Kicking off since 2014, AnimeJapan 2025, one of the world's largest anime conventions, is set to take over the Tokyo Big Sight from March 22-23. The event promises a packed schedule with exhibition booths, exclusive merchandise, stage performances, workshops, and meet-and-greets with popular characters.
Ahead of the main event, the organizers dropped the results for their annual "Manga We Want to See Animated Ranking 2025" on March 13. Let's see which titles Japanese fans are clamoring to see on screen!
This fan-voted poll, affectionately known by fans as "AniRan," has become a classic AnimeJapan feature, now in its eighth year. It's where fans nominate manga they believe deserve an anime adaptation or a wider audience. The ranking has a stellar track record, having previously featured titles like SPY x FAMILY, The Apothecary Diaries, and Oshi no Ko—all of which went on to become blockbuster anime hits. As a result, the poll is now seen as a launchpad for future anime sensations.
This year, 47 titles were nominated, drawing a massive 156,909 votes.
10. Love Bullet (by inee)
Serialized in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Flapper since October 2023, Love Bullet has released one collected volume so far.
The story follows Koharu, a young girl who, after an untimely death, is reincarnated as a "Cupid." Now immortal, her job is to help humans find love. To return to her original life, Koharu must accumulate "karma" by completing missions, kicking off a fantastical and romantic journey.
9. JUNKET BANK (by Ikkou Tanaka)
Running in Shueisha's seinen magazine Weekly Young Jump since July 2020, JUNKET BANK has already published 17 volumes.
Set in the massive Karasuma Bank, the story centers on Akira Mitarai, a second-year bank teller with an incredible talent for calculation. Bored with his mundane daily routine, his life takes a sharp turn when he's suddenly transferred to the Special Business Department's Inspection Division, or "Toku Yon."
He soon discovers that the bank secretly operates a massive casino, and Toku Yon's job is to manage the underground gambling den and its high-rolling patrons.
In this bizarre world, Mitarai meets a mysterious genius gambler, Shinobu Mashingan. Mashingan's uncanny ability to see through his opponents' tricks and dominate every game fascinates Mitarai, who gets pulled into the insane world of life-or-death bank-run gambling as Mashingan's "handler."
8. The Person Inside the Villainess: I'm Fighting on Behalf of the Innocent Transmigrator to Get Revenge on the Lying Heroine (Manga: Nazuna Shiroume, Original Story: Makiburo, Character Design: Mai Murasaki)
This is the manga adaptation of the Ichijinsha novel "The Villainess's True Colors." The protagonist, Emi, wakes up to find she's been isekai'd by the classic Japanese truck into the body of a little girl in another world. After getting over the initial shock, she realizes she's been reborn as Remilia, the villainess from a game she used to play.
In the game, Emi had always sympathized with Remilia, who was doomed to a tragic end. Now, she's determined to change her fate and give Remilia a happy life. However, her peaceful days begin to crumble with the appearance of the game's heroine, the "Star Maiden."
7. Gokurakugai (by Yuto Sano)
Serialized in Jump Square since July 2022, Gokurakugai is set in a bustling, crime-ridden district where troubleshooters Tao and Alma run their agency. When a young boy asks for their help finding his missing beastman friend, they uncover a string of disappearances and mysterious animal deaths, slowly revealing the dark underbelly of their world.
Yuto Sano first caught readers' attention with the one-shot "Gokurakugai Sanbandori no Jiken," praised for its polished art and compelling characters. The full series has gained popularity for its sharp art style, fresh premise, and fluid action sequences, making it a hit debut for the new manga artist.
6. The Ugly Child of the Licensed Quarter (Minikui Yuukaku no Ko, by Naru Kariya)
Published on the online manga platform GANMA!, this completed series spans 105 chapters across 7 volumes. The story follows Esora, a high school girl who, after being abandoned by her relatives, finds herself transported to another world. She's bought by Sagami, the masked owner of the largest brothel in the red-light district, "Sagamiya." He makes her a deal: if she can become the top courtesan, he'll show her his face.
5. Kindergarten WARS (by You Chiba)
Running on Shonen Jump+ since September 2022, this series is set in "Noir Kindergarten," billed as "the world's safest kindergarten." Its students are the children of politicians, celebrities, and business tycoons. The teachers? All former criminals working to reduce their sentences. Their primary duty isn't just teaching—it's protecting the kids from would-be assassins.
Enter Rita, a legendary ex-hitwoman known as the "Witch." She takes a job at Noir Kindergarten not just to protect the world's most high-profile kids, but for a more personal mission: to find a husband among the staff of elite killers. Get ready for a dark comedy with a romantic twist.
4. Phantom Busters (by neoshoko)
Serialized in Jump Square since August 2023, this story follows first-year high school student Yuto Kishi, a top student who doesn't believe in ghosts and has zero spiritual sensitivity. His perfectly normal high school life gets turned upside down when he meets Toramaru Shishikuno, a wild guy who exorcises ghosts by eating them. Set in Kamakura, this supernatural high school comedy follows their ghost-busting adventures.
3. Firefly Wedding (Hotaru no Yomeiri, by Oreco Tachibana)
Set in the Meiji era, this suspenseful romance follows Satoko Kiritani, a beautiful young lady from a prestigious family who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. To secure her family's future, she agrees to a marriage of convenience. But one day, she's attacked by a mysterious assassin, Shinpei Goto. In a desperate bid to survive, Satoko proposes to him on the spot: "Marry me, and you'll have everything!" What starts as a bluff to save her life spirals into a twisted contract marriage with a dangerously obsessive man.
2. Usotsuki! Gokuo-kun (Liar! Gokuo-kun, by Makoto Yoshimoto)
This series actually ran in CoroCoro Comic for a decade before ending in 2022. However, it exploded in popularity last year after the author made it available for free on social media, reigniting fan interest and landing it on the list of manga people desperately want to see animated.
The world is full of lies, big and small. The protagonist, "Gokuo-kun," is a "lie expert" who, along with his pet cat-crow, exposes all the lies at his school, fighting lies with even bigger lies!
1. Nue's Exorcist (by Kota Kawae)
Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2023, the story follows Gakuro Yajima, a high schooler who has always been able to see "phantoms." On his first day of high school, he encounters Nue, a powerful phantom sealed within the school. Nue, a huge fan of human pop culture, can't leave the school grounds and doesn't want to see humanity destroyed. She lends her power to Gakuro, the only one who can see her, and begins training him to become a full-fledged warrior.
Gakuro soon teams up with a young onmyoji named Shusai Suo to fight phantoms. But their battle intensifies when the Fujino clan, a family of onmyoji who covet Nue's power, sends assassins after them.
So, what do you think of this year's ranking? Did any of your recent favorites make the cut? With a spot on this list, an anime adaptation could be just around the corner!
Here's the full top 10:
1️⃣ Nue's Exorcist (by Kota Kawae)
2️⃣ Usotsuki! Gokuo-kun (by Makoto Yoshimoto)
3️⃣ Firefly Wedding (by Oreco Tachibana)
4️⃣ Phantom Busters (by neoshoko)
5️⃣ Kindergarten WARS (by You Chiba)
6️⃣ The Ugly Child of the Licensed Quarter (by Naru Kariya)
7️⃣ Gokurakugai (by Yuto Sano)
8️⃣ The Person Inside the Villainess (Manga: Nazuna Shiroume, Original Story: Makiburo, Character Design: Mai Murasaki)
9️⃣ JUNKET BANK (by Ikkou Tanaka)
10. Love Bullet (by inee)
via： AnimeJapan官網