"Laid-Back Camp" by Afro

A 'cute girls doing cute things' manga, but with the girls having actual personalities and the thing treated with the kind of attention to detail that you normally see in sports manga. It actually spawned a camping boom in Japan.

The main girls are Rin and Nadeshiko: introvert and genki girl, respectively. Rin has been solo camping for some time while newcomer Nadeshiko only gets the bug after moving to Rin's picturesque town. It's *not* a 'save the introvert' type of story; they each come to appreciate the other (nor is it a a yuri story.) The girls are fun characters (e.g., Rin's internal samurai monologue when she chops wood) and the camping elements are surprising interesting in their own right, especially in later volumes as they start to range further and the journeys become part of the story.

Ongoing, with 13 of the 14 published volumes available in English (Yen Press.) A two season anime is on Crunchyroll.

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"Skip and Loafer" by Misaki Takamatsu.

This is yet another shoujo high school manga, but a prime example of the genre. If you're only going to read one, this is a good choice.

Mistsumi is a plain girl (I love that she's *actually drawn that way*) from the sticks starting high school in Tokyo. Her friend Mika is kind of a bitch, but in a way you can understand; you'll root for her to be better. (Eventual love interest) Sousuke seems like a minor character from Oshi No Ko who found a way out and is taking refuge in a more sedate manga. His problems are the most complicated of the bunch. Well, except for Mistsumi's gender-queer aunt's.

It's ongoing in Japan, with seven of the eight volumes currently available in English (Seven Seas.) There's also an (equally good) anime that's currently airing on Crunchyroll.

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Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki.

This starts off like an office romance with some background oddities. The setting is a modern version of the Walled City of Kowloon in Hong Kong that was not demolished in the nineties and is instead a thriving area. There's also a satellite(?) called Generic New Terra that is under construction. It's apparently quite normal for real estate agent Reiko Kujirai, but it slowly becomes increasingly strange. Innocuous things and events take on new meanings as the story unfolds.

It's ongoing in Japan, with three of the eight volumes available in English (Yen Press.)

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"Helck" by Nanaki Nanao

The story of an human Hero who enters the tournament to determine the next Demon Lord. The POV character is Vermilio the Red (below), an elite demon who is brought in to replace the tournament's supervisor. She is furious to find a human *in* the contest, much less winning it, much much less becoming an improbable fan favorite.

It's a lot of fun. The beginning is pretty farcical as the OP Helck confronts the obstacles Vermilio throws his way. After the first volume a much more serious plot begins, and so far the transition is handled well. Helck is side-quest-lined while a new threat rises. Meanwhile there's still the question of who or what Helck is, and what he ultimately wants.

So far there's three officially translated volumes out in English (via Viz) out of nine for the complete story. An anime should appear this summer (on HiDive in the States.)

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