It’s fitting, then, that this anime season contains a lot of endings. Among the many anime offerings are the final chapters of Tokyo Ghoul:re and Fairy Tail. We’re also seeing the latest installments of Golden Kamuy and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. But in addition to all the familiar names, we’re also getting a handful of new series—including the adaptation of a classic series. So if you’ve been enjoying the fall 2018 anime season or prefer reading over watching adaptations, here are the manga titles to take a look at.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as Slime by Fuse
If the title made you double-take, join the club. This is a premise that could only happen in manga, anime, or—in this case—light novels. It follows a man stuck in a dead-end job who finds a new lease on life after dying at the hands of a criminal. How? He wakes up in a fantasy world in the body of a slime monster.
Goblin Slayer by Kumo Kagyu
The anime adaptation caused a stir last month when its inclusion of brutal violence—including implied sexual assault—took viewers off-guard. I can believe it. The animation style and trailer hinted at your average fantasy adventure anime. It certainly doesn’t scream explicit, shocking content. The premise, in which an inexperienced priestess joins her first adventuring party and runs into trouble, leading her to meet the titular Goblin Slayer, doesn’t conjure it to mind either. (Although it turns out the “runs into trouble” is a clue, isn’t it?) Even if the worst of the content has been censored for broadcast, viewers are savvy and can fill in what’s implied. If you’re thinking this sounds heavy for a manga, you’re right. Like Fuse’s work, Goblin Slayer began its life as a light novel series.
Boarding School Juliet by Yosuke Kaneda
In this series, two rival countries have to share an island. As you can guess, each country tries to gain the upper hand. This power struggle extends to the boarding school where the countries send their children to learn. The students split into two dormitories along national lines: the Black Dogs and the White Cats. But what happens when the leader of the Black Dogs, Romio, starts a secret relationship with the leader of the White Cats, Juliet? Let’s hope the ending doesn’t follow that of the original Shakespeare play!
As Miss Beelzebub Likes by matoba
In this manga, Beelzebub is the right hand of Satan. What image does that evoke for you? Someone competent and uncanny, right? Well, this Beelzebub may give that impression in public but in private, she’s a bit of an airhead and likes all things cute and fluffy. I’m sure we’ve all known someone with that duality, right?
Bloom into You by Nakatani NIO
This yuri series follows romance-loving Yuu and student council president Touko, two girls who bond over the common experience of feeling nothing when boys confess their romantic feelings toward them. But what happens when Touko realizes she can feel something for Yuu and romantically confesses to her instead?
Radiant by Tony Valente
In this series, Nemeses are creatures that fall from the sky and contaminate everything they touch. A few lucky people survive these encounters, but the magical powers they inevitably have make them just as distrusted. Seth is one of these survivors, and he wants to use his powers to defeat the Nemesis. If you’re wondering about the creator’s name, Radiant is a French comic!
Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida
Originally published in the 1980s, this crime thriller chronicles the relationship between a teenage NYC gang leader and a pure-hearted Japanese photographer. Together, they work to unravel the mystery of “banana fish,” a drug that drove the gang leader’s older brother insane during the Vietnam War. Although technically categorized as a shojo title due to who published it, this series is definitely mature and not one for young readers. Are you watching the fall 2018 anime season? Any of these titles catch your eye? Let us know in the comments below.
