Manga genres and tags

These manga have an LGBT theme as a strong focus. Examples include gender or gender identity themes; an LGBT relationship as a primary focus; or an LGBT character as a protagonist, especially if their gender or sexual orientation is showcased as a back story or plot point. Read more about how we tag LBGT-related content on Anime-Planet.

These manga take place in, or focus on, libraries. Librarians and library patrons are common protagonists.

Characters in these manga undergo a significant lifestyle change. They might be a commoner who becomes royalty, are rich and become poor, or have a sudden change in popularity. They might move from the city to the country, have a significant job change such as leaving the mafia or embark on a new career, or experience other personal changes such as a debilitating injury, becoming a parent, or coming to terms with their sexuality.

A light novel is a Japanese novel that usually has less than 500 pages and contains a minimal amount of illustrations - sometimes only the cover contains artwork. See also: Novels, Web Novels.

Characters in these manga feel sad and alone. Those suffering from loneliness might be physically separated from others, or they might feel emotionally isolated even if they are surrounded by people. Depression or other mental illnesses might contribute to their feelings.

Kokuhaku (告白) is the act of declaring your love to another in hopes of dating them. In these Romance manga, the protagonist wishes to confess to their crush, but anxiety, planning, and other factors might stand in the way!

A love triangle is a set of interconnected romantic relationships between three people. These manga focus on the trials and tribulations of characters who may at first be in love, uninterested, or completely oblivious, as they untangle their feelings, make their choices, and try to win the heart of their beloved. More complex sets of relationships involving more than three people, sometimes called love polygons, may also be included.

These manga feature the Mafia: traditionally Italian Gangs that follow a strict code of honor called Omertà.

Magic is the use of gestures, incantations, or rituals to harness some kind of supernatural power. Characters in Magic manga tend to go by titles such as witch, wizard, mage, or sorcerer, and may be occupied with learning to harness these abilities or with finding magical relics or battling against strange entities... or other magic users.

These manga feature young, generally school-aged girls as defenders of love, life, and justice. They typically stumble upon the source of a magical power, or are granted one by allies that are aware of evil forces on the rise. Often by using a special item or with the help of a magical familiar, these characters are able to transform into an alter-ego ready to cause mischief or fight their foes. Magical Girl is a sub-genre of Henshin Heroes.

Characters in these manga attend a Magic School where they learn about the magical arts.

Mahjong is a table game that originated in China and has many regional variants. In the game, four players take turns drawing tiles with the goal of making a hand worth the most points, and ultimately winning the most points after several rounds. These manga showcase the game of mahjong through gambling, tournaments or casual play.

These manga showcase maids: women - or rarely men - who are employed to help cook, clean, run errands, or anything else that their master requires. The manga might also feature a Master-Servant Relationship. Alternately, maids might be employees of a theme cafe where cosplay is required to please customers.

These manga focus on makeup or cosmetics. Characters might be aspiring or professional makeup or special effects artists, sell these products to the public, or simply enjoy using them. Other common themes include the makeup or cosmetics industries, or the role these products have in daily lives.

These manga predominantly or fully take place in Malaysia.

Characters in these manga are in charge of managing a small or large-scale operation, such as owning a restaurant or shop, building or growing a town or kingdom, or constructing a world-class dungeon. The primary focus of these manga is the day-to-day operations of how to succeed at their job, whether it's increasing revenue, managing inventory, or improving kingdom morale.

These manga explore manga from the industry or consumer side. Common themes include the creative and design process, editing or meeting publishing deadlines, distribution and marketing, or the culture of manga consumption.

Manhua is the Chinese word for comics. These titles usually have authors and artists that are Chinese, and/or were first published in China.

Manhwa is the Korean word for comics. These titles usually have authors and artists that are Korean, and/or were first published in Korea.

These manga primarily take place in a mansion. These dwellings, usually owned by wealthy people, can be extremely large homes occupied by a single family, or they might be converted for commercial use, such as a Hotel or Boarding House.

A marriage of convenience describes two people entering a marital union for contractual reasons other than love. For example, to wipe out a Debt, to receive an Inheritance, to gain citizenship, or for some other strategic purpose. Typically, characters in a marriage of convenience have a choice to enter the relationship - even if it's a difficult choice - unlike Arranged Marriages. Unions made for political reasons are a type of marriage of convenience that may also be an arranged marriage, if family members required the union.

These manga showcase what it’s like to be married. The couple's married life might include day-to-day tasks, or activities that help strengthen their intimacy inside or outside of the bedroom. Or, the manga might focus on the relationship failing - even divorce.

These manga predominantly or fully take place on the planet Mars.

Martial arts are techniques that heavily involve training and are steeped in tradition. These techniques can have varied applications such as self-defense, psychological health or advanced use of weaponry, amongst others. Characters in these manga often spend much of their time training to defend themselves or others, participate in competitions of skill, honor their culture, or develop their health and spirituality.

Characters in these manga attend a Martial Arts School where they learn one or more specialized Martial Arts forms. Competitions and power struggles are a common occurrence in these titles.

These manga are based on a Marvel comic book.

These manga focus on a relationship - platonic or romantic - between a master and a servant. Sometimes these relationships are traditional, such as the interactions between a Maid or Butler with the master of the house. Comedy and Fantasy titles sometimes showcase this relationship in a different capacity, featuring a magic user with a human 'familiar' or 'pet' as a designated servant.

These Romance manga typically feature relationships between Adult Couples or College students. Unlike high school romances, these stories typically feature more mature themes that adults experience in relationships.

These manga include mature or controversial topics that are not suitable for children, such as teen pregnancy, Sexual Abuse, prostitution, Drug Use, or others.

Mecha are self-propelling machines that are modeled after humans; some can change into multiple, non-humanoid formats as well. They're usually controlled by an internal pilot or by remote, but are sometimes sentient beings that move autonomously. A mecha's size ranges from bulky, wearable armor to a massive, towering contraption and beyond. While mecha have a wide range of applications, such as making manual labor easier, they are most commonly portrayed as heavily-armed war machines.

These manga feature medical professionals such as doctors, surgeons and other staff, as they perform their medical duties at hospitals, clinics, or other locations.

These manga take place in a setting thematically similar to Europe in the middle ages. Castles, moats and small villages adorn the landscape, and knights, military forces and feudal kingdoms rule the populace.

These manga have an atmosphere of pensive sadness. They may explore themes such as Loneliness, depression, or tragedy.

These manga feature characters who live with a mental health condition that impacts their way of life, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or a personality disorder. For physical ailments, see Illness.

Mercenaries are people who take on dangerous jobs for their own personal gain and generally don't have any loyalty to their employer. In these manga, characters undertake a variety of jobs such armed combat, retrieving an item or person, or straightforward assassination.