There’s only one way to close out the biggest Anime NYC yet, and it’s with a lineup of fab manga to devour immediately after.

On the fourth and final day of the convention, Geeks OUT hosted an extra special panel to conclude an exciting weekend: “Finding Your Story: Manga Recommendations for Queer Readers.” Moderated by Geeks OUT Programming Coordinator Sara Munson, the panel featured six professionals in manga publishing: Lisa De La Cruz, Erica Friedman, TJ Ferentini, Morgan Perry, Whitney Leopard, and Princess Weekes.

From tender romances to explorations of underrepresented queer identities, this list has a little something for everyone. Read below as EnVi takes you through some of the panelists’ favorite queer stories!

Panel Highlights

Pink Heart Jam by Shikke

Recommended by Lisa De La Cruz

English Publisher: SuBLime

English Publication Date: December 12, 2023

College freshman Haiga is navigating a number of things: adjusting to city life, making friends, and eventually, his sexuality. After coming across Kanae, an attractive upperclassman and talented guitarist, the answer to the last question gets much harder to figure out. Surely, it’s just admiration, right?

Sadly, approaching Kanae is harder than expected. That is, until a drunken dare from Haiga’s buddies leads to a chance meeting in the most unexpected of places: a box spa in a red-light district, where Kanae happens to work.

“[Haiga] does the one thing they tell you to never do with sex workers,” De La Cruz laughed. “He falls in love.”

My Summer of You by Nagisa Furuya

Recommended by Lisa De La Cruz

English Publisher: Kodansha Comics

English Publication Date: June 1, 2021

A friendship blooms with ease between high-school boys Chiharu Saeki and Wataru Toda, who share a love for movies. One day, Chiharu confesses his love for Wataru, but they decide to stay friends — for now. They spend their summer going on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling to places from their favorite movies. As the season goes on, Wataru slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, Chiharu’s confession means more to him than he thought.

Part of the charm, De La Cruz shared, is that the story “features teens that act like teens, doing things like running away just to get over someone. I think it’s such a beautiful thing for kids to see themselves reflected in a realistic coming-of-age.”

I’m in Love With the Villainess by Inori

Recommended by Erica Friedman

English Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment

English Publication Date: September 23, 2020

Gamer and office worker Rei Oohashi lives an ordinary life: eat, sleep, work, repeat. One morning, her life is thrown for a complete loop when she wakes up as the protagonist of her favorite otome game! While the game is designed for her to choose from the cast of male leads, Rei has her eyes on someone else altogether — Claire François, the main antagonist of the story.

“It’s a tremendous story, and it’s super duper queer. It’s the gayest, genuinely queer series that’s probably been written in Japan or America in years,” Friedman emphasized. “But it’s legitimately talking about queer issues here and in modern Japan, and actually addresses a lot of real, genuine personal experiences through this fantasy story.”

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai

Recommended by Erica Friedman

English Publisher: Yen Press

English Publication Date: October 22, 2024

Also affectionately known as “Green Yuri” with its distinct colorway, this barrier-breaking series follows the budding romance between high schoolers Aya and Mitsuki. Aya, a fashionable and popular teenage girl, falls for an employee at her local CD shop. There’s just something about him — he’s mysterious, has great style, and clearly knows his music. Of course, in case the title didn’t already hint at it, that employee is Aya’s classmate Mitsuki, who is in fact not a guy!

For those who have visited Kinokuniya in the past year, you must have seen the Green Yuri takeover at least once. Arai’s hit series had its own shelf, special merch, and will soon be adapted into an anime. According to Friedman, “[it’s] doing things that we have never seen a Yuri series do before,” soaring into the mainstream as a top romance manga altogether.

Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku

Recommended by TJ Ferentini

English Publisher: Kodansha Comics

English Publication Date: May 25, 2021

High schooler Ryo Watari knows he’s trans, but he has no one to confide in. Not his mom, not best friend-slash-crush, and certainly not someone as intimidating as Jin, the new transfer student in his class. Instead, it’s his love for fashion that brings Ryo closer to his true self. One day, while out shopping for clothes, he and Jin reach for a t-shirt at the same time. As it turns out, they have the same taste in style! To his surprise, Jin’s friendship is exactly what Ryo needed all this time. Together, they start an identity-affirming fashion brand, with the journey ahead full of discovery, growth, and endless connection.

“When I first read this series and pitched it, I told [my team] that we needed to do this right. I was very adamant about having an all-trans localization team,” Ferentini said. “From the translator to myself editing it, even the person who proofread it, everyone who touched this book is trans.”

Is Love the Answer? By Uta Isaki

Recommended by TJ Ferentini and Morgan Perry

English Publisher: Kodansha Comics

English Publication Date: January 10, 2023

High schooler Chika can’t seem to understand “love” the way everyone else does. She has never even had so much as a crush, let alone any desire for physical intimacy. While her friends insist that she just hasn’t met “the one,” she knows it’s something deeper than that. It’s only when she starts college that she learns there’s a word for what she feels inside — asexual — and she’s far from alone.

“I had dated people before who had told me I was difficult to be with, whether it was romantically or sexually. I had no terminology for what it was,” Perry shared. “When [Chika] goes ‘Am I broken? Am I weird? Am I an alien?’ I was like, ‘Wow, I have literally thought those things about myself.’ I thought I just couldn’t be with anybody.”

The series also portrays the spectrum of aromanticism and asexuality, including identities like demisexuality which land somewhere in the middle. Ferentini noted the value of including such diverse terms: “Part of my coming out experience involved browsing Tumblr and learning words that I’ve never learned before and being like, ‘Oh, that sounds like me!’ I feel like Is Love the Answer? beautifully replicates that experience.”

On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance by Shinnosuke Kanazawa

Recommended by Morgan Perry

English Publisher: Square Enix Manga

English Publication Date: June 3, 2025

Every working adult lives a double life: one on the job, and one during after-hours. Coworkers Sotaro Amata and Akira Hanku can certainly relate, perhaps even more than the average person! Without their office uniforms, the two are completely unrecognizable. Sotaro dons Lolita frills and ribbons, while Akira transforms into a studded punk rocker. What happens when they form a connection outside of work, all without realizing they already know each other?

“When we were looking to acquire different texts around the time that they renewed, this was basically being fought over by everybody. We were all thinking, ‘This one’s going to be big. This one’s important. This one needs to be told,’” Perry shared. “It’s for people to know it’s okay to express yourselves in any way that you feel comfortable.”

I Wanna Be Your Girl by Umi Takase

Recommended by Whitney Leopard

English Publisher: Random House Graphic

English Publication Date: July 1, 2025

For years, Hime has closely kept her childhood best friend Akira’s deepest secret: Akira is trans. Now that they’re starting high school, Akira has decided to live and dress as her true self. Hime, who is determined to be Akira’s number-one ally, does everything possible to show up for her dear friend. From protecting her against bullies to even dressing like a boy herself, there appears to be nothing Hime wouldn’t do. As Akira makes new friends and even develops crushes, it seems like things are looking up for her.

There’s just one problem: Hime is in love with Akira.

Along with the ups and downs of Hime navigating her first love, Leopard was especially impressed by the story’s true-to-life portrayal of allyship: “It felt like such an authentic experience to read. It had characters making mistakes, but they weren’t villainized for them. It was just like, ‘This is how you learn to be better.’ It taught such positive lessons that a lot of teenagers here in the U.S., and even a lot of adults can use.”

King’s Maker by Haga and Kang Jiyoung

Recommended by Whitney Leopard

English Publisher: Inklore

English Publication Date: August 26, 2025

Content Warning: This series contains implied pedophilia and violent depictions of death.

After years spent living in hiding, rebellious prince Wolfgang Goldenleonard is forced to move into the royal palace of a crooked kingdom. Though his rough disposition causes him to struggle adjusting to princely life, he catches the attention of Shin Soohyuk — a mysterious and dutiful noble son held captive by the King. Wolfgang needs to learn the ways of a royal, and Soohyuk needs someone to play a leading role in his daring scheme. Together, can they take the kingdom’s dark legacy and transform it for good?

Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka

Recommended by Princess Weekes

English Publisher: Vertical Comics

English Publication Date: August 12, 2015

Princess Sapphire was accidentally born with two hearts: the blue heart of a boy, and the pink heart of a girl. However, in the kingdom of Silverland where only men can rule, she must maintain a dual identity. By day, she is the crown prince of Silverland, and by night, she is a noble knight fiercely protecting her home from the Duke’s wicked schemes. First published in Japan starting in 1953, Princess Knight is widely recognized for laying the groundwork of many shōjo genre tropes such as the Girl Prince archetype.

Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda

Recommended by Princess Weekes

English Publisher: UDON Entertainment

English Publication Date: January 21, 2020

Another foundational shōjo manga, Rose of Versailles follows the story of Oscar François de Jarjayes — a woman raised as a man to succeed her father as leader of the Royal Guard. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Lady Oscar must reckon with the clash between Palace duties and her sympathy towards the common people of France.

“Lord Oscar (Sapphire’s alias) as a character must perform masculinity, and that becomes a really interesting part of the story — how gender is a performance. It also raises other questions like, what does it mean to be a noble? What does it mean to fight for something bigger than yourself?” Weekes reflected. “And also, hot people with swords.”

LGBTQ+ visibility in geek culture doesn’t stop at manga! Geeks OUT is a non-profit organization that seeks to empower the queer geek community through events, conventions, advocacy campaigns, and more. Geeks OUT also produces Flame Con, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ comics and pop culture convention. To keep up with the organization’s work, be sure to check out their Instagram and official website!