2016 saw the rise of the isekai genre in anime and manga. Usually, the main character leads a fairly mundane life and is reincarnated in a world of adventure and excitement. In this new world, with new powers and a taste for adventure, the hero of the story can live a life far more exciting than it used to be.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is a little different, however. A 37- year old salaryman is killed and finds himself reincarnated in another world; only unlike most isekai heroes, he finds himself reincarnated as a blind slime. Armed with nothing but a few abilities and his new friend, Storm Dragon Verudora, he sets off to prove that not only heroes can have adventures.

Once a great soldier, Saichi Sugimoto, a survivor of the Russo-Japanese War, now works as a miner on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido in order to support the widow of his deceased comrade. Common among those working the Hokkaido gold rush is the story of a hidden stash of gold worth millions of yen. When Saichi also clues regarding the location of the legendary gold, his simple post-war life turns into an unexpected adventure.

With possession of information regarding the gold's location, Saichi is attacked by Japan's Army and other groups. With the help of an Ainu girl, Asirpa, Saichi seeks to find the fold before any of the competing parties. This historical action adventure manga which won the 9th Manga Taisho award, as well as placed highly in rankings has many people on the lookout.

When Earth is under attack by beings from another world, it needs a first line of defense – a group of guardians to protect it from whatever evil may befall it. Entrusted with saving the world are a group of high school students and their partners, who just happen to creatures that resemble mascot costumes.

As if that's not strange enough, when the guardians kiss their kigurumi, it turns into a handsome man. In order to save the world, the guardians will have to work together with the kigurumi assigned to them. Kigurumi Guardians is a fun manga with an unexpected and unique premise, and a good amount of humor sprinkled in as well.

In the near future, jewels take the form of humans and are known as 'The Lustrous'. Enticed by their glistening beauty, the Lunarians seek to attack the Lustrous and turn them into decorations. Each Lustrous is assigned a role that will help them take part in the battle against the Lunarians.

Phosphophyllite, the most fragile gem, who had hoped to one day be placed into battle, is instead tasked with creating and editing an encyclopedia of their world. As Phos compiles the natural history of the world, she comes in contact with another gem, Cinnabar. Cast to live in exile and to never receive the glories of battle, Cinnabar and Phos find themselves on a journey that may change their world.
Land of the Lustrous was a sleeper hit in Japan, slowly crawling itself up to the sales and rankings chart. With enough time to be aware of its success, Land of the Lustrous already had eager fans, even before its debut.

Love is hard to find. Even harder to keep when the government assigns everyone with a compatible person to marry at the age of 16. No longer do people have to go through the difficulties of finding a partner on their own. With the threat of harsh punishment looming overhead, it's best to accept your assigned lover and move on with life.

At the age of 15, Yukari Nejima confesses his love to his long-time crush, Misaki. At the age of 16, however, Yukari is assigned to marry another girl, Lilina. Aware of his feelings for Misaki and not the biggest fan of being assigned, Lilina encourages Yukari to follow his heart so that she can understand what it is like to be in love.
A tale of love and secrets, Love and Lies is sure to be a wonderful tale of childhood love and growth. The anime premiered in July, so anime and manga lovers got the chance to experience the story and get excited to get their hands on the source material.

The second entry into the Fairy Tail Gaiden meta-series, Rhodonite follows Gajeel Redfox, the iron dragon slayer, as he goes on his own adventure to confront his past. In Rhodonite, while chasing down his past, Gajeel finds himself being called back to the darkness as he chases down an escaped prisoner tied to his past.Fans of Fairy Tail will be excited to read this new story in the Fairy Tail universe that will explore one of the more mysterious characters of the series.

In an alternate reality, humans exist alongside ghouls, creatures who live off human flesh. To say "live alongside" is perhaps a bit generous, as humans live in fear of their predators who blend in with society and lure their prey with surprising skill. Ken Kaneki, after surviving an attack from a ghoul, wakes up in the hospital to find that he is now half-ghoul half-human. With his new status, Ken must learn how to live and get along in two societies that he doesn't completely belong in.

Tokyo Ghoul:re, a direct sequel to Tokyo Ghoul, follows Haise Sasaki, an Associate Special Class Ghoul Investigator at the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul). Serving as the mentor of the Quinx Squad, a group of humans with ghoul-like powers he is haunted by nightmares of someone named Ken Kaneki. Haise must work with the Quinx to complete their investigations, all the while figuring out what his connection is to Ken.

The Promised Neverland takes the saying "nothing is as it seems" and absolutely runs with it. Norman and Emma live an idyllic life at their orphanage, Grace Field House. Their caretaker, Mama, is sweet and loving and besides a few strict rules regarding leaving the orphanage life is good. There's always a reason for rules, and rules are also always broken.

After Norman and Emma break one of the rules, their entire concept of reality is turned completely upside down. Uncovering dark secrets about Grace Field House and the world, they realize they must leave the place they once called home. The art of The Promised Neverland is very bright and bubbly, yet the story is very dark in ways that completely catches the reader off guard. The Promised Wonderland, is a unique story full of unexpected twists.

As part of a new service, the first three chapters were released online. Those who enjoyed the preview are surely looking forward to picking up The Promised Neverland. A fast-paced and exciting manga, The Promised Neverland is sure to please!

One thing that superhero comics has confirmed is that in a world with superheroes and super powers, there will always be vigilantes – those who fight crime without the support of the law. This holds true, even in the world of My Hero Academia. While My Hero Academia tells the actual heroes as they protect U.A High School and the world from evils unknown, Vigilante - My Hero Academia: Illegals - tells the story of the vigilantes fighting in the shadow.

After being saved by the vigilante, Knuckleduster, Koichi is recruited in the vigilante work of keeping the streets clean of criminals the heroes find too lowly. Vigilante - My Hero Academia: Illegals - is set in the same world as My Hero Academia, and as such, features the same excitement and action, and has already featured a character appearance from the original manga, with more to hopefully come. Vigilante - My Hero Academia: Illegals - is a bit darker in tone than the original, which should be able to set it apart from My Hero Academia.

For fifteen years, fans of shounen manga religiously read one of the most popular and successful manga of all time, Naruto. Shunned by everyone in the village, Naruto dreams of one day earning everyone's respect by becoming Hokage, the title given to the protector, strongest and most respected ninja in the entire village. A story with the right balance of action, powers, drama and unexpected turns, Masashi Kishimoto created a timeless story that left a void in many manga readers' hearts when it finally came to an end.

Fortunately for Naruto fans, Kishimoto decided to continue the story of Naruto with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows Boruto, the son of Naruto, as he too tries to find his place in the ninja world. With a new host of characters, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations will appeal to fans of Naruto as well as newcomers.