The Essential Manga Guide: 50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know

by Briana Lawrence

Overview

Dive into the world of manga and discover 50 of the most influential and essential series and standalone titles—from Boys Run the Riot to Chainsaw Man to Sailor Moon—with this must-have guide for manga fans by Crunchyroll senior editor Briana Lawrence.

With profiles on 50 unforgettable series and ground-breaking single volume stories written by an expert in the anime and manga field, The Essential Manga Guide provides a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look into the history and growing legacy of manga. Both casual fans and serious otaku alike will discover an entertaining and personal look at the impact of these outstanding manga titles and their authors, as well as great recommendations of what to read next.

From classic series to contemporary favorites, this guide includes: 

• Berserk, Bleach, Fruits Basket, Haikyu!!, Inuyasha, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kuroko's Basketball, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Naruto, One Piece, Paradise Kiss, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon, The Way of the House Husband, Tokyo Babylon, Uzumaki, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, What Did You Eat Yesterday, Yu Yu Hakusho, and many more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762481781
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	572,913
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Briana Lawrence is a freelance writer and author who’s trying her best to cosplay as a responsible adult. Her writing tends to focus on the importance of representation, whether it’s through her multiple book series, or the pieces she writes for Crunchyroll, as their Senior Features Editor, and other media outlets. As a black, queer, magical girl, when she’s not writing about diversity, she’s speaking about it at different geek-centric conventions across the country. After de-transforming from her magical girl state, she indulges in an ever-growing pile of comics, marathons too much anime, and dedicates an embarrassing amount of time to JRPGs. 

Table of Contents

From classic series to contemporary favorites, this guide includes essays on: 
Berserk (1989-)
BL Metamorphosis (2017 - 2020)
Bleach (2001 - 2016)
Blue Flag (2017 - 2020)
BLUELOCK (2018-)
Boys Run The Riot (2020)
Chainsaw Man (2018-)
Death Note (2003 - 2006)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2016 - 2020)
Dragon Ball (1984 - 1995)
Fruits Basket (1998 - 2006)
Fullmetal Alchemist (2001 - 2010)
given (2013 - 2023)
Haikyu!! (2012 - 2020)
How Do We Relationship? (2018-)
I Think Our Son Is Gay (2019-)
I Want to Be a Wall (2020-)
Inuyasha (1996 - 2008)
Jujutsu Kaisen (2018-)
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (2015 - 2022)
Komi Can’t Communicate (2016-)
Kuroko’s Basketball (2008 - 2014)
Mob Psycho 100 (2012 - 2017)
Moriarty the Patriot (2016-)
My Brother’s Husband (2014 - 2017)
My Hero Academia (2014-)
My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness (2016)
Naruto (1999 - 2014)
One Piece (1997-) 
Our Dreams at Dusk (2015 - 2018)
Ouran High School Host Club (2002 - 2010)
Paradise Kiss (1999 - 2003)
Pet Shop of Horrors (1995 - 1998)
Pokémon Adventures (1997-)
Princess Jellyfish (2008 - 2017)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (1996 - 1998)
Sailor Moon (1991 - 1997)
Sasaki and Miyano (2016-)
Sex Ed 120% (2020 - 2021)
SPY x FAMILY (2019-)
The Bride Was a Boy (2016)
The Promised Neverland (2016)
The Rose of Versailles (1972 - 1973)
The Way of the Househusband (2018-)
Tokyo Babylon (1990 - 1993)
Until I Meet My Husband (2021)
Uzumaki (1998 - 1999)
What Did You Eat Yesterday? (2007-)
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku (2014 - 2021)
YuYu Hakusho (1990 - 1994)

Editorial Reviews

"[W]hat Lawrence has done should be considered a public service for fans of visual literature . . . The Essential Manga Guide lives up to its title by being an essential purchase for manga fans new and old alike!"—The Fandom Post

"This guide is vastly rich with information, history, personal influence and opinion, and enough options to not only kick start but fuel someone’s journey into the world of manga for YEARS to come."—The Outerhaven

From the Publisher