From fun-loving adventure stories like One Piece to gritty dark fantasies like Berserk, manga is one of the most popular mediums in the Land of the Rising Sun. Recently, Japanese news site Oricon polled over 10,000 users to determine what manga series has garnered the most love in 2026 thus far.
Oricon‘s “Overall Recommended Manga Ranking” required participants to choose from 131 of the bestselling manga titles from 2025. From Feb. 27, 2026 to March 4, 2026, the site received submissions from a total of 10,564 individuals.
While next-gen Shonen Jump manga such as Dandadan and Kagurabachi have garnered significant notoriety in recent years, Oricon’s champion for this survey was The Apothecary Diaries, which has two distinct manga adaptations. The poll’s 10 highest-viewed manga works are listed below.
Japan Ranks Its Top 10 Manga Recommendations for the Year in New Oricon Survey
- The Apothecary Diaries — 1,200 votes
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End — 1,118 votes
- Spy x Family — 831 votes
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — 685 votes
- Don’t Call It a Mystery — 653 votes
- Jujutsu Kaisen — 587 votes
- One Piece — 557 votes
- Detective Conan — 535 votes
- Anata no Oshiro no Kobito-san — 514 votes
- (tied with #9) Kingdom — 514 votes
The Apothecary Diaries debuted in October 2011 as a web novel series by Natsu Hyuga (story). In August 2014, the series was republished as a light novel series with Touko Shino as its main illustrator.
Nekokurage released the franchise’s first manga adaptation, which has been serialized in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine since May 2017. Minoji Kurata’s adaptation, titled Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace, has been serialized in Shogakukan’s Monthly Sunday Gene-X magazine since August 2017.
An analysis of The Apothecary Diaries‘ polling data indicated that roughly 81.2% of its votes were submitted by women. The work itself revolves around a highly intelligent young woman named Maomao who uses her extensive knowledge of herbs, medicine and poison to thwart assassination attempts and unravel political conspiracies within her nation’s royal circle. Her investigations are overseen by Jinshi, a eunuch with a mysterious past who finds himself drawn to her despite her eccentric interests.
As several participants expressed, The Apothecary Diaries sets itself apart from other dramas through the “skillful handling” of plot twists and suspense elements. The central characters, Jinshi and Maomao, also have a complex internal psychology.
“The characters and their inner thoughts are meticulously portrayed, making it a work that everyone can relate to or find their inner character in,” one female voter in their 30s stated. “I’m curious about what will happen to Maomao and Jinshi in the future.”
Second-place winner Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. Initially released in April 2020, the fantasy manga revolves around a 1000-year-old elven mage who once helped an adventuring party save their world from a terrible Demon King.
50 years after this heroic feat, two of the party’s members, including their leader, Himmel, have died, leaving Frieren to reflect on her past relationships while embarking on new adventures with her apprentice Fern and their “frontliner” Stark.
Frieren‘s unconventional starting point is, ironically, what has endeared the manga to so many readers. “Unlike typical adventure fantasy stories, this one begins after the group has defeated their enemies and completed their adventure, offering a chance for both young and older readers to reflect on their own lives and connect with the story,” stated one voter from the “60 or over” demographic. “Furthermore, the character’s words contain profound wisdom, making it deeply moving.”
Similar sentiments were corroborated by several other participants. “The story, in which the protagonist has lived for 1000 years and retraces the past, is fascinating…” wrote one female voter in their twenties. “Because the protagonist is practically immortal, it also has a philosophical aspect, which is intriguing…the characters are charming, and they all have a gentle, warm demeanor, making it a heartwarming read.”
Nekokurage’s The Apothecary Diaries manga is available in English from Square Enix Manga & Books. The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace was recently licensed by VIZ Media under the Viz Signature Imprint. Volume 1 is scheduled to be published in North America on Oct. 20, 2026. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is also available from VIZ Media.
- Release Date
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2023 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Nippon TV, RAB, TVI, YBC, JRT
- Directors
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Jun Owada, Akira Koremoto, Erkin Kawabata, Shintaro Itoga, Kentaro Fujita, Yukihiko Asaki, Tsuyoshi Nakano, Masahiro Matsunaga, Akira Shimizu, Yuushi Ibe, Yuu Kinome, Kyohei Yamamoto, Takanori Yano, Tadao Okubo, Misu Yamaneko
- Writers
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Yuko Kakihara, Misuzu Chiba, Hitomi Ogawa
- Franchise(s)
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The Apothecary Diaries
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Takeo Otsuka
Jinshi (voice)
