When I was a freshman in high school, one of my friends created a
manga club and asked all of her friends if they would consider going to
it. I had never read manga before, but decided to give it a shot because
my friend was so enthusiastic about it. Some recommendations she gave me
remain some of my favorites to this day. (In case you were wondering,
she suggested
Death
Note,
Yu-Gi-Oh,
and
Fairy
Tail. All still great choices to read.)
I didn’t have much time for extracurricular reading while in college,
but now that I’ve been working at MCLS, I’ve had time to pick up manga
again, and some of the series that have come out are amazing! I have
probably over a dozen series I’d love to recommend; here are some that
are available at the Mercer County Library System:
Firstly, I’d like to suggest
Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK). It’s a
blend of urban fantasy, supernatural horror, and action-adventure. We
follow Japanese high school student Yuji Itadori as he is dragged into
jujutsu society, a hidden community that protects humanity by disposing
of supernatural monsters known as curses - beings that thrive off of
humanity’s negativity.
If JJK seems a little too dark, then my next recommendation is
Apothecary Diaries. It’s based in a fictional version of
medieval China and leans more into mystery and comedic drama. Our
protagonist in this series is Maomao, an apothecary from a red-light
district who gets sold to the Imperial Palace as an indentured servant.
She uses her medical knowledge and love of poisons to solve mysteries
cropping up in the Imperial Palace.
For those looking for something a bit sweeter, I’ll bring your
attention to
A Sign of Affection. It’s a romantic slice-of-life
story about university student Yuki Itose. She was born deaf, but
communicates through a combination of sign language, lip reading, and
writing. We experience life from Yuki’s perspective and get drawn into
her budding relationship with Itsuomi Nagi, a new acquaintance of
hers.
Finally, a fairly humorous series to read is
Spy x Family.
It is an action slice-of-life series that revolves around the Forger
family. Loid Forger is a spy that needs to create a picture-perfect
family as part of his cover for his next mission. Anya, a boisterous
orphan who hides that she is a telepath, and Yor Briar, civil servant by
day and assassin by night, are unwittingly dragged into his assignment.
Even as they each try to keep their secrets, they give it their all to
be the ideal family.
These are all pretty popular manga series that I have enjoyed diving
into, and I hope that one of them catches your eye. Not only are they
all a fantastic read, they have huge fanbases to go along with them if
you’re interested in chatting with people interested in these series’ as
well.
Happy Reading!
Emma R.
West Windsor Branch
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