Nicole. Image of Witch Hat Atelier, Assassination Classroom, and Kino’s Journey Volume 1 Mangas.
Non-Romance Manga Special Feature for April Fool’s Day!
A romance-manga focused blog recommending mangas that aren’t romances?! Welcome to the first special post for April Fool’s Day. This time, I’ll be recommending some drama, action, and adventure mangas rather than romantic ones!
I thought this would be a fun yearly tradition, as I do read manga that aren’t just romance-related, and do like to talk about them. However, I also want to keep my site focused on romance series, so what better day to flip the script than April Fool’s Day?
Hopefully you will still enjoy this post’s recommendations, even when romance is not the main focus!
Also, I want to note that there is technically romance in some of these series—but the main plots are not entirely focused on love. In most of these series, romance is either not present at all or is a much smaller aspect of the plot.
Please be sure to research any content warnings before choosing to read a series. Almost all of these recommendations have some or multiple forms of sensitive content. Now, let’s jump in!
Adventure Manga Recommendations
7 Seeds
Author: Yumi Tamura
Status: Completed
Number of Chapters: 35 volumes, around 178 chapters + short sequel story (4 chapters)
Published by Shogakukan
I can say with total confidence that 7 Seeds is an amazing apocalyptic adventure manga that will never be topped for me. This series is one of my all-time favorite reads. I think it was my first experience with an apocalyptic story, and it had me in awe from start to finish.
Not only was the art insanely unique and gorgeous, but the story and world-building was like no other manga I had read in my young age. This story follows a variety of main characters, as they suddenly wake up in a destroyed world that used to be their normal, safe home. These characters make up 5 groups of people, whom are some of the last living humans on Earth.
These groups were carefully chosen as a part of a project to continue prolonging humanity after a world-ending natural disaster; to achieve this, they were all put under cryogenic sleep for a long period of time.
As they wake, it’s up to them to continue humankind by utilizing their individual special skills; such as environmental, biological, or agricultural knowledge. Some of them, such as one main character named Natsu, has no apparent survival skill, leaving them wondering why they were even chosen to live in this new future.
This manga is full of a variety of characters (good and bad), and a superb, imaginative environment. The variety of environments perfectly captures the aura of an adventure manga setting. It has an impressive apocalyptic world design, and a nice balance of exploration, survival, action, character building, and storytelling.
Don’t be put off by the timid “main” character from the beginning chapters; I promise this manga has an amazing story lying in wait. It also has a focus on multiple characters, not just the first “main” character that’s introduced, so things stay very interesting.
As I mentioned earlier, I personally think the art style is absolutely amazing. I always have had a liking for older styles (this manga began publication in 2001) but something about 7 Seeds stands out above all other mangas I’ve read.
The character design and the environmental details of this story are incredible, both during times when the plot is filled with beauty, and when it is filled with horror. The art style is one of the biggest aspects of this adventure manga that had me hooked.
Many readers have claimed that it is a messy art style, and while I do think there are some areas that have less effort put into them than others, it still stands as my favorite manga art style thus far.
I think the “messy” look you’ll find in some panels gives it a lovely charm, especially alongside more detailed panels. I think the style keeps the story full of emotion, rather than being just another copy of perfect line art that you can find in tons of other adventure mangas. Plus, the art style of the characters is especially likable. However, I understand it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
This story left such a huge impact on me. It feels incredibly sad at times but it also had very beautiful, heartwarming moments. This incredible manga is so well thought-out, creative, interesting, and full of emotion.
I felt so much horror, sadness, suspense, awe, and happiness while reading this story. There’s even a few funny moments, too. It is one of my absolute favorite mangas I have ever read, and I highly recommend it.
I will warn that there are a lot of necessary content warnings for this story, as it contains a lot of disturbing, grotesque topics or content that some readers may not enjoy. This adventure manga has some very graphic scenes, so you’ve been warned. The story is not really light-hearted; it often has horrific scenes that will tear your heart into little pieces.
I cried a lot while reading it. However, this story is also very impactful, thought-provoking, and beautiful in many ways. It is never boring, and always full of action and suspense. I will reread this story countless times and still find it incredible… and I hope you will, too.
Feel free to check out my review for another one of Yumi Tamura’s amazing mangas, Basara!
Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World
Author: Keiichi Sigsawa
Status: Completed (Partial Adaptations)
Number of Chapters: 8 volumes
Kino’s Journey Kodansha page (Iruka Shiomiya Manga Illustration / Adaptation)
Kino’s Journey is an action and adventure manga that is made up of short stories, all of which follow a traveler named Kino and their experiences.
The main character is a traveler who visits country after country with their trusty partner, Hermes—a talking motorcycle. They try to stay in each country for only 3 days, to experience each country’s unique customs and history.
It’s a very unique and interesting manga, with a fantastic main character. Kino is a level-headed, calm character, who simply seems to be an observer of each country they visit.
Although the experiences Kino has throughout this adventure manga are anything but boring (or normal), the way Kino’s character is designed and the way the story is portrayed is incredibly fitting.
This character is observational, intelligent, and nonintrusive, allowing the reader to also experience and interpret each country’s unique customs, too. They won’t hesitate to protect themselves, though.
Each country Kino visits brings a new, interesting scenario and new characters to learn about. It has a lot of fantasy elements in it, as these countries have unique rules and customs that don’t typically exist in our world.
Many of these countries are mysterious, and have tragic histories or unusual laws. Overall, it is a very eye-opening and suspenseful reading experience that is unlike other adventure mangas I’ve read before.
Because it is also a philosophical fiction, there are some topics of morals or ethics that some readers may find disturbing, so be mindful of that before reading. Although the title includes “The Beautiful World,” this story isn’t super lighthearted and has some heavy plot topics; often revolving around humanity and life.
There are controversial or problematic scenes and characters intentionally included, as the difficulty surrounding those topics is the main point of each short story.
This philosophical adventure manga is based on an original novel by Keiichi Sigsawa. The novel actually has two manga adaptations (the first illustrated by Iruka Shiomiya, and the second by Gou), as well as two anime adaptations (one in 2003, and another in 2017).
Depending on the adaptation you choose to read, the order of the short stories may differ slightly, as do which stories are actually chosen to be adapted from the original novel. Unfortunately, the light novel’s English translation was discontinued after the first volume was completed.
However, because each volume is made up of short stories, each of the mangas and animes are still enjoyable through their own unique adaptations.
Witch Hat Atelier
Author: Kamome Shirahama
Status: Ongoing
Number of Chapters: 14 volumes, 97 digital chapters
Witch Hat Atelier Kodansha page
This magical adventure manga follows Coco, a young, curious girl who lives in a world where only some people are lucky enough to be born as witches and users of magic. Although she is not one of those lucky people, she loves all things magical.
This is due to her encounter with magical stones in a city she visited as a young child, which lit up as she walked on them. Since that day, she has longed for magic. She also happened to meet a masked witch in that same city. This masked person sold her a magic book with a cute wand-pen combination.
One day, when a witch named Qifrey visits Coco’s family shop, he happens to help out some of their customers using his magic. Because magic is a secretive, exclusive power, he performs the magic in seclusion; not realizing that young Coco was peeking.
This is when she realizes magic is actually just drawn, rather than spoken with words… meaning in theory, anyone can use it. She immediately begins testing out this knowledge with the magic book she had gotten from the witch.
Unfortunately, not knowing the meanings behind the magical symbols from the book comes back to bite her—as it traps her mother in a statue-like form. Luckily for Coco, Qifrey arrived just in time to save her from a similar fate. Afterwards, in order for Coco to save her mother and for Qifrey to learn where this dangerous magic book originated, Coco becomes a student witch under his teaching.
Alongside the fun plot, the art of Witch Hat Atelier is phenomenal. It is detailed, polished, and very beautiful. It feels incredibly fitting for a magic-filled fantasy story! This fantasy adventure manga has beautiful characters, intricate environments, and creative world-building.
Although this story may feel whimsical and magical, the plot is very interesting and suspenseful. Poor Coco seems to have become the target of a strange, evil person who is part of the brimmed cap witches. These are witches who don’t follow the established magical rules and use forbidden magic. It is unknown to readers why they seem interested in the unfortunate Coco, but it keeps the story mysterious and compelling.
Even with a mysterious, dangerous figure lurking in the shadows of this series, the characters can be incredibly wholesome. I love some of the representation we see in this adventure manga, and the way these characters solve their problems or differences. Some of the meanings or messages in this magical story are very beautiful!
Action Manga Recommendations
Aphorism
Author: Karuna Kujo
Status: Completed
Number of Chapters: 14 volumes and 84 chapters + continued serialization
Aphorism is very much the opposite of what I usually recommend on my site. It has a lot of action, mystery, and most of all, gore. While the characters do not necessarily travel, the experiences they share are definitely an adventure.
This strange, action-packed manga starts by introducing the presence of a floating island above the city. Not everyone below on earth can see this island, but those who can get the chance to move up in life.
They can do this by attending a special high school designed only for those who can actually see the island! With promises of wealth and a sturdy career after graduating at this school, the main character, Momiji Rokudou, enrolls.
Momiji hopes for a fun, enjoyable school life; where he will make new friends and perhaps even a girlfriend. Unfortunately, this school that promises a fancy government job position after graduation turns out to be anything but normal.
After entering this strange looking school, the first thing Momiji and each of his classmates must do is write a word (in Japanese, a kanji, which can be interpreted in a few different ways) on a special piece of paper. Momiji chooses “change” as his word, not truly knowing what is to come or what the point of this task is. His word choice definitely brings an interesting twist to this plot!
The word they choose to write on their paper ends up being each student’s unique power, which they will use to defend themselves during what is known as the divine eclipse. It turns out that this school’s requirement for graduation is actually survival, and Momiji quickly finds himself in a battlefield against unimaginable monsters and even other students!
There is no escape from this terrifying school, and they must survive more eclipses for an entire year before graduating and gaining their prosperous future.
This action series is full of imaginative battles, crazy creatures, and gore; which makes for an exciting plot. While not entirely an adventure manga, some of the crazy events in the story make it feel as if they’ve entered a different world. It’s got a light balance of comedic relief within, and a variety of unique characters to learn about in addition to their own individual word-powers.
The trials and tasks that the students encounter are extremely fantasy-like, with unique, creative world-building and wild designs of strange, otherworldly creatures for them to fight.
Assassination Classroom
Author: Yusei Matsui
Status: Completed
Number of Chapters: 21 volumes, 180 chapters + 5 extras
Assassination Classroom Manga Plus page
I feel like Assassination Classroom had some rise in popularity a few years ago, but it is still one of my favorites. The premise is wild enough to keep you engaged, with unique characters to boot. It is one of the more comedic stories on this list, so if you’re looking for a more lighthearted read, this one can be a great fit.
This goofy action manga starts with a strange, octopus-looking creature blowing up a portion of the moon. He threatens to destroy the planet next within a year, unless he is assassinated first.
As part of a top-secret government mission/agreement to kill him, he becomes the teacher of a single junior high school class. The students are tasked with killing him in return for a cash reward (and obviously the reward of saving the world from destruction).
This class is known as Class E, full of students with the lowest academic performance out of the entire school. Ironically, in addition to normal academics, he and other instructors also teach them how to be assassins so that they can successfully kill him.
However, this is no easy task, as this octopus-man has incredible talents and supernatural abilities. Because of this, they give him the nickname “Koro-sensei” or “un-killable teacher.”
While the story suggests that a student by the name of Shiota Nagisa is the main character, alongside a few others who get extra focus, I can honestly say that a lot of the class serves equal roles throughout the story. The task at hand is definitely a big team effort! This manga pulls in a lot of different and unique personalities, all of which contribute to the plot and feel of this comedic action and adventure manga.
Although this story does start off a bit slow, it builds in both interest and suspense as the characters grow and the timeline progresses. The characters all get some form of individual development, and the teacher actually has more backstory besides just being a goofy character used for comedy. They all build an interesting and unique bond over the course of the story.
Oftentimes the plot is lighthearted, fun, comedic, and of course, full of action. Although it is less serious most of the time at the start, it does actually follow the main plot well and has a developed ending, too. The humor is a little outdated at times, but the story is enjoyable regardless.
I know the premise sounds really weird if you are unfamiliar with the series (I mean, it is definitely weird regardless), but the story is actually very, very good and stays fun from beginning to end.
It has very unexpected plot developments over the course of the series, and finishes with an ending that will leave you with that well-known “manga hangover” sort of feeling. You’ll find yourself attached to all of these characters before you even know it!
There is an anime adaptation of this manga as well that is very good. It is completed in only two seasons, and follows the manga pretty well. I will say, however, if you wanted to enjoy this story with a bit more detail along the way, the manga may be a better fit.
The anime is done well, but does skip a few parts that are minor character-focused chapters. However, it doesn’t really leave out any important plot building, so you wouldn’t be missing anything absolutely necessary.
Drama Manga Recommendations
Ghost Hunt
Author: Shiho Inada, Fuyumi Ono
Status: Completed
Number of Chapters: 12 volumes, around 44 chapters + sequel series (3 volumes)
Ghost Hunt is another manga adaptation of a novel. This novel and adaptation has a spooky, mysterious plot that, as the name suggests, involves a team that hunts ghosts and the like.
The manga starts with the main character, Mai Taniyama, and her friends telling ghost stories about the nearby abandoned high school building. This is when they meet Kazuya Shibuya, a young founder of a psychic research company. Kazuya has been hired to investigate rumors of paranormal activity around Mai’s school.
After some incidents occur, Mai finds herself in debt to Kazuya. This is where all the fun and mystery comes in, as she is quickly brought into some paranormal investigations as his assistant.
Kazuya was hired by the school for his expertise, alongside many others; including a monk, an exorcist, a Shinto priestess, and a medium. This team becomes an interesting group for ghost hunting, as they all have their own specializations, talents, and personalities.
This horror-focused adventure manga has been one of my long-time favorites. The paranormal investigations are all very interesting and well illustrated. I enjoyed the in-depth, well thought-out aspects of each type of “ghost” mentioned in the story, as well as the different roles that the characters within the investigation team play.
The horror aspects are creepy, not overdone, and really intriguing. They have a very good balance of being fairly realistic, slightly exaggerated, but not too outrageous, either. I also enjoyed how some aspects of the story and certain character developments are left to be discovered later on.
Although this ghost-hunting group may not go on very long journeys, they often find themselves in a variety of haunted places. Schools, homes, churches, parks, and more seem to be the perfect locations for paranormal investigations.
Sometimes we even see our characters portrayed to be confined within a dream or thought; or some sort of other-worldly experiences. Therefore, I consider this story a spooky, horror-themed adventure manga of sorts. Technically, though, it’s a drama; which is a bit more accurate.
No matter the label, it’s an incredibly enjoyable read, so I wanted to include this paranormal series in this manga recommendation list. It is another favorite of mine that I read a while back, but still love to re-read and experience over and over.
This manga is from 1998, so it features a less modern-looking art style, obviously. However, I think the older art style and level of detail in this manga is very nicely done, especially when it comes to the creepier aspects.
I really enjoyed it, but I also have a soft spot for older manga styles. There is also an anime adaptation, which I actually really liked, but again it does give a bit of an older anime vibe and doesn’t really do the art of the manga complete justice. Regardless, Ghost Hunt is an enjoyable story!
If you’d enjoy more creepy mangas like this, be sure to check out my horror manga recommendations (another April’s Fool’s Day post)!
Arisa
Author: Natsumi Ando
Status: Completed
Number of Chapters: 12 volumes, 48 chapters
This wild, crazy manga series is primarily a drama, with heavy psychological and mystery themes.
Tsubasa and Arisa are twins who separated at the age of 12, when their mother and father divorced. However, the two sisters have been exchanging letters ever since, and one day finally decide to meet up. Now both at the age of 15, it seems these girls have had some very different experiences during their early school years.
Tsubasa is the main character readers follow throughout this story. When the girls meet up, they decide that Tsubasa will go to Arisa’s school the next day and secretly pretend to be her for fun (they’re twins, after all). Tsubasa has a great time, but Arisa seems upset when they return home.
Apparently, her school life isn’t what it seems at first glance. Due to her stress and other circumstances, Arisa ends up in a coma. Tsubasa, confused and worried for her sister’s health, decides to continue attending school in her sister’s place to get to the bottom of things.
When she attends school again under disguise, it seems Arisa’s class has lots of hidden secrets. Every Friday during fourth period, they have a strange ritual involving their phones called “King Time.” During this time, the students type a wish on their phones, and one person’s wish is always granted by some unknown person the class considers a deity, nicknamed “King.”
Those who doubt King or reveal the ritual to outsiders are punished, supposedly by King. Tsubasa is determined to figure out what’s going on, and why her sister never confided in her over these strange occurrences!
Arisa is one of those older shoujo stories with a wild, bizarre drama. This psychological story has an art style commonly found in slightly older shoujos; which was a fun, nostalgic experience for me personally.
It has outrageous plot developments and crazy characters. If you love the old-school shoujo dramas with plots that resemble soap operas, definitely check this one out.
Although Kodansha has this series marked as a romance, that is nowhere near the point of the overall plot. While technically there is romance present in the story, it’s unessential to the main plot for pretty much the entire story.
If you enjoyed the craziness of this manga, consider reading my other reviews for Something’s Wrong With Us (another wild series by Natsumi Ando) and Kitchen Princess (illustrated by Natsumi Ando).
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post of manga recommendations! I most often seek manga with romantic plots, but many non-romance stories have their own charm and provide great reading experiences, too. Hopefully from these action, drama, and adventure manga recommendations, you’ve found a new story to enjoy that you hadn’t tried yet!
Be sure to check out my other April Fool’s Day posts, too:
2025 April Fool’s post: Amazing non-romance manga recommendations
