Reading Underrated Manga that my Favorite Manga Influencers Read: Did I like them???

Hey guys how’s it going?? This is about a wrapup of a challenge I set for myself these past two years to read some underrated manga from some of my favorite manga influencers everyone tagged talked about these manga on their Instagrams, blogs, even YouTube channels in some cases. Unfortunately due to the limitations of overdrive and out of print aspects, school, and general life I have only gone through half of what I was recommended and here they are!!! Overall I enjoyed all of these in some capacity and definitely want to continue on in these manga (spoiler alert I’ve inhaled a lot of high school debut since this started 😂) but they’re all great.Also some of these recommendations have personally been given to me and also are general ones that intrigued me when I saw them on their respective platforms. Onto the Recommendations!!!

Dangeki Daisy

I was recommended this by instagrammer Sydneys_shelves. This manga is one I was told by several people to read it and it was so unexpected. It gave me Say I love you mixed with Takane and Hana vibes in the sense of there is an age gap romance with fantastic banter but there’s a lot of darker tones especially when it came to this volume. Because of that I don’t recommend this for middle schoolers I recommend it for high schoolers though. I enjoyed this volume in the sense that it was a great starting point but it’s one that has quite a bit of computer jargon so if that turns you off this may not be the best manga for you. I however, enjoyed that aspect along with the text messages because its something different than what I have read before. I definitely would recommend it for new manga readers as well. Because of these points, I have to rate this volume of manga a 4-4.5 out of 5 stars. I would definitely recommend it. (update: I am not sure at this point whether I am continuing on with the series, I think because I have a lot of other different series on my radar, but I may need more encouragement. Let me know!)

Otomen

This manga was recommended to me by a fellow instagrammer named Steepedinstories.  I was not sure how I would feel when I started reading this… if this was going to be a Boys Love story or going to be a competition involving cooking and sewing etc. However, I enjoyed the direction that the creator went with a mix of hilarity and seriousness with the characters and overall nice experience.
One thing I do want to let people know is that there are times when it feels repetitive when it comes to what the main character reacts to certain aspects of the story so if you’re not a fan of that don’t read this.
I also enjoyed that they discussed an overarching love story which in a sense reminded me of Ouran high school host club in the sense of the family scene (that’s all the spoilers I will say) with a mix of fighting and cooking and sewing etc. So if you like those aspects read this.
Overall, I would recommend this to people but I think I would go into this relatively blind and let the story lead you into it. Because of these points, I have to give this manga volume a 4-4.5 out of 5 stars. I’m excited to read more from this series (update: I have read three volumes of this series currently and I still love it!!)

High School Debut

This manga was recommended to me by blogger Litakinoanimecorner. This manga’s main plot is about a girl who’s sole goal in her first year in high school is to find a boyfriend and she enlists a coach to help her. First off, the artstyle is gorgeous it reminds me so much of the Peach Girl artstyle which is beautiful. There were also moments that I laughed out loud. I loved the characters and enjoyed the plot although predictable it was really fun.
Because of these points, I have to give this volume of manga a 4 out of 5 stars. (Update, I have read about 6 volumes of this, but I never made succinct reviews on them so I will read them again luckily I enjoyed them very much).

Mixed Vegetables

This was recommended to me by a youtuber as well as instagrammer named Lindsey Tut.  So this manga was one I was intrigued by because of the title and it didn’t disappoint. If you have watched the Yumeiro Patisserie anime and wanted something similar but with sushi as well as baking this manga is for you. It doesn’t have any magical aspects (at least not in this current volume) so if enjoy just cooking in a shoujo story I would definitely recommend this I also thought it was really hilarious the banter between the main characters and how they were all striving to become chefs. It goes to show that working hard can help you to strive getting better at something.
Overall, I think this was a fun story and definitely one that if you like all the aspects I just mentioned you’ll enjoy it. As far as child appropriateness though I don’t think I’d recommend it because it talks about high school marriage and it may be strange for them to read. Overall, I would rate this a 4 out of 5 stars. (update: I have read four volumes of this series and I am currently enjoying it a lot).

Meru Puri

This was recommended to me by indie author and instagrammer Rachel R. Smith. This manga is one that really surprised me that I enjoyed it yet didn’t enjoy it at the same time. I loved the artstyle the characters and world are gorgeous looking. However, the romance was a tad unbelievable in the sense of the leading girl is supposed to fall in love with this little boy who only looks older when he still has the same little kid personality. It seems kind of strange how that would work but that’s probably the cynic in me. The plot was also mindless and predictable but at the same time it was hilarious perfect for someone needing a laugh.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable read and I would continue the rest of the series although I wouldn’t do it right away. (update at least at the moment, I have temporarily dropped this series it just got too weird for me.)

Conclusion

Overall, This was a fun project to do and thank you to my friends who helped. My favorite part was definitely finding out more about manga especially ones I haven’t heard too many people talk about. What about you guys? Did you find any new recommendations on this list? Did you find any new influencers as well? Let’s talk about it!