Those looking for a short and sweet romance manga can find what they seek in Backstage Prince. Akari is an ordinary high school girl who gets swept up into the world of rien (kabuki theatre) when she follows a stray cat through the back door of a theatre. Little does she know that the cat is not a stray but belongs to one of the rising stars of kabuki, Shonosuke Ichimura, which is the stage name used by a heartthrob upperclassman at her school, Ryusei Horiuchi. When a deal is made for her to work as Ryusei's assistant, Akari gets a crash course in kabuki and the way of the heart.

Shojo lovers will get all the drama and tropes without the commitment of a longer series.

Tayla Cardillo

When an elderly calligraphy instructor, Ichinoi, randomly picks up and reads a boys’ love manga, she quickly picks up the next book. Bookstore worker and veteran BL fan, Urara, sees Ichinoi’s growing interest and offers to introduce her to the world of boys’ love.

With a delightful duo and sweet story featuring plenty of support and enthusiasm, BL Metamorphosis will appeal to readers looking for a story about intergenerational friendship and/or a friendship story based on fandom and reading.

Megan Rupe

Follow renowned manga creator Akiko Higashimura through the journey of her becoming the artist she is today, with present-day Akiko telling the story of young Akiko's struggles. Of course, her iconic sense of humor is present throughout. Young Akiko decides she will make manga, and her friends tell her she's a fantastic artist, and naturally, she believes them. So the gruff manner of the art tutor she goes to is rough, but it is what she needs. Even in the first volume, readers can see Akiko's perceptions of her art, and art in general, change.

Any teen artist who has struggled with comparing themselves to other artists will find companionship in this manga, like fans of Barakamon or Tokyo These Days. However, it's also a solid choice for readers who like bittersweet slice-of-life stories, like BL Metamorphosis or Hirayasumi.

Shannan Prukop

Atsuko is beyond excited to attend Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy because Shiny Chariot went there. The only problem is that Atsuko knows basically nothing about magic, so things quickly go sideways when it turns out flying a broom is required to get to school, and Atsuko doesn't have one and doesn't know how to fly one either. Through some mishaps, she meets Lotte and Sucy, who become her roommates. Though Atsuko struggles with school, she doesn't let that beat down her enthusiasm and determination, even though she stumbles into the most dangerous and weirdest situations.

Though this is a tie-in to the anime of the same name, this manga stands on its own as an excellent choice for readers who like stories of witches and adventures, like Hooky or Unfamiliar. It also has elements of magical girl stories, so fans of series like Cardcaptor Sakura are likely to enjoy Little Witch Academia. With just three volumes, it's also easier to suggest than some longer series with similar themes.

Shannan Prukop

Salaryman Yutaka lives a lonely and lackluster life until he runs into Tane and his big brother Minoru while eating lunch outside his job. Yukata shares his onigiri with Tane and loves how he makes it, so he goes over to their house to show them how he makes it. Minoru learns that cooking requires a little more care and finesse than his all-boys household is used to, and Yukata learns how to come out of his shell and be comfortable sharing his time (and meals) with people.

Fans of Heartstopper or Bloom will love this queer romance with cooking at the center.

Tayla Cardillo

Gesicht is a Europol agent recently assigned to investigate a murder. He also happens to be a robot, and the murder he's investigating is that of the beloved Mont Blanc, also a robot. It seems like the most powerful robots in the world, as well as those who fought for robots' rights, are being killed in a way that almost looks like a natural disaster. Gesicht tries to unravel the truth, but in the process, he learns about his history and the history of the world that people have been trying to keep hidden. At once a police procedural, a story of what counts as humanity, and a look at what happens to the world after its heroes die. Also, the story of Pluto is taking the world of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka and playing with it so credit to Tezuka and his works is due.

The tone and themes are likely to please fans of Ghost in the Shell, considering the similarities between the nature of humanity and a group of cops who essentially deal with it all. With Gesicht as the story's primary narrator, the story is also an excellent choice for those who enjoy mysteries or police procedurals. This is just a fantastically crafted manga in general.

Shannan Prukop

Food and fantasy meet in this story about a restaurant that cooks Western food in a Japanese style with a secret. Every Saturday, a door to another plane opens in the restaurant, and the chef devotes himself to feeding and entertaining this exotic clientele, which involves many fantastical types like elves, demons, and dragons that you might see in a D&D campaign or fantasy novel. In the first volume, we meet Aletta, a demon girl who is unable to find a job in her world because of the long-standing hatred and discrimination against demons. She stumbles on the door to the restaurant, and after being treated to a lovely meal by the chef, he offers her a job as a waitress serving the customers who come in on Saturdays. One word of advice: don't read this book hungry!

Foodies and fantasy fans alike will love this title.

Mild language, implied nudity

Tayla Cardillo

Kikuzato’s high school soccer dreams were dashed after an incident took his leg. An opportunity appears when Chidori, a prosthetist who just struck out on his own, offers to make him a running prosthesis for free if Kikuzato will be his first customer. With a new set of goals, Kikuzato joins his school’s track team and is learning to run track as a para-athlete!

With an engaging and uplifting plot and thoughtful disability representation, Run on Your New Legs is a fun read that appeals to readers who enjoy sports stories and those looking for more stories with disability representation.

Ableism; brief, intense scenes of depression and anxiety surrounding the disability; characters experience COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions (no deaths/illness, and Kikuzato and his friends are supportive of one another)

Megan Rupe

Nomoto loves to cook lots of food, but her small appetite means she can’t go all out. When she discovers that her neighbor, Kasuga, has a voracious appetite, Nomoto offers to cook for her. As they grow closer, could their relationship become something more?

Readers looking for slow-burn, queer romances; readers who love food romances.

Abusive family; anti-LGBTQ discrimination; eating disorder

Megan Rupe

A lonely widower finds himself in a pet store one night and ends up taking home the kitten no one wants to adopt. Thus begins the adventures of Mr. Kanda and his new companion, Fukumaru. And as they get to know each other, maybe some of the hurts in Kanda's past will heal as he makes new friends through fellow pet lovers and the magic of Fukumaru's adorable face.

Because the main character is in his late middle life, and most of the characters are also definite adults to elders, this series primarily holds appeal for adult readers. But sometimes the story is from Fukumaru's perspective, and the manga is easy to read, so this could be a series a parent reads together with a child, especially with the picture book that was released earlier this year. Overall, A Man and His Cat is a gentle and sometimes funny, sometimes sad series.

Discussions of grief, death of loved ones

Shannan Prukop

Office worker Riko is one of the most efficient people in her office, so she has as much time as possible to pursue her gaming hobby. When she suddenly takes in a kitten, Riko has a new set of challenges. Can she level up and take care of this adorable new responsibility?

Mixing Riko and the kitten’s perspectives, Cat + Gamer is made up of short, sweet, and low-stakes episodes featuring Riko adjusting to the cat owner's life. With its straightforward, heartwarming plot and adorable illustrations, Cat + Gamer is a great read for teens and adults who are looking for something light and cute.

Megan Rupe

A stressed-out businessman wanders into a massage parlor, desperate to find anything to help him relax, to find out it is run by cats! He is skeptical at first, but after a great massage, is a cat massage convert and starts visiting the massage parlor regularly. He even brings the cat masseuse to his company so that all of his coworkers can relax. With kitten trainees and a street cat acting manager, hijinks abound for this businessman and his stressed-out coworkers.

Anyone able to suspend their disbelief enough to accept that talking cats give great massages will enjoy this zany story.

Tayla Cardillo

An old Louvre watchman asks other staff if they hear the paintings and cares for the cats secretly living there. What does the tiny white cat have to do with the child who went missing years ago?

With beautiful black-and-white illustrations that capture the museum’s grandeur and adorable cats, Cats of the Louvre is a thoughtful, twisty mystery that will draw readers. Readers who enjoyed the contemplative stories and immersive art of stories such as Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam will want to pick this up.

Some brief nudity and violence

Megan Rupe

Horror manga artist Junji Ito moves into a new house with his partner A-ko, who immediately brings two cats—Yon and Mu—into the house. A dog lover, Ito must learn to navigate life with cats.

Using his signature horror style to capture his and the cats’ adventures, Junji Ito’s Cat Diary will appeal to readers who are looking for a bit of spooky with their slice-of-life stories.
For libraries considering purchasing this story, Cat Diary was re-released in 2021 in a collector's edition.

Megan Rupe

Have you ever wondered how your pet sees you? In this story, we see the main character, Miyu, through the eyes of her cat, Chobi. Miyu goes through the ups and downs of new adulthood, learning how to live alone and be independent. All the while, the cat thinks that she hung the moon because she feeds him, gives him affection, and does all the things attentive cat owners do. In this poetic story, we learn that the people (and pets) around us frequently see things in us that we struggle to see on our own.

While the cat isn't the star of this story, cat owners will appreciate this take on how their furry friends see them.

Tayla Cardillo

The two main characters of this series are Saku, a young woman who works too much in an office job, and Yukichi, her cat. Yukichi happens to be as tall as Saku and very capable around the house. Where Saku is a bit of a mess, Yukichi is quite tidy and good with a coupon. And so their lives go on, with Saku making messes and Yukichi worrying over his human's habits.

While the main cast is primarily adults, the story has enough high-emotion beats to make it appealing to teen readers looking for something a little different from the usual office drama story. There's not really any romance in the series, but we slowly get introduced to a cast of coworkers, neighbors, and family members that add variety to the story. Yukichi's side of the story is fun, especially if the reader suspends disbelief on this giant cat wandering around town, running errands.

Depictions of alcohol/drinking alcohol

Shannan Prukop

Over a few years, we see a variety of perspectives and points in time, all bound together by a white cat wandering through human survivors' lives. At first, it seems like these humans are all disconnected, but by the end, they've all woven together to create a story of being found and getting lost. Though we see the stories wind together, even at the end, there's not a definite end or resolution, just another moment in time. Important note: the cat lives.

This is a great pick for fans of the zombie apocalypse genre looking for an unusual perspective on the usual stories. It is more poignant overall than an action or thriller in mood, so something to keep in mind. Also, as a hefty 3 in 1 omnibus, while it's shorter than many zombie series out there, it will still take a minute to get through.

Physical violence of various kinds (fights between zombies and humans, as well as humans against humans), death and dead bodies depicted, and discussion of domestic abuse.

Shannan Prukop

This book features a collection of vignettes showing the lives of yokai cats and their owners. The opening of the book describes these creatures as part cat, part yokai (which is a spirit from Japanese folklore), and each type of yokai cat has traits that make it not like other cats. Some types of yokai cats include the long neck yokai cat, which can stretch it's neck long like a giraffe to get food off of the table, and the long cloth yokai cat, which is part cat, part towel and can wrap themselves around their own to keep them warm. These whimsical and mischievous creatures will make even dog lovers go, "Awww."

Fans of Pushseen will enjoy the art style and short-form storytelling of this series.

Tayla Cardillo