Enen no Shouboutai (Fire Force) has been sitting in our manga reading backlog for a long time, mainly because it never really piqued our interest in a major way. Thankfully, we picked up the first volume a while ago, and found ourselves drawn into the amazing world building and high stakes of this fiery Tokyo.

In a world where people can—without apparent reason—instantaneously turn into flaming creatures called “Infernals,” the fire-fighting forces have become like an army. Backed by a new church, the titular Fire Force is strengthened by second- and third-generation pyrokinetics who are able to control fire in some capacity.

Enter our main character, Shinra, a boy nicknamed “the Devil” thanks to his third-generation power and his nervous grin that unsettles people. Shinra wants answers from the Fire Force—specifically, why his mother and young brother died in a blaze, and what—or whom—is behind “spontaneous human combustion.” He’ll use his powers to defeat Infernals and make sure other families don’t suffer like he did—but conspiracy abounds in this new military, and Shinra might get sucked into its depths…

Fire Force has charmed us with quirky characters (like the Camelot-obsessed Arthur), along with the amazingly drawn battle sequences (fire is difficult to draw so well!). The series is committed to its own lore and worldbuilding, drawing us in deeper—and with 24 volumes in English, we’ve got a lot to read!

We first watched One-Punch Man’s anime back in 2019 when the second season dropped and loved the comedy, action, and satirical take on shounen heroes. Unfortunately it took us until earlier this year to finally pick up the first volume of the manga—and we love the series even more on paper!

We don’t mean to discredit the anime production of One-Punch Man, but neither Madhouse (Season 1) nor J.C.Staff (Season 2) managed to capture the powerful beauty of Murata’s artwork. The shiny metal reflections from cyborg Genos; the liberal usage of double-page spreads; and the dramatic angles that highlight “serious-mode Saitama.” All of the work from Murata and his team creates a manga that practically leaps off the page.

When it comes down to story pacing or delivery, the anime mostly got it right, but sitting down with a volume and binging it in half an hour—that’s a unique type of experience that only manga can provide. In manga format, Saitama’s adventures as the world’s strongest hero contrast more sharply against Genos’s desire for vengeance, or Garo’s warped conquest of power.

Throw in the bonus side stories and a few extra gags that didn’t make the cut, and you’ve got a much fuller experience that hits new strides with every arc.

If you’ve read a bunch of shounen—like we have—then we highly recommend checking out One-Punch Man’s manga. The artwork and delivery is truly worthy of an S-Rank hero!

We only have ourselves to blame for this one! Despite seeing a plethora of character fanart over the last few years, Chainsaw Man was lost in our manga backlog (and then lost in the void of reprinting troubles).

By the time we finally picked up Volume 1, the anime had already been announced—but thankfully, despite the fandom’s love for their characters, they’ve done an amazing job at keeping a tight lid on potential spoilers. It’s pretty rare to go unspoiled about a manga’s plot for so many years, and Chainsaw Man really benefits from going in blind.

If you’ve missed the hype for Chainsaw Man, it takes a bleak world crippled by devil attacks, and throws our main character—a downtrodden teenager now fused with a chainsaw-wielding dog devil—headfirst into the gory mix. This series is ruthlessly bloody, and definitely not for the faint of heart—it’s around Tokyo Ghoul levels of gore, but with (ironically) less body horror.

What really caught our attention with Chainsaw Man is the mangaka’s willingness to flip the script on its head. Characters die, and stay dead, almost without warning. The main character truly acts like a normal teenage boy—which is to say, he’s horny and doesn’t think before he jumps, but has good intentions. The comedy is on-point, breaking up the tragic violence before throwing the reader right back into the fray. Discordant pieces come together to work in harmony and create an enthralling read.

We recommend using the time before the anime’s debut (likely in 2023) to read through the first eleven volumes of Chainsaw Man. The second part of the series has just begun publication in Japan with translated chapters available via Manga Plus (Shonen Jump App)!