Top Filmmaking Manga Recommendations

[Oshi no Ko]

Also known as [Oshi no Ko].

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Gorou is a gynecologist and idol fan who’s in shock after his favorite star, Ai, announces an impromptu hiatus. Little does Gorou realize that he’s about to forge a bond with her that defies all common sense! Lies are an idol’s weapon!



Notes:
- Nominated for the 14th and 15th Manga Taisho.
- Nominated for the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
- Nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category.
- Nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.
- Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the print category.
- Chapter count includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Revenge , Idol , Acting , Reincarnation , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Twins , Detective , Time Skip , Work , Age Gap , Otaku Culture , Love Triangle , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Anti-Hero , Suicide , Bullying , Educational , Urban Fantasy , Denpa , Tsundere , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Pregnant , Filmmaking , VTuber , Cosplay

Fire Punch

Also known as Fire Punch.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

Orphaned siblings Agni and Luna, like the Ice Witch who cursed their world, are two of the “blessed,” humans who hold special abilities. However, not all who are blessed are friendly, and after another of their kind attacks Agni and decimates the orphans' village, Agni fights to survive, vowing revenge.



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Suicide , Tragedy , Dystopian , Revenge , Philosophy , Cult , Anti-Hero , Super Power , Survival , Religion , Body Horror , Meta , Cosmic Horror , Gore , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Torture , Acting , Time Skip , Cannibalism , Urban Fantasy , Incest , Filmmaking , Transgender , Slavery , Surreal Comedy , Denpa , LGBTQ+ Themes , Gods , Memory Manipulation , Snowscape , Politics , Heterosexual , Shounen

Koe no Katachi

Also known as A Silent Voice.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Based on a one-shot that won the 80th Weekly Shounen Magazine Newbie Best Mangaka Award.

Shouya is a bully. When Shouko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shouya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shouko is forced to leave the school, and Shouya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shouya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?



Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Rehabilitation , Language Barrier , Bullying , Coming of Age , Disability , Time Skip , Denpa , School , Heterosexual , Suicide , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Kuudere , Filmmaking , Shounen , Tomboy , Tragedy

Sayonara Eri

Also known as Goodbye, Eri.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

With his mother dying, Yuuta attempts to capture her last days on his phone. After her death, Yuuta heads to the roof of the hospital to commit suicide, but a meeting with a strange girl leads him on the path to making a movie.



Note: The one-shot was compiled in a special volume, released on July 4, 2022.

Tags: Meta , POV , Filmmaking , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Acting , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Vampire , Family Life , Time Skip , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Disability

Kanojo, Okarishimasu

Also known as Rent-A-Girlfriend.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Ecchi , Romance

In today’s Japan, “rental” services can deliver an afternoon with a “friend,” a “parent,” even a fake girlfriend! After a staggering betrayal by his girlfriend, hapless freshman Kazuya gets just desperate enough to give it a try. But he quickly discovers how complicated it can be to “rent” an emotional connection, and his new “girlfriend,” who’s trying to keep her side hustle secret, will panic when she finds out her real life and Kazuya’s are intertwined in surprising ways! Family, school, and life all start to go wrong, too… It’s sweet but naïve boy meets cute but ruthless girl in this 21st-century manga rom-com!



Tags: Gambling , Male Protagonist , Love Triangle , Shounen , Primarily Female Cast , Prostitution , Unrequited Love , Female Harem , Work , Heterosexual , Tsundere , Fake Relationship , Acting , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Agriculture , Filmmaking , Aliens , Coming of Age , Meta , Slapstick , School , Nudity , Cohabitation

act-age

Also known as ACT-AGE.

Status: Cancelled
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Slice of Life

Lights! Camera! ACTION! Kei Yonagi wants to be an actress! But an already-difficult dream to achieve has become much harder since her father left and her mother died. She's now taking care of her two little siblings on her own.

Without much money left, will she have to give up her dream?!



Tags: Acting , Work , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Shounen , Filmmaking , Educational , Primarily Adult Cast , Twins

Hirayasumi

Also known as Hirayasumi.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

With a carefree outlook on life, Hiroto knows better than anyone that slowing down is sometimes the best way to move forward.

At 29 years old, carefree Hiroto Ikuta doesn’t have a girlfriend, a full-time job, or a plan for the future—and he couldn’t be happier. Hiroto’s breezy attitude isn’t easy for everyone to understand, though. In a world filled with anxiety, confusion, and grief, Hiroto and the people who surround him are all just doing their best to figure out this thing called life.

After developing an unlikely friendship with the grouchy old granny who lives in his neighborhood, Hiroto suddenly finds himself inheriting not just her house, but some rather difficult emotions as well. His 18-year-old cousin Natsumi moves in with him, but as a struggling art student, she has her own troubles to deal with and may just put Hiroto’s easygoing lifestyle to the test.



Tags: Seinen , Iyashikei , Family Life , Urban , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , College , Drawing , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Filmmaking , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist

Umi ga Hashiru End Roll

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

After turning 65 and bereaved of her husband, Umiko visits a cinema for the first time in decades. A shocking, life-changing event awaits her. When she meets Kai, an art student majoring in film, Umiko realises that she wants to make a film. She realises that she is on the side of "the people who want to make films"... Lured by the waves that stir her heart, the 65-year-old dives into the sea of film!

Tags: Female Protagonist , Filmmaking , Photography , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Elderly Protagonist , Shoujo , Iyashikei , LGBTQ+ Themes , Asexual , Aromantic

Tasogare Outfocus

Also known as Twilight Out of Focus.

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance

Film enthusiast Mao Tsuchiya and his lone wolf roommate Hisashi Otomo make three promises:

(1) That Mao will never tell anyone that Hisashi is gay and has a boyfriend,
(2) That Hisashi will never approach Mao "in that way," and
(3) That they’ll respect each other's "private time."

The second-years' ground rules should ensure a peaceful life together in their dorm, but reality is never as simple as it seems in the movies, and some things are not so easily promised...



Tags: Boys' Love , School Club , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Acting , Nudity , Filmmaking , Boarding School , Anal Sex , Virginity , Bisexual , Estranged Family , Age Gap

Tenmaku Cinema

Also known as Tenmaku Cinema.

Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Supernatural

The exciting new series from the creators of Food Wars! Extreme movie-lover Hajime Shinichi and the ghost of the mysterious genius screenwriter Takihiko Tenmaku--their meeting will provide some serious plot twists! It's ready, set, action for this coming-of-age series!



Tags: Acting , Ghost , Shounen , Male Protagonist , School Club , School , Work , Filmmaking , Educational , Urban Fantasy

Shibatarian

Also known as Shibatarian.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror

In the spring of my third year of middle school, I found Shibata buried beneath a sakura tree. We watched movies and became fast friends, even planned to make a movie together for the school festival...but no one at school seemed to know him. I will discover Shibata and the whole world will turn into Shibata. This is a story of, by, and for Shibata. Now showing in a theater near you.



Tags: Survival , Clone , Male Protagonist , Body Horror , Yandere , Time Skip , School , Filmmaking , Revenge , Shounen , Battle Royale

R15+ ja Dame desu ka?

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

Akane Amou, who grew up with her parents forbidding any kind of entertainment, is a little bad with "stimulating" stuff, to the point she can't even watch a kissing scene in a drama. Now that she’s a highschool student, she somehow wants to overcome it! Those are her intentions, but it’s not that easy. Meanwhile, she got acquainted with a movie otaku named Fuyumine. Will she be able to watch an R15 movie…?

Tags: Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , School Club , Filmmaking , Seinen

Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!

Also known as Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Comedy

Midori loves to design worlds. Tsubame loves to animate. Sayaka loves to make money! And at Shibahama High, they call them Eizouken--a three-girl club determined to produce their own spectacular science fiction anime!

But with no budget from their school and a leaky warehouse for a studio, Eizouken is going to have to work hard and use their imagination...the one thing they've got plenty of!



Tags: Otaku Culture , Drawing , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Filmmaking , Meta , Urban , Seinen , Primarily Teen Cast , Iyashikei , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , Surreal Comedy , Educational , Urban Fantasy , Ensemble Cast , Tomboy , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things

Zanzou Slow Motion

Also known as Twilight Out of Focus: Afterimages in Slow Motion.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Romance

Jin Kikuchihara, third-year director, main actor, and president of the film club, and second-year director Giichi Ichikawa see eye-to-eye on very little. Jin is flashy, flirty, and focused on keeping everyone happy, while Giichi expects the best from himself and others, and will compromise nothing to see his vision through. Constantly at each other’s necks, the two can hardly stand to be in the same club. But what will happen when family trouble forces them to live in the same room? Will their shared interests bring them closer as friends, push them further apart as rivals, or something else entirely?



Note: Contains a side story.

Tags: Boys' Love , Primarily Male Cast , Acting , School Club , Nudity , Anal Sex , Rimjob , Fellatio , Virginity , Filmmaking

Bokutachi no Remake

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Kyouya Hashiba, who worked at a game company, had his dream shattered and decided to return to his parents’ home, but after waking up, it was ten years ago…… For some reason, he was attending the arts college that he was supposed to have given up on, furthermore, the creators that he admired in the future were his classmates!?

Tags: Time Manipulation , Otaku Culture , Age Regression , School , College , School Club , Filmmaking , Love Triangle , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Software Development , Work , Female Harem , Tragedy

F. Compo

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Masahiko Yanagiba lost both parents and, following his mother's will, moved to his maternal uncle's family, the Wakanaes. Although Wakanaes' hospitality was heartwarming, he soon found out why his other relatives shun away from the Wakanaes: his "uncle" is a woman while his "aunt" is just the opposite. Turns out the couple took the appearance of the opposite gender, and now Masahiko has no idea whether his cute cousin, Shion Wakanae, is either a boy or a girl.



Tags: Family Life , LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender , Primarily Adult Cast , Seinen , Crossdressing , Adoption , Gender Bending , Filmmaking , Estranged Family , Mixed Gender Harem , Male Harem

Sigeumchi Kkotdabal

Also known as Spinach Bouquet.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Romance

Country life is supposed to be idyllic, isn’t it? A peaceful place full of amiable neighbors with big hearts, right? That’s what Jiwoo is looking forward to… But out of all the next-door neighbors to have, he gets Dongchan. Curt, stand-offish, and inscrutable, Dongchan isn’t the most welcoming of folks. In fact, he looks like he doesn’t want Jiwoo and his family here at all. Bemused but not daunted, Jiwoo tries his best to adjust to life in the country…until it turns out that someone is trying to chase his family away from here. Jiwoo has his suspicions, but will he be able to find the real culprit?



Note: Chapter count includes a prologue.

Tags: Filmmaking , Boys' Love , Full Color , Rural , LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Disability , Time Skip

Eiga Daisuki Pompo-san

Also known as Pompo: The Cinéphile.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama

Gene Fini, a production assistant and film fanatic in the movie capital Nyallywood, has been working on popcorn films with the baby-faced movie producer Joelle Davidovich “Pompo” Pomponette. One day, Gene finds a script written by Pompo and is blown away. When he says it deserves to be made, Pompo challenges him to do it himself—and now Gene is officially directing his first feature film! The hours are long and the challenges are endless, but Gene’s passion for movies will fuel him through the gauntlet of making his own.



Note: Began serialization in Gene Pixiv on July 27, 2017.

Tags: Coming of Age , Acting , Filmmaking , Shoujo , Female Protagonist

Tasogare Outfocus long take

Also known as Twilight Out of Focus: Long Take.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

Winter is coming for roommates-turned-lovers Mao and Hisashi, bringing with it a whole slew of unexpected challenges and a noted cooling in their relationship that makes Mao wonder if the foundation they've built really is as strong as it once seemed. To make matters worse, this period of transition before their final year of high school has also shaken up the one constant Mao had always relied on: film. Weighed down by such uncertainty, will the two manage to find something solid to see them through a season of darkness, or will the curtain fall on their romance for good?



Note: Chapter count includes 2 extras.

Tags: Boys' Love , Nudity , Filmmaking , Acting , School Club

30-sai de "Seibetsu ga, Nai!" to Hanmei shita Ore ga Arafif ni Natte Wakatta Koto.

Also known as At 30, I Realized I Had No Gender: Life Lessons from a 50-Year-Old After Two Decades of Self-Discovery.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

At age 30, Shou Arai came to a realization; they had no gender. Now they were faced with a question they'd never really considered: how to age in a society where everything is so strongly segregated between two genders? This autobiographical manga explores Japanese culture surrounding gender, transgender issues, and the day to day obstacles faced by gender minorities and members of the LGBTQIA+ community with a lighthearted, comedic attitude.



Tags: Agender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Autobiographical , Non-fiction , 4-koma , Transgender , Age Gap , Male Protagonist , Travel , Filmmaking , Drawing