Four Favorite Art Styles in Anime/Manga

Well, another fun little game went around Twitter recently (you can see what rubbish I spew by following me on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/astronerdboy) was to name four favorite art styles in anime and manga. So I thought I’d give that a go.

My Monster Secret (Manga)

I love the My Monster Secret manga series. The humor is really my cup of tea. The romance story actually makes progress. And there’s an actual plot that when I last read the title, was really getting heated up. (I need to see if the next volume is out.) On thing that adds to the humor aspect is Masuda-sensei’s art style. On the surface, one might thing My Monster Secret was a monster horror title, based on the art.

I’m guessing that if you haven’t read the manga, you may not find either of these two manga panels funny. But for me, knowing the characters and situations as I do, the horror art style just makes these “the sh*t is about to get real” moments outrageously funny.

Even as I write, the panel below has me laughing because the devil school principal Akane has used time magic, which has caused her descendant (and high school teacher) Akari to become twisted (and fart from her mouth). Since Akari is the only one who can somewhat control Akane, she’s coming to give the principal a beating, despite being all twisted. And Akane, despite being massively powerful, senses doom is approaching. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

The Slayers  (anime)

While I love the characters and (most) of the story of The Slayers, one thing that helps make it appealing is its art style. Sure, the massive shoulder armor is dated, and the character designs are from the 90s. But that adds to the appeal. I mean, Lina Inverse has an iconic look.

Nicola Traveling Around the Demon’s World (manga)

Artwork is something that I always notice first when it comes to an anime or manga series. I somehow stumbled onto Nicola Traveling Around the Demon’s World and what caught my eye was the unique art style. It isn’t your typical manga (or anime) art style. In fact, it has a more Western (possibly European) feel to it. But that adds to the charm of the series.

Negima!/UQ Holder (manga)

I’ve long been a fan of Akamatsu-sensei’s art style. Like all mangaka, his art style has evolved over time, but retains a certain level of consistency. So after reading and enjoying Love Hina, there was no doubt that I’d read Negima! And while I enjoyed the story, the art help make the manga more enjoyable.

Since UQ Holder is the sequel of Negima!, I’ve included it here as part of this entry.

So what about you? What kind of anime/manga art styles do you like? Let me know in the comments.