I don’t know about you, but I always set lofty reading goals for myself. Can I read 75 books in one year? In January that sounds like such an easy task. By October…well, it’s looking pretty daunting.

One way I discovered I could beef up my numbers were manga! There are so many volumes within manga series - especially dear old One Piece - that you can speed past your goal in no time. Not to mention, manga are books that tend to get overlooked when you’re an adult and trying to find your next great read. Many of them live within the Young Adult shelves, but I promise you there are some hidden gems there.

Today, I’m only highlighting four of my favorites, but our library owns so many. Make sure you browse the catalog to find a series you like or submit a library concierge request and a librarian can send you recommendations based on your favorite genres!

Demon Slayer

The anime for this has gotten so much hype over the last few years for good reason. If you’re anything like me, you’re nice and impatient and waiting for the next season is absolutely excruciating. Good thing the manga series is completed!

I finished this series a few months ago, and I will be honest: it wasn’t the best manga I’ve ever read when it comes to the plot. I have included it, however, because it made me feel so many emotions, and the story, albeit not as strong as I wanted it to be, has stuck with me.

Tanjiro’s quest to save his sister and fight demons is harrowing, and you really do fall in love with all the characters along the way. This one will have you hooked simply because you must know what happened to your favorite character.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

This manga is so underhyped in my opinion. I understand Harry Potter is kind of going out of fashion in some ways, but this is basically a Harry Potter parody series. The author basically took the setting of everyone’s beloved kid wizard and flipped it on its head.

Our main character is Mash Burndead, an unmarked magic-less man in a world of magical marked people. (You see, everyone has a type of scar except for him so it’s kind of the opposite of Harry? Genius.) To save himself and his dad, he has to fake his way through a magic academy, which is basically Hogwarts, and what he lacks in magic is made up for in strength.

This series is a bit slapstick but in such a good way. As a millennial who grew up in the Harry Potter generation, too, the similarities and little jokes made are so, so good. The plot is also surprisingly well done for something that seems unoriginal as it does leave you with some unexpected twists. I hope you like dumb jokes and cream puffs.

One Piece

If you don’t know anything about One Piece at this point, what are you doing?

Between the new Netflix show and its 25 years of anime, this manga is definitely worth your time. It will also seriously bulk up your book numbers because it’s the longest series I know of (107 volumes).

The Straw Hats Pirates are the most lovable cast of characters, and this is one of those rare instances where you care about the plot and the character development. It really does have it all. Not to mention, the world building, to me, is unmatched and unique.

After just a few stories, you will find yourself so wrapped up in the tales of Luffy and the gang. You will be rooting for them, loving them, and even crying over their ship…no spoilers there, really, but I did cry over a ship, and I’ve been told I’m not the only one.

Ouran High School Host Club

This manga had to be included because it was the very first series I ever read all the way through. It’s not too long but not too short; it’s just right.

Ouran High School Host Club is charming, light-hearted, and emotional with characters that win you over in chapter one. If you like romance, a dash of drama, and lots of laughs, this is the manga for you.

Haruhi is such a multi-dimensional main character, and watching her development throughout the series is still one of my favorite character growth arcs to this day (and I read this probably a decade or so ago). Her chemistry with the boys in the Host Club is also just so fun and so heartwarming - definitely worth a read.