⬶ U N D E R R A T E D //&// U N I Q U E ⤅

★
Satoru spends his days listlessly in a factory town. The old man Segawa, a former Yakuza, lives in the room next to his cheap apartment. One day, Segawa tells Satoru, "I'll give you 5 million yen to put me out of my misery." Satoru hesitates, and Segawa sees through to the madness eating away inside him and begins to have a change of heart, and yet...!? A story of the filth of society and the dark path that Satoru takes -- on the edge of sanity -- with a gun and 5 million yen.

✓ Another masterpiece. First of all, I adore the artstyle, even without colour, everything is gorgeous in my opinion. It is a story about a normal school boy, who has a relatively normal life. But, after a sudden turn of events, he find himself getting involved with a bullied student and having his life changed. The story is beautiful, but also rich with a mystery and dark psychological theme. I love scenes with his veranda, the panels are just so stunning.

The story follows a unambitious introverted middle school student called Saike Kuzushiro. After witnessing the death of his childhood friend, Mikan Karatachi, in a road accident. He cries out to God and after a fall, Saike wakes up in bed the previous morning, the day of the accident. Will history repeat? Can he save Mikan? What power does he have to change the future?

★
✓ BEGGING YOU to give this a go. The art style is not that appealing, and originally threw me off a bit, but I am so happy I decided to continue on despite that because this is, by far, one of the most wonderfully complex mangas I've ever read. It's so fucking good: action-packed, crazy amount of emotional conflict, morally grey protagonists, and a beautiful presentation of the blurred line of right from wrong. Bonus points because I cried for like an hour after I finished

✓ Some twisted stuff ngl. Perfect for those who are looking for a fucked up story with a crazy borderline psycho protagonist. Psychological horror would be the main genre of this. The premise is really unique, MC is basically a hitman but doesn't actually kill people, he tortures them with hallucinations, and they go do the rest. Word of advice from experience, best not to get emotionally invested into a character that isn't the MC, there's like a 90% chance they gon die or sum

✓ Story about a world that becomes overrun by giant buddha statues but MC can travel back 5 minutes before it started (like what's he gonna do w that? jk) its beautifully presented with stunning art w unique characters. As the apocalypse creates many "do or die" situations, so many of them are tested on their priorities and mindsets. The growth of the MC and the characters around him is great. Also, the brutality of the buddha statues is really crazy, like some of those deaths..

★ ★
✓ My favorite manga! Has a J-drama and everything, so perhaps not the most underrated, hence why it's not at the front of this list but like even if you've seen the drama, i can guarantee the manga does it better. Not only is the story itself entertaining and constantly breathtaking, but the philosophical conflict surrounding the question "what's the point of life?" is beautifully portrayed. Further exemplified by the variety of characters w their own morals

✓ Super depressing read, I'm heartbroken by this one. It has kind of a nostalgic childhood-like atmosphere and we follow two girls that are almost polar opposites in personality but develop a kind of bond through their own pain and hardships as they are on the brink of entering "adult hood". I feel so bad for both of them, especially the black-haired girl, she deserved so much better. This manga is truly a gem, and the blonde's narration shows such emotional maturity.

✓ Just a hilarious manhua to mix the genres up a bit, generally comedic but does delve into more serious things sometimes. It takes a turn on the classic superhero story, with the MC being the villain who time travels back to his younger self at 17 before the hero (his enemy) gains his superpowers. He plots to kill him but things really do take a turn, to say the least. MC is the absolute funniest guy ever, and honestly super entertaining to follow.

✓ A really mature philosophical manga. The teacher's way of teaching is strange and unorthodox, but through many events, does end up effectively reaching his students and changing their ways. We, as readers, also get to learn ethical lessons alongside them, though most of the students do have unique situations, the teachings can be applied to other aspects in life as well. Also, Ch2 was really sad wtf.