Best Drama Manga of 2018

Eiji Urashima is just an ordinary university student like everyone else. His college career consists of boozing with his friends and trying to get a girlfriend. On October 23rd, he returns home after a pleasant night of drinking and goes to bed. To his surprise, when Eiji wakes up, a gorgeous girl from his university, Kyouka Yukimura, is lying beside him—claiming to be his girlfriend. Having no recollection of the event, Eiji goes along with the flow until he is faced with more nonsensical events that took place in the last few days. Walking alongside his friend, Kashiwagi, he cannot help but ask the most intuitive question on his mind: is today not the 24th? "Eiji, what are you saying? Today's the 27th." Three days have passed, yet Eiji cannot recall a thing. The situation takes a dire turn when a magazine writer exposes Eiji's deepest secret in front of Kyouka: he is the son of a serial killer. As his life is thrown into a spiral of disarray, he embarks on a journey to resolve the mess of the last three days and get Kyouka to accept his past.

Ever since she was a child, Kei Yonagi has been attracted to the idea of acting, as she has always attentively watched how actions and emotions differ depending on the type of character portrayed. Now a teenager, she is broke, and is the only one able to financially support her young siblings. She starts auditioning for any role possible, without much success. Her luck begins to change when Sumiji Kuroyama, a renowned director, sees Yonagi's performance and is amazed by her ability to immerse herself in the role—the so-called method acting. Although she is a diamond in the rough, if she keeps using the same technique over and over, it could lead to her being severely damaged. So, he makes the decision to help polish her, giving Yonagi the opportunity she needs. However, the road ahead of her is far from easy, and she will need to adapt to overcome the various challenges that come her way.

Having recently moved from her small backwater town in Ishikawa Prefecture to attend a prestigious high school in Tokyo, Mitsumi Iwakura plans on using her high school career as a launchpad for her dream of going to law school and becoming a public servant; however, she also recognizes the need to occasionally have fun and make friends. To that end, she has gone so far as to map out her entire life ahead of time, but all of her preparation flies out the window on the first day of school. Mitsumi misses her train stop and is about to be late to the entrance ceremony, which is especially troublesome because she is supposed to give a speech as the new students' representative. While lamenting her situation, Sousuke Shima—a handsome first-year student who is also late—sees her and offers to walk with her to school. They eventually make it to school, although Mitsumi has some unfortunate accidents soon after that leave a less-than-favorable impression on everyone. In spite of her misfortune, her classmates soon take notice of Mitsumi and Sousuke's chemistry, despite their differing personas. With the new year already off to an interesting start, Mitsumi is eager to get to know her classmates better and get involved at her school. Only time will tell if this country bumpkin can make it in the city, but one thing has become certain: she definitely will not be alone on her journey!

Koyomi Araragi is no stranger to the abnormal. During the spring break of his third year in high school, a fateful encounter with vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade turns him into a vampire himself. Thrust into the world of oddities, Araragi finds himself catching classmate Hitagi Senjougahara when she falls down the school stairs one day—but something is amiss. After being confronted by the girl in question, Araragi learns that her weight was stolen by a mythical crab. In spite of Senjougahara's blunt threats, he manages to convince her to let him help. In need of a solution to an abnormal problem, the two visit the mysterious Meme Oshino, a wanderer who saved Araragi from his vampirism. Bakemonogatari is a tale about the monsters that reside within everyone, but just how deep do they dwell in the people Araragi meets?

Due to widespread bullying in Eunjang High School, weak students live in constant fear of becoming the next prey. But their luck is bound to change when Gray Yeon—a scrawny freshman, no taller than 157 cm—leaves the entire class in shock—stands up to a bully twice his size and overpowers him with ease. Gray's courageous act, resourcefulness, and unique insight earn him the nickname Eunjang's White Mamba. Despite his size, Gray continues trading blows with bigger and stronger bullies from other high schools in town, all in hopes of preventing history from repeating itself.

Miyo Saimori was the unfortunate child of a loveless, arranged marriage. After her mother died, her father brought in his lover and other daughter, Kaya. From then on, Miyo's life was reduced to that of a mere servant. Even worse, while Kaya inherited the family's psychic abilities, Miyo had none—she was truly the daughter with no merit. After years of being treated like dirt, Miyo has learned to keep her head down, hide her pain, and obey every order. So, it comes as no surprise that she is arranged to be married to Kiyoka Kudou, a military captain rumored to be so cruel that he has driven away every one of his potential wives so far. From a painful upbringing to a painful marriage, that is the future that awaits Miyo—or so she thinks. Contrary to her expectations, her new husband is actually kind-hearted. What really awaits Miyo is a blissful, everlasting marriage full of happiness!

Taku Yokoi has trouble getting along with people, so he moved to Tokyo as soon as he graduated from high school. He now lives alone, making a living by delivering newspapers and drawing doujinshi, though people totally ignore his non-erotic works. One day, a girl named Megumi Saitou suddenly shows up at his door, claiming that she came all the way from Tottori to meet him because she's a big fan of one of his doujinshi. It ends up that she has faced many hardships herself, and with no intention of leaving, she ends up living with him.

Mogumo is known throughout their entire school as an easy target. They are non-binary—neither male nor female—which ostracizes them from the rest of the school community. However, in a chance encounter, they meet a boy named Tetsu Iwaoka, who decides to bring Mogumo to a maid cafe. Tetsu claims that the people there will understand them, and Mogumo jumps at the chance to meet people similar to them. However, Mogumo soon becomes upset after learning that the place is seen as a "girlyboy" cafe, and they are mistaken as a cross-dressing boy. Tetsu manages to convince Mogumo that it doesn't matter what their sex is, and they gladly join the team of cafe workers. Thus begins a story of self-discovery and acceptance as each character explores the concept of gender and its meaning.

The bright and bubbly Yuzu Aihara, along with her girlfriend, the stern and stoic Mei Aihara, are ready to make up for their lost time in this continuation of their romantic journey. Harumi Taniguchi, Himeko Momokino, Nene Nomura, and the rest of the crew are prepared to lend their support to these two whenever needed. They can even count on the usually antagonistic Matsuri Mizusawa to cheer them on. Mei is coming back home after six months away, and Yuzu couldn't be more excited! With their relationship now public, the two have decided to start over and do things properly this time around. However, Mei's tenuous future as the chairwoman of Aihara academy and Yuzu's university plans are some of the challenges they will have to figure out along the way. Undaunted, the two trust in each other's love and support, come what may.

The Prison City, housing over five hundred thousand people, is inescapable. Constantly surveilled by thousands of robot guards, the inhabitants have little chance of jailbreak. Chloe, a seven-year-old girl, has lived in this dreary city her whole life. Abandoned by her parents, she passes her days with her baby brother, Rock. Since the streets are sprawling with dangerous criminals, she has never left the house and finds her purpose in life by taking care of her brother. One night, after realizing that her neighbors are attempting to escape, Chloe secretly pursues them while carrying Rock. However, when things go south during their escape, she becomes separated from her brother. Faced with harsh reality, she reluctantly escapes without him, holding onto the hope that he will survive until the day she can return. Eleven years later, upon polishing her combat abilities, Chloe returns to the Prison City with fierce determination to search for the brother she promised to protect long ago.

When Asa's mother goes into labor yet again, Asa runs off to find a doctor. But no one bats an eye when she doesn't return—not even as a storm approaches Nagoya. Forgotten yet again, Asa runs into a burglar and tries to stop him on her own, a decision that leads to an unlikely alliance.

It has been 10 years since Momo "Maki" Makimura's first relationship ended, but she still has not gotten over her feelings for Midori Oonishi, who broke up with her because they were "getting too old" to date. However, after a chance encounter, the two meet again, and Midori invites Maki to her house. There, she finds out that not only is Midori getting married but she is also pregnant. Maki wants to congratulate her, but her intuition tells her that something is off. The more she hears Midori talk about her soon-to-be-husband, the more red flags she notices. Later that night, she encourages Midori to run away with her. Kakeochi Girl follows Maki as she attempts to find a way to help Midori while exploring the unwavering feelings between them.

Lee Sori, a polite and righteous girl, attends a middle school plagued with bullying. Enraged by the tragic effects it has had on her friend Kim Julie, she decides to take a stand against the bullying. Unfortunately, this only leads the bullies to switch their target to Sori. Believing a new environment would rid her of the hopeless situation, Sori returns to the city she used to live in and transfers schools. However, the traumatizing experiences that constantly haunt Sori's memory cause her to alienate herself from everyone else. Just as the grim reality of Sori's circumstances begin to set in, she discovers a mysterious letter taped under her desk. While the contents of the letter intrigue her, they only lead her to another letter. Now following a seemingly endless trail of messages, Sori is on a scavenger hunt to find the true purpose of these letters and the anonymous person behind it all.

The four heroes are on their way home after their final confrontation with the Demon King. Led by the talkative mage of the group, Nina, they head to the other heroes' hometown of Pocca. On the journey home, she reminisces about her past as a stray orphan and the family she found consisting of the hero and his two companions. However, despite the warm atmosphere on the surface, dread looms over Nina as she thinks about the villagers' reactions to their long-awaited return. After all, the news she has to deliver may not be something they would like to hear.

To pursue her dream of becoming an author, young Hanako Kujou abandons her home in Japan to journey to England. However, belittled and rejected by the publishing company of her favorite writer, she finds herself with nowhere to turn to—until she meets Alice Douglas, a noblewoman kind enough to take her in as a maid. Hanako enjoys working as Alice's personal maid, and despite being in different social classes, the two gradually become close. One day, Alice offers to grant Hanako's deepest wish, but only under one condition—Hanako must kill her in return. Attempting to understand why she would so eagerly seek her death, Hanako learns that there is more to the noblewoman than meets the eye.

In an attempt to ward off yet another one of Jin Yeong-seo's suitors, Shin Ha-ri goes on a blind date in her best friend's place with the goal of ruining the meeting. Arriving in a thick layer of makeup, a ridiculous pink wig, and a seductive outfit, Ha-ri is prepared to scare the man away so badly that Yeong-seo's father will be forced to stop setting his daughter up on blind dates. However, the handsome young man who appears in front of Ha-ri is none other than Kang Tae-mu, the newly appointed CEO of the company she works at. Despite Ha-ri's attempts to act as crazy and undesirable as possible, Tae-mu remains indifferent during their date and even proposes to Ha-ri—whom he still believes is Yeong-seo. Caught in a web of deceit, Ha-ri must find a way to reject the oddly persistent Tae-mu or risk being exposed and losing her job. However, the more Tae-mu pursues Ha-ri, the more she begins to question her feelings toward him.

Office worker Yoshida has been crushing on his coworker, Airi Gotou, for five years. Despite finally scoring a date with her, his confession is promptly rejected. Drunk and disappointed, he stumbles home, only to find a high school girl sitting on the side of the road. The girl, needing a place to stay the night, attempts to seduce Yoshida. Despite rejecting her advances, he nevertheless invites her into his apartment. The next morning, the girl, introducing herself as Sayu Ogiwara, reveals that she has run away from Hokkaido all the way to Tokyo. During her six-month spree, she continually traded sexual favors for a roof over her head. Yoshida, however, remains unswayed by her seduction. Instead, he has her do a different kind of work—one that entails washing dishes and doing laundry. And so, a touching relationship between a heartbroken adult and a runaway high school girl begins.

After being featured as a model in a popular fashion magazine, Nanaki Fujishiro feels positive that she is the most attractive girl in the world. Looking down on those who fail to put effort into their appearance—like her shy classmate Kanade Kurokawa—Nanaki goes through school life prioritizing looks above all else, surrounding herself with popular and attractive friends as well as an equally appealing boyfriend. Because she believes that her beauty will lead her to success, the last thing Nanaki expects is for one of her friends to reveal that Nanaki's boyfriend is cheating. Confronting him only leads to Nanaki being dumped, insulted, and left a crying mess until Kanade falls out of a nearby storage locker after overhearing the whole ordeal. Kanade, having planned to live a peaceful, insignificant school life, is just as startled as Nanaki. Despite how Nanaki has treated her in the past, Kanade feels sympathy for the popular girl's heartbreak, and her first instinct is to comfort her. Against all odds, Nanaki and Kanade slowly grow closer to each other and more distant from everyone else. As Nanaki introduces Kanade to the world of fashion and comes to better understand Kanade's otaku lifestyle, new feelings emerge that neither of them could have anticipated.

Who wouldn't love this beautiful mom? Ryo Ishizuka struggles to hold down a part-time job while also studying for the accountant's exam. He finds emotional comfort in one of his coworkers, Yuzuki Tachibana, a widow with a young child. As his attraction toward her grows, he prepares himself to confess his feelings, but what will her reply be? Is love enough to conquer all? Or will the road to a relationship not be so easy? And what about lullabies and sleepy-time hugs? Get ready to be pampered to your heart's delight by this super-pure rom com, centered around a single mom and a freelancer!

Three years after graduating high school, Hikaru Kusakabe and Rihito Sajou are still in a long-distance relationship. Kusakabe works tirelessly while pursuing his music career, leaving him with little time to visit Sajou. Meanwhile, Sajou involves himself more with extracurricular activities and drinking with his college friends. However, Kusakabe's absence weighs heavily on Sajou, and when Kusakabe visits unannounced one day, Sajou breaks off their engagement. Although the love between them never waned, both Kusakabe and Sajou now have to navigate through their new normal and hope that, eventually, they will find their way back to each other.

Before a tragic accident took their parents' lives, Kanami got along well with her older brother. However, following the incident, her brother became mean, distant, and often abusive. Suffering alone, little Kanami cries at a park, where she meets a young man who offers to keep her company whenever she is feeling sad. Desperate to accept this act of kindness, she agrees to have the young man stand in for her brother. However, she insists that she will pay to rent him for every period of time they spend together. Presented with an opportunity to relieve her broken heart, Kanami begins to relive the happy moments she had with her biological brother through her rental, all while desperately searching for ways to mend her relationship with the only family member she has left.

Taking a step toward adulthood, Wataru Toda and Chiharu Saeki are now first-year college students who attend different universities. Upon entering college, Wataru starts working at a movie theater while Saeki gets a job elsewhere. Despite dating since high school, complications from school and work begin to create a distance between the two. With fewer opportunities to see each other yet a determination to maintain a close relationship, they decide to follow their old tradition of watching movies together. Reminiscing about their high school days, they coordinate a special plan for the coming break. With summer vacation just around the corner, Wataru and Saeki set out to strengthen their relationship while enjoying a new chapter in their lives.

Suffering from depression and anxiety, 25-year-old Sumi Izumi views her life as meaningless. Often lacking motivation and self-esteem, she feels trapped in a never-ending cycle as she continues to neglect her well-being. Despite her pessimistic and somber mindset, she still tries to find solace in the simple things, and her efforts might finally earn her a more positive outlook on life.

Throughout elementary school, Sayaka Saeki has prided herself on being the ideal child. By achieving good grades, participating in various extracurricular activities, and demonstrating model etiquette, she thought her life was going exactly as planned. However, after receiving a romantic confession from a girl in her swim class, Sayaka realizes how emotions can defy her logical, straightforward thinking. Wanting to cooperate rather than compete with peers at the start of middle school, Sayaka's shift in perspective leads her to befriend her senior Chie Yuzuki. As the two form a gentle bond, Yuzuki confesses her feelings to Sayaka, who reciprocates her affection in hopes of learning the significance of love. Despite sacrificing her devotion to academics, their relationship ends, leaving Sayaka scarred with resentment. Swearing to never let her feelings take control of her life again, Sayaka vows to revive her independence in high school. But when class representative Touko Nanami captures her eye, Sayaka must settle her struggle between accepting her genuine self or pursuing her logical way of life.

When I was in high school, I met a girl with a "luminescence disease." Knowing her time left was limited, she hoped to do the things she always wanted. From the promise I made with her, my time, that had been at a standstill, began to move again.

Following the death of his daughter, Assistant Inspector Hajime Yamada has lost hope in everything, and jobs like closing under-aged prostitution rings don't exactly help matters. But there he meets a girl who looks alarmingly like his late daughter. Her name is Shiori Umino, a runaway girl who's desperate enough to sell herself to escape her house but won't tell anyone why.

Coming from a poor family, Shinobu Indou is overjoyed to be accepted into a prestigious all-girls military academy. While searching for the campus, Indou bumps into two upperclassmen, Fujino Kagami and Koto Ooba. Kagami criticizes Indou's unkempt appearance and questions her reasons for attending the academy. However, Ooba kindly greets Indou and offers to take her to a local bathhouse. As the girls finish their bath, Ooba is shocked by Indou's incredible beauty beneath the dirt. On the first day of school, Indou notices a surprising amount of attention centered on her—especially coming from Kagami, who is tasked with supervising Indou's group. Despite Kagami's harsh first impression, she gently welcomes Indou to the school with a kiss on her forehead when the two are alone, leaving Indou speechless. As Indou navigates her new life in the academy, she struggles to make sense of Kagami's sudden change in behavior.

Not having any friends is bad enough, but being swallowed by mysterious black sludge in the middle of class? The worst. Yijun is no stranger to solitude, until a school project plants the seed for a delicate bond with another loner, Suni. But friendship is a frustrating puzzle for those who are used to being alone, especially when one of them claims to control a black goo that only turns hostile when the host is gripped by anxiety. Will Yijun and Suni be able to open up and make something of their budding friendship?

Fuminori Sakisaka, a young man who lost his family in a tragic car accident, has his life saved through an untested surgical procedure. However, thanks to a strange side-effect, all that comes upon his eyes appears twisted and ugly. All except for the beautiful girl who goes by "Saya", who draws the color of beauty to Fuminori's stained existence. For him, she is the only strand of light still remaining in life.

Kiyoko Itou and Mitsu Sonoda have always found happiness in each other's company. Through a fateful encounter many years ago, their worries about the future transformed into a dream to be together, yet love between two women was deemed taboo at the time. Tormented by the heavy expectations of others, Kiyoko could never commit to the relationship. Even so, Kiyoko and Mitsu promise not to abandon one another and wait for the right opportunity to reunite. Only time will tell the extent to which their bond can endure life's endless trials.

The story begins with Maquia, who is from a family where all the members stop aging in their mid teens. She has no parents and, although her days are peaceful, she feels lonely. Their peace is shattered when an army invades, seeking the secret to her people's immortality. Leilia, the most beautiful girl in her clan, is taken away, and the boy Maquia has secret feelings for disappears. Maquia is able to escape, but she loses her friends and her home. Wandering alone in the forest, she finds Erial, a baby boy who has lost his parents. The story follows the changing relationship between the two as Erial grows up and Maquia does not.

Amidst the crashing of raging waves, two strangers meet by the oceanside, their eyes filled with loneliness. Tatsumi Higaki has always believed his voice to be a curse, an unwanted "talent" placed upon his shoulders: the power of compulsion. Fearing its consequences, he has resolved to remain alone forever. On the other hand, Kazushi Kimijima came to the sea in search of something—or someone. As the two men are put at odds, they are forced to confront their intertwining histories, and as their emotions reach a peak, the two are borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Mae-hwa, who had secretly been in love with Jae-won throughout high school, finally made up his mind to stop loving Jae-won and forget about him after graduation. But at the first party after entering university, he found out that Jae-won was also there! Mae-hwa tries to keep his distance from Jae-won. Jae-won tries to get closer to him. Will his hidden feelings finally be discovered? Jae-won finds out how they can get along in the future...

Togashi is born to run. As a kid, he is naturally gifted and wins every 100-meter race without effort. But in sixth grade, he meets Komiya, a transfer student who is full of determination but lacks technique. In teaching him, Togashi gives Komiya a new purpose: to win no matter what. Years pass by, Togashi and Komiya meet again as rivals on the track and reveal their true selves.Included one-shots: Volume 4: Kasaku, Ope

The first time he saw him, Tohru was on his way home from his hobby of taking photos. He’s queued for the Shinkansen’s unreserved seating, just right next to him...

Despite having a foul mouth, with his great skills, any appearance can be transformed as desired by the genius cosmetic surgeon Kyuichiro Gondo. He saves the hearts of numerous modern individuals trapped by their own beauty or ugliness. He is going to revolutionize the hidden beauty powerhouse in Japan! (Source: INKR)