The 10 Best Short Manga for Beginners and Where to Read Them

Sumire 16 sai!! is a comedy manga written and illustrated by Takeru Nagayoshi. It is available to read and purchase through the official website of Kodansha.

Sumire Yotsuya is a cheerful 16-year-old, but she’s unlike any other high school student there is. Why is that?

Well, Sumire is a full-size puppet controlled by an anonymous middle-aged man who always wears black.

Beyond being a puppet, Sumire acts like a normal schoolgirl who always forgets her classmates.

What's intriguing is that Sumire refuses to identify the old man as her puppeteer, even though many people are aware of her, which leads to amusing circumstances.

7 Billion Needles is a horror and sci-fi manga written and illustrated by Nobuaki Tadano. It has a total of four volumes, which makes it a short but compelling read for beginners.

The story centers around Hikaru Takabe, a reclusive high school student who struggles to connect with other people. Her life took a drastic turn when a mysterious entity called Horizon chose her to become its host.

Now, Hikaru has to deal with dangerous alien creatures called Maelstroms to protect humanity at all costs, even if it means fighting with otherworldly adversaries.

At the same time, Hikaru has to deal with the complexities of human relationships and confront her fears and insecurities.

You can read 7 Billion Needles by purchasing its volumes through the official website of Vertical.

Pretty Face is a short romantic comedy manga series with only six volumes and 53 chapters. Yasuhiro Kano wrote and drew the manga, which was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump.

The manga story follows Masashi Rando, a high school student who was tragically involved in a bus accident that burned his face and body. A year later, Rando awakens from a coma to realize that his face has changed.

As it turns out, a slightly deranged surgeon named Jun gave Rando reconstructive surgery.

Now, Rando looks like the beautiful girl he has had a huge crush on in the past! What will happen to Rando?

Pretty Face is available to read and purchase through the official website of Viz Media.

Moriking features one of the most interesting premises on the list. It is set in a world where insects spontaneously change, gaining human-like intelligence and powers.

Moriking, an ambitious beetle vying for the title of insect king, is one of these newly transformed insects.

To achieve his goals, Moriking entered the King of the Beetles tournament, where he faced fierce opponents and gained strange companions.

From rival beetles to foolish spiders, Moriking needs to overcome these opponents to win the tournament.

Moriking is an action, fantasy, and comedy manga series written and illustrated by Tomohiro Hasegawa.

Its English version is available for purchase on the official website of Viz Media.

Have you ever imagined yourself attending school and not being able to return home? It'll be a nightmare, at least for those who despise studying, listening to lectures, and other similar activities.

In A School Frozen in Time, eight high school students become trapped in their school.

There was no way out of the school because the doors and windows would not open, no matter how they tried. Things began to get bizarre as they spent more time inside the school.

As it turns out, the bizarre events they are all dealing with are related to a student who committed suicide months before.

A School Frozen in Time is available to read and purchase on Kodansha USA's official website.

Our Dreams at Dusk is an emotional coming-of-age story about a diverse group of queer characters attempting to come to terms with their true identities.

The primary character is Tasuku Kaname, a young guy who has struggled to conceal his true identity from his classmates. He is aware that he is gay, but he does not want his peers to know about it.

However, Tasuku's peers were so close to discovering his identity that he began to consider suicide.

As the plot progresses, Tasuke resolves to tell his story to a group of kind people who are open to accepting and understanding him.

They all have their painful stories to relate, including Tasuku, who is having the most difficult time.

Our Dreams at Dusk is available on Seven Seas Entertainment's official website.

Will you stay at the Voynich Hotel? Despite its murky and odd reputation, especially its deadly maids, it has many amenities to offer.

The Voynich Hotel invites unusual customers from many walks of life. Taizou, the main character, is a former yakuza who has elected to work as a handyman at the hotel.

The more time he spends at the hotel, the more interested he becomes in discovering its dark secrets.

Each chapter welcomes unique guests who have their own stories to tell. If it were an anime, it would be an episodic series.

The Voynich Hotel is available to read and purchase on the official website of Seven Seas Entertainment.

Adulting can demand a lot of our time, energy, pleasure, and other things. It's exhausting; therefore, it's best to find refuge or a safe spot where there's no toxicity and we can recharge before facing another rough day.

In Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, a middle-aged man visits the supermarket to gaze upon the gorgeous smile of the cashier, Yamada.

When he sees Yamada smile, his mood improves, as does his day. It's his sole refuge after a long and stressful day at work.

One fateful day, Sasaki decided to look for Yamada after missing her in the register. A strange woman suddenly approaches him and invites him to join her in smoking. As it turns out, this odd woman is Yamada!

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is available to read on Manga Up!

Three Days of Happiness is a short manga series that tells the moving and insightful story of two struggling individuals who try to confront their aspirations, regrets, and worries.

It delves into serious issues such as the pursuit of pleasure and the nature of life and death.

What happens if a young man sells 30 years of his life? Kusunoki is given a large sum of money to help him rebuild his life.

However, Kusunoki quickly understands that money alone cannot fulfill his desires.

Along the way, Kusunoki meets Risa, a young girl with a negative attitude toward life.

Three Days of Happiness can be found on Yen Press' official website.

Solanin is a coming-of-age story written and illustrated by Inio Asano, who also created Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, Goodnight Punpun, and A Girl on the Shore.

If you're searching for a quick but meaningful manga read, Solanin should be on your list.

It follows Meiko Inoue and Naruo Taneda, a young couple who are going through a rough patch.

While Meiko strives to take a risk and pursue her dream, Naruo lacks purpose and direction.

Together, Meiko and Naruo face the complexities of life, along with their friends, who also have their own issues and challenges.

Solanin's English version is available on Viz Media's official website.