Favourite Series of 2019 -

I have written about various series here and I will try to avoid listing them again here even if they might be one of my favourites for the year. I thought about only including series that actually began in 2019 but my range of manga reading is only so far and I could not think of many. Therefore, this will include various series that I enjoyed reading in 2019 regardless of the year they began or their status.

Neko ga Nishi Mukya - 

Yuki Urushibara, the mind behind Mushishi, latest work which is currently appearing in the pages of Afternoon. Its manga with all the creative of Mushishi with the comfort of Hitoshi Ashinano works. It is similarly to Mushishi for most of the time episodic but unlike Mushishi it has a goal which is for the main female character to return to normal but that will eventually happen when she feels in herself like it. 

What is mesmerising from this series is the way it makes you feel comfortable in a way that mirrors series from Hitoshi Ashinano like Kotonoba Drive and many others. In a way that is more Urushibara's like there is an episodic story in each chapter that usually does not involve the main characters but they are called in to sort out but at times the solution is reached by themselves in order they are more involved and handle it in various ways. 

I personally enjoy this series because it provides me this comfortable atmosphere as well as episodic stories that deal with real human troubles, like the crossroads we face or how we might feel a pity disguises as arrogance or  how we need to let things ago as everything is transient. These are embedded into the stories not in an obvious way but in a way that the reader can understand without being told and reflect, but this has always been the case for Urushibara works.  She excels at this and I recommend any of her works if this is something you are interested in. 

The series is not officially translated yet, but there are unofficial translations available on mangadex by the group Hi wa Mata Noboru. 

Ao no Shima to Neko Ippiki - 

One of the various fascinating traits of Japan is large array of islands. In this series, the main characters moves to one of those islands outside the main 4 largest islands. It is a slice of life as the mc moves back to this place that he left and it is rather soothing this series. The main character has been hinted to returned possibly to take his mind of some personal issue and the series is most focused on his daily life with the daughter of his senpai, who is absent, and her cat. It is yet another mystery but the series does not delve too much into these but instead gives hints that the reader can build upon on.  The art is not sensational but it beautifully illustrates the landscape of the island whilst the story provides the reader with what life would be like in this island. 

Hakumei to Mikochi - 

The little life in the woods in incredibly fascinating to follow. It is a manga of their daily life obviously displaying exciting events rather than just their day to day life. It is not neccesarily a manga that has a goal or any plot that it is building up. In fact, I would say the story is largely aimless and for me that is fine after all if is a series focused on the life of these two in this tiny world then I could not see anything more aimless then life itself. After all, we just seek self preservation with comfort until death, there is no plot or fantastical story in life. It this why i find this the perfect slice of life series because not only it really shows life but a comfortable yet exciting life in the tiny world of Hakumei and Mikochi that I am always looking to see expanded.