Don’t have time for 500 episodes? Try these.

| Title | Genre | Length | Why it’s great | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Erased | Mystery, Time Travel | 12 eps / 5 vols | A man travels back to his childhood to stop a kidnapping. Tense and emotional. | | Chainsaw Man | Action, Horror, Comedy | 12 eps / 11 vols (ongoing) | A desperate boy merges with his pet chainsaw demon. It’s wild, gory, and weirdly heartfelt. | | A Silent Voice | Drama, Romance | 1 film / 7 vols | A former bully tries to make amends with a deaf girl he tormented. Devastating and beautiful. |

Some of the best stories are still trapped in the pages of manga. If you want to get ahead of the curve, read these now.

1. Vagabond (Manga only)

2. Sakamoto Days (Manga – Anime coming 2025)

3. Choujin X (Manga – by the creator of Tokyo Ghoul)

Some of the best stories never got a full anime adaptation (or the anime was inferior). These are must-read manga.