Top 5 Favorite Current Manga (May 2025)

As stated before, surprisingly, these posts get a bit of traction. Plus 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. 😜 I miss Frieren. 😭

5. The Apothecary is Gonna Make This Ragged Elf Happy

This manga started as a simple, mostly 1-page chapter web series (Pixiv/X) from Giba-chan. Recently, it got a serialized version, which I did a first-look here. The story centers around an apothecary, who comes to the city to get supplies for his rural business. The shop owner offers to sell him a massively abused, female elf. In order to save her, the apothecary does just this, naming the all but out of it elf, Resurre (Resurrection). Now, he has to race against time treat her horrible wounds and poisoned body.

What I like about the remake is that it allows the story to breathe and have life. Characters get room to grow and maneuver. So even though I know how the original story went, I’m curious to see how the remake goes with things.

4. 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.

The manga switched to prequel mode a while back. 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 and 19 to blog at some point. I’m so behind.

The series is licensed by Seven Seas.

3. 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. I’ve got to review Volume 18.

The series is licensed by Seven Seas.

2. Henjo – Strange High School Girl AMAGURI Senko

I did a first-look at Henjo in 2024. 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.

Still hasn’t been licensed for some reason.

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. 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, hilarious, and scene stealing character.

Loid and Yor are amazing individuals. Both characters get “mission” stories for their real job. 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.