Choose Your Next Read: Pairing Popular Books with Manga

How the tables have turned… when you’re the monster yourself. I decided to pair up these two titles because they have one similarity and that is that the protagonist (in each of their stories) is a monster who has to fight to save their reality.

In the case of Jujutsu Kaisen, the story centers Yuji Itadori, a normal high schooler, who has a lot of strength but chooses to spend his time in the Occult Club. One night though, they find a sealed cursed object which happens to be a finger that belonged to the feared demon Ryoma Sukuna. If you swallow Sukuna’s body parts, the power you gain is unimaginable. To save his friends, he decides to eat Sukuna’s fingers, sealing his fate and future to a tragic ending.

Both of these titles feature main characters with nothing to live for who then suddenly get turned into dangerous beings who might be able to save the world. The Immortal Rules, a YA vampire book, tells the story of Allie Sekemoto, a young girl who gets turned into a vampire and now has to live in a dystopian world, doing her best to survive.

Chainsaw Man has a similar beginning, but definitely parts ways on the plot aspect a few chapters later. Denji is a young boy who will do anything for money, even hunting down devils. He has his devil-dog Pochita by his side to do it, of course. But one day, he is betrayed by someone he trusts, and Denji suddenly turns into a whole new man — Chainsaw Man!

Who doesn’t love a good academic rivals-to-lovers romance, am I right? In these two titles, you’ll find two people, in each of their own stories, battling it out in an academic setting. They surely want to become the number one student in their school. But would that other person let them?

Though Kaguya-sama: Love is War does feature an academic rivals-to-lovers trope, I feel like Kaguya and Miyuki don’t really dislike each other like in other academic rivals-to-lovers romances. From the very beginning, you know that they both have feelings for each other, but they’re too prideful to let the other one know. Because of this, they come up with many plans to make the other one confess their love first.

The perfect manga to pick up during the fall and winter seasons. Our Dining Table is the manga you want to read if you enjoy heartwarming romances, and stories that hit you in the heart from the very beginning.

It follows one lonely man who loves cooking but is hesitant about eating around people. One day he meets two brothers who are many years apart, and his life basically changes completely.

To be honest, if you enjoy and love Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series, this manga is perfect for you. I feel like it delivers the same kind of vibes in a way; soft, cozy, and super romantic vibes.

A Sign of Affection is the story of Yuki, a deaf college student, whose life revolves around her friends and social media. A chance encounter in the subway leads her to meet upper classmate Itsuomi-san. This sweet love story will pull at your heartstrings instantly!

These titles share a second-chance romance between two people who had a crush on each other years ago, and both are incredible. For all the readers who want a little bit of angst, Ao Haru Ride is a shoujo manga that introduces two high school students who once upon a time liked each other, back in middle school. Now, they reunite in high school, but for Futaba, it feels like Kou has changed.

For the office romance fans, this one’s for you. Still Sick is a romance manga featuring two office workers. Makoto Shimizu is just trying to blend in with her colleagues, but everything changes when one of her coworkers, Akane Maekawa, discovers her secret: she draws and sells girls’ love comics! But instead of creating a barrier between them, it just draws them closer where they eventually start learning a little bit more about each other, and maybe… that might lead to falling in love.

Attack on Titan is one manga that is going down in history as one of the most popular pieces of work in the world. What made me choose this manga for The Gilded Ones is the resemblance of the main characters’ beginnings. Deka, the main character in Forna’s novel, bleeds gold instead of red. Because of this, she is then sentenced to death. An old woman saves her and takes her to be part of the emperor’s army of girls, all with cursed blood. They will fight against the Deathshrieks, these monsters that attack villages in the empire.

If you’re familiar with Attack on Titan, you can see that Deka and Eren, the protagonist in the manga, have similarities. Eren’s village is attacked by titans, these big, monstrous beings that destroy and eat everything in their path. After the death of his family, he enlists in the army to learn how to fight the titans. But as he starts to get used to this new world of his, he realizes that there are far too many secrets being whispered around him… and maybe, maybe, he’s holding the biggest one of them all.

Games and deceit will welcome you in these two titles. If you like one, you’ll probably adore the other.

Kakegurui follows Yumeko Jabami, a student who has far too many secrets. She just entered Hyakkaou Private Academy, a magnificent institution housing children of the privileged. When you’re one of the wealthiest people in the world, you have to know the art of the deal, the art of gambling. And in this school, gambling is everything.

Puppy Love is a light, soft romance between an office worker who’s tired of his workplace and a cute pet shop clerk.

I decided to match these two up mainly because of the characters. I feel like they’re very relatable and have similar stories. In Our Favorite Songs, the main characters are lonely, overworked, and trying to get away from their daily life. And that’s how they meet each other. It’s similar in a way in Puppy Love as well; Inukai works for a company that definitely exploits him, so when he meets this fluffy pet shop clerk he decides to quit his job and change his life situation in order to finally get a dog for himself.

Perfect for the Halloween season, Dandadan is all about aliens and ghosts. It’s paired with Wicked Fox, because both of them have magical creatures that are hard to believe they exist. But what do you believe in?

In the manga, Momo Ayase is someone who believes in ghosts but never in aliens. While Okarun thinks the opposites. They want to prove each other wrong immediately! Now, the two of them must overcome a ghost’s curse and aliens set out on attacking the innocent. This is a spooky, comedic read you won’t be able to stop reading.