.

まりりん

yabori

Is it absurdist comedy?

Well yes. But it’s really interesting, like “why is this so incomprehensible yet so entertaining?” I’m looking forward to each update while being confused.

まりりん

yabori

Takita, this is your first time hearing about this too, right?

Yes. It’s my first time.

滝田

yabori

Where is this serialized?

Monthly Shōnen Magazine R. It appears to be in print. I basically read it on the Comic Days app.

まりりん

yabori

You read it on the app!

Yes. I don’t particularly enjoy isekai reincarnation stories either, but it became a topic for “basically not being in the original. What is this manga?” so I tried reading it and it was incredibly interesting.

まりりん

yabori

I see. So Maririn, what manga would “the one you two would like” be?

Since you were talking about Spirits earlier, and 『MONSTER』 was about East and West Germany, there are two—manga by an author named 宮下暁: 『東独にいた』 and 『ROPPEN-六篇-』. This person’s art isn’t particularly skilled either.

まりりん

yabori

I don’t know either of those manga. I just searched and they came up!

This person is good at depicting battles, and the double-page spreads are incredibly cool! I really like the story of 『東独にいた』, but it’s on hiatus now and they’re serializing 『六篇』 in Spirits.

まりりん

yabori

Takita, did you know about these?

I didn’t know.

滝田

『東独にいた』 is about a man and woman who meet as ordinary people in the city, but actually they’re spies from West and East Germany respectively. They’re also specially enhanced people, so their physical strength is incredibly powerful. It’s about enhanced humans fighting.

まりりん

『東独にいた』

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『東独にいた』 here

yabori

I see. Stories from that era do tend to be like that—incredibly powerful people appearing.

It’s fantasy-leaning, and probably not aligned with reality, but I like the balance between the cool battles and subtle human emotions. Also, suspicious people are seriously suspicious, which works well.

まりりん

yabori

A characteristic of that era.

In 宮下暁’s manga, you instantly know when a dangerous-looking person appears.

まりりん

yabori

Is 『六篇』 a story set in Japan?

Yes. It’s a manga about assassins battling over an inheritance.

まりりん

『ROPPEN-六篇-』

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『ROPPEN-六篇-』 here

yabori

I see. Maririn, do you have characteristics you like in manga? Like the double-page spreads you mentioned earlier.

No, it probably varies widely. There are several categories of “I like this aspect of this manga,” but lately I’ve realized I like weird manga. My favorites are 水城せとな and 沙村広明.

まりりん

yabori

The other day you were talking about 『ボボボーボ・ボーボボ』 on X.

I really love 『ボボボーボ・ボーボボ』.

まりりん

yabori

The “チート付与魔術師” story feels like 『ボボボーボ・ボーボボ』.

Maybe so. It’s not as absurdist as 『ボボボーボ・ボーボボ』, but it’s more surreal, and occasionally good stories are included.

まりりん

yabori

Ah, 『ボボボーボ・ボーボボ』 doesn’t include good stories (laughs). Takita, do you have any aspects you like in manga? Something you consistently like.

Ah, but maybe I don’t have consistency.

滝田

yabori

Like liking the art.

Consistency is difficult. What I’m reading now varies quite a bit in genre. I like 『葬送のフリーレン』, and in Jump there’s 『あかね噺』. Also 『スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり』.

滝田

『スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり』 is good.

まりりん

Right. I also like battle series like 『カグラバチ』 and probably upcoming Jump titles. Thinking about it that way, maybe I don’t have consistency in what I like.

滝田

yabori

In my case, I haven’t read manga much recently, but when I was reading the most, the trend in manga I liked was ones where the plot was unpredictable. 『MONSTER』 is like that, but I also really loved 『DEATH NOTE』. So, ones where you don’t know what will happen are more interesting. When reading manga, there are ones where you can predict the future development early on. I might not enjoy those.

I also quite like being betrayed.

滝田

yabori

How about you, Maririn?

I might not think about it much. I might not predict ahead when reading. When I can predict, if it goes as predicted I’m happy, and if I can’t predict and it’s the opposite, I might be disappointed.

まりりん

yabori

I see.

So I might not care about plot development. By the way, since people might think I like weird manga based on what I’m introducing, let me say my favorite manga artists are 水城せとな (representative work: 『脳内ポイズンベリー』) and 沙村広明 (representative work: 『無限の住人』)!

まりりん

Editorial Note

So there you have it, three completely different manga discussions.

Even in manga conversations, from Naoki Urasawa’s 『MONSTER』, to 売野機子’s 『ありす、宇宙までも』, to the comic adaptation that mostly ignores the original 『追放されたチート付与魔術師は気ままなセカンドライフを謳歌する』.

We really have three different kinds of “favorites,” so what kind of chemical reactions will we create going forward?

If any work caught your interest, please check it out!

List of Works Introduced Today

Takita: 『ありす、宇宙までも』 (売野機子, Shogakukan)

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『ありす、宇宙までも』 here

yabori: 『MONSTER』 (浦沢直樹, Shogakukan)

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『MONSTER』 here

Maririn: 『追放されたチート付与魔術師は気ままなセカンドライフを謳歌する。』 (Manga: 業務用餅, Original: 六志麻あさ, Kodansha)

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『追放されたチート付与魔術師は気ままなセカンドライフを謳歌する』 here

Maririn: 『東独にいた』 (宮下暁, Kodansha)

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『東独にいた』 here

Maririn: 『ROPPEN-六篇-』 (宮下暁, Shogakukan)

See on Amazon Read chapter 1 of 『ROPPEN-六篇-』 here

A-indie Editorial Team

A music-specialized media focusing on indie rock from Japan, the US, Europe, and Asia. Published 26 issues of the music magazine “BELONG Magazine” themed around “roots rock.”

In 2021, appeared as guest on J-WAVE’s SONAR MUSIC. In 2022, launched English sister site A-indie.

The editorial team members’ main nutrition source is shoegaze and dream pop.