15 best short manga to read

It's a time-honored tradition for creators of serialized manga to start with a one-shot or tragically watch their debut series collapse into early cancellation.

On the other hand, there are a number of authors who thrive in the short format, producing complex and dense works of art in just a few volumes.

Featuring some of the best short manga series, this collection will help you figure out who will respect your reading time while still leaving you feeling satisfied.

15. Tekkon Kinkreet

Taiyo Matsumoto

City life is magical for Blacks and Whites, the almost savage protectors of Treasure City.

And inTekkon Kinkreet you can ride a shotgun with a couple as they defend their hometown from the treacherous yakuza, wacky police and a lot ofdiverse assholes from the quarter.

This series is short enough to be compiled into one omnibus.

But don't expect to read this in one sitting.

Dynamic action sequences fly by unnoticed, but intricate drawings and stupid dialogue require careful reading.

Even if you don't fully follow his complex narrative, you will walk away from him with your jaw dropped.

14. Bunny game

Author: Miyoshi

This underground series is half as long and three times as crazy as a regular manga volume.

rabbit game focuses on a video game that arguably (?) turns players into bunnies and pulls three high school students into its bizarre orbit.

Visually, it's a unique mix of abstract illustrations, simple character designs, and nightmarish scenes.

The plot is like a half-forgotten dream, where the details are vague at best.

It certainly doesn't make complete sense from start to finish, but its overall feel is too creepy to pass up.

13. Robot x Laserbeam

Tadatoshi Fujimaki

This gripping golf manga, strangely titled but beautifully designed, was cut short with seven volumes when it was dropped by the publisher.

Written and illustrated by the same author"Basketball" Kuroko , it was a charming look at the world of competitive high school golf through the eyes of late-comer prodigy Robo.

And don't worry if you're not into golf - at least not at first, because neither is the main character.

As you go from zero to hero Robo, you will be able to take a fresh look at golf and the work that its competitors are doing to play the game beautifully.

12. Subway survive

Yuki Fujisawa

When a poorly built skyscraper collapses, all the survivors can do is try to get home safe and sound.

But many charactersMetro Survive less fortunate.

Those who survived the catastrophe have vague hopes of salvation, and, worse, they are left with each other.

This is a compact two-volume story that talks as much about tribalism as about the extremes of capitalism.

Metro Survive makes it clear that, from cost-cutting measures to save on construction costs, to heated debate over food rationing, even though an earthquake could have spelled disaster, greed is the real villain.

11. Lychee Light Club

Author: Usamaru Furuya

As for the ugly manga, this one is up there.

It's not just future boys when a group of nihilistic high school students form a secret society and build a robot for the sole purpose of kidnapping beautiful girls.

This is a disturbing read. But it goes beyond the shock value with well-defined club members, their fighting and playing in the majority.

Some are definitely just crazy and some are ready to go.

But they are all involved in the ugly business of transforming society around absolute beauty.

And for just one volume, don't worry about spending too much time with these wildly different teenagers.

The ending is also, to put it mildly, satisfying!

10. Fire Strike

Tatsuki Fujimoto

Before everyone lovedChainsaw Man" , Tatsuki Fujimoto made his debut with this eight-volume smash-hit series.

It is a post-apocalyptic manga where a handful of people have special powers known as the Blessed.

The first chapter itself is a shock, as Fujimoto breaks taboo after taboo.

But after everything goes right, the series tackles a number of heavy topics with a surprisingly subtle approach.

Characters begin to feel more real as they make difficult choices in a fast-paced world of violence, suffering, and hope.

And despite it all, it manages to be funny, brutal, morbid, and ultimately unmissable.

9 Junji Ito's Cat Diary

Author: Junji Ito

Junji Ito is known for his horror manga such asUzumaki andTomy .

But his illustratedcat diary amazingly suitable for all ages.

This is an interesting and brief look at his personal life as he draws manga and plays around with his cats at home.

It's similar to the Junji Ito manga, but never like it.

There's none of that otherworldly fear haunting his characters, except for his own mostly ordinary felines.

Cats are definitely weird.

But thankfully, this one-volume manga has it all sounding right and keeping you awake all night.

8. World map room

Yuichi Yokoyama

While it's not for everyone, it doesn't take long to figure out Yuichi Yokoyama's obtuse and convoluted history.

And it's a real joy to try to make sense of characters who look weird, talk weird, and live in a city you just don't like.

As the trio of weirdos travel through their city, they comment on the people they meet and the places they see. And then it ends in a seemingly random moment.

Taken as a brief snapshot of another world and read beyond any expectations regarding the story and plot, boy what is a reading tripWorld Map Room .

7. Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, script by Nishio Isina, illustrated

Written by Hikaru Nakamura

This wild ride is basically just a battle royale that is literally all killer, not filler.

Each zodiac sign has its champion.

And the wish of the last survivor is granted.

But it's not just about the blaze of firearms. Each character has a special supernatural element that is never explained but still works.

It doesn't really matterwhy someone can bring their friends back to life as zombies.

It's just crazy that this is even happening.

Pleasantly concise in four volumes, it finishes its job satisfactorily, having done its job admirably.

6. Home

Author: Katsuhiro Otomo

Any fanAkira, who has a couple of hours to kill will getpleasure fromhome .

It was a revolutionary manga by Katsuhiro Otomo that perfectly set the stage for a much more grandiose and world-spanningAkira .

home in mostly takes place in an apartment building complex where some kind of evil presence is causing all sorts of problems. Something goes missing and people are dead.

With incredible art and a memorable array of nuts and weirdos,home is a hidden gem to be found.

5. The contemplative dog

Takashi Murakami

There's nothing like tearfulness about a lost soul and their canine companion.

Stargazing Dog tells this story from the dog's point of view, where you can experience his unconditional love firsthand.

As he walks along with his owner, we get simple heartbreaking comments as they transition into a dead end homeless life.

And as far as dogs are concerned, this is also a great example of the resilient spirit of a person who is not lucky.

And he does it all in one volume.

4. Gyo

Author: Junji Ito

if youLiked Junji Ito's "Diary of a Cat" but if you want some good scary stuff, look no further than his two volume freak show"Gyo" .

It's a classic Ito story in which a perfectly normal person finds himself in a world of unimaginable horror.

And our hero is not just scared, he controls the invasion of monstrous fish with spider legs and sharp teeth, wreaking havoc on land.

It's more of a disaster than a hero's journey.

And it's absolutely crazy to read.

3. Giganto Maxia

Kentaro Miura

Before the sudden death of Kentaro Miura, fansberserk accustomed to long periods of inactivity.

Months would go by without a new chapter, but Miura wasn't always sitting idle.

Between 2013 and 2014, he completed a fantasy/sci-fi series fromseven chapters of "Giganto Maxia" and it's a real pleasure.

While the intriguing story doesn't end neatly, its characters shine in Miura's unusually terrifying art style.

People are disfigured, monsters are grotesque, but all are so well written that they seem real.

While this may have contributed to the slow release scheduleBerserk , this one-off album is a fresh approach to sci-fi that Miura is unlikely to touch on in his main concert.