Family Friendly Manga Officially Published in English
Manga
For all the parents and other older relatives, librarians, and teachers out there, here is a list of manga that are appropriate for everyone of all ages and could make for a lovely spot on any and all kinds of bookshelves.
WORK IN PROGRESS: I will add descriptions and maybe add more later.
Give me a break, it's 3 am here rn lol
Manga has always been popular with kids, and those in the West who visit their local library may notice that kids tend to gravitate to the graphic novel sections, sometimes just for these Japanese comics! Many of the most famous, popular, and beloved manga may be serialized in magazines aimed at children in Japan, but may surprise those in the West with how violent/fanservice-y/not-exactly-child-friendly they may be to Western sensibilities. Because of this, it can be awkward and/or uncomfortable to share with younger family members, and had any parent glimpsed the wrong manga they might unfortunately ban their child from manga entirely!
So this stack is for those who don't want to go on the wrong step, and want to introduce manga to anyone younger or let them start building a manga collection on reasonable terms. Or for those who want some generally lighter reads. Either approach is fine :P
Disclaimer: I try to put all kinds of series here, but I will admit that there may be a large bias for relatively older shoujo series... not necessarily because I think shoujo always deserves more love and far more credit than people give the demographic tag, but simply because much of it includes series I personally grew up reading. Though there are also nostalgic picks that aren't shoujo in here too. Either way, sorry if I didn't put in any of your childhood favorites haha.
Recommended further research:
5 Manga Recommendations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVumrw8hdow
Pokémon manga fun facts & recommendations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qe0Xlu9Ta4
Check out my mahou shoujo stack! https://myanimelist.net/stacks/22572
✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶
This stack contains licensed titles that have been OUT OF PRINT and series that apply will be indicated as such. This means it is near impossible to find these new without destroying your wallet, but there is still a chance in the ever-growing secondhand market! To find these older, hard-to-find series, I recommend the following sites:
https://www.abebooks.com/
https://www.alibris.com/
https://www.biblio.com/
BookFinder is also a huge help with searching for listings with bargain prices! To get the best results, look up the ISBN for English prints of series and copy-paste them into the search.
https://www.bookfinder.com/
WORK IN PROGRESS: I will add descriptions and maybe add more later.
Give me a break, it's 3 am here rn lol
Manga has always been popular with kids, and those in the West who visit their local library may notice that kids tend to gravitate to the graphic novel sections, sometimes just for these Japanese comics! Many of the most famous, popular, and beloved manga may be serialized in magazines aimed at children in Japan, but may surprise those in the West with how violent/fanservice-y/not-exactly-child-friendly they may be to Western sensibilities. Because of this, it can be awkward and/or uncomfortable to share with younger family members, and had any parent glimpsed the wrong manga they might unfortunately ban their child from manga entirely!
So this stack is for those who don't want to go on the wrong step, and want to introduce manga to anyone younger or let them start building a manga collection on reasonable terms. Or for those who want some generally lighter reads. Either approach is fine :P
Disclaimer: I try to put all kinds of series here, but I will admit that there may be a large bias for relatively older shoujo series... not necessarily because I think shoujo always deserves more love and far more credit than people give the demographic tag, but simply because much of it includes series I personally grew up reading. Though there are also nostalgic picks that aren't shoujo in here too. Either way, sorry if I didn't put in any of your childhood favorites haha.
Recommended further research:
5 Manga Recommendations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVumrw8hdow
Pokémon manga fun facts & recommendations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qe0Xlu9Ta4
Check out my mahou shoujo stack! https://myanimelist.net/stacks/22572
✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶
This stack contains licensed titles that have been OUT OF PRINT and series that apply will be indicated as such. This means it is near impossible to find these new without destroying your wallet, but there is still a chance in the ever-growing secondhand market! To find these older, hard-to-find series, I recommend the following sites:
https://www.abebooks.com/
https://www.alibris.com/
https://www.biblio.com/
BookFinder is also a huge help with searching for listings with bargain prices! To get the best results, look up the ISBN for English prints of series and copy-paste them into the search.
https://www.bookfinder.com/
Manga, 12 vol, 1996
Me:-
Author:10
1. TokyoPop - 6 volumes, 2000-2002 = The first 6 volumes were printed in small-size volumes, flipped to left-to-right format. OUT OF PRINT.
2. TokyoPop - 12 volumes, 2002-2004 = The later 6 volumes that were not released earlier were printed in original right-to-left format and subtitled "Master of the Clow"; the first 6 volumes were later republished in its original right-to-left format with a slightly newer translation and new book covers to match. OUT OF PRINT.
3. Dark Horse - 4 volumes, 2010-2012 = All 12 volumes were combined into 4 large omnibus volumes that featured a new translation, full-color pages, and retained the original pink covers of the Japanese print. OUT OF PRINT.
4. Kodansha Comics - "Collector's Edition" 9 volumes, 2019-2021 = Based on the 2015 special edition as part of Nakayoshi's 60th anniversary, all 12 volumes are put together into a special large hardcover print that comes with a new translation and collectible Clow Cards inside.
$29.99 USD per new volume.
2. TokyoPop - 12 volumes, 2002-2004 = The later 6 volumes that were not released earlier were printed in original right-to-left format and subtitled "Master of the Clow"; the first 6 volumes were later republished in its original right-to-left format with a slightly newer translation and new book covers to match. OUT OF PRINT.
3. Dark Horse - 4 volumes, 2010-2012 = All 12 volumes were combined into 4 large omnibus volumes that featured a new translation, full-color pages, and retained the original pink covers of the Japanese print. OUT OF PRINT.
4. Kodansha Comics - "Collector's Edition" 9 volumes, 2019-2021 = Based on the 2015 special edition as part of Nakayoshi's 60th anniversary, all 12 volumes are put together into a special large hardcover print that comes with a new translation and collectible Clow Cards inside.
$29.99 USD per new volume.
Manga, 10 vol, 1997
Me:-
Author:-
Viz Media - only 7 out of 10 volumes were released = OUT OF PRINT.
Manga, 4 vol, 2003
Me:-
Author:8
Udon Entertainment - 4 volumes, 2009-2010 = OUT OF PRINT.
Manga, 5 vol, 2004
Me:-
Author:-
Udon Entertainment - 5 volumes, 2009-2010 = OUT OF PRINT.
Manga, 7 vol, 1994
Me:-
Author:7
TokyoPop - 7 volumes, 2001-2002 = Relatively smaller-size volumes, flipped left-to-right format. Individual chapter-by-chapter issues were also apparently available. OUT OF PRINT.
Manga, 4 vol, 1997
Me:-
Author:-
Disclaimer: FAMILY FRIENDLINESS ONLY APPLIES TO VIZ'S CENSORED ENGLISH ADAPTATION OF THE MANGA. The original Japanese version has way too heavy sexualized art to be considered kid-friendly.
Viz Media - 4 volumes = OUT OF PRINT.
Viz Media - 4 volumes = OUT OF PRINT.
