What is Contemporary Fantasy manga?

Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy or indigenous fantasy, is a sub-genre of fantasy, set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its sub-genre, urban fantasy.These terms are used to describe stories set in the putative real world (often referred to as consensus reality) in contemporary times, in which magic and magical creatures exist, either living in the interstices of our world or leaking over from alternate worlds. It thus has much in common with, and sometimes overlaps with secret history; a work of fantasy in which the magic could not remain secret or does not have any known relationship to known history would not fit into this subgenre. Occasionally certain contemporary fantasy novels will make reference to pop culture.Novels in which modern characters travel into alternate worlds, and all the magical action takes place there (except for the portal required to transport them), are not considered contemporary fantasy. Thus, C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where all fantasy events take place in the land of Narnia which is reached via a magic wardrobe, would not count as contemporary fantasy; on the other hand, the part of The Magician's Nephew, where the Empress Jadis gets to London, tries to take over the Earth and clashes with police and a crowd of cockneys, would qualify as such.Contemporary fantasy is also to be distinguished from horror fiction, which also often has contemporary settings. When encountering magical events and creatures, the protagonist of a horror novel is horrified, while the protagonist of a fantasy novel (contemporary or otherwise) is filled with a sense of joy and wonder. Horrifying events may happen, but the fundamental distinction is vital.In his preface to That Hideous Strength, one of the earlier works falling within this sub-genre, C.S. Lewis explained why, when writing a tale about "magicians, devils, pantomime animals and planetary angels", he chose to start it with a detailed depiction of narrow-minded academic politics at a provincial English university and the schemes of crooked real estate developers: "I am following the traditional fairy-tale. We do not always notice its method, because the cottages, castles, woodcutters and petty kings with which a fairy tale opens have become for us as remote as the witches and ogres to which it proceeds. But they were not remote at all to the men who first made and enjoyed the tales". The same is true for many of the later works in the genre, which often begin with a seemingly normal scene of modern daily life to then disclose supernatural and magical beings and events hidden behind the scenes.Source: wiki

Random Contemporary Fantasy Manga You might like

Hotarubi no Mori e

(To the Forest of the Firefly Lights)

7.92

Description:

A collection of four one shots, one for each season. 1) Overhearing a Flower Song 2) Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light (Hotaru no Mori E) 3) The Fallling of Autumn Leaves 4) Deepening the Scar (Source: MU)
Type

manga

Volumes

1

Chapters

4

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2002-01-01

Again!!

(Again!!)

7.3

Description:

Imamura Kinichiro reluctantly wakes up one day to attend his high school graduation. He'd made no friends in high school and joined no clubs. Everyone was afraid of him, due to his long blond hair and surly attitude. Reflecting on his awful high school years, he remembers a girl from the Japanese cheering squad that he saw in the welcome ceremony three years ago. Searching for the old cheering squad's clubroom, he accidentally startles a classmate, causing them both to fall down a flight of stairs... When he wakes up, it's the morning of his first day of high school, three years ago. As he confusedly goes through his day, he's able to correct a lot of the mistakes he made the first time around, such as actually interacting with the cheering squad girl, Usami Yoshiko! But did he really travel in time, or is this all just a dream he's having while his body is lying unconscious somewhere? Could he really have the chance to go through his high school years again? (Source: MangaHelpers)
Type

manga

Volumes

12

Chapters

136

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2011-04-06

Elf-san wa Yaserarenai.

(Plus-Sized Elf)

7

Description:

Naoe-kun, a massage therapist, is about to head home for the day when he's saddled with a rather strange patient. This lovely lady has emerald eyes, pointy ears, and grew up in the forest–everything about her screams “elf,” except for one thing: her bodacious body. It turns out she left her world but loves junk food in this one, and now her obsession has caught up with her. Can Naoe-kun help this loveable elf girl lose the weight–and keep it off? (Source: Seven Seas Entertainment) Includes 4 bonus chapters. Note: In May 2021, it was announced that the manga would change editorials and cease publication in Comic Gum. In August of the same year, Akita Shoten acquired the license to the manga and began publishing it under the new title "Shin Elf-san wa Yaserarenai" shortly thereafter.
Type

manga

Volumes

8

Chapters

51

Rating

Ecchi

Status

finished

Started

2016-12-21

LUMINE

8.21

Description:

A runaway werewolf, Lumine, meets a witch boy named Kody and is being hired to work as his bodyguard. Lumine, being determined to befriend Kody, tries everything to get Kody to trust him, while Kody tries to keep Lumine away from him. Their life gets even more complicated after an unfortunate event that leaves them to try to survive on their own. (Source: Line Webtoon)
Type

oel

Status

current

Started

2017-05-07

Alive: Saishuu Shinkateki Shounen

(Alive: The Final Evolution)

7.74

Description:

Taisuke Kanou is your average 16-year-old student. He has two close friends, Hirose and Megumi. Hirose has trouble with bullies, but Taisuke is always there to defend him, even though he just winds up getting beaten instead of Hirose. During class one day, Taisuke is hit by something unworldly and for that split second, he sees a vision of the universe. As he's walking home from school, he sees a girl fall and die in front of him, but his first thought is jealousy. He later finds out that the strange sensation that hit him is spreading throughout Japan. Those who are struck by it either commit suicide or "evolve," but the comrades have evolve usually have dark intentions for the rest of the world. (Source: ANN)
Type

manga

Volumes

21

Chapters

83

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2003-10-01

Youkai Shoujo - Monster Girl

(Youkai Girls)

7.19

Description:

Part time worker at a general store in Akiba, Yatsuki encounters a beautiful girl named Roka when she lands on his face in the middle of a park. Much to his surprise, he's able to become friends with this beautiful girl... but she hides a terrible secret that Yatsuki will find out soon enough. With other beautiful girls that surround him, including his little sister Nanao and the maid cafe girl Moru, Yatsuki will have to fight to protect the supernatural girls around him. (Source: MangaHelpers)
Type

manga

Volumes

14

Chapters

146

Rating

Ecchi

Status

finished

Started

2014-03-06

Monogatari Series: Second Season

8.23

Description:

This entry includes the second season of the Monogatari series: Vol. 1: Nekomonogatari: Shiro Vol. 2: Kabukimonogatari Vol. 3: Hanamonogatari Vol. 4: Otorimonogatari Vol. 5: Onimonogatari Vol. 6: Koimonogatari
Type

novel

Volumes

6

Chapters

199

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2010-10-27

Sinhwageup Gwisok Item-eul Sone Neoeotda

(I Obtained a Mythic Item)

7.83

Description:

Yggdrasil, the World Tree of Norse Mythology, suddenly appeared on Earth. And with it came demonic creatures that ravaged entire cities. Although not all hope is lost, due to the System that a few special humans had gained. In this new world where only the strong survived, Jae-Hyun Min scrapes by regretting the wrong choices he’d made in the past… when one day, he gains the only Mythic item in the world. How will this item help him? And can he change his wretched fate?
Type

manhwa

Status

current

Started

2022-06-12

Shoujo Fujuubun

(Imperfect Girl)

7.71

Description:

The story's protagonist, a college student who aspires to be a writer, sees a traffic accident where an elementary school girl is hit by a truck. Strangely, the girl's friend saves her game and puts it away before running over to her friend's dead body. Then, the protagonist is captured and confined by this girl. The story is narrated by the protagonist ten years later, now an adult author. (Source: ANN)
Type

manga

Volumes

3

Chapters

27

Status

finished

Started

2015-11-30

Burn the Witch

6.79

Description:

The Weekly Shounen Jump site describes the manga with the key words "Witches, dragons, and reverse London."
Type

oneshot

Chapters

1

Status

finished

Started

2018-07-14

Mikkakan no Koufuku

(Three Days of Happiness)

8.26

Description:

Three Days of Happiness is a novel by Sugaru Miaki, also known as Fafoo. It’s a rewritten version of the story originally posted to 2ch. If you haven’t read the original story, the premise revolves around a shop where one can sell away the remaining years of their life, and the consequences of doing so. Also, I Say A Little Prayer is a short related story which was posted along with the novel’s release. It spoils some things about the main story, but nothing major. (Source: Novel Updates)
Type

novel

Volumes

1

Chapters

15

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2013-12-25

Fudatsuki no Kyouko-chan

7.19

Description:

Fudatsuki Kenji is known in school for two things: for being a delinquent and for having a sister complex. He constantly follows his sister Kyoko around, fixing her giant ribbon and chasing off any boys who might be interested in her. However, the truth is much stranger than people believe. He actually doesn't have a crush on his sister—in fact, he likes Hibino, the only girl in class who isn't afraid of him. The problem is that his sister is literally monster. She's a jiangshi (vampire), who is much stronger than an ordinary person and who needs a certain amount of blood from Kenji each day. Her ribbon keeps her in check, but if it comes off, she instinctively attacks the nearest person. Her ribbon also has a huge effect on her personality. With the ribbon, she's irritable and sharp-tempered, but without it, she's extremely sweet and apologetic (while she attacks). Will Kenji be able to keep his sister from hurting anyone, and maybe find some way to overcome his sister-complex reputation enough to have a chance with Hibino? (Source: MangaHelpers)
Type

manga

Volumes

7

Chapters

37

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2013-08-12

Monogatari Series: Final Season

8.22

Description:

This entry includes the final season of the Monogatari series: Vol. 1: Tsukimonogatari Vol. 2: Koyomimonogatari Vol. 3-5: Owarimonogatari Vol. 6: Zoku Owarimonogatari
Type

novel

Volumes

6

Chapters

231

Rating

Status

finished

Started

2012-09-28

Aphorism

(Aphorism)

7.19

Description:

Nara Shika High School, is a seemingly normal school. However, unknown to the public is the cruel truth of what really goes on in the school's halls. Rather than studying, students are forced to struggle for their very survival. And the strong bonds of friendship may be the only difference between life and death. (Source: Shinnen)
Type

manga

Volumes

14

Chapters

84

Rating

Horror

Status

finished

Started

2010-05-18

Onizuka-chan to Sawarida-kun

7.18

Description:

Onizuka is an Oni and her childhood friend Sawarida is a human who likes to touch weird stuff. She might be in love with him, but he is too dense for love or is it the other way around? (Source: Mangadex) Twitter manga by Uehara Oi (@uehara_oi) that later got serialized in Manga 4-koma Kings Palette. Note: Includes 18 extra chapters
Type

manga

Volumes

2

Chapters

67

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

finished

Started

2019-06-04

GetBackers

(Get Backers: Dakkanya)

7.43

Description:

Blonde, hip, pragmatic and cool, Ginji Amano has the power to generate currents with his body like an electric eel. Brunette, equally hip, bespectacled and rambunctious, Ban Mido has the mystically mysterious 'Evil Eye,' the power to create illusions in the minds of his foes. Together, they are the GetBackers, the best retrieval team in the world. They can get back anything taken from clients, and their success rate is (almost) 100%! However, first they have to get some clients--and soon--or this spry detective duo will starve on the streets! (Source: Tokyopop)
Type

manga

Volumes

39

Chapters

344

Rating

Ecchi

Status

finished

Started

1999-03-24

SSS-Class Gacha Hunter

(SSS-Class Gacha Hunter)

7.39

Description:

On the worst day of my life, I received a miracle as a present from the ‘real universe’. On the worst day of my life, I got the strongest skill from the universe! The luck game that overturns the class begins. SSS-class hunter who became stronger by drawing lots. (Source: Kakao, translated)
Type

manhwa

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

current

Started

2021-09-30

Rising x Rydeen

6.75

Description:

Shimonone Takara, young weird healthy boy, always want to be "strange" being in this planet. "Strange" being is people who have an extraordinary power that can't be used by normal people. One day, Takara meets a woman named Aria who belongs to an organization. What did she want with him? Is Takara succesfully become a "strange" being? (Source: MU)
Type

manga

Volumes

6

Chapters

29

Rating

Ecchi

Status

finished

Started

2012-04-09

Vampeerz

(Vampeerz, My Peer Vampires)

7.94

Description:

On the day of her grandmother's funeral, Ichika meets Aria, a beautiful foreigner who claims to be her grandmother's friend. But Ichika soon finds that Aria is no normal human; she is a vampire, and their relationship has just begun... (Source: Japanese Publisher, translated)
Type

manga

Chapters

46

Status

current

Started

2019-02-19

Ano Hito no i Ni Wa Boku Ga Tarinai

(Sachi's Monstrous Appetite)

7.17

Description:

Makie's a boy in love, with his tall, older classmate Sachi. As a sign of his affection, he makes Sachi a special lunch every day. Sachi loves Makie, too, but she has a secret... she's actually a shapeshifting monster called a watari, and she was drawn to Makie because he smells...delicious! But it's not just Sachi who's drawn to Makie's scent, and soon, he realizes the entire monster world is after him. Fortunately, Sachi's a watari who eats watari, and she pledges to protect him. But how long can Makie survive, with Sachi's appetite the only thing between him and a monster's belly? (Source: Kodansha USA)
Type

manga

Volumes

6

Chapters

38

Status

finished

Started

2018-02-22

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