Japanese Literature

Manga is a medium that boasts a long and rich history of stellar sci-fi for readers of all ages. From Osamu Tezuka’s beloved Astro Boy to the pop culture-defining Akira, some of the best sci-fi ever written can be found in the world of manga. The Best Sci-Fi Manga to Read Right Now If you …

Lesbian authors are paving the way when it comes to genre and boundary pushing, writing dark and toxic love stories and unlikeable women protagonists. When looking at lesbian novels and the art put out by lesbian authors, you see the darkest kinds of gothic fiction, as well as the brightest dedications to love and kindness. …

Historical fiction is a genre that provides readers with fun from all angles, and that is especially true for historical manga. The genre is like a partially-painted canvas that comes already detailed with lore and language and aesthetics (architecture, costumes, inventions, traditions, and more). But using that canvas, authors and creators can layer whatever they …

Fantasy is one of the most exciting genres of fiction, whether that be across manga, prose, film, or TV. That said, fantasy manga (like all fantasy fiction) can fall into a formula if we’re not careful; a formula where certain specific tropes are expected to be found. This attitude towards fantasy manga isn’t particularly exciting, …

Mixing horror and comedy is nothing new, but with the Mieruko-chan manga, writer-artist Tomoki Izumi is doing something truly fresh and exciting. In manga and anime, horror is a well-trodden genre. In fact, the king of that genre, Junji Ito, is arguably the best horror writer working today (sorry Stephen King fans). But fans of …

Calling something adult manga or mature manga is a pretty broad church that can cover a lot of different genres, themes, topics, and stories. For that reason, this list is going to be exactly that: a broad church. On this list of adult manga, you’re going to find stories of all different genres and styles. …

The Tokyo Revengers manga is written and drawn by Ken Wakui. It began its run in 2017 but caught the eyes of new readers when the anime adaptation dropped in 2021. For this particular manga recommendation, I’m going to get a little personal and informal (lots of Is and Mes) because it’s the only way …

The genre of yuri manga is always expanding, and at an increasing rate. While there have been classic girls’ love manga for decades, we are now very spoiled for choice. However, just like with straight romance manga and BL manga, you need to separate the wheat from the chaff in order to find the most …

Light novels are a huge and popular medium in Japan, and increasingly so in the West as well. The more good ones pour in, however, the harder it gets to sift through and find the best light novels to read. What you’ll find here is a selection of the best light novels currently available in …

It’s often the great European and American mystery writers of the 19th and 20th centuries — writers like Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, and Arthur Conan Doyle — whom we first turn to when looking for a great detective novel. However, the truth is that the Japanese mystery novels (honkaku) of the 20th century and …