This is the most popular yearly manga ranking in Japan, so I think it's worth checking out. There are always many great series listed if you're looking for something new (although some series have been going for years). Grabbing series descriptions from MAL and mangaupdates just like last year (or official ones when available).
Male readers' ranking:
1. Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man)
Fujino is a fourth grader who draws a manga strip for the school newspaper. Her art makes her the star of the class, but one day she's told that Kyomoto, a student who refuses to come to school, would also like to submit a manga for the paper...
-Also available on the Shonen Jump app in the west.
2. Chi - Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite by Uoto
The setting is 15th century Europe. It was a time when heretical ideas were being burned at the stake. The protagonist, Rafal, a child prodigy, is expected to major in theology, the most important subject at the time, at the university where he plans to skip a grade. One day, however, a mysterious man appears at Raphau's door, and he is studying a certain "truth" in the midst of heretical thought!
Also ranked #2 in the Manga Taisho Manga Award 2021
3. Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto
Kafka wants to clean up kaiju, but not literally! Will a sudden metamorphosis stand in the way of his dream?
With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he's become one himself?!
4. Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu (former assistant on Fire Punch, Chainsaw Man, and Jigokuraku)
Ken Takakura, a boy who is an occult fanatic that doesn't believe in ghosts, and Momo Ayase, a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, encounter overwhelming strangeness that transcends their mutual understanding...! An occult coming-of-age story!
5. Tokyo Higoro by Taiyo Matsumoto (Ping Pong, Tekkon Kinkreet, Sunny)
A requiem for the anguished, lost, and wandering in life over 50.
With Japan entering a new era, the story centers on Shiosawa, a former manga editor for a major publisher. After going into early retirement, he now finds himself wondering about what the world of manga means to him: is it work, a form of expression, or friendship?
6. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe
Decades after their victory, the funeral of one her friends confronts Frieren with her own near immortality. Frieren sets out to fulfill the last wishes of her comrades and finds herself beginning a new adventure…
Ranked #2 last year and took #1 in this year's Manga Taisho.
7. Oshi no Ko by Aka Akasaka (Kaguya-sama) and Mengo Yokoyari (Scum's Wish)
A doctor and his former patient are reincarnated as their favourite idol's children and they each work to make their way into the entertainment world, following in her footsteps.
8. Trillion Game by Riichiro Inagaki (Dr. Stone)
Two friends Haru and Gaku plot to gain enough money to have anything they desire at any time—a trillion dollars.
9. Peleliu: Rakuen no Guernica by Masao Hiratsuka and Kazuyoshi Takeda
Peleliu - Rakuen no Guernica follows the daily lives of Japanese soldiers taking part in the Battle of Peleliu during World War II: a high-casualty, months-long campaign. The main character, Tamaru, dreams of returning home to become a mangaka, and sees their island outpost as a wild paradise that can one day be used as a setting for one of his stories. Most of his comrades, however, are prepared for the more realistic scenario -- that they will not be leaving Peleliu alive.
10. Daauin Jihen by Shun Umezawa
The terrorist organization known as the Animal Liberation Alliance (ALA) attacked a biological research institute and rescued a pregnant chimpanzee. That chimpanzee gave birth to a "humanzee" (half-human, half-chimpanzee) who was named Charlie. After being raised by human parents for fifteen years, Charlie enters his first year of high school. There, he meets the intelligent but socially misunderstood Lucy.
Female readers' ranking:
1. Umi ga Hashiru End Roll by John Tarachine
Umiko is a 65 year-old woman whose husband had just recently passed away. She went to the movie theater for the first time in decades and there, a shocking life-changing event awaited her. After meeting Kai, a student majoring in film at a nearby arts university, Umiko realised for the first time that she was someone who "wants to shoot movies".
Enticed by the waves that gets her heart clamouring, at the age of 65, Umiko takes a dive into the sea of filmmaking!!
2. Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna by Sakaomi Yuzaki
Nomoto lives alone. While trying to de-stress from work she ends up making far too much food for her to eat. When she remembers Kasuga, her neighbor who loves to eat, and can put a lot away, a friendship – and more – is born!
3. Ōoku by Fumi Yoshinaga
In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...
Won an Excellence Prize at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival and a special prize at The Japanese Association of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy's fifth annual Sense of Gender Awards in 2005.
Won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural the Grand Prize in 2009 and the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award in Girls' Category in 2011. Was nominated for the first annual Manga Taishō in 2008... (it's won many awards!)
4. Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki by Mika Yamamori
Yoi Takiguchi has long legs, a deep voice, and a handsome face… in other words, Yoi is such a good-looking guy that most people don't notice or care that she is, in fact, a girl. Indeed, she's had the nickname "Prince" as long as she can remember. That is, until she met Ichimura-senpai…the only person who's really seemed to see her for herself. To her surprise, she's not sure how to handle this new relationship, especially when her newfound friend is a prince himself (and a guy prince, at that).
5. Onna no Sono no Hoshi by Yama Wayama (Captivated, by You; Karaoke Iko!)
A comedy set in an all-girls school about a language teacher, Hoshi-sensei, and the carefree play that the students involve him in. The story starts when Kayama, a student, delivers the class journal to Hoshi-sensei. As the students play word chain in the form of drawings in the remarks column of the journal, Hoshi-sensei becomes troubled.
Ranked #1 last year
6. Blank Space by Kon Kumakura
Sui, who is able to create invisible "blanks" out of her imagination, is bullied and begins to create a series of deadly weapons. However, when Shoko suggests that she make a boyfriend, she soon becomes obsessed with creating human bodies.
At the same time, strange events begin to occur in the city of Sorayo where they live.
7. Kageki Shoujo!! (sequel to Kageki Shoujo!) by Kumiko Saiki
Ever since she was a little girl, Sarasa has wanted to play the role of Oscar as part of the Kouka Acting Troupe, an all-female acting troupe similar to the Takarazuka Revue. But before she can do that, she has to attend two years at the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. As Sarasa practices singing, dancing, and acting, she grows closer to the other girls in her year, including her roommate, the stoic former J-idol, Ai. Though Sarasa is great at making friends, her outspoken nature and grand ambitions earn her lots of enemies as well. Can Sarasa keep her upbeat attitude and achieve her dream of stardom?
8. Shiawase wa Tabete Nete Mate by Tori Mizunagi
Minomaki Satoko (38) has an Immune system disorder and gets by working a part-time job four times a week. When her doctor recommends that she gets married, Satoko decides instead to move to a low-rent apartment complex! She gets to know her overly caring landlord, Suzu, and her son, Tsukasa, and is healed both physically and mentally by the peaceful atmosphere of the apartment complex...
9. Branch Line by Aoi Ikebe
Aoi Ikebe, the youngest of four sisters, works at an apparel shopping company. The third daughter, Maako, runs a coffee shop. The second daughter, Taishige, works at a government office. The eldest daughter, Ichi, is a single mother. And the mother who takes care of their home. Although they live far away from each other now, the eldest daughter's son, Gaku, raised by five women, is a treasure for all of them.
10. Mystery to Iunakare by Yumi Tamura (7 Seeds)
The story follows mystery-solving college student Kunou Totonou. At the beginning of the story, the police bring him in for questioning on suspicion of murdering his classmate.
Ranked #7 for 2021, #4 for 2020, and #2 for 2019. Nominated for the 12th and 13th Manga Taisho Award (2019-20), 65th Shogakukan Manga Award (2019), and 44th Kodansha Manga Award (2020)
Source:
Last year's rankings:
www.resetera.com
Share your thoughts on any series you've read or are interested in after reading about them.
Male readers' ranking:
1. Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man)
Fujino is a fourth grader who draws a manga strip for the school newspaper. Her art makes her the star of the class, but one day she's told that Kyomoto, a student who refuses to come to school, would also like to submit a manga for the paper...
-Also available on the Shonen Jump app in the west.
2. Chi - Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite by Uoto
The setting is 15th century Europe. It was a time when heretical ideas were being burned at the stake. The protagonist, Rafal, a child prodigy, is expected to major in theology, the most important subject at the time, at the university where he plans to skip a grade. One day, however, a mysterious man appears at Raphau's door, and he is studying a certain "truth" in the midst of heretical thought!
Also ranked #2 in the Manga Taisho Manga Award 2021
3. Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto
Kafka wants to clean up kaiju, but not literally! Will a sudden metamorphosis stand in the way of his dream?
With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he's become one himself?!
4. Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu (former assistant on Fire Punch, Chainsaw Man, and Jigokuraku)
Ken Takakura, a boy who is an occult fanatic that doesn't believe in ghosts, and Momo Ayase, a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, encounter overwhelming strangeness that transcends their mutual understanding...! An occult coming-of-age story!
5. Tokyo Higoro by Taiyo Matsumoto (Ping Pong, Tekkon Kinkreet, Sunny)
A requiem for the anguished, lost, and wandering in life over 50.
With Japan entering a new era, the story centers on Shiosawa, a former manga editor for a major publisher. After going into early retirement, he now finds himself wondering about what the world of manga means to him: is it work, a form of expression, or friendship?
6. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe
Decades after their victory, the funeral of one her friends confronts Frieren with her own near immortality. Frieren sets out to fulfill the last wishes of her comrades and finds herself beginning a new adventure…
Ranked #2 last year and took #1 in this year's Manga Taisho.
7. Oshi no Ko by Aka Akasaka (Kaguya-sama) and Mengo Yokoyari (Scum's Wish)
A doctor and his former patient are reincarnated as their favourite idol's children and they each work to make their way into the entertainment world, following in her footsteps.
8. Trillion Game by Riichiro Inagaki (Dr. Stone)
Two friends Haru and Gaku plot to gain enough money to have anything they desire at any time—a trillion dollars.
9. Peleliu: Rakuen no Guernica by Masao Hiratsuka and Kazuyoshi Takeda
Peleliu - Rakuen no Guernica follows the daily lives of Japanese soldiers taking part in the Battle of Peleliu during World War II: a high-casualty, months-long campaign. The main character, Tamaru, dreams of returning home to become a mangaka, and sees their island outpost as a wild paradise that can one day be used as a setting for one of his stories. Most of his comrades, however, are prepared for the more realistic scenario -- that they will not be leaving Peleliu alive.
10. Daauin Jihen by Shun Umezawa
The terrorist organization known as the Animal Liberation Alliance (ALA) attacked a biological research institute and rescued a pregnant chimpanzee. That chimpanzee gave birth to a "humanzee" (half-human, half-chimpanzee) who was named Charlie. After being raised by human parents for fifteen years, Charlie enters his first year of high school. There, he meets the intelligent but socially misunderstood Lucy.
Female readers' ranking:
1. Umi ga Hashiru End Roll by John Tarachine
Umiko is a 65 year-old woman whose husband had just recently passed away. She went to the movie theater for the first time in decades and there, a shocking life-changing event awaited her. After meeting Kai, a student majoring in film at a nearby arts university, Umiko realised for the first time that she was someone who "wants to shoot movies".
Enticed by the waves that gets her heart clamouring, at the age of 65, Umiko takes a dive into the sea of filmmaking!!
2. Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna by Sakaomi Yuzaki
Nomoto lives alone. While trying to de-stress from work she ends up making far too much food for her to eat. When she remembers Kasuga, her neighbor who loves to eat, and can put a lot away, a friendship – and more – is born!
3. Ōoku by Fumi Yoshinaga
In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...
Won an Excellence Prize at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival and a special prize at The Japanese Association of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy's fifth annual Sense of Gender Awards in 2005.
Won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural the Grand Prize in 2009 and the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award in Girls' Category in 2011. Was nominated for the first annual Manga Taishō in 2008... (it's won many awards!)
4. Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki by Mika Yamamori
Yoi Takiguchi has long legs, a deep voice, and a handsome face… in other words, Yoi is such a good-looking guy that most people don't notice or care that she is, in fact, a girl. Indeed, she's had the nickname "Prince" as long as she can remember. That is, until she met Ichimura-senpai…the only person who's really seemed to see her for herself. To her surprise, she's not sure how to handle this new relationship, especially when her newfound friend is a prince himself (and a guy prince, at that).
5. Onna no Sono no Hoshi by Yama Wayama (Captivated, by You; Karaoke Iko!)
A comedy set in an all-girls school about a language teacher, Hoshi-sensei, and the carefree play that the students involve him in. The story starts when Kayama, a student, delivers the class journal to Hoshi-sensei. As the students play word chain in the form of drawings in the remarks column of the journal, Hoshi-sensei becomes troubled.
Ranked #1 last year
6. Blank Space by Kon Kumakura
Sui, who is able to create invisible "blanks" out of her imagination, is bullied and begins to create a series of deadly weapons. However, when Shoko suggests that she make a boyfriend, she soon becomes obsessed with creating human bodies.
At the same time, strange events begin to occur in the city of Sorayo where they live.
7. Kageki Shoujo!! (sequel to Kageki Shoujo!) by Kumiko Saiki
Ever since she was a little girl, Sarasa has wanted to play the role of Oscar as part of the Kouka Acting Troupe, an all-female acting troupe similar to the Takarazuka Revue. But before she can do that, she has to attend two years at the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. As Sarasa practices singing, dancing, and acting, she grows closer to the other girls in her year, including her roommate, the stoic former J-idol, Ai. Though Sarasa is great at making friends, her outspoken nature and grand ambitions earn her lots of enemies as well. Can Sarasa keep her upbeat attitude and achieve her dream of stardom?
8. Shiawase wa Tabete Nete Mate by Tori Mizunagi
Minomaki Satoko (38) has an Immune system disorder and gets by working a part-time job four times a week. When her doctor recommends that she gets married, Satoko decides instead to move to a low-rent apartment complex! She gets to know her overly caring landlord, Suzu, and her son, Tsukasa, and is healed both physically and mentally by the peaceful atmosphere of the apartment complex...
9. Branch Line by Aoi Ikebe
Aoi Ikebe, the youngest of four sisters, works at an apparel shopping company. The third daughter, Maako, runs a coffee shop. The second daughter, Taishige, works at a government office. The eldest daughter, Ichi, is a single mother. And the mother who takes care of their home. Although they live far away from each other now, the eldest daughter's son, Gaku, raised by five women, is a treasure for all of them.
10. Mystery to Iunakare by Yumi Tamura (7 Seeds)
The story follows mystery-solving college student Kunou Totonou. At the beginning of the story, the police bring him in for questioning on suspicion of murdering his classmate.
Ranked #7 for 2021, #4 for 2020, and #2 for 2019. Nominated for the 12th and 13th Manga Taisho Award (2019-20), 65th Shogakukan Manga Award (2019), and 44th Kodansha Manga Award (2020)
Source:
【2021.12.7更新】『このマンガがすごい！2022』今年のランキングTOP10を大公開!!【公式発表】
吐く息が白くなり、寒さが本格化し始めておりますが、皆様いかがお過ごしでしょうか。 今年ももう12月……。楽しみなイベントが多い時期ではありますが、 1年の締めくくりにふさわし...
konomanga.jp
Last year's rankings:
Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2021 manga rankings announced
This is probably the manga ranking that gets the most attention annually in Japan. Like many "best of" lists, it's a bit of a popularity test, but there are always a few gems, so I've been impatiently waiting all month for this. I'm too lazy to translate all the synopses, so I'm gonna grab them...
www.resetera.com
Share your thoughts on any series you've read or are interested in after reading about them.
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