Top 17 The Arts manga you should read right now. [2026 List]

17. 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

16. [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

15. 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

14. 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.

13. Oshi V ga Oshiego de Watashi ga Mama de!?

Kazuki Karasawa is a college student aiming to become an art teacher. At the school where she does teaching practice, she is entangled and troubled by her student, Tsubosaki Mimi. Kazuki finds comfort in watching the streams of her favorite VTuber, Tsubomi, but then she finds out Mimi is the person behind Tsubomi...

My Favorite Vtuber Is My Student!? has finished publishing and it has 27 Chapters. It is also Known as: 推しVが教え子で私がママで！？, Oshi V ga Oshiego de Watashi ga Mama de!?

12. 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

11. Sketchbook

Sora is a quiet girl who finds her niche in the high school art club. When she isn't out capturing images of the neighbourhood in her trusty sketchbook, she can almost certainly be found befriending the local cats.

Sketchbook has finished publishing and it has Chapters. It is also Known as: スケッチブック, Sketchbook

10. 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

9. Sora wo Matotte

Namiji Ogawa is a high school student who teaches himself oil painting every day in order to draw the ultimate nude. After an encounter with a certain "witch", the goal is to take the entrance exam to Tokyo University of the Arts...!?

Wear the sky is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 空をまとって, Sora wo Matotte

8. 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

7. Love Gives Me Superpowers

"Art student Zhong Shenxiu encountered a bottleneck during a drawing class. No matter how she tried, she couldn't "see clearly" the good student, Xu Ke, who was the subject of her drawing. Unable to see clearly, she couldn't draw him... Zhong Shenxiu put down her paintbrush. Could it be that becoming a good student would bring him closer to her, a little closer, and then she could see a little clearer? Until the distance between them became negative—face to face. Phew! Now she finally saw it clearly! But! This... isn't it a bit too...

Love Gives Me Superpowers is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Lian'ai Rang Wo Youle Chao Nengli, Falling In Love Gives Me Superpowers, Liàn'ài Ràng Wǒ Yǒule Chāo Nénglì

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. 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

4. Colorless Girl

Aoi, the main character of our story, has just enrolled at the art college of her dreams. She alway looks cute, is pure perfect, and is loved by everyone around her. But Aoi, nicknamed “The Girl” by her friends, hold onto a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know. Underneath her makeup and clothing, she hides the secret that she is actually a cross-dressing man. Afraid of what others may think him. Aoi finds himself staring into the mirror confessing his true feelings, “I'm not okay.”. This manga is for people who suffer from issues with self-confidence. Follow a heart-touching story and watch Aoi overcome his struggles with his sexuality, the looks of disapproval of those around him, and his relationships with his family and friends.

Colorless Girl has finished publishing and it has 15 Chapters. It is also Known as: カラーレスガール, Karaaresu Gaaru, Colorless Girl (Honami SHIRONO)

3. Momoiro Montage

Tamamon, a girl who loves painting, is aiming for the world's best pornographer! What makes a painting erotic? She is going to research this topic in depth.

Momoiro Montage has finished publishing and it has 23 Chapters. It is also Known as: ももいろモンタージュ, Momoiro Montage

2. 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.

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