The Perfect Manga Matches for 10 Studio Ghibli Movies

If you love My Neighbor Totoro, try Natsume’s Book of Friends
If you’re looking for something that recalls the innocent magic of Totoro, try Natsume’s Book of Friends, by Yuki Midorikawa. Following Takashi Natsume, an orphan boy who can see spirits that normal people can’t, Natsume’s Book of Friends shares similar Shinto influences and a peaceful rural setting that broadly evokes the atmosphere of Totoro. Both also share similar themes of young people dealing with anxiety, uncertainty, and, especially in the case of Natsume, loneliness, through wondrous experiences with the supernatural.

If you love The Secret World of Arrietty, try Hakumei and Mikochi
If you are charmed by Lilliputian daily life (which, in my opinion, is the principle reason to watch The Secret World of Arrietty), you’re going to want to take a look at Hakumei and Mikochi by  Takuto Kashiki. This manga, out recently from Yen Press, follows the daily lives extremely minute girls who live deep in the woods as they explore their lush forest setting, cook tiny meals, and talk to animals much larger than they are. Lovely, detailed backgrounds add to the charm and texture of this domestic story writ small.

If you love Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, try Mushishi
It would be easy to recommend the official Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga, written and drawn by Hayao Miyazaki himself, to pair with this seminal Ghibli film (which technically predates the founding of the studio, though it has been folded into the catalogue ever since), but that would be a bit of a cheat, wouldn’t it? Instead, if Nausicaä is your favorite Ghibli film, try Yuki Urushibara’s Mushishi. This haunting manga follows a man named Ginko who mitigates the effects of mushi, primordial creatures that affect the lives of humans in miraculous, inexplicable, or profoundly harmful ways. While Mushishi is a much quieter, more episodic story than the breathtaking adventure that is Nausicaä, it has a similar focus on the uncontrollable forces of the natural world, the dual sides of human nature, and a slightly darker edge than Ghibli’s sweeter films.

If you love Kiki’s Delivery Service, try Flying Witch
If you’ve got a soft spot for this charming film about a young witch in training, try Flying Witch by Chihiro Ishizuka. Besides hitting a lot of the same buttons as Kiki—witch in training, cat familiar, flying brooms, etc.—Flying Witch effortlessly captures the sense of everyday wonder at which Ghibli films so excel at creating. Following Makoto, a young witch who has moved in with family in the countryside to complete her magical training, Flying Witch has an understated sense of humor and a broad focus on relationships between family and friends. Looking for more witches in training? Try Little Witch Academia or the upcoming Witch Hat Atelier.

If you love Ponyo, try Sweetness and Lightning
Ponyo is essentially a very young, very Ghibli take on The Little Mermaid, so it might seem weird to be recommending a manga that has no mermaids, and indeed no fantasy elements at all. But if you were charmed by the childhood innocence of Ponyo and Sosuke, or just like cute kids in general, Sweetness and Lightning is one to try. The manga focuses on a school teacher named Kohei Inazuka, who is doing is best to raise his young daughter, Tsumugi, after the death of his wife, but is unable to recreate the family meals that his wife used to make. He and his daughter team up with one of his students, Kotori, to learn how to cook together. Given the premise, this manga is often bittersweet, but has a similar charming dose of childhood innocence and sense of seeing the world afresh through Tsumugi’s eyes. Also, maybe it’s just me, but it feels right to have at least one manga focused on food on a Ghibli-inspired list. [Editor’s note: PONYO LOVES HAM!]

If you love Princess Mononoke, try Made in Abyss
Most of Princess Mononoke’s characters sit pretty comfortably in shades of gray, and while the film is unequivocally environmentalist,  there is a certain ambivalence in its tension between humans and natural/supernatural forces. If you’re looking for something with the fantastic settings of Mononoke and a more sinister take on the supernatural, try Made in Abyss by Akihito Tsukushi. This fantasy adventure manga follows two children, Riko and Reg, traversing a fantastic but deadly landscape on a quest to find Riko’s mother. The world of this series is fascinating but totally unforgiving, and the human characters are as murky as a swamp full of man-eating magical creatures.

If you love Howl’s Moving Castle, try NeNeNe
Based on Diana Wynne Jones’s classic novel, Howl’s Moving Castle the film is beloved for its luminous magic, lovable characters, and sweet romance. If you are looking for a manga that mixes all three but leans toward the latter, give NeNeNe a try. This is a very short manga about a teen girl, Koyuki, who is married to a much older man, Shin. Because of Shin’s job as a kind of supernatural mediator, he must wear a mask at all times, lest he be possessed by dark forces or ill-intentioned ayakashi. Despite the huge age gap between the couple, it turns out that Koyuki and Shin are equally naive about romance, and both struggle to understand each other and form a closer relationship. This is a slender, wholesome romance with a touch of fantasy, and it will leave you with warm, fuzzy feelings.

If you love The Wind Rises, try Descending Stories
The Wind Rises, which portrays the semi-fictionalized life of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of several aircraft flown by Japan in WWI, was intended to be Hayao Miyazaki’s final film at Studio Ghibli (until it wasn’t, again). It’s a highly personal meditation on individual genius and the ends to which such genius is bent. If this kind of historical yet introspective story appeals to you, then try Descending Stories by Haruko Kumota. This multi-generational family saga follows the life of Yakumo Yurakutei, a practitioner of the traditional Japanese performing art of rakugo. Touching on art, genius, and the dubious gift of legacy, this is an engrossing drama about a little-known (outside Japan) art form in the period surrounding World War II.

If you love Castle in the Sky, try Fullmetal Alchemist
Castle in the Sky is a piece of Studio Ghibli history—it was the first film animated by the studio (yes, before Totoro!), and established much of Ghibli’s aesthetic and thematics. If you are looking for a manga with a similar steampunk-y feel and themes of hubris and the price of power, look no further than Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist. Following two brothers seeking the legendary Philosopher’s Stone in order to atone for breaking a powerful alchemical taboo, what Fullmetal Alchemist lacks in sweeping aerial chases it more than makes up for in thrilling alchemical battles. Add well-rounded characters, competing factions, and a dash of ancient technology, and Fullmetal Alchemist is sure to satisfy those pining after Laputa.

If you love Spirited Away, try Witch Hat Atelier
Spirited Away is probably Ghibli’s most beloved film, and as such, might be the hardest to match with a manga equivalent—after all, part of what makes the movie so special is how inimitable it is. But if I had to suggest one, I’d put my money on Kamome Shirahama’s breathtaking Witch Hat Atelier, which unfortunately isn’t due out in the U.S. until April 2019. Coco, a girl who lives in a small village with her mother, dreams of becoming a witch, but it is common knowledge that witches are born with their power, and Coco’s never evinced even the slight whiff of magic. When Coco spies on a traveling magician casting spells, she tries one of her own, with disastrous consequences—her mother is caught inside the magic. In order to save her mother and reverse the spell, Coco must enter a new world of witchcraft and wonder, and embark on a journey that will require courage, determination, and the help of new friends.