The 10 Best Comics I Read This Year (That You've Probably Never Heard Of).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it becomes a challenge to keep up with every worthwhile release. Inevitably, the most popular series dominate conversations, but there's a plethora of undiscovered treasures waiting to be discovered.

A key pleasure for fans of the medium is unearthing a mostly obscure series amidst the weekly releases and recommending it to friends. This list highlights of the top obscure manga I've enjoyed this past year, along with reasons why they're worth checking out ahead of the curve.

A few of these titles lack a broad readership, partly due to they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to digital exclusivity. However, suggesting any of these grants you some serious bragging rights.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but bear with me. The medium embraces absurdity, and it's part of the charm. I admit that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While The Plain Salary Man isn't strictly an isekai, it embraces familiar conventions, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a RPG-like world structure. The appeal, however, stems from the protagonist. Keita Sato is your typical overworked Japanese corporate man who unwinds by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that emerged suddenly, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to keep his hobby secret, protect his family, and leave the office on time for a change.

There might be better isekai series, but this is one of the few released by a leading publisher, and thus readily accessible to international audiences through a popular app. For easy reading, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're in need of a brief, enjoyable diversion, The Plain Salary Man is highly recommended.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Author: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the genre's overpopularity, but a pair of titles shifted my perspective this year. It reminds me of the finest elements of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its eerie vibe, unique visuals, and unexpected brutality. I started reading it by chance and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who purges ghosts in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than fueling his retribution. The plot may seem basic, but the character development is subtle and refined, and the stylistic juxtaposition between the absurd look of the enemies and the gory combat is an effective bonus. This is a series with real potential to go the distance — provided it survives.

8. Gokurakugai

• Creator: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is breathtaking, intricate, and distinctive. The plot remains within to traditional battle manga tropes, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're not labeled as exorcists), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, operate the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a working-class district where two species live side-by-side.

The villains, called Maga, are born from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga wields magic reflecting the way the human died: someone who hanged themselves has the power to choke people, one who died from self-harm causes blood loss, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that gives weight to these antagonists. It could be the next big hit, but it's constrained by its slower publication rate. Since its debut, only five volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

7. The Bugle Call: Song of War

• Authors: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the ever-present fight narrative from a novel angle for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it presents large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, using his trumpet and upbringing in a brutal fighter company to become a powerful tactician, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.

The setting is somewhat generic, and the insertion of sci-fi elements feels forced at times, but this series still delivered bleak developments and surprising narrative shifts. It's a sophisticated series with a cast of quirky characters, an engaging magic framework, and an interesting combination of strategy and horror.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Creator: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A cold-hearted main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its tiny paws is his sole relief from tension. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you