Top 18 The Arts manga you should read right now. [2026 List]

18. Kakunaru Ue wa

Uehara-kun loves 2-dimensional characters and his dream is to become a manga artist!

One day, a gal in his class, Miyamoto-san, sees his manuscript and starts a pseudo-romance with him that's a little too close to comfort, to help him with his manga!

This is a manga artist x adolescent love comedy!

Now That We Draw is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 描くなるうえは, Kakunaru Ue wa

17. [Oshi no Ko]

"In the world of showbiz, lies are weapons." Goro works as an OB-GYN in the countryside, a life far removed from the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, his favorite idol, Ai Hoshino, has begun her climb to stardom. The two meet in the "worst possible way," setting the gears of fate in motion! The amazing Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari team up to depict the world of showbiz from a completely new perspective in this shocking series!

【OSHI NO KO】 has finished publishing and it has 168 Chapters. It is also Known as: 【推しの子】, My Favorite's Child, Favorite Girl, My Idol's Child, Oshi no Ko, [Mein*Star], เกิดใหม่เป็นลูกโอชิ

16. Ero Mangaka Onee-san to Otukare Ryman

Ero Mangaka Onee-san to Otukare Ryman has finished publishing and it has 35 Chapters. It is also Known as: エロ漫画家おねーさんとお疲れリーマン, Ero Mangaka Onee-san to Otsukare Riman, Ero Mangaka Oneesan to Otsukare Ryman, Ero Mangaka to Otsukare Riman

15. Uchikirare Mangaka to Doujin Onna

An unsuccessful mangaka, RObou-sensei, finally has his series axed... Dejected, he opens social media and discovers an account that is absolutely obsessed with his work! When he learns they plan to sell doujinshi based on his series at a convention, he heads there, hoping to meet at least one person who genuinely likes what he draws, but then...?! That hugely popular one-shot that trended on social media is now becoming a full serialization! A miscommunication comedy that explores otaku culture and depicts the realities of being a mangaka with a comedic touch! A story where the creator "god" and an otaku "believer" keep talking past each other.

Axed Mangaka and Doujin Creator is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 打ち切られ漫画家と同人女, Uchikirare Mangaka to Doujin Onna

14. Act-age

Kei Yonagi comes from a poor family. Her father ran out on her and her two younger siblings, leaving her to fend for the family herself after their mother's death. When the opportunity comes to chase her dream of becoming an actress, Yonagi jumps at the chance. Catching the eye of Director Sumiji Kuroyama, Yonagi's opportunity to shine has come. However, Yonagi's talent for acting comes from her extreme and innate ability for Method Acting, one that various individuals note as potentially self-destructive.

Act-age has finished publishing and it has 123 Chapters. It is also Known as: アクタージュ act-age, Act-age

13. Blue Period

Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. It’s an effortless performance, and, ultimately…a dull one. But he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst — and he’s about to learn how savage and unforgiving art can be!

Blue Period is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ブルーピリオド, The Blue Period., النقطة الزرقاء, 藍色時期, Blue Period.

12. Imouto no Ane

A short oneshot of cute pair of sisters.

A new one-shot by the award-nominated author of Fire Punch.

Little Sister’s Elder Sister has finished publishing and it has 1 Chapters. It is also Known as: 妺の姉, Imouto no Ane

11. Mao Yu Hai De Bi Duan

In third grade, Wu Xiaorong was the class outcast, an introverted girl who hated going to school. But all that changed when she met Tong Kewei, the cheerful and outgoing popular girl. The two couldn't be more different, and Wu Xiaorong assumed they'd never interact—but to her surprise, they began bonding over their shared love for drawing comics. Thus begins the story of a beautiful, bittersweet friendship, the ups and downs of childhood, and a project left forever unfinished...



Note: Silver Award winner in the 16th Japan International Manga Award.

See You There, Beyond the Ocean has finished publishing and it has 7 Chapters. It is also Known as: Sea you there and us

10. Watashi no Kouguchi-Sensei

Kouguchi Ruri, a skilled yet socially awkward male manga artist, has built a career creating niche "loli" manga. His carefully structured life takes a chaotic turn when Shiina Karen, an energetic young woman claiming to be a university student, joins him as his assistant.

While Karen appears eager to learn, she harbors a mysterious secret and ulterior motives for working with Kouguchi. As they navigate the creative challenges of manga production, their quirky relationship evolves, blending humor, tension, and unexpected revelations.

This workplace romantic comedy dives into the challenges of collaboration, personal growth, and the surprising connections that emerge in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

My Kouguchi Sensei is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: わたしの工口先生, Watashi no Kouguchi-Sensei

9. Doku no Okurimono

Gift Hisono is a gifted painter cursed with financial woes. On the brink of finishing his latest work, his trusty palette knife suddenly snaps! In a desperate attempt to afford a replacement, he steals paint from his close friend and fellow art club member, Taima. This act of theft witnessed by another club member, Kadomi, marks the beginning of his poisonous downfall...

gift of poison has finished publishing and it has 25 Chapters. It is also Known as: ドクの贈物, Doku no Okurimono

8. Favela no Mangaka

Manga artist Takei Hiroto, after failing to get serialized, decides to give up on his dreams and goes on a trip to Brazil to get over everything.

When he accidentally wanders into a favela, Hiroto meets Joao, a poor boy with a sharp gaze. Joao lives on the other side of the world, but he also dreams of becoming a manga artist...!!

No matter who you are or where you live, you don't have to give up. The beginning of a story about two manga artists chasing their dreams from the slums!!

Favela no Mangaka is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ファヴェーラの漫画家, The Manga Author from Favela, Favela Comic Artist

7. King of Idol

Mahoro Harukana moves to Tokio to achieve the dream of becoming an Idol. In order to do this, Mahoro will assist to the National Entretainment and Music School in Kamisaka. Everything goes surprisinly well, being great at singing and dancing, and even her teammates are astonished by her talent.

The only problem is that... Mahoro is actually a boy, and a boy who wants to become The King of the Idols!

King of Idol has finished publishing and it has 61 Chapters. It is also Known as: キング・オブ・アイドル, K.O.I, K-O-I

6. Kasane

Beautiful people are loved and revered. They have everything they desire right at their fingertips... Even if that beauty is a complete illusion.

Before Kasane's mother died, she was given a special tube of lipstick from her mother. She was told that if times ever got really really hard, she should wear the lipstick and kiss whatever she really desires.

But is this keepsake a blessing? Or a curse?

Kasane has finished publishing and it has 126 Chapters. It is also Known as: 累－かさね－, Rui

5. Alabaster no Kisetsu

Maeda Gin is a student who enjoys drawing graffitis at an abandoned apartment complex building near his school, with his friends and acolytes, Teppei and Kon-chan. One night, while they're at work on one of their masterpieces, they're interrupted by a mysterious ghastly pale-skinned woman who scares them. In the process of fleeing, Gin loses his sketchbook to her and then from this point onwards, his life will change in a major way! Some nude painting with his beautiful and attractive art teacher? Welcome to Season of Alabaster.

Season Of Alabaster has finished publishing and it has 18 Chapters. It is also Known as: アラバスターの季節, Alabaster no Kisetsu

4. Gokusai

Art equals expression, an expression creating an outer form, expressing joy, sorrow, and the darkness of the soul. Yutou Riro is a student at an art college, but she believes she lacks the talent to truly succeed as an artist. Entering her life through a series of coincidences is Karaba Jou. To Riro's astonishment, Jou has an exceptional ability to draw the "real" self of the people/object he draws. His artwork draws attention to the finest details of his subject, bringing to light the truth behind each individual.

Gokusai has finished publishing and it has 42 Chapters. It is also Known as: GOKUSAI, Gokusai

3. Watashi no Kaku Sekai wa Kowareteiru.

A story about a girl with a schizophrenia and her family.

Supervision by Iwanami Akira.

The World I Depict Is Broken. has finished publishing and it has 11 Chapters. It is also Known as: 私の描くセカイは壊れている。, Watashi no Kaku Sekai wa Kowareteiru.

2. I'll Become the Tyrant's Tutor

Primabelle is astonished when she wakes up to find herself in a novel of her own creation as an obscure painter who gets killed by the male protagonist, Prince Rainsis. The world she created has not been kind to Rainsis. In addition to being colorblind, he has been shunned and feared his entire life, for a prophecy had been made that “the one trapped in a black and white world shall drench the empire in blood.” Primabelle resolves to disprove the prophecy after witnessing his misery firsthand. To do so, she must track down his destined other half. The only problem? All she knows about the fair beauty is that she has black hair and crimson eyes. Will Primabelle be able to help Rainsis see the world in all its splendid colors and find true happiness?

I'll Become the Tyrant's Tutor has finished publishing and it has 83 Chapters. It is also Known as: Poggun-ui gajeong-gyosaga doegessseubnida, The Tyrant's Tutor, Я стала учителем тирана

1. 10 Dance

Shinya Sugiki, the dashing lord of Standard Ballroom, and Shinya Suzuki, passionate king of Latin Dance: the two share more than just a first name and a love of the sport. They each want to become champion of the 10-Dance Competition, which means they’ll need to learn the other’s specialty dances, and who better to learn from than the best? But old rivalries die hard, and things get complicated even further when they realize there might be more between them than an uneasy partnership…

10 Dance is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: テンダンス, 10ダンス