Summary
Mangais a complex art form that comes with many genres and subgenres. It is often split into different demographics like shonen, shojo, josei, and seinen, and within those demographics there are genres, subgenres, and themes. Many fans will recognize popular genres like romance, isekai, mecha, horror and magical girl, or mahou shojo, as well as subgenres like reverse isekai, romantic comedy, and realistic-robot mecha manga. Favourites from these genres and subgenres often get anime adaptations, which is especially obvious in the isekai and mecha categories.
However, some genres and subgenres of manga are more niche, and naturally, have smaller followings. These peculiar genres rarely produce mangas that get anime adaptations, and when they do, it is a sight to behold for fans, even if the production value is lacking.
10Omegaverse
The omegaverse subgenre is usually known for being a part of theBL, or yaoi, genre. It typically centers around an “alpha” and an “omega” but can be any mixture of the “secondary genders” unique to omegaverse content. These secondary genders consist of alpha, omega, and beta. The omegaverse is a universe in which male omegas can get pregnant, and female and male alphas can impregnate omegas. There is a lot of lore that goes along with the omegaverse, but each story is a little different depending on the mangakas own interpretation of it.
Some popular English-translated manga titles includeLove Is An Illusionby Fargo andMegumi And Tsugumiby Si Mitsuru. The omegaverse is popular in fan fiction, manga and manhua, but has never been adapted to anime.
While the omegaverse is often fraught with racy themes, there exists some truly wholesome content within the universe, fans just have to look hard enough.
9Anthropomorphic Romance
Anthropomorphic manga elicits stories about humanoid, or human-like animals. Although their animal instinct may play a role in their character, these animals behave like humans, sometimes more than others. Anthropomorphic manga has many subgenres, including romance, adventure, and action. While some anthropomorphic anime adaptations exist likeBNAandOdd Taxi, the subgenre of anthropomorphic romance is slim in anime. This subgenre involves romantic relationships between anthropomorphic characters, or an anthropomorphic character and a human.
With the popularity of theBeastarsmanga adaptation in 2019, the future is looking bright for anthropomorphic romance. Some popular manga titles includeMonotone Blueby Fargo, andBeast Complexby Paru Itagaki, the same mangaka asBeastars.
8Gender Bender
Although gender bender classics likeMulan(1998) andSome Like it Hot(1959) exist in popular media, this theme in manga is rarely adapted to anime, and when it is, it’s frequently underwhelming. Aside from the few based on really popular shojo manga likeOuran High school Host Club, gender bender stories are under-made relative to how popular the manga genre is. This theme, or genre depending on who fans ask, depicts people doing drag, or cross-dressing, usually for the sake of keeping a secret, achieving a goal, or because of their own personal preference for dressing a certain way. While these stories are not necessarily about gender identity, they can be.
Some popular manga titles includeHana No Kishiby Mai Nishikata andRanma 1/2by Rumiko Takahashi. There is a large crossover between body-swap manga and gender bender, with some fans arguing that they often fall under the same umbrella.
7Otome Isekai
Otome Isekai is a subgenre of isekai, or anime about being transported to or reborn in another world. However, in otome isekai, the protagonist is transported into or reincarnated into, an often historically set, otome game or otome game resembling world. This often looks like the protagonist being reborn as a maiden in a western historical fiction setting, with knights and royalty. Other times they are placed as a villainess, and must change their character’s position in order to win the favor of the story’s hero. Ultimately, there is some sort of goal, like any videogame, but in otome isekai they are usually romantic and heroic in nature.
While manga otome isekai is popular,it’s really in manwhathat the subgenre has taken off. Some popular manga titles includeI’m The Villainess So I’m Taming The Final Bossby Sarasa Nagaski and Anko Yuzu, as well asMy Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doomby Nami Hidaka and Satoru Yamaguchi.
6Reverse Harem
Similar to regular harem manga,reverse haremsinvolve one protagonist getting entangled in relationships with multiple potential partners. Reverse harem manga details the lives of one female lead, with multiple options for male suitors. While this is a slightly more popular genre for anime adaptations, it is largely under-represented compared to the male, with multiple female suitors, version of the genre. Reverse harem’s are usually light-hearted, with the female leads taking on a more friendly role with the males in her harem. However, sometimes she picks one partner as endgame, and sometimes she picks all partners as endgame. It really depends on the story.
While there are some well known anime adaptations of manga and light novels likeFruits BasketsandBrothers Conflict, some lesser known mangas includeAlice In The Country of Heartsby Soumei Hoshino and Quinrose, as well asNadeshiko Clubby Miku Sakamoto.
Boy’s Love harems are also sometimes referred to as “reverse harems”.
5Absurdist
Absurdist manga is manga that explores absurdism. Absurism, or “the absurd” is a philosophical concept most closely associated with Albert Camus, who asserted that our human nature to seek out meaning in our life, and the truth of there being no meaning, creates aparadox called the absurd. In manga, absurdism can be presented as meaninglessness, silliness and comedy, thoughtless gore, and psychological storylines that leave the audience feeling a like life has no meaning, but that it’s actually okay for that to be the case.
Some popular absurdist manga titles includeNichijouby Keiichi Arawi,Pop Team Epicby Bkub Ookawa, andFlowers Of Evilby Shuuzou Oshimi.
4Military Moe
Military Moe is a subgenre of Moe and Cute Girls Doing Cute things that depicts cute girls in the military or in a militaristic universe. It is closely related to the"girls with guns"theme, but in military moe the girls are all cute and generally small. In Manga and anime the term “moe” refers to cute, and oftentimes innocent, girls. Military moe puts these girls in difficult circumstances, usually forcing them to depend on each other and work together for a better world.
Military moe has seen some popularity in anime, but the Cute Girls Doing Cute Things genre is typically centered around slice of life pieces, school life and work life. A popular military moe manga title isGirls & Panzerby Ryouichi Saitaniya.
3Magical Boyfriend
Magical boyfriend is the boyfriend counterpart to the somewhat popular genre, magical girlfriend. Magical girlfriend titles include a protagonist, usually non-magical but not always, and a girlfriend or target of affection that is magical and/or fantastical in some way. Magical boyfriend on the other hand, features a magical boyfriend, or male love interest with magic abilities or some supernatural, extraterrestrial, or even technological traits. Examples of magical boyfriend themes in popular media includeTwilight(2008) andEdward Scissor Hands(1990). Another example would bePeter Pan.
Magical boyfriend mangas are essentially love stories about a protagonist and their, magical boy, love interest(s). Some options for fans of the genre includeAbsolute Boyfriendby Yuu Watase, andFruits Basketby Natsuki Takaya.
2Shonen Ai & Shojo Ai
Unlike their predecessors yaoi (BL) and yuri, shonen ai and shojo ai provide fans with same-gender relationships that don’t focus heavily on sexual themes and subject matter. “Shonen ai” asserts more of a focus onromance and connectionwhereas “yaoi” assumes that there will be a focus on sex. The same goes for shojo ai, while “yuri” denotes sexual themes, “shojo ai” focuses on relationship building, and chemistry. Shonen ai and shojo ai often take place during high school, and are better options for fans wanting wholesome stories about the LGBTQ+ community. While these genres are not actually unusual, they are somewhat unpopular compared to yaoi and yuri, which are already niche genres as it is.
While shonen ai and shojo ai are gaining popularity in mainstream media with anime adaptations likeSasaki and Miyano, andBloom Into You, the genres are still largely stuck unadapted. A popular shonen ai title isKoimonogatariby Tagura Tohru, and a popular shojo ai title isSasemeki Kotoby Ikeda Takashi.
1Interspecies Relationship
As weird as this one sounds or doesn’t sound, it’s actually quite common in manga and other popular media. In many cases, interspecies relationship manga looks like relationships between humans and gods, vampires, werewolves, and robots, but in other cases it looks like relationships between different animal species, relationships between humans and anthropomorphic animals, or relationships between humans and aliens. It could beBeauty And The Beaststyle stories, or storiesmore likeBeastars.
Some popular manga titles about interspecies relationships includeThe Ancient Magus' Brideby Kore Yamazaki, andCoyoteby Ranmaru Zaria.
