From amusing narratives to hilarious setups, the comedy genre is an extremely versatile niche, fitting in with almost any sort of subtext. Considering the nature of comedy, this genre doesn’t take itself too seriously, making thesemanga perfect for a light read. Several new entries have made their way to 2023’s comedy lineup, leaving a mark early on with their hilarious narratives.
Readers often conflate comedymanga with romcom storylines, assuming that the two go hand-in-hand. While that may be true to some extent, an entire niche of humorous manga exists that primarily focuses on comedy aspects. Be it slapstick absurdities or plain old slice-of-life comedies, there’s something for every reader in this diverse manga category.
Author
Tooki Iwai
Vibration Manis set in a world with superpowers, and Susumu Shindou has always dreamed of awakening his own unique power. To his dismay, his special superpower is nothing like he had hoped, merely granting him the power to create vibrations.
Despite being pulled down by an odd power, Susumu makes the most of his power, branding himself as ‘Vibration Man.’Vibration Manisan action comedy manga, yet it doesn’t take the action plotline too seriously, keeping these elements secondary to the comedic aspects.
Riya Hozumi
Demon Lord Exchange is a fantasy comedy manga, throwing in all sorts of absurdities such as body-swapping and gender-bender elements. After Hero Filina’s party is defeated, the Demon Lord puts forward an offer to spare their lives, demanding the hero to swap her body with the demon.
With no other choice, Filina swaps her body with the Demon Lord, marking the beginning of her journey as the new Demon Lord. While the premise of Demon Lord Exchange delves into an adventure fantasy narrative,the gender-bender anticsserve as the primary source of comedy, making the entire manga an amusing read.
Issho ni Kurashite Ii desu ka?
Kei Sasuga
May I Live with You?intermixes comedic elementswith a harem narrative, presenting an amusing scenario where an unemployed salesman has to endure life in a shared-house. After becoming both jobless and homeless, Sonoda Hiromi is forced to look for a budget shared-house, though things don’t go as planned.
Sonoda finds five beguiling beauties living in the shared apartment, each with their own quirks and personalities. Sonoda gets to live there for free, but on the condition that he complies with every single one of their requests. Despite taking on the harem archetype,May I Live with You?keeps its comedic aspects intact.
Kamiharu Haruno
Incorporating a bit of supernatural elements,I Wanna Shut Up Takamori-kun!!is a hilarious story about a girl who can read other people’s minds. Despite being used to the thoughts of others around her, Minamikawa is stumped by the loud thoughts of her classmate Takamori-kun.
The embarrassing moments that ensue due to Minamikawa’s odd power lead to many comedic scenes, albeit with a touch of romantic elements.I Wanna Shut Up Takamori-kun!!hasmany romcom elements embeddedthroughout the narrative, yet comedy remains at the forefront owing to Minamikawa’s telepathy.
Aka Akasaka
Mari Maria is a half-Japanese, half-Swedish student, hailing from a well-off family from the United States. While Mari Maria’s life may seem perfect in all avenues, one aspect of her life falls short – talking to boys. Unable to communicate with boys and losing out on love, Mari Maria resorts to a service called Love Agency.
The service promises an agent that will ensure every customer finds their partner. However, the narrative becomes even more amusing after Mari’s crush uses the same service to get with her. While romantic subtexts are heavily present,Renai Daikoufocuses on the comedic aspects of these hopeless romantics.
Mizuki Kashikawa
Hope You’re Happy, Lemonis another comedy manga that dabbles in abit of supernatural amusement, though the narrative itself is a bit shaky. Akiyoshi Sunao’s first girlfriend broke his heart by cheating on him with three other guys, making him averse to the entire concept of love.
Akiyoshi finally begins to move on after developing a crush on a girl in his college film club, yet things take a turn after he runs into his ex-girlfriend once more. The story doubles down on this odd predicament by switching Akiyoshi’s body with his ex, leading to a number of hilarious events to follow.
Waka Takase
Mii-chan wa Kawaretaifollows the story of Iori, a man in his twenties living a life deprived of happiness. From insomnia and stress to losing his cat, Iori’s life is filled with gloom and sorrow. However, this narrative soon changes after he takes a random, stray cat home after work.
The events that follow are beyond his mind’s comprehension, as he wakes up to a beautiful girl lying beside him. This marks the beginning of Iori’s adventures with a cat-human girl, turning his mundane life into a comedic (and bizarre) premise.
