One of the things readers like about webtoons is that they are quick reads—one platform even uses the term “snackable.” Some manga are structured similarly, offering that same bite-sized appeal. Manga chapters with fewer than 20 pages allow readers to dip in and out of a story at will, reading for just a few minutes or getting hooked and binging.

Short chapters have long been popular for humor and slice-of-life manga like “Chi’s Sweet Home,” as well as in children’s manga like “Pokémon.” But they are becoming more common as the publishing structure in Japan shifts online and away from traditional weekly and monthly magazines like Shonen Jump, which runs 20-page chapters of various series in every issue.

About 70 percent of manga sales in Japan are now digital, and many magazines that used to mentor creators are shrinking or shutting down altogether, causing editors to turn to the web to find new talent. One of the top-selling manga series of 2024, “The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All,” was first posted by its creator on social media before being picked up by a traditional publisher. This series may seem like a gag manga at first, but the chapters build up to a larger storyline, with the characters and their relationship developing bit by bit.

Here’s a look at some manga that feature short chapters, perfect for readers who are looking for a quick, fun read.

MIZUSHINA, Takayuki. “Lovely Muco!” illus. by author. Kodansha/Vertical. 2023-2024.
Gr 5 Up–Muco is an endlessly cheerful dog who lives in the mountains with her companion, a glassblower named Mr. Komatsu. Each of the manga’s eight-page chapters is a little slice of Muco’s life: Muco makes up a new game, Muco is distracted by her own tail, Muco and Mr. Komatsu take a dip in the pond on a hot summer day. Muco is super cute, enthusiastic, and a bit naïve about the world, so she often misinterprets what she sees but is also clear about other things, like how rawhide bones are bad. This is a simple story with cartoony characters, filled with joy and celebrating the little things in life—snow, a ball, or a good friend—as seen through the eyes of a dog. The anime is available on Crunchyroll.

ARAI, Sumiko. “The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All.” illus. by author. Yen Pr. 2024–.
Gr 8 Up–Mitsuki works part-time in a CD store and always wears a hoodie and a black mask. When Aya visits the shop, she mistakes Mitsuki for a guy, unaware that she’s is in fact the girl who sits next to her in school. The two bond over their shared love of rock music, sparking humorous complications in this rom-com that blends music and misunderstandings. Wrapped in stylish black, white, and electric green art, this is a high-key manga with a lot of emotion. The characters are self-conscious, insecure, and constantly freaking out, but also good-hearted and more anxious about hurting others than being hurt themselves. The chapters are broken into short scenes, which suits the complex storytelling style; the story switches between different points of view and presents the inner thoughts of the characters with multiple voices overlapping one another. Although the title suggests a one-joke manga, the story evolves quite a bit, with Osawa realizing before the end of the first volume that Mitsuki is her classmate, shifting the drama to issues of friendship, fitting in, and dealing with a first crush. The art is detailed and expressive, with a variety of character types and the green accents make the pages pop. Volume 3 is scheduled for release in October 2025.

HAMAZI, Aki. “Bocchi the Rock!” illus. by Chiho Christie. Yen Pr. 2023-2025.
Gr 9 Up–Hitori Gotoh dreams of being a rock star, and the videos of her playing popular songs on the guitar have been a hit online, but she’s too shy to actually play on a stage, and her attempts to get her classmates to form a band with her all fall flat. That all changes one day when a girl named Nijika spots Hitori’s guitar and practically kidnaps her to replace her band’s missing guitarist. Hitori has a hard time playing with the band and finds it even harder to face the audience, struggling with frequent anxiety attacks, but she pushes herself to continue. The story is mostly told in four-panel vertical strips (yonkoma), so the episodes are very short. Hitori and her friends have a girlish look, with big heads and lots of hair. There is some semi-nudity, but this is mainly a story about a shy girl learning to level up through the power of rock and roll. The anime is available on Crunchyroll, and Yen Press will publish volume 7 in October 2025.

IWATOBINEKO. “The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife.” illus. by author. Seven Seas. 2023–.
Gr 8 Up–Tounome, a private eye, is invisible. He usually allows his clothing to be seen but can make himself completely invisible when the occasion calls for it, like when he’s on a stakeout. Yakou, his assistant, is blind, but she is unusually perceptive in other ways and always knows when Tounome is around by his smell. Their small detective agency also includes Jarashi, a muscular beastwoman who provides bodyguard services, and Kikira, a brusque human who handles intelligence gathering. Tounome and Yakou are a couple by the end of the first volume but they are taking things slow; their relationship is marked by consideration and respect, but also has its funny moments. Much of the humor comes from the clients, who are a mix of mythological beasts with human characteristics. Like “The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All,” this manga began on social media and also incorporates color, in this case slate blue. The characters are drawn deftly, with a minimum of superfluous detail but plenty of expression, and sometimes the creator uses a blank page with borderless word balloons to indicate a conversation between the two lead characters. Iwatobineko spoke to blind university students to make sure her depiction of Yakou would ring true. Volume 6 is due in December 2025 and an anime adaptation is set for release in 2026.

KUMANOMATA, Kagiji. “Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle.” illus. by author. VIZ Media. 2018–.
Gr 8 Up–The Demon King has captured Princess Syalis and walled her up in his castle—and that’s just fine with her. Bored with palace life, Princess Syalis really just wants a good night’s sleep, and every chapter details another one of her quests to make her bed, bedroom, and sleeping time more comfortable. She brushes out the cute teddy demon guards to use their fur for a pillow, converts the legendary Shield of the Wind into an air mattress, and generally ransacks the castle for whatever she needs. The staff, who look scary but really aren’t, either go along or are pulled into her latest project. There is a brave hero from her kingdom who is trying to rescue her, but he keeps getting derailed and she doesn’t want to be rescued anyway, so it’s all good. The premise may seem thin, but this manga has 29 volumes and is still ongoing. VIZ will publish Volume 29 in March 2026. A 12-episode anime is available on Crunchyroll.

MAKI, Keigo. “Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie.” illus. by author. Kodansha. 2020-2025.
Gr. 8 Up–Shikimori is, in fact, a cutie, because this is a shonen romance series and that’s how shonen romance rolls. However, she’s also strong and sensitive and very good at fending off the perils that are always coming at her boyfriend Izumi, who seems to be jinxed. She shields him from flying objects and snatches him from the brink of death at least once a chapter, and when she does, she shows an angrier, more determined face than the rest of the world sees. Izumi, for his part, is a bit oblivious but also open-hearted and doesn’t mind that Shikimori is keeping him safe. In fact, what sets this series apart from other shonen rom-coms is the genuine affection the couple has for one another, despite the opinions of others and the dangers of Izumi’s everyday life. The plot develops slowly across 20-volumes, with flashbacks to Shikimori’s and Izumi’s earlier years and a growing cast of characters. Volume 20, the final volume in the series, was published in April 2025, and a 12-episode anime based on the series is available on Crunchyroll.

MORIKAWA, Yuu. “Mr. Villain’s Day Off.” illus. by author. Square Enix. 2023–.
Gr 8 Up–The General is completely focused on his mission— the eradication of humanity from the earth—except on his day off. A firm believer in work-life balance, the General makes me-time a priority, treating himself to delicious snacks and spending time at the zoo, indulging his love of pandas. Even when his supposed enemies, such as the Red Ranger, show up, he’ll give them an umbrella or buy them an ice cream but won’t fight. He also doesn’t know a lot about the human world, and it’s fun to see him experience things like panda-shaped buns for the first time. The humor is similar to the series “The Way of the Househusband,” contrasting the General’s evil demeanor with his love of cute things and tasty food. Every short chapter in these books is another day-off adventure, and on those occasions when we see the General at work or interacting with his colleagues, he’s usually thinking more about his next adventure than destroying humanity. The volumes are shorter than standard manga at 128 pages each, and Vol. 7 is set for release in February 2026. The anime runs on Crunchyroll.

ODA, Tomohito. “Komi Can’t Communicate.” illus. by author. VIZ Media. 2016-2026.
Gr 8 Up–Komi is stunningly beautiful, so her classmates interpret her silence as standoffishness and regard her as an ice queen. In fact, she has extreme social anxiety and cannot speak to people. She shares her secret with her classmate, Tadano, and he decides to help Komi make 100 friends and shake off her anxiety. Tadano himself is a bit milquetoast, so he brings in an acquaintance, Najimi, to help recruit new friends for Komi. Najimi is nonbinary and wore a boy’s uniform in middle school but is now wearing a girl’s uniform in high school, but most importantly, they are super popular and everyone likes them, so they are a good ally. There’s lots of embarrassment and awkward humor in this manga, which unfolds at a leisurely pace in chapters of 10 pages or less. Tadano comes off as genuinely nice, if a bit clueless—but self-aware enough to know realize it, which is refreshing. Komi, communicates best through writing, as she tends to be deadpan otherwise. As new characters appear, they seem outlandish at first, but the overall message is a comforting one: we all have our quirks and everyone else is struggling too. The simple art style is reminiscent of shonen romances like “A Silent Voice” or “Your Lie in April,”with pretty girls and goofy guys. This series was a best-seller even before the anime started streaming on Netflix. It’s 37 volumes long, with the final volume to be published in March 2026.

Brigid Alverson founded and edits the “Good Comics for Kids” blog.