Sasaki, an overworked salaryman, goes through an average stressful day just for a single light at the end of the tunnel: Yamada, the always-cheerful clerk at his favorite convenience store.

One day, Sasaki takes an extra amount of time at a company meeting, and by the time he gets to the convenience store Yamada has already clocked out. However, as he leaves, he notices a young woman with piercings smoking behind the store?

Note: The manga won the 2022 Next Manga Award in the web manga category.

Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent, the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling?
At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!

Note: Placed 3rd in the DaVinchi x NicoNico Tsugi 2016 Manga Awards.

The story revolves around three teenagers: Nomiya Tomomi, a high school dropout, Togawa Kiyoharu, an ex-sprinter who now plays wheelchair basketball and Takahashi Hisanobu, a popular leader of the high school's basketball team who now finds himself a paraplegic after an accident. Real features a cast of characters who find themselves being marginalized by society, but are all united by one common feature: a desire to play basketball, with no place to play it in. Nomiya, being a high school dropout, has no future in his life. Togawa, being a difficult personality, finds himself constantly feuding with his own teammates. Takahashi, once a popular team leader, now finds himself being unable to move from the chest down. Real also deals with the reality of physical disabilities, and the psychological inferiority that the characters struggle against. The characters break through their own psychological barriers bit by bit.

Note: Received the Excellence Award at the 5th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2001.

In Teirin High School, you are either part of a gang or an elite sports player. Sousuke Youki, called 'the predator,' is an undefeated master at fighting. One morning, as he finishes up a fight, Kazumi, a prodigy amateur golf player, took a look at Sousuke, ignored him, and walked right by. Infuriated, Sousuke sets out to get revenge on Kazumi for dissing him but Sousuke's revenge takes a detour as he gets himself involved in playing golf by the thuggish golf coach. Will this delinquent break legends and become "the King of Golf"?

King Golf also won the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award in January 2011 in the boys category.

Aono Hajime was a prodigy violinist until he grew jaded with playing the violin due to personal reasons. Now in his third year of middle school, he struggles to decide his academic path. One day in school, he meets Akine Ritsuko, a hotheaded novice violinist who wants to enroll in a high school with a distinguished orchestra club. When he finds himself getting closer to Ritsuko and being brought back to the world of violinists, time starts moving again for him.

This is the beginning of a youthful drama where sounds and hearts alike resound in harmony.

Note: Winner of the 68th Shogakukan Manga Awards for best shounen manga (alongside Yofukashi no Uta).

From MangaHelpers:

Araiwa Kazumi is an energetic salaryman who is able to perfectly manage his responsibilities at work and at home. Kazumi is also a fantastic chef, though many of his coworkers are unaware of it. His wife Nijiko, who works as a journalist, has a bit of trouble making time for her home life. However, she tries to always be a cheerful mother. With their son Makoto, who is 7 at the beginning of the story, they have a very happy family. This is a story that follows the Araiwa household and their delight with delicious food. Cooking instructions are also often included throughout the story. [tethysdust]

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Cooking manga. It features a recipe at the end of each story, introduced by the main character.

Won the 39th Kodansha Manga Award special prize in 2015.

Nina had a rough start to life, stealing to survive—and eventually being sold into slavery by her own brother. But to her surprise, her captor, Prince Azure, ordained that she would live the life of a princess... specifically, that of the recently deceased princess-priestess, Alisha. But despite her changing fortune, Nina won't give up her old life without a fight... and Azure might just be the one to finally match her wits. But how much can she trust Azure? And can she stop the feelings budding in her heart, knowing she must eventually marry another...?

Note: Won the 46th Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shoujo Manga in 2022.

From Transcendence:
Long ago, there existed a land divided into four countries: Sou, Kou, Do, and Ah.
The King of Ah took on a wife from Kou and soon thereafter one from Do, creating a shaky alliance between the three nations. When the Second Queen gave birth to a son, the King cast aside the sickly First Queen and her daughter Aki into the depths of the Palace. But as Fate would have it, Princess Aki encounters a slave named Hakusei, who has peculiar golden hair and sky blue eyes. He promises his life to her and helps her train in the Six Arts under the guidance of the enigmatic merchant Seitetsu. However, when Aki outshines the Prince during a hunt in an attempt to gain her father's acknowledgement, she sparks a war by besmirching Do's honor and drives the Second Queen to poison her mother.
With nothing left but her faithful Hakusei, Aki is banished to the small country of Kou with a vow to return to Ah one day for revenge. But in the face of the mighty allied nations of Do and Ah, will the two survive long enough to carry out Aki´s vow?

Note: Won the 60th Shogakukan Manga Awards for Best Shoujo in 2015.

The story is about Mutsu Tsukumo, a young and normal looking youth who challenges great foes to prove that his style of fighting is the best in the world. His Ryuha, or fighting style is called Mutsu Enmei Ryu. A style that is said to have never lost in its 1000 year history. Tsukumo not yet a perfect fighter also increases his strength as the story progresses.

Won the 14th Kodansha Manga Award for shounen in 1990.

"So, Hikaru is no more... If that's true then..."

Yoshiki and Hikaru are two boys who live in a certain village. They're the same age and have always been together growing up. But one day, Yoshiki noticed that "something else" has taken Hikaru's place. Even after learning of this, Yoshiki still wants them to be together. And so, his life with the "something" that looks like his friend begins.

At the same time, strange incidents keep occurring in the village...

Note: Won the Traditional Chinese Global Special Prize at the eighth Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Awards in 2022.

The adventure is over but life goes on for an elf mage just beginning to learn what living is all about. Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. With the great struggle over, they all go their separate ways to live a quiet life. But as an elf, Frieren, nearly immortal, will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to terms with the mortality of her friends? How can she find fulfillment in her own life, and can she learn to understand what life means to the humans around her? Frieren begins a new journey to find the answer.

Note: Won the 14th Manga Taisho and the New Creator Prize of the 25th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2021.

In the year 200X, a Japanese fleet consisting of 3 vessels leave on a mission to South America. After encountering a storm, the ship JDS Mirai find itself without its escorts and in the year 1942, traveling towards the island of Midway to face the American fleet in one of largest battles in naval history. The crew of the Mirai must decide whether or not to change the course of history by involving itself in WWII.

Won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 2002.

It is the year 2025, and NASA has announced the crew members–including Japanese astronaut Hibito Namba –of the first mission to live on the moon for an extended period. Meanwhile, in Japan, Hibito’s auto designer older brother Mutta Numba is despondent after losing his job. Although the two brothers have followed vastly different paths, their respective destinies begin to move and merge as the result of a vow they exchanged as boys.

Note: Was nominated for the Manga Taishō in 2009 and 2010. Won the award for best general manga at the 56th Shogakukan Manga Awards and at the Kodansha Manga Award (shared with March Comes in Like a Lion) in 2011. Won the Reader Prize of the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize 2014.

The story of a crossdresser who receives a confession from a junior.

From ANN:

Guts, known as the Black Swordsman, seeks sanctuary from the demonic forces attracted to him and his woman because of a demonic mark on their necks, and also vengeance against the man who branded him as an unholy sacrifice. Aided only by his titanic strength gained from a harsh childhood lived with mercenaries, a gigantic sword, and an iron prosthetic left hand, Guts must struggle against his bleak destiny, all the while fighting with a rage that might strip him of his humanity.

Warning: This manga is for mature audiences only, since it has sexual content and graphic violence (gore, blood, rape, etc). Definitely not for the weak hearted.

The 1988 Prototype chapter won a prize at the Comi Manga School Miura attended and the main series won the Tezuka Osamu Award for Excellence in 2002.

The workplace comedy's story follows a 26-year-old office worker named Momose. He recently changed jobs after his previous boss harassed him. He's worried his new boss will also use power harassment to make his life miserable. Momose is trying to hide his anxious stomach when he first meets his new boss Shirasaki, however he's surprised to find his new boss is such a natural airhead that he eliminates all of Momose's anxiety.

The series, set in Saitama, follows the story of Ren Mihashi. Mihashi was the previous ace pitcher in his middle school's baseball team, but it seems that he only got the position because his grandfather was the owner of the school. His teammates (especially the team's catcher, Hatake) hated him, and they always lost their games. Mihashi is thoroughly convinced that he is a lousy baseball pitcher, and feels guilty because he believes that he is responsible for all the losses. Mihashi graduates through middle school with extremely low self-esteem. But in truth Mihashi is really a hardworking and skillful pitcher, and the main reason why his team always lost all the games is because of bad cooperation, because his teammates never talked about the game with him, and they did not try to come up with a plan or strategy to fight against their rivals. Mihashi then transfers to Nishiura High School with plans of quitting baseball because he thinks he is not good enough to succeed at it, though he still loves the game deeply. However, he is dragged into Nishiura's baseball team by their coach, Momoe, while watching the team training outside the field. Assisted by his new teammates (and especially the catcher, Takaya Abe), he grows in stature, confidence and skill, helping his team excel with his own abilities.

Won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 2007. Won the Creative Award at 10th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2006.

Raimon Middle School 's soccer club captain, Endou Mamoru is in a pinch - his club is about to be destroyed! Literally! To avert the wrecking ball and disbanding of the club, his team must win against the toughest soccer team in the area - Teikoku. Will Endou and his team meet a crushing defeat or will a mysterious transfer student with a fiery kick save them from disaster?!

Won the 34th Annual Kodansha Manga Award for Best Children's Manga.

Winner of LINE Manga Award: I don't have the normal kind of communication problem! If it's kids, I can get along with them just fine - my communication problems are limited! Nashikawa, a high school student with this kind of troublesome disposition, enters a "Volunteering Club", in which he watches kids!? Will Nashikawa be able to overcome his communication problems while being surrounded by quirky club members and little kids!?

Set in Central Asia in a rural town near the Caspian Sea during the 19th century, the story revolves around a young woman, Amir, who arrives from a distant village across the mountains to marry Karluk, a boy eight years her junior. The story unfolds among details of everyday family and community life. However, the peaceful atmosphere is disturbed when Amir's family demands to take her back to their village.

Note: Nominated for the 4th and 6th Manga Taisho. Won the 7th annual Manga Taishou Award in 2014 and the intergénérations prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2012.