Top 5 Favorite Current Manga (January 2025)

Surprisingly, these posts get a bit of traction. And it is a fun way for me to keep tabs on the ebbs and flows of current manga. Also, I repurpose old posts when I am pressed for time. 😜 Frieren sadly disappears from the list as it is on hiatus.

5. A Certain Scientific Railgun

I’m currently blogging A Certain Scientific Railgun manga. The story centers around MISAKA Mikoto, a 14 year old rich girl who’s also one of the most powerful espers, known as the Railgun. Her roommate and good friend Kuroko is a fairly powerful teleporter who also works for a law enforcement division named Judgement. Together with their friends Saten and Uiharu (from a public school), these four end up getting caught up in the dark, underworld of Academy City in Japan.

Recently, the manga switched to prequel mode. While it is interesting to see Mikoto as a weaker, more naive character, there’s a retcon danger. For a start, before Kuroko, Mikoto had another roommate and good friend. And the relationship between Mikoto and Misaki is slightly different here from the start of the manga series, but that’s because of the Dolly story. Oh well. We’ll see how it goes.

I do have volume 18 to blog at some point.

The series is licensed by Seven Seas.

4. D-Frag!

I’ve been reading D-Frag! for years now. The story centers around delinquent KAZAMA Kenji, who gets forced to join the Game Creation Club (Temp) after losing to said club’s mostly female members. Thus Kenji gets involved in various adventures with a group of strange, strong women, including the president of the REAL Game Creation Club, Takao.

What I love most about this manga are the crazy, comedic hijinks. Despite his protests to the contrary, Kenji fits in quite well with all of these insanely strong girls in his orbit. And yet Kenji cannot help but rage-retort at the stupidity he sees around him. But, despite his desire to be a thug, he always helps in whatever crazy thing that comes up. So as a character, he is pretty enjoyable.

Further, this series is a harem title. I have a weakness for harem titles. All of the girls in Kenji’s orbit like him to one degree or other. The girls don’t fight over Kenji, though some conflict can arise. For his part, Kenji just finds most of them pretty annoying, which leads to other humor.

In more recent times, the manga isn’t as strong as it once was. However, when a new chapter comes out each month, I do enjoy reading it.

The series is licensed by Seven Seas.

3. Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up

Upon entering high school, the formerly fat SHIZUKI Keisuke figured he’d get a clean start with his high school debut as no one would know his past. Unfortunately for him, fellow junior high outcast classmate KUSUNOKI Shizuka is in his class. However, she’s now blossomed into a beautiful young lady. Despite this, she still has no confidence and comes to lean on Keisuke, threatening to ruin his plans to be something different in high school.

Further complicating Keisuke’s life is another former classmate, the “snake eyed” TAKAGAKI Ririsa. She has a new family name of Hebikawa now. Unfortunately, Keisuke tried to confess to her in junior high and got crushed. As a result, simply looking at Ririsa makes him ill. Even worse, Shizuka and Ririsa seem to be becoming friends.

I took a “first look” at this series last year. Reading this series makes me glad I’m not in high school, worrying about such trivial things. Yet I haven’t forgot the time when trying to be “cool” and such was very important to me. At this point, the series seems to be trying to become a harem title. Keisuke became aware of his feelings for Shizuka. However, we have no indication of whether she feels the same about him, despite depending on him. And then there’s Ririsa and another friend of Shizuka’s in the mix.

While I’m glad the series got licensed, Kodansha Comics should have given the series the accurate but readable title name, Kusunoku-san’s Failing Her High School Debut.

2. Henjo – Strange High School Girl AMAGURI Senko

I did a first-look at Henjo last year. The series centers around a high school girl named AMAGURI Senko. She is completely unfazed about anything, and has no shame in her bluntness. The male lead is TAKAMURA Ryou, who takes a job at the Amaguri Handyman business, where Senko also works for her father. There are quite a few supporting characters, but the central focus is on Senko’s actions and Ryou’s reactions to that.

What makes this manga so fun to me is Senko’s “No F’s given” (if you’ll pardon the expression) attitude about things. She is totally dedicated to the Amaguri Handyman business and works hard. But she also has this weird ability to detect sexual arousal in people, primarily men. As such, she has no problems bluntly pointing this out to the offender.

At the same time, it is fun watching Senko and Ryou’s relationship as it grows over time. Further, the supporting cast are allowed to grow as well. Combine this with some nice artwork, humor, interesting stories, and interesting characters, and one has the making of a fine, if a bit perverted (subject-wise) at times manga.

I’m actually surprised the manga isn’t licensed. But now that it is up to 19 plus volumes, I’m guessing publishers are too scared of the commitment.

1. Spy x Family

Finally, at number 1  is Spy x Family. This is another series I’m blogging. The story takes place in a fictional European world (East/West Germany) of the 1960s. The manga centers around a spy with the code name Twilight. His cover job is a psychiatrist named Loid. For his newest mission, Twilight needs to get close to a prominent, eastern figure to prevent a third (world) war.

In order to accomplish this, Twilight goes to a sketchy orphanage and adopts a young girl named Anya. Unbeknownst to him, Anya is a telepath who escaped from a lab. She is desperate to be adopted. To accomplish this, she also has to keep her powers a secret. Twilight then happens upon an elite assassin named Yor. She needs a husband to help provide her cover. Since Anya knows both their secrets, she arranges for them to get together. Thus Anya gets the family she’s always wanted and more.

What makes this manga so great is how wholesome and interesting it is. Anya is a typical child. As such, it is easy to relate to her way of thinking. On the other hand, her supernatural powers allow her to do things she wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do. Anya is quite the lovable, scene stealing character.

As to Loid and Yor, both are amazing individuals. We get to see both on secret missions. At the same time, both are learning to become parents to Anya. And whoa be to anyone who threatens Anya ’cause Yor will go mama bear on them. 😂 Add to the mix the slowly budding romance between Yor and Loid. This is my favorite manga, bar none.

Viz has the license here.

Wrap Up

And there you have it, my top five current favorite manga titles. What are yours? Let me know in the comments below.