Danica Davidson
January 2, 2024 
Comic Natalie, a major Japanese site dedicated to manga, has now been on the web for 15 years. To honor this occasion, it asked Japanese readers to submit their favorite finished manga from the same timeline. In other words, a manga could have begun at any time before or during that time, but it needed to be finished between the dates July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2023. One-shot manga didn’t count, because these must have been serialized manga, and they had to be published by a magazine, website or app. They also didn’t accept hentai titles.
Think about your favorite(s) that fit these descriptions, then let’s take a look at the top five titles, as chosen by 62,499 votes.
In fifth place is Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa. VIZ Media publishes it in America, and gave this description for its first volume:
Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren’t unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher’s Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are…
Fourth place went to Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama. Kodansha USA publishes it in America, and gave this description for the first volume:
A century ago, the grotesque giants known as Titans appeared and consumed all but a few thousand humans. The survivors took refuge behind giant walls. Today, the threat of the Titans is a distant memory, and a boy named Eren yearns to explore the world beyond Wall Maria. But what began as a childish dream will become an all-too-real nightmare when the Titans return and humanity is once again on the brink of extinction…
Attack on Titan is the award-winning and New York Times-bestselling series that is the manga hit of the decade! Spawning the monster hit anime TV series of the same name, Attack on Titan has become a pop culture sensation.
In third place is Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi. VIZ Media publishes it in America, and gave this description for the first volume:
Nobody with Naturally Wavy Hair Can Be That Bad
Sleazy alien moneylenders, monsters on the rampage, and a ticking time bomb may all be in a day’s work for Gin, but a drop in his blood sugar level means trouble for everyone!
Second place is Mob Psycho 100 by One. Dark Horse publishes it in America, and gave this description for the first volume:
From the creator of One-Punch Man! Do you or someone you know need an exorcist who works cheap? Reigen’s your guy! What’s his secret to busting ghosts while keeping prices low? Well, first, he’s a fraud, and second, he pays the guy who’s got the real psychic power—his student assistant Shigeo—less than minimum wage. Shigeo is an awkward but kind boy whose urge to help others and get along with them is bound up with the mental safety locks he’s placed on his own emotions. Reigen knows he needs to exploit Shigeo to stay in business, yet for better or worse he’s also his mentor and counselor. And he also knows whenever the normally repressed kid’s emotions reach level 100, it may unleash more psychic energy than either of them can handle!
And in first place is . . . Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda! VIZ Media publishes it in America and gave this description for the first volume:
In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi “Immortal” Sugimoto scratches out a meager existence during the postwar gold rush in the wilderness of Hokkaido. When he stumbles across a map to a fortune in hidden Ainu gold, he sets off on a treacherous quest to find it. But Sugimoto is not the only interested party, and everyone who knows about the gold will kill to possess it! Faced with the harsh conditions of the northern wilderness, ruthless criminals and rogue Japanese soldiers, Sugimoto will need all his skills and luck—and the help of an Ainu girl named Asirpa—to survive.
What do you think of this list?
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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