Hello everyone,
Welcome to Manga Influence, similar to Gaming Influence, but mainly giving my thoughts on certain manga and manga series with some fun mix of manga-related content here.
For this edition of Manga Influence, I'll be ranking my favorite manga in 2023.
Before I start, my rankings will only be based on manga that were either released in 2023 or chapters that were released in 2023. Also, my rankings will not include light novels, manhwa, and manhua. In addition, if your favorite manga in 2023 doesn't make it on my rankings, that doesn't mean I dislike the manga, it's just that I haven't read it or aren't interested in it so keep that in mind.
Anyway, let's get started!
Here are some honorable mentions that I enjoyed, but didn't make it on the list:
Honorable Mentions: Black Clover, Detective Conan, World Trigger, Akane-Banashii, Children of the Whales, Mission: Yozakura Family, Undead Unluck, Witch Watch, Edens Zero, Blue Box, Sakamoto Days, Dandadan, Four Knights of the Apocalypse, The Ancient Magus' Bride, Heavenly Delusion, Blood on the Tracks, Medalist, Delicious in Dungeon, A Bride's Story, Boy's Abyss, Skip and Loafer, Shadows House, A Man & His Cat, March Comes in Like a Lion, Since I Could Die Tomorrow, Dark Gathering, The Yazuka's Bias, Lullaby of the Dawn, Sasaki and Miyano, Choujin X, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, My Dress-Up Darling, Berserk, Hunter x Hunter, To Your Eternity
Okay, time for the opening. Starting off with my favorite manga in 2023 with #20:
One-Punch Man is a Japanese superhero manga series created by One that was originally a webcomic in 2009 before it was serialized in Tonari no Young Jump in June 2012 and is still ongoing.
This year, One-Punch Man has gone from #15 to #20 from my favorite manga of 2022. Granted, it's still an enjoyable manga as it's currently in the Ninjas Arc where the series continues to get interesting and Saitama continues to develop as a character as the story progresses. The reason why this was ranked lower than last year was due to me reading other manga where I feel like they're a lot better compared to One-Punch Man currently. We'll see if One-Punch Man can make me more interested in putting it at a higher rank next year.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #19:
Yofakashi no Uta or Call of the Night in the West is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kotoyoma. It's currently serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since August 2019 and is still ongoing.
This was my #20 most anticipated manga to read this year and after actually reading the manga, I quite enjoy what the manga is all about. This manga is about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ko, who is in their third year of junior high school where he finds himself unable to sleep due to his unsatisfying life. For him to reinvigorate himself, he slips out at night to walk the streets as he's trying to fall in love with Nazuna, a vampire lady, where he tries to become a vampire so he can leave his human life behind. From where I am currently reading the manga is quite interesting too with the chapters that came out this year as I expect it to be more interesting heading into next year as well.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #18:
Boku no Hero Academia or My Hero Academia in the West is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 2014 and it is still ongoing.
This year, My Hero Academia went from #14 to #18 from my favorite manga of 2022. Even though I feel like the manga has improved after the last arc, the manga hasn't reached the same levels as it once was. Granted, it isn't bad or anything like that as it still has some great moments where The Final War Arc is pretty much the final arc of the series. As long as they don't flop the ending of the series, I hope that My Hero Academia ends on a high note with its last arc and we'll see if the manga will officially end or not heading into next year.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #17:
Tongari Bōshi no Atorie or Witch Hat Atelier in the West is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kamone Shirahama. It has currently serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Morning Two magazine since July 2016 and is still ongoing.
This year, Witch Hat Atelier went from #20 to #17 from my favorite manga of 2022. The manga continues to improve from last year as the current story arc that is happening within the series is quite interesting. Coco continues to develop as a character as well so I can see Witch Hat Atelier continue to improve heading into next year as I'm interested to see where Kamone Shirahama goes next within this series.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #16:
The Summer Hikaru Died is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mokumokuren. It was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up in August 2021 and it is still ongoing.
This manga was recommended to me by a friend earlier this year. I decided to give it a try and this manga definitely surprised me when I read it. The manga is about two teenage boys, Yoshiki and Hikaru, who live in a small town in rural Japan. Despite having different personalities and hobbies from one another, they have a pretty close relationship. One day in the summer, Hikaru gets his body snatched by an alien force and Yoshiki never gets to see him again as he has to move on with his life without Hikaru. This manga definitely has emotional aspects here as it has a coming-of-age story where you have to move on despite someone you love being gone. If you're into those types of manga, I would recommend reading this manga as you might get emotional by reading it.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #15:
Mystery to Iu nakare or Do Not Say Mystery in the West is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yumi Tamura. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Monthly Flowers in November 2017 and it is still ongoing.
This year, Do Not Say Mystery went from #7 to #15 from my favorite manga of 2022. As I mentioned in My Favorite Manga of 2022, this manga series is still not localized in the West, but despite that, I like my mysteries and psychological thrillers and this manga gave me just that. Despite that, there were other manga that I was into this year so hence why, its ranking is lower than last year's, but still an enjoyable manga if you want to get into mystery and psychological thriller manga.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #14:
Kimi wa Hōkago Insomnia or Insomniacs After School in the West is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Ojiro as it was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Big Comic Spirits from May 2019 to August 2023.
This was another manga that was recommended to me earlier this year by a friend and after reading it myself, it's a very nice slice-of-life manga to read. This manga is about an insomniac named Ganta Nakami, who lives in the small city of Nanao, as he tries to catch a nap in his school's abandoned astronomical observatory. When he was there, he stumbled upon a sociable and carefree girl named Isaki Migari, who had the same problem as him. From there, they established an awkward friendship and reestablish the school's defunct astronomy club. Granted, this manga might not be for everyone, but if you're into slice-of-life, give this manga a try.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #13:
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto or The Apothecary Diaries in the West is a Japanese manga series written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino. It was serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan in May 2017 and Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X in August 2017 as both are still ongoing.
This was another manga that I also enjoy, but there was other manga that I prefer. However, with an anime that came out recently, this is a manga that is pretty special in its own way which made me love it even more. The manga is about a young maiden who got kidnapped and sold into servitude at the emperor's palace. From there, she has to secretly employ her pharmacist skills with the help of the head eunuch to unravel medical mysteries in the inner court. As I mentioned, I love my mysteries and I can't wait to see how this manga continues to develop with its current arc that is happening right now.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #12:
A Sign of Affection is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by suu Morishita. It was serialized by Kodansha's Dessert in July 2019 and it is still ongoing.
This was another manga that was recommended to me by a friend earlier this year and after reading it, it's a pretty good romance manga with lovable characters. This manga is about a college girl student named Yuki, who's into friends and fashion, but she's also deaf. One day, by chance, she met a man on a train whom she developed a crush on as Yuki tried to get the man to love her. I really like the dynamic with the characters in this manga and the romance being done here has been well executed thus far. If you're into romance manga, this is one you should give a try to see if you're into it or not.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #11:
Kingdom is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yaushisa Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump in January 2006 and is still ongoing.
This year, Kingdom went from #10 to #11 from my favorite manga of 2022. Similar to Do Not Say Mystery, Kingdom still does not have an official localization in the West despite it being quite popular in the West for those who have praised it. Kingdom continues to be quite interesting with the current arc it's in and the reason why it went down one spot from last year is due to the other manga higher on this list that I enjoy more than Kingdom so let's get to those next!
Now, we're in the top ten. Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #10:
Sousou no Frieren or Frieren: Beyond Journey's End in the West is a Japanese manga series written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukaba Abe. It's been serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since April 2020 and is still ongoing.
This year, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End went from #19 to #10 from my favorite manga of 2022. Yep, this series got a huge jump from last year as the series continues to get better from last year. Sure, the anime that is currently airing now definitely helps this manga a ton, but the current arc that the manga is on with the Goddess' Monument Arc is really good as I continue to love the character development among the characters within the story. If you haven't done so already, please give Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, you'll enjoy it.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #9:
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 1997 and it is still ongoing.
This year, One Piece went from #8 to #9 from my favorite manga of 2022. Yes, one of the most popular shōnen manga in the world is still in the top ten for me. One Piece is at its end with its final arc going on and with the current direction that the Egghead Arc is going in during this time, I'm very curious to see how it all ends. The reason why it dropped one spot is due to other manga that I personally enjoy more this year compared to One Piece.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #8:
JoJo no Kimyou an Bouken Part 9: The JOJOLands or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 9: The JOJOLands in the West is based on the ninth story arc of the Japanese manga series, JoJo no Kimyou an Bouken, or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in the West, written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki as it was serialized in Shueisha's Ultra Jump in February 2023 and it is still ongoing.
I've always been a fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure dating all the way back to the first part and with Part 9: The JOJOLands, it continues to be a great series. What I love about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is that they combined both comedy and seriousness into one perfectly where one doesn't overshadow the other and they're done pretty well together and Part 9 is no different. As of right now, still think that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run is my favorite JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga, but I'm really enjoying JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 9: The JOJOLands and it hope it continues to get better heading into next year.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #7:
Oshi no Ko is a Japanese manga series written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump since April 2020 and is still ongoing.
As much as I enjoyed Oshi no Ko back when I was reading it, there was other manga that I enjoyed more, but with the anime that was about to air during that time, it let me realize how special this manga is as it has been an emotional train ride. Without spoiling it too much, it handles big themes that I feel a lot of people can relate to such as bullying, harassment, depression, and mental health issues where you can relate to the characters and understand what they're feeling because I feel there are a lot of people out there that experience what I mentioned and you're not alone. This manga just gives me a good reminder for people out there, please, don't be a jerk, and be nice to people. Thank you. Anyway, read this manga if you want something dramatic and emotional.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #6:
Vinland Saga is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura, it was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April 2005 to October 2005 before switching to Monthly Afternoon in December 2005 and it is still ongoing.
This year, Vinland Saga went from #13 to #6 from my favorite manga of 2022. The current arc that the manga is going with the Vinland Arc is getting quite interesting as Thorfinn continues to fight his way through tough challenges and overcome the odds against him. The character development for Thorfinn continues to grow and the story is also getting quite interesting as well. Really hope that Vinland Saga continues to get better as the manga continues heading into next year.
Now, we're in the top five. Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #5:
Kaijuu 8-gou or Kaiju No. 8 in the West is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ in July 2020 and it is still ongoing.
This year, Kaiju No. 8 stayed at the same ranking at #5 from my favorite manga of 2022. Kaiju No. 8 continues to pick up in its current arc with the Second Wave Arc as the action continues to be great within the manga itself and the art style continues to impress as time goes on. With an anime of this manga coming out in the future, it might help Kaiju No. 8 get better in the manga, but only time will tell. Either way, Kaiju No. 8 is amazing, and would recommend it if you like action in your manga.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #4:
Blue Lock is a Japanese manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura as it was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in August 2018 and is still ongoing.
This year, Blue Lock went from #9 to #4 from my favorite manga of 2022. With the popularity of the World Cup that happened this year along with the continuation of the anime, Blue Lock became more popular than ever and it continues to do well in the manga too. The current arc that the manga is doing with the Neo Egoist League Arc has been great as the characters continue to develop their skills to become the best in the soccer/football scene and it's great to see. Don't know if Blue Lock can keep up the momentum heading into next year, but really enjoying how much progress it made since then.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #3:
Spy x Family is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ in March 2019 and is still ongoing.
This year, Spy x Family went from #2 to #3 from my favorite manga of 2022. Not everyone is going to get into Spy x Family and I get that. However, to me, it's excellent at what it does and the current arc in the manga that is happening with the Term Finals Arc has been very wholesome and entertaining to read. Despite enjoying it, there are two other manga that I read this year that have surpassed it but are still excellent overall.
Here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #2:
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in March 2018 and is still ongoing.
This year, Jujutsu Kaisen went from #1 to #2 in my favorite manga of 2022. The manga is about to reach its endpoint soon and it has been a fun ride as the author stated that the series might end next year. The current arc of the Culling Game Arc has been filled with intense action and the character development continues to grow among the cast as it is about to hit its climax and end within the next couple of months or so. It has been great while it lasted, but hope the series ends with a bang, and looking forward to how it all ends.
Now, here's my favorite manga of 2023 at #1:
Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020 before switching to Shōnen Jump+ for the second part starting in July 2022 and it is still ongoing.
This year, Chainsaw went from #3 to #1 from my favorite manga of 2022. Even though all of the manga I have read on this list that made it to the top 20 have been great to excellent, what happened this year in Chainsaw Man in the manga for me has been spectacular. Right now, the Chainsaw Man manga is in the Current Arc where the story to me is getting more interesting and the action starts to heat up as well as it's getting really intense in my eyes. Therefore, this year, Chainsaw Man has reached #1 for my favorite manga of 2023.
Those are my favorite manga in 2023.
What is your favorite manga in 2023?
Let me know in the comments below and thank you for reading.
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