Kara Dennison
March 6, 2024 
The spring anime season is just a month away! From returning series to original projects to a cavalcade of light novel adaptations, there will be lots to keep up with. Fortunately, there’s a way to get a jump on the coming season: read the manga!
Manga is becoming more accessible than ever, including and especially the series that inspire the next big anime. Want the jump on this year’s next big shows? Start reading these titles right now via your favorite app or e-reader!
Mission: Yozakura Family
In the world of manga, surprisingly wholesome stories about families who are also spies are in. SPY x FAMILY, Sakamoto Days… and Mission: Yozakura Family. The spring anime adaptation premieres next month, but you can get a head start on this weird world of superpowered spycraft by reading the manga!
The series follows Taiyo Asano, a relatively normal high schooler with a crush on Mutsumi Yozakura. What he doesn’t know is that she’s the tenth head of the Yozakura family: a household of spies, with each sibling wielding unbelievable powers. As Taiyo adapts to life with the Yozakura family, he begins to discover abilities of his own… as well as the dark secrets of the other Yozakura family heads. New installments drop every Sunday in Shonen Jump, so there’s plenty to read!
A Condition Called Love
More in the mood for something shoujo? The spring anime season has you covered, too. A Condition Called Love will adapt Megumi Morino’s rom-com manga into anime form. And if you’d like to dip your toe into the series before starting the anime, Kodansha USA has the first chapter up for free! (Further volumes can be purchased digitally if you get hooked.)
Our heroine is Hotaru, a high school girl who’s largely disinterested in romance. Which is probably why she thinks nothing of offering her umbrella to classmate Hananoi after witnessing his messy breakup. But then he asks her out. What happens next? You can wait to find out when the anime premieres, or get a jump on the series right now!
Kaiju No. 8
One of the most anticipated titles of the spring anime season, Kaiju No. 8 is almost here! The anime adaptation will combine the powers of Production I.G. and Studio Khara, with the latter supervising kaiju designs for the action-packed series. Of course, you can always start reading now, and keep up with the latest chapters as they drop!
The manga stars Kafka Hibino, who has a messy job cleaning up after kaiju battles. His dream was to join his childhood friend on the frontlines. And he’s about to get his wish… because he wakes up one morning to discover he can transform into a kaiju! Things grow more complex as the bonds between kaiju and the humans who fight them become more apparent, and bigger and bigger monsters wreak havoc on Japan. As a bonus, there’s also Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, telling us more about master swordsman Soshiro Hoshina.
Want some more reading? Check out these anime based on beloved literary classics!
