Manga offers a vast array of stories and artistic styles to delight fans. While many manga series run for dozens of volumes, some talented manga artists can captivate fans with a compelling story and unforgettable characters in just a few volumes. For busy manga fans or newcomers looking for a quick yet satisfying read, short manga series are an ideal choice.
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Ranging from just one volume to around five volumes, short manga series can be finished in a few sittings. Their abbreviated length allows artists to focus on delivering a concise, fast-paced narrative. Cliffhangers and dramatic plot twists happen frequently to keep the pages turning. And the limited run time prevents stories from losing steam or becoming convoluted.
10All You Need Is Kill
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 7.8
All You Need Is Kill
Why Read All You Need Is Kill?
The All You Need Is Kill manga serves up a delightful cocktail of sci-fi and action. The manga adaptation was illustrated by Takeshi Obata, who is renowned for his work on popular series like Death Note and Bakuman. Illustrator Obata brings the alien Mimics to life in gorgeously grim detail while expertly highlighting the absurdity of protagonist Keiji Kiriya’s predicament.
Caught in a time loop where he relives his own death daily, Keiji repeatedly faces down the Mimics with ever-increasing skills but disgust at the viscosity of alien blood and general exasperation. All You Need Is Kill has had a significant influence on popular culture. It inspired the Hollywood movie “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.
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Where To Read
Jun 07, 2025
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 7.3
Why Read Dororo?
The Dororo manga is fantastic fare for fans of bloody dismemberments and tragic backstories, with a sprinkle of heartwarming character growth to round out all the limb-lopping action. It tells the story of a ronin named Hyakkimaru who is on a quest to reclaim his body parts from 48 demons who took them as part of a pact with his father. Along the way, Hyakkimaru is joined by a young orphan thief named Dororo.
The series showcases mangaka Tezuka’s signature cinematic style of manga, featuring dynamic panel layouts, dramatic close-ups, and detailed backgrounds. Despite being over half a century old, the artwork in Dororo still holds up well and has a timeless quality to it. Tezuka masterfully balances raw combat with emotional bonding to craft a nuanced tale of trauma and perseverance.
Jul 30, 2025
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 8.2
Why Read Solanin?
The one-shot manga has been praised for its realistic portrayal of young adult life. Solanin serves up a poignant examination of quarter-life crises and existential dread, paired nicely with a subtle undertone of soul-crushing melancholy. The story follows Meiko Inoue, a recent college graduate working a monotonous office job in Tokyo, and her boyfriend Naruo Taneda, a part-time illustrator and member of an amateur band.
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Meiko’s emerging musical aspirations provide a small glimmer of hope, but Mangaka Asano masterfully balances this with heavy doses of reality as Meiko and her band encounter setbacks and difficulties. Asano’s art also complements the story well, with detailed backgrounds and expressive characters that draw readers to the manga’s short yet captivating world.
Jul 30, 2025
7The Gods Lie
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 7.9
The Gods Lie
Why Read The Gods Lie?
The Gods Lie follows sixth-grader Natsuru Nanao, a boy who loves to play soccer and has a bit of a crush on Rio Suzumura. She’s not like the others in his class. She’s cool and calm and doesn’t partake in the group activities that the rest of the students seem to enjoy so thoroughly. Their lives intersect more deeply when Natsuru discovers that Rio is taking care of her younger brother.
The story of this short manga series unfolds over their summer vacation, where Natsuru and Rio grow closer, sharing secrets and forming a deep bond. The title, The Gods Lie, speaks to the heartrending realizations the characters come to as they navigate complex situations that challenge their youthful perspectives. The manga delves into the idea that the world is not always as kind and just as children are often led to believe.
Jul 07, 2025
6Mermaid Saga
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 7.4
Mermaid Saga
Why Read Mermaid Saga?
Mermaid Saga is a blend of horror, romance, and adventure. It is written by Rumiko Takahashi, a renowned manga artist known for other works such asUrusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, and Inuyasha. It consists of several interconnected stories that revolve around the legend that eating the flesh of a mermaid can grant eternal life or immortality.
However, the Mermaid Saga series quickly establishes that this gift is more of a curse, as it comes with significant risks and unforeseen consequences. Takahashi balances raw human emotion with supernatural elements. It stands out from Takahashi’s other works due to its darker tone and more serious subject matter.
5Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms
Why Read Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms?
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, is notable for its sensitive and poignant portrayal of the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and its long-term effects on the people and culture of Japan. The manga is not just a single short narrative but a collection of some of the best interconnected stories spanning different generations, focusing on the human impact of nuclear warfare.
The work is divided into two parts: Town of Evening Calm, which is set in Hiroshima in 1955, and Country of Cherry Blossoms, which is split into two chapters set in 1987 and 2004, respectively. Mangaka Kouno’s art style is notable for its simplicity and clarity, which makes the emotional weight of the story even more striking.
Jun 21, 2025
4A Silent Voice
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 8.8
A Silent Voice
Why Read A Silent Voice?
Loneliness. Guilt. Redemption. Koe no Katachi explores the turbulent waters of human connection through the journey of two struggling youths. Fans praise how it portrays the psychological effects of bullying on both the victim and perpetrator. With evocative artwork and a strong emotional core, this coming-of-age manga from acclaimed creator Yoshitoki Oima packs an impactful punch.
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A Silent Voice manga acknowledges that the world can be cruel and isolating, especially for those seen as “different.” Yet it also argues that one act of compassion can ripple outwards in powerful ways. A Silent Voice was adapted into an anime filmby Kyoto Animation. The film received widespread acclaim for its direction, writing, and animation, further boosting the popularity of the original manga.
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Jun 04, 2025
Why Read Planetes?
Planetes is another short manga that offers a gritty, down-to-earth perspective on humanity’s expansion into space in the near future. The story focuses on a team of “space sweepers” working for the Technora corporation, tasked with the unglamorous job of clearing Earth’s orbit of dangerous space debris. Protagonist Hachimaki dreams of owning his own spaceship and furthering mankind’s reach into the cosmos.
But his current mundane reality is a far cry from this vision, as he and his crewmate Yuri slog through an unremarkable daily routine of debris collection to make ends meet. The manga emphasizes the bureaucratic, profit-driven side of Technora’s operations, as well as the political tensions extending into orbit. Further, Yukimura’s panel composition and cinematic visual storytelling lend a sense of realism and grandeur to the manga’s sci-fi setting.
Jul 10, 2025
Dark Horse Comics
2Tropic Of The Sea
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 6.69
Tropic of the Sea
Why Read Tropic Of The Sea?
Tropic of the Sea is a short manga by Satoshi Kon, who is more widely recognized for his influential work in the world of anime with psychological and surreal masterpieces. This manga, however, showcases Kon’s storytelling abilities in a different medium, offering a narrative that is rich with themes. The story unfolds in a coastal village steeped in tradition, where the residents have long believed in a pact with the sea. The village must safeguard a mermaid’s egg that ensures the community’s well-being and prosperity.
In return, the villagers are committed to performing this ritual every few years to appease the sea. Kon’s narrative is set at a time when this generational covenant is under threat from the very human forces of skepticism and economic ambition. Tropic of the Sea serves as a microcosm of the larger global struggle between preserving cultural heritage and embracing the allure of new technology and development. What makes Tropic of the Sea particularly compelling is its subtlety. Kon doesn’t force answers or moral judgments on the reader. Instead, he presents a narrative that feels both timeless and immediate.
Aug 22, 2025
1Goodbye, Eri
My Anime List (MAL) Score - 8.68
Goodbye, Eri
Why Read Goodbye Eri?
Goodbye, Eri is a short but impactful one-shot manga written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the same creator behindrenowned works like Chainsaw Man. The story revolves around Yuta, a young filmmaker grappling with grief and loss after his mother’s death. The central idea revolves around the concept that the entire manga might itself be a film created by the protagonist, Yuta, with the events we witness being part of this cinematic creation. This metafictional approach blurs the lines between reality and fiction within the story, inviting readers to question what they perceive as true or fabricated.
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Fujimoto’s work is known for not providing straightforward answers but instead inviting readers to find their own meaning within the layers of the story. The film within the manga, and possibly the manga itself, becomes a canvas where Yuta reimagines his experiences, relationships, and losses. The film allows Yuta – and, by extension, Fujimoto – to control the narrative, to choose which version of the story gets told. In layman’s terms, “Goodbye, Eri” seems to be a love letter to the art of filmmaking and the power it wields in shaping our perception of reality. Fujimoto seems to be saying that while we can’t change what actually happened, we can choose how we tell the story of our lives, and in doing so, we can find peace, closure, or even a new beginning.
