Oftentimes, we stumble across that one manga we just can’t get enough of. We read it intently and get so into it that by the time we look at the clock, we’ve gone through many chapters and volumes worth. There’s nothing worse than realizing that you’ve reached the last of the available chapters. When it’s not a weekly series, the wait for three and four weeks can be quite brutal.

These are five manga I’ve selected in which I believe shouldn’t be coming out monthly, but rather weekly since the manga are just so compelling.

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5. Tail Star

This tragic and often depressing action story penned by Okama is published monthly. This manga has a different tone than the following ones detailed, and is also the newest one. In it, the main character must protect the yet-to-come-of-age Queen of Light, as they struggle to survive in a world that is being ravaged and divided by the Queen of Darkness, who is on a desperate search for the Queen of Light. So, she dispatches her magically empowered subordinates to scour the land killing any of the rural inhabitants. Needless to say, the main character’s village is attacked and he is faced with the task of protecting the Queen of Light while trying to seek out revenge.

If this series were weekly, then the pacing issue that plagues it would be resolved as it shoots towards maturing these kids, getting them the power to fight, and keeping it from being one of the most depressing and against-all-odds manga currently running. It is quite gorgeous to look at and is a story worth following. 

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4. Big Order

Relatively new, Big Order comes from Esuno Sakae, writer and artist of the hit manga and anime, Mirai Nikki (Future Diary). This one holds a special place in fans’ hearts as it takes a different approach to the story that was setup in Mirai Nikki, but adds a layer of larger-than-life, over-the-top action battle elements to the setup. Even better, instead of having a confidence-lacking protagonist, we get a cool, wants-to-get-the-job-done character that continually shocks and amazes. The powers here are quite amazing and the art is stunning.

Unfortunately, with this being monthly and with how the writer crams so much into each chapter, one finds themselves having to go back and reread three+ chapters. If this were weekly, this wouldn’t be an issue and we would have quite a few more battles with the increased speed.

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3. Blue Exorcist

Blue Exorcist—the story of the son of Satan, Rin Okumura, as he goes against Satan’s wishes and unites with his friends to stop all things evil—is another good manga. Unfortunately, this manga temporarily went the way of Soul Eater when it was animated, getting itself an original anime ending when they animated it too early. The pacing holds it back, making each monthly wait for a chapter a bit hard to chew. Oftentimes, people find themselves not reading it for a few months when an arc reaches the climax and waiting for it to resolve before going back in.

The action that Katou Kazue has drawn for this, as well as the story, lends itself well to reading in bulk, as that is the most satisfying and only way to get the big picture with all the details. It’s a wonderful manga and one that people consistently wish was weekly, as it has the potential and pieces in place to rival that of the most popular manga.

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2. Karakuri Dôji Ultimo

For those of us in America, waiting each half-year period for a volume of Ultimo to come out has been painful. Usually, the wait is so unbearable that one has to actually reread previous volumes in order to remember what has happened in the story when the most current volume is released. Not to say that that is something that’s bad, but just something to illustrate how long the wait is.

Ultimo is a fantastic manga that combines the qualities, virtues and vices of human nature into a storyline that incorporates mecha influences and action with a touch of time travel. Imagined by comic mastermind Stan Lee, and further penned by manga veteran, Takei Hiroyuki, this near battle manga is a wonderful series. 

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1. Tegami Bachi

Published in Jump Square, and even a recipient of an anime that covered a portion of its story, Tegami Bachi swiftly rose in popularity for its excellence in gorgeous artwork and story by Asada Hiroyuki. Young Lag Seeing sets out on a larger-than-life quest to become the head bee of the Bee Hive mail organization in the land of AmberGround. As he sets out he encounters the nefarious organization, Reverse, as well as mysteries, such as the whereabouts of his mother, his friend, Gauche Suede, and the Day of Flicker.

With a month span between each chapter, this series can be quite difficult to wait for, especially when the mystery is such an intriguing aspect for one hoping to see favorite characters return, or a resolution to a major arc (such as the retrieval of Gauche Suede). Ultimately, if this series were weekly, it would be one worth still following. 

[Images via: Tail Star,Big Order,Blue Exorcist,Ultimo,Tegami Bachi]