The Essential Manga Guide

Name: The Essential Manga Guide
Brand: Hachette New Zealand Ltd
SKU: 9780762481781
Price: 50.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know

By Briana Lawrence

0.0 (0 reviews)

3.13

( 16 ratings, 5 reviews)

Brief Description

Dive into the world of manga and discover 50 of the most influential and essential series and standalone titles-from Boys Run the Riot to Chainsaw Man to Sailor Moon-with this must-have guide for manga fans by Crunchyroll senior editor Briana Lawrence. With profiles on 50 unforgettable... Read More

Format: Paperback / softback

$50⁰⁰

OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Essential Manga Guide

$50⁰⁰

BOARD GAMES 23 Oct 2026

The Team's Long Weekend Reading

With the long weekend upon us, the team is hopefully getting some time in the...

AMELIA'S CORNER 23 Oct 2026

What Actually Makes a Jigsaw Puzzle Difficult?

Does more pieces always mean a harder puzzle? Not necessarily! After Dylan surprised me by...

A Court of Splintered Harmony: How to Get Your Copy on Release Day

A Court of Splintered Harmony is almost here, and we have some exciting news for...

ACOTAR 22 Oct 2026

The ACOTAR Countdown Is On, But We Need to Talk…

Last week, things started taking a dark turn. The excitement surrounding the release was suddenly...

GRAPHIC NOVEL 22 Oct 2026

Pick up a Graphic Novel for Halloween

Wanting something different for spooky season? Try a horror themed graphic novel! Lizzy has rounded...

A must-have guide written by Crunchyroll senior editor Briana Lawrence that compiles the most iconic, contemporary, and "essential" Japanese manga series and popular standalone titles.

Description

Dive into the world of manga and discover 50 of the most influential and essential series and standalone titles-from Boys Run the Riot to Chainsaw Man to Sailor Moon-with this must-have guide for manga fans by Crunchyroll senior editor Briana Lawrence.

With profiles on 50 unforgettable series and ground-breaking single volume stories written by an expert in the anime and manga field, The Essential Manga Guide provides a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look into the history and growing legacy of manga. Both casual fans and serious otaku alike will discover an entertaining and personal look at the impact of these outstanding manga titles and their authors, as well as great recommendations of what to read next.

From classic series to contemporary favorites, this guide includes:

Berserk, Bleach, Fruits Basket, Haikyu!!, Inuyasha, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kuroko's Basketball, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Naruto, One Piece, Paradise Kiss, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon, The Way of the House Husband, Tokyo Babylon, Uzumaki, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, What Did You Eat Yesterday, Yu Yu Hakusho, and many more.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780762481781

Publisher: Running Press,U.S.

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 June 2024

Country: United States

Imprint: Running Press Adult

Illustration: 11 1-colour full page illustrations and 15 icon illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 166.0mm

Height: 214.0mm

Weight: 665g

Pages: 256

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Briana Lawrence Fiction Gift Finder Gifts for adults Gifts under $100 Graphic Novels In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books LGBTQ+ LGBTQ+ Romance Manga Manga gifts One Piece

About the Author

Briana Lawrence is a freelance writer and author who's trying her best to cosplay as a responsible adult. Her writing tends to focus on the importance of representation, whether it's through her multiple book series, or the pieces she writes for Crunchyroll, as their Senior Features Editor, and other media outlets. As a black, queer, magical girl, when she's not writing about diversity, she's speaking about it at different geek-centric conventions across the country. After de-transforming from her magical girl state, she indulges in an ever-growing pile of comics, marathons too much anime, and dedicates an embarrassing amount of time to JRPGs.

Also by Briana Lawrence

View all

Gamer Girls: Retro Rhythms

Jess, Celia, Nat, and Lucy are the Gamer Girls—four BFFs who game together. In this fourth book of the exciting series, the friends discover a new game at a local arcade, Dance Dance Rhythms. (Okay, maybe it's not that new. In fact, it's a little retro.) But mistakes happen and it's up to Jess to put them right, or else...

By Briana Lawrence and Andrea Towers

Paperback

$40⁰⁰

Available
Ships in 2-3 weeks
In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure

Four preteens receive mysterious enamel pins that grant them superpowers. Together, they must put aside their differences and embark on an epic journey to find the mysterious pinmaker, discover the truth behind the new theme park, and of course, trade pins—all while learning how to navigate their new superhuman skills. This is an all-new illustrated adventure series that's about magic,...

By Briana Lawrence

Paperback

$25⁹⁹

Available
Ships in 4-6 weeks
In Search of the Pinmaker: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure

Skylar, Angela, Travis, and Sophie all received superpowers from enamel pins. But now they must track down the elusive pinmaker in this epic adventure, the sequel to In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure. But friendships are put to the test in the wake of the mysterious pinmaker's identity. Is this too much for the crew to take...

By Briana Lawrence

Paperback

$42⁰⁰

Available
Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Graphic Novels

View all

Signed Copy
On Sale
20% off

Heartstopper Volume 6

Read it before you see it: Heartstopper Forever movie coming soon from Netflix Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The final installment in the bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel series about life, love, and everything that happens in between. Everyone in school knows Nick and Charlie. Everyone knows they're going to be togetherforever. But Charlie's busy with...

By Alice Oseman

Paperback

$20⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
17% off

One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 1

One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 1 by Eiichiro Oda invites readers on an exhilarating journey across the vast and treacherous oceans. Follow the ambitious young pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, and his eclectic crew as they embark on an epic quest to uncover the legendary treasure known as the One Piece, a prize that will crown its possessor as the King...

By Eiichiro Oda

Paperback

$20⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$28⁹⁹~~

(1)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Warriors Graphic Novel: The Prophecies Begin #1

An instant New York Times bestseller! With more than 40 million copies sold, Erin Hunter's Warriors series has taken the world by storm and is now available in a full-colour graphic novel adaptation. The first book covers the first two original novels in The Prophecies Begin: Into the Wild and Fire and Ice. A perfect introduction to the world of...

By Erin Hunter

Paperback

$20⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
21% off

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 1

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 1 by Gege Akutami introduces readers to the gripping world of jujutsu sorcery and supernatural battles. This first volume sets the stage for an explosive adventure that intertwines the fate of humans and cursed spirits. In a world where cursed spirits, malevolent entities born from human negative emotions, prey on the unsuspecting, fragments of the legendary demon...

Paperback

$15⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$20⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Signed Copy

Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat

In this hilarious full-colour graphic novel, Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen, readers are introduced to Cat Town's best kitten detective on a new and exciting adventure. When Detective Beans realises his favourite hat has gone missing, he quickly jumps into action to crack the case. Armed with his wit, determination, and a love...

By Li Chen

Paperback

$19⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
16% off

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 2

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 2 by Gege Akutami continues the gripping saga of Yuji Itadori, a courageous high school student with a heart of gold, who finds himself thrust into a dangerous supernatural world. After swallowing a piece of the formidable demon Ryomen Sukuna to gain the power necessary to save his friends, Yuji is caught in an intense conflict between...

By Gege Akutami

Paperback

$16⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$20⁹⁹~~

(1)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 1

This deluxe, keepsake-quality hardcover edition includes three volumes of the acclaimed fantasy manga on which the enchanting anime was based. Experience the beautiful tale of a young witch who discovers her creativity and faces down a dangerous and thrilling world with her friends by her side in these extra-large books, printed on premium paper with intricate gold foil covers and...

By Kamome Shirahama

Hardback

$99⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$105⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Demon Slayer Complete Box Set

Contains Volumes 1-23. Full colour. Double-sided Poster and Commemorative Mini-Book. Tanjiro embarks on the perilous path of a Demon Slayer, driven by a mission to save his sister and seek justice for his slain family! In the backdrop of Taisho-era Japan, we meet the compassionate Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who makes a humble living by selling charcoal. However, his tranquil...

By Koyoharu Gotouge

Paperback

$295⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$410⁰⁰~~

(2)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
12% off

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7--Steel Ball Run, Vol. 1

A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil! The legendary Shonen Jump series is now available in deluxe hardcover editions featuring colour pages! JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a groundbreaking manga famous for its outlandish characters, wild humour, and frenetic battles. Riders from around the world gather in the Wild West for the race of...

By Hirohiko Araki

Hardback

$29⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$42⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
16% off

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 3

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 3 by Gege Akutami continues the thrilling saga of Yuji Itadori, a high school student who finds himself thrust into a world of dark curses and supernatural dangers. In his quest to save his friends and protect humanity, Yuji consumes a piece of the malevolent demon Ryomen Sukuna, gaining unimaginable power but at a great personal risk....

By Gege Akutami

Paperback

$16⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$20⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
10% off

Dragon Ball Z Complete Box Set

Prepare for an epic saga as Goku and his friends face off against intergalactic evil in the unparalleled action-adventure-fantasy-comedy-fighting series! Son Goku, Earth's mightiest hero, is living a peaceful life five years after vanquishing the demon king Piccolo. Having married and started a family, Goku is now a father to a spirited young boy named Son Gohan. However, the tranquillity...

By Akira Toriyama

Paperback

$314⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$465⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
On Sale
19% off

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 5

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 5 by Gege Akutami continues the thrilling saga of Yuji Itadori, a teenager thrown into the perilous world of jujutsu sorcery and cursed spirits. In his quest to save his friends from malevolent supernatural forces, Yuji swallows a finger belonging to Ryomen Sukuna, a fearsome demon whose fragments, if consumed, bestow immense and destructive power. As cursed...

By Gege Akutami

Paperback

$17⁰⁰
Usually:
~~$20⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.