The results for the sixth Top 10 Manga Fans Want To See Animated (AniRank) poll are in, just ahead of the beginning of AnimeJapan 2023. Voting opened in February and every manga (including webtoons) that doesn’t have an anime adaptation and was serialized between January 1 and December 31, 2022, was eligible to win. The winning works will be featured at this year’s AnimeJapan event, on March 25-26, 2023, along with celebratory messages from the authors and special illustrations. There were 92 nominees and here are the top ten.
This seinen manga by Shinsuke Kondo is currently being serialized in Kodansha’s Comic Days. It follows the clash between a young ninja named Shinoha and Kiwami, a seemingly normal office worker who actually controls the yakuza. The two meet and the 300-year-old war between ninjas and yakuza begins to burn hot… Who will win?
In 2021, Ninja to Gokudou ranked 8th in the male readers’ category. The manga began serialization in 2020 and so far hasn’t been licensed in English.
Hakusensha’s Hana to Yume shojo magazine is publishing Sora Mizuki’s Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoushi. The dark comedy follows Mikoto, a high-schooler who is ready to jump off a building after a boy she likes rejects her, However, her teacher Jin stops her in time but he also asks her out. Confused, Mikoto accepts, but all things considered, do the two of them have a future?
There are a total of 15 volumes out, as the manga began serialization in 2017.
Ikko Tanaka is writing Junket Bank – a Weekly Shonen Jump series that follows Mitarai, a bank clerk who accidentally catches his boss gambling in the bank’s basement. The series currently has 10 volumes: it began serialization in 2020 but has not been licensed the English yet.
Who Made Me a Princess is a webtoon based on a novel by Pluto and illustrated by Spoon. Its country of origin is Korea (Kakao Page, Naver) and Tappytoon serialized it in English (the webtoon ran from 2017 to 2022). The webtoon platform describes the plot as:
The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!
The title was also featured on the last year’s list.
Dareka Yume Dato Itte Kure (Be My Worst Nightmare!) is a BL (boys’ love) manga series that follows an insecure high-school boy Sayo. One day he observes his crush while she is getting rejected by the tall and handsome Mashiba. To avenge her, he challenges Mashiba but fails miserably. Mashiba starts teasing him and Sayo almost begins to despise him. However, he soon starts having dreams about being held…
The manga by Ayane Shiro has been serialized on Shueisha’s Manga Mee platform since 2021.
Nikimura Q’s ecchi comedy Giant Ojou-sama took the 5th spot in this year’s Top 10 Manga Fans Want To See Animated poll. Shogakukan is serializing it on Sunday Web Every platform. The publisher describes the plot as:
Oriko Fujidou is the rich daughter of a family who runs a financial conglomerate, and she had been doing a splendid job developing the “town” she received as a present when she was 4. But one day, a giant enemy invades the town! Panicking about the danger her beloved town is facing, she consults her butler Sebastien, and with a serious look on his face, he hands her a drink that will turn her into a giant…?!?!?! (translation by Anime-Planet)
Another webtoon on this year’s list: A Hidden Side to my Crush by Shimamura. It has been serialized on Comico Japan since 2020. Pocket Comics is publishing it in English:
Tomoya is a college freshman on a mission to finally get his first ever girlfriend, but with one small problem: he’s still a virgin! While he’s gotten close with the beautiful and charming girl Waka Sakuraba in his club at school, he can’t wrack up the courage to take the first step and ask her out. One day, Tomoya stumbles upon a hidden side to his crush Waka…
Satoutoshio’s yaoi manga, Nito to Tazuka no Nichijou (Nito and Tazuka’s Daily Life), took the third spot. The manga ran from 2020 to 2022 in Kadokawa’s Comic Fleur magazine and it follows two childhood friends who find themselves in a romantic situation. It has not been licensed in English.
The title was also featured on the last year’s list.
Kocha Agasawa’s Koori no Jouheki (Ice Castle Wall) is yet another webtoon on this year’s list. Koyuki Higawa is bad at social relationships so she keeps her distance whenever she can. But when she meets Minato Amamiya things change and she soon finds herself surrounded by friends. This high-school romance drama was published on Shueisha’s Manga Mee platform from 2020 to 2022. It has a total of 117 chapters.
Art imitates life, and so this year’s top manga fans want to see animated is Kyu Sumiyoshi’s Hyperinflation. Shueisha is serializing the manga in its Shonen Jump+ online magazine, but there is still no English license. The plot follows Luke, a boy who loses his parents during an imperial slave hunt. In the following slave hunt, his sister is caught and put up for auction. Desperate, Luke gets the ability to create money from his own body and manages to buy his sister back. However, his power has one fatal flaw..,
Sumiyoshi commented after winning the Top 10 Manga Fans Want To See Animated poll:
Thank you for your votes!
But I probably would have taken first place even if there was a “ranking of manga that would be difficult to animate,” since I am not currently receiving any offers about anime adaptation. If you are interested in what the story is about, please read the manga!
Dear anime industry professionals, please send your offers to Shueisha at…!