5 New Series in Shueisha's MANGA Plus That You Should Follow

MANGA Plus is an online manga reading platform that lets you read the latest chapters of Shueisha's current ongoing manga, and several other old titles as well, for free. They’re always adding new titles so that the global fans can enjoy the latest additions to the Shounen Jump magazine.

Since the last month of 2021 is finally here, it's time to see some of the new manga added to the platform this year that you should follow. Keep in mind that we'll only talk about manga that have published more than one volume. Anything less than that would make it hard to judge the quality of the story. Let’s get started!

5. Aragane No Ko (Diamond In The Rough)

  • Mangaka: Sasaki, Nao
  • Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen
  • Volumes: 3+
  • Published: Sep 2021 - Present

In a world where technology is based around harnessing the power of stones, ore craftsmen are a group of people who can manipulate ores and conjure the unique properties of gemstones. But some craftsmen went astray. They wanted to find the mythical red diamond that has been rumored to only appear from a stone with a human soul, so they started to turn people into stone.

Kai is a village boy whose family has been petrified, along with his right foot. But a chance encounter with an eccentric ore craftsman named Akeboshi sparks his interest in gemstones and ushers in his journey to be an ore craftsman himself and look for a way to turn his family back to normal.

In these early chapters of Diamond In The Rough, Sasaki-sensei manages to create likeable characters, craft a unique power system, tease the vibrant world, and lay out a solid goal and motivation for the main characters. And that is a very stellar way to start a new series.


4. Ao No Hako (Blue Box)

  • Mangaka: Miura, Kouji
  • Genres: Romance, Sports, Slice of life, Shounen
  • Volumes: 2+
  • Published: Apr 2021 - Present

Taiki has always admired the ace of the girl's basketball team, Chinatsu. She always works hard, she has a great personality, and she is also super cute. Just seeing Chinatsu is a good enough motivation for Taiki to work hard as a member of the badminton team.

But one morning, he wakes up and finds out that Chinatsu will apparently be living together with him and his family for the rest of her high school years. And thus begins their complicated relationship.

Action has always been the signature genre for Shonen Jump, but once in a while, a good romance story will come along to bring a new flavor to the mix. And Blue Box is that romantic fragrance that brings variety to this otherwise action-oriented list.


3. Witch Watch

  • Mangaka: Shinohara, Kenta
  • Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen
  • Volumes: 3+
  • Published: Feb 2021 - Present

Nico is a witch-in-training who goes out to the big city in order to gain some real-life experience. As a rule, she has to pick a familiar to help her out with her day-to-day activities. So she chooses Otogi, her childhood friend who happens to be a modern day ogre. And so begins their chaotic life together where every day is filled with nothing but troubles.

Kenta Shinohara is the mangaka for a highly popular manga in late 2000s called Sket Dance. And for those of you who followed that manga, there are little details scattered around Witch Watch that make reference to Sket Dance. So while new readers will enjoy this hilarious manga for what it is, old fans of Shinohara-sensei can have a good time trying to find those easter eggs while they’re reading.


2. Dandadan

  • Mangaka: Tatsu, Yukinobu
  • Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Supernatural, Shounen
  • Volumes: 3+
  • Published: Aug 2021 - Present

Takakura Ken is a boy who believes in aliens but never even considers the existence of ghosts, while Momo Ayase believes firmly in spirits but thinks UFOs are mere fantasy. As it turns out, both of them are correct. And since they stick their noses where they don’t belong, they end up being the target of aliens who look like some combination of a boxing prawn and the ghost of a turbo granny.

Tatsu-sensei is a former assistant of both Chainsaw Man's Tatsuki Fujimoto and Hell's Paradise's Yuuji Kaku, so you can be sure that his story has that mysterious and quirky feeling to it and the art is also highly detailed, dynamic, and expressive. This is why both established mangaka highly recommend this series.


1. Choujin X

  • Mangaka: Ishida, Sui
  • Genres: Action, Drama, Supernatural, Seinen
  • Volumes: 2+
  • Published: May 2021 - Present

Living amidst the mundane life of ordinary people are those who have the power of Choujin. From conjuring massive swords to morphing into a giant snake, Choujin are deemed to be outliers whose mere existence spells trouble for those around them.

Yukio is a boy who finds himself injected by a serum that suddenly turns him into a bird-like Choujin. Thus begins his new life in an institution that educates and regulates Choujin for the betterment of society.

Ishida-sensei is the man who created the iconic Tokyo Ghoul, so you might've noticed the similarities in the premise between this new series and its influential predecessor. So if you like Tokyo Ghoul, chances are you'll love Choujin X as well.


Final Thoughts

Weekly manga is a very competitive medium. Nobody knows when their favorite manga will end up getting cancelled due to lack of popularity. That means that every title in this list is a newcomer that managed to survive this far into the year, and hopefully they will have long and illustrious years ahead of them. Or at least until they manage to tell their story properly.

So, before any one of them ends up either getting cancelled or maybe reaching mainstream success, you should jump aboard and follow their exciting and wonderful tales as they set out into the unknown.

So what do you think? Is there any title that you would like to read? Or maybe you want to wait until they get more established first before deciding whether to follow them or not? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

WITCH-WATCH-manga-Wallpaper-2-685x500 5 New Series in Shueisha's MANGA Plus That You Should Follow

Writer

Author: Harry

Harry is a manga addict first and freelance writer second. While he hasn’t read every manga under the sun, he has read an unhealthy amount of Shounen and Seinen manga. When he’s not writing in Honey’s Anime, you can find him in his personal blog: MangaDigest.com.

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