Noss and Zakuro, Vol. 1 © Rariatto 2023/EAST PRESS CO., LTD.

Originally the stuff of cautionary tales and horror stories, witches, vampires, monsters, and spirits have become so familiar that they almost have lost their bite. While they can still be scary in, for example, a manga horror story by Junji Ito, they have also been domesticated in series such as “Little Witch Academia,” where the witches go to school and cast cool spells, and “Vampire Knight,” which is about high school romance, not the bloodlust of the undead. These slice-of-life stories are beloved in Japan, where they often appear in magazines for adults alongside much bloodier and more intense series. In this context, they provide a mental break for readers. Often funny and clever, many also convey a theme of acceptance, as humans and different types of supernatural folks get to know one another and learn to live in harmony.

With Halloween just around the corner, enjoy these seven manga series about supernatural creatures that are more cozy than scary.

PANDANIA. “Monster Cats.” illus. by author. Seven Seas. 2024–
Gr 5 Up–Pandania’s books blend cats with creepy characters; other series from Seven Seas include “Yokai Cats” and “The Evil Secret Society of Cats,” while Dark Horse has a Cthulhu Cat one-shot coming out in November. “Monster Cats” continues this theme, with cats who are slime monsters, dryads, gargoyles, brownies, and even the Loch Ness Monster. Pandania does a nice job of picking monster traits that exaggerate the cats’ natural tendencies, such as sleeping on their owners’ face or snuggling up in a box. Each short chapter is a series of four-panel gag cartoons about a particular monster cat, so it’s easy to pick up and put down; and like all Pandania’s books, it’s in full color. The second volume comes out October 22.

AIKA,Yugiri. “Aria of the Beech Forest.” illus. by author. Yen Pr. 2024.
Gr 8 Up–Aria is a shy witch who lives in a cozy tree house in a forest in Ireland. Alone since the recent death of her grandmother, she spends her days knitting, cooking, and drinking nettle tea. Her routine doesn’t change much when a white wolf, whom she names Gwyn, comes to live with her. Gwyn can talk, and there’s clearly more to him than readers are being told: he seems to have had a human form at one point, and he’s very protective of Aria. They occasionally have other visitors, and Gwyn gently nudges Aria toward being more social and exploring the outside world. Aika lavishes detail on Aria’s tree house and the things she cooks (recipes for Irish dishes are included), while keeping action-filled panels simple. She portrays Gwyn with a lot of personality. The series is complete in three volumes; the first was published in July 2024 and the second is due out in November 2024.

[Also read: Witches Take Center Stage in These Manga for Tweens and Teens]

AKITAKA. “Witch Life in a Micro Room.” illus. by author. Yen Pr. 2024–
Gr 8 Up–Two young witches who have recently moved to the big city take on a variety of odd jobs, including hunting giant nutria and repairing a magic cauldron, in this sweet slice-of-life manga. Madge is a bit old-fashioned; she learned her magic from her grandmother, dresses like a witch, and draws her magic circles by hand. Her roommate Ririka takes a more modern approach and is less of a striver than Madge. There’s as much talk of food as there is of magic here, as the two young witches are perpetually trying to earn enough money to get a decent meal. The artwork is simple and easy to follow, and the witches are cute, though in different ways. The series is complete in five volumes; Yen published the third in August 2024.

RARIATTO. “Noss and Zakuro.” illus. by author. Seven Seas. 2024.
Gr 8 Up–Zakuro is a vampire girl full of sparkly energy; Noss, an older and more placid vampire, is her adoptive mother. They slake their thirst with blood juice, which comes in juice boxes in a variety of flavors. Unlike vampires in other manga, they can eat other foods, too, and even go out in the daytime (Noss uses a parasol, but Zakuro is immune to sunlight). Each chapter in this slice-of-life manga is a self-contained story. There are shorter gag comics and character profiles between the chapters. One theme that comes up from time to time is that Zakuro is adopted, but Noss loves her like a real mother. The art is cute with a strong whiff of Goth (think Emily the Strange) and very dynamic, as the characters are constantly in motion.

SHINOBUMARU. “The Haunted Bookstore: Gateway to a Parallel Universe.” illus. by Medamayaki. Seven Seas. 2022–2024.
Gr 8 Up–Muramoto Kaori has lived in the land of spirits since she was three years old. Raised by two of them, one the proprietor of a rental bookstore and the other an apothecary, she is beloved in the spirit community despite being human; she wants to help humans and spirits coexist in harmony. This resolution is put to the test when Shirai Suimei, a human exorcist, appears in her world with a serious injury. Suimei has learned to hate and fear spirits, but his beliefs are challenged by their kindness and the matter-of-fact way they accept him. When Kaori’s friends Ginme and Kinme, mischievous twin spirits, find out that Suimei is an exorcist, they shrug it off, saying, “Any spirits you killed were probably doing bad stuff in the human realm. It’s their own fault.” This shoujo manga doesn’t have a lot of suspense; even the spirits that appear menacing always turn out to be friendly. But the final chapter of the first volume may be upsetting to some readers, as the story line involves two cicada children who spend the summer with Kaori and then die, although they come back every 10 years. Despite its breezy slice-of-life approach, the manga makes some sophisticated points about the way different societies enrich one another when they mingle, and how outsiders who seem scary can turn out to be simply misunderstood. Medamayaki does a good job of building up a spirit world with interesting settings and character designs as well as a clever use of patterns. This manga is complete in four volumes, the last of which was released in February 2024, and it’s based on a light novel series, also licensed by Seven Seas.

SUZUKI, Julietta. “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite.” illus. by author. Viz. 2024–
Gr 8 Up–Suzuki, creator of “Kamisama Kiss,” serves up a vampire story with more squee than screams. Vampire Hina Arukado spent 30 years hidden away, but when she discovers the (fictional) anime “Vampire Cross,” she comes out of seclusion and moves from Romania to Japan to become a super-otaku. With plenty of money and no need to hunt for food (her father ships her IV bags filled with blood), she spends her time hunting down merch that features her favorite anime character, Mao Ryuzaki. Her next-door neighbor, Kyuta Amanatsu, looks exactly like Mao, and she pesters him to accompany her on her otaku adventures. Kyuta’s sweet-smelling blood makes him a vampire magnet, and Hina rescues him from two of them while bringing his friends into her orbit as well. The story is mostly a slice-of-life shojo comedy, but a new character who arrives at the end of the first volume may shake things up a bit. Suzuki’s art is simple, often eschewing backgrounds to focus on the main action, and she has a particular knack for depicting emotions through facial expressions. The series is ongoing in Japan and has five volumes so far.

YAMAJI, Hidenori. “Soara and the House of Monsters.” illus. by author. Seven Seas. 2023–
Gr 8 Up–Soara is a killing machine, a warrior who was plucked off the streets as an orphan child and trained to fight monsters. She has no family, no friends, and, as it turns out, no job or home, either, because just as she finishes her training, peace breaks out between the humans and the monsters. After a chance meeting, she teams up with a dwarf named Kirik, who is the Architect of the Monster World. It turns out that good architecture is the key to peace: the war ended when the monsters saw the houses humans lived in and decided that was what they really wanted, as well. Kirik and the other two members of his crew travel from place to place, designing homes for goblins and other magical creatures, often finding creative ways to accommodate their clients’ particular needs. Yamaji presents these designs in gorgeous spreads filled with practical details and notes on the clients. As the story goes on, Soara has to unlearn her hostility toward monsters and appreciate Kirik’s sensitivity and ingenuity. Yamaji has a knack for drawing supernatural creatures, endowing even the simple slime monster with a range of emotions, while the demolition and building scenes crackle with energy. The series is ongoing in Japan; Seven Seas will publish the fourth volume in January 2025.