Manga Reading Recap: First Half Of 2025
- Meg Marshall
- Jul 15, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
I only got into manga in the past year. It was always something I knew about, but never actually picked up. Then Jujutsu Kaisen crashed into my life full force, and suddenly I found myself in wayyy too deep. What started as an excitement about the anime transformed into (what my mom would likely believe is) a literal addiction.
I'm constantly on the hunt for new worlds to dive into and protagonists to root for. Manga is ridiculously bingeable, whether it's action-packed fantasy or lowkey romance. Before you know it, you've knocked out ten volumes. And if you're someone who watches anime, I highly recommend checking out the source material, because there's so much depth and storytelling you may be missing out on.
This recap isn't a list of everything I've been reading. After all, if I added in the carryovers from 2024 or the ones I'm still catching up on, this post would be twice as long. So, read on to find out some of my recs, and take some time to drop yours in the comments! For anyone who missed it, I also have a book recap that I encourage you to take a peek at.
Manga I Completed This Year
These are the stories I dove into and made it to the end. Now, one of the hardest parts about reading manga is when a series gets canceled before the story is truly finished. But even though three out of the four listed here were cut short, each still managed to wrap up in, what I believe to be, a really satisfying way.
Mission Yozakura Family by Hitsuji Gondaira
A shy high school boy has one friend, and that friend (a girl friend, at that) has a terrifying older brother who decides he's a threat. The only way to stay alive is to, naturally, marry her—and ultimately end up in a family full of spies and be expected to train as one himself. If you like action-packed, comedic plots with a fun cast of characters and the adorableness of young love, check it out!
Black Torch by Tsuyoshi Takaki
When a boy who has been able to talk to animals his whole life meets a mysterious black cat, he doesn't expect to be dragged into a supernatural war. Or gain powers from the cat in question that throw him into life-threatening danger. A short but well-executed story, this takes you through the world of ninja and powerful spirits, offering a great spin on classic tropes that'll make you want to zip through it.
Beat & Motion by Naoki Fujita
Are you someone who had a dream early in life, only to have it crushed by society, and then had to struggle your way out of the pit of despair to get your confidence back? That's what this manga is all about, with a boy who once dreamed of becoming an animator putting his art on the back burner until an encounter with the girl who would change everything. A collaboration with his favorite indie musician becomes a painfully realistic push-and-pull of what it means to follow your creative journey.
Embers by Kei Kurumazaki
This is for anyone who loves a good sports manga with a scrappy underdog. The protagonist is a boy who was once known for never losing a fight, but is introduced by a teacher to a whole new type of brawl. Now, he's battling it out on the soccer field instead of in the school halls, showing what it truly means to tap into our potential and have that be recognized for the first time.
Print Volumes Not Available Yet
Manga I Started This Year
I told you one of the hardest parts, and now we have one of the most fun parts... the waiting game. (Did I say "fun"? I meant, IMMENSELY FRUSTRATING.) These series have been 100% worth the agony of waiting a week to several weeks between releases.
Choujin X by Sui Ishida
For fans of quirky horror, this manga leans hard into the unsettling in all the best ways. It follows a boy who has spent years living in his best friend's shadow—until the night he's attacked by a choujin and turns into one himself. What starts as him needing to hide his new identity and struggling to control his powers, the story goes so much deeper and darker as he discovers the role he really has to play.
Moriarty the Patriot by Ryosuke Takeuchi
We're taking it back to the late 19th century with this excellent twist on Sherlock Holmes. Along with his merry band of morally gray characters, Moriarty is a revolutionary with lofty goals of dismantling the corrupt British class system, one perfect crime at a time. And who but Sherlock can step up to the plate and determine the "hero" behind the deaths of so many men of nobility (who were anything BUT noble)?
Gokurakugai by Yuto Sano
Get thrust into the world of a half-human boy and a badass young woman who founded a business around being troubleshooters. The troubles they're shooting are supernatural monsters that have been causing chaos for years in their district, with something far more sinister lurking below the surface. Although this one has a slower release schedule, you will be eagerly waiting for the next installment to see more of the characters' backstories unfold.
Shinobi Undercover by Ippon Takegushi
What do you get when you combine a hardcore ninja who is considered to be one of the strongest with an anxious personality that keeps them from being able to talk to people? The protagonist of this manga, who suddenly finds himself on a mission to protect a super high school girl alongside other ninja his age. Equal parts funny and heartfelt, this is great for readers seeking a fresh twist on the bodyguard trope.
Print Volumes Not Available Yet
Hima-Ten! by Genki Ono
There's a girl who is the president of her own company despite being a teenager, and a boy who is saving up with his house cleaning side hustle... and another girl and another girl. With high school hormones all over the place, the question remains to this day: who is he going to end up with, and will it be the female protagonist whose home he's contracted out to keep tidy? Check out this silly, sweet rom-com with SOOO many misunderstandings.
Print Volumes Not Available Yet
Magilumiere Magical Girls by Sekka Iwata
In the midst of her growing desperation for a job, a fresh-out-of-college young woman finds herself face-to-face with a monster and, soon thereafter, lands a role where she'll be eliminating those monsters. And it's all done with magic—a finite resource that is created and distributed by insanely talented engineers. Read this for a wonderful startup company that you'll want to see succeed and a fascinating political concept.
Heart Gear by Tsuyoshi Takaki
It's been 200 years since World War III destroyed humanity, and yet, a human baby appears seemingly out of nowhere. Fast forward another decade or so, and that little girl has been raised by her robot caretaker, who is committed to making sure no one hurts her—a mission that's taken on by the new android in their life. This series is all about found family, knowing who to trust, and (on a surprisingly deep level) understanding what it means to be alive.
Happy reading!
~Meg
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