10 Books/Manga Like The Horizon
The Horizon is a dramatic adventure webtoon written and illustrated by Ji-Hoon Jeon. It follows two children who embark on a journey featuring nonstop warfare, paranoia, and disasters. Despite all the odds stacked against them, the kids try to survive and move on past them.
For those curious, you can read Webtoon via the Webtoon application that’s available for Android and iOS devices. Prepare to get your heart shattered by the sights these small children have to bear witness to.
If you’re in the mood for more drama or adventure books/manga that offers a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with The Horizon. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know.
The Sound of Magic – Il-Kwon
Similarities – Drama, Mystery, Romance
The Sound of Magic follows Yoon Ah-ee, a girl living a tough life of studying, poverty, and caregiving. She no longer believes anything good will come of her life. That all changes when she stumbles upon an abandoned theme park and meets a strange magician known for making people’s wildest dreams a reality. The Sound of Magic features our protagonist struggling to survive in a harsh world.
The story offers phenomenal pacing, excellent character development, and thematic depth. Yoon Ah-ee is a strong and complex protagonist whose story arc will empower and inspire many people to pursue their dreams, even if they’re unrealistic. The webtoon is brimming with emotional dialogue and scenery that will make you draw several tears.
It explores its themes in subtle yet effective ways that will leave a lasting impression on readers. Furthermore, the story has a habit of delivering several unexpected plot twists that will keep readers captivated and engaged. If you’re looking for a webtoon with great character development, emotional storytelling, and relatable themes, give this a shot.
The Boxer – Ji-Hoon Jeon
Similarities – Characters & Art Style
The Boxer is another intriguing webtoon created by Ji-Hoon Jeon. It follows a singular protagonist unlike The Horizon but offers a deep and emotional narrative like it. In it, we examine Yu, an emotionally numb 17-year-old who was subjected to mass bullying throughout his life. He doesn’t mind people beating him up and could care less if he died the next day.
Eventually, he runs an old boxing trainer named K. K’s raised many champions in his life and feels Yu could be his next star. Despite lacking interest, Yu accepts K’s offer and readers will explore Yu’s rise to the top as he takes on numerous menacing opponents. Like The Horizon, Ji-Hoon Jeon brings his A-game to the art and story department for The Boxer.
Everything looks grim in both works as Ji-Hoon Jeon makes great use of dark colors to evoke strong emotions in his characters. Yu feels like an empty slate like the male protagonist in The Horizon, though. This allows people to empathize with the countless treacherous situations Yu finds himself in. If you’re looking for another great webtoon from Ji-Hoon Jeon’s catalog, The Boxer shouldn’t disappoint.
Cocoon – Machiko Kyou
Similarities – Drama
Cocoon is a Josei manga with great drama and historical aspects. Amidst the Pacific War, two girls named San and Mayu get drafted to assist in the war effort as nurses. When they’re ordered to die for their country, the remaining members flee but realize their once tropical paradise has been converted into a bloody battleground.
The Horizon and Cocoon offer narratives that follow child protagonists experiencing bloodshed, turmoil, and sadness. Although both authors provide the gloomy sides of warfare, they offer realistic takes on how children interpret a war-driven environment. This is a story oozing hardship, resilience, and loss.
The way Machiko Kyou handles death can feel dull at times, but the way it’s conveyed on the page will make readers appreciate Kyou’s decision. Overall, Cocoon is a depressing manga that will make you feel empty inside. If you’re up for another story that will leave you feeling heartbroken or worse, give this a shot.
Sayonara Eri – Tatsuki Fujimoto
Similarities – Drama & Themes
Tatsuki Fujimoto is making the rounds in the anime and manga community. He’s most well-known for creating the highly-acclaimed horror action series Chainsaw Man. However, he’s worked on multiple other projects like Sayonara Eri that stuck with fans a lot. It revolves around Yuuta, who films his mother’s final days before she passes away.
After her passing, Yuuta complies with her life into a film and showcases it to his classmates. He receives immense backlash for it and attempts to take his life. Fortunately, a girl named Eri meets him and asks Yuuta to make a better film that’ll prove his critics wrong. Therefore, we examine our characters’ journey to creating a film with a dash of fantasy.
Like The Horizon, this manga offers an intruiging take on life. By its conclusion, you’ll obtain a new understanding of how to handle tragic situations involving loss and death. Unlike The Horizon, Sayonara Eri includes touches of comedy to avoid feeling dreadful. For those who’ve read Fujimoto’s other works like Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch, expect the artwork to look just as immaculate and captivating in Sayonara Eri.
Vagabond – Takehiko Inoue
Similarities – Psychological Themes
Vagabond is celebrated as one of the best samurai manga of all time. It’s one of those works many feel wouldn’t adapt well to animation due to Takehiko Inoue’s realistic take on his characters, action segments, and world design. For those curious, Vagabond takes place in 16th-century Hapan and follows Takezou. He’s scolded by his fellow villagers and leaves with his friend Matahachi to live a better life.
They enroll in the Toyotomi army and get into a heated battle with the Tokugawa Clan. Takezou separates from Matahachi to inform the Hon’iden family that Matahachi survived the exchange. Upon arriving, Takezou learns that he’s been blamed for murder and gets tied to a tree to die as punishment. A monk rescues Takezou and brands him the title, Musashi Miyamoto.
We examine Musashi’s new life as an outlaw. As mentioned before, Vagabond’s art is captivating and captures its dark and mature tone perfectly. Like The Horizon, Vagabond presents readers with the harsh realities and consequences that stem from a human who’s experienced incredible loss. You’ll adore peering into Musashi’s head and seeing him develop strategies to get around tight circumstances. If you’re looking for an excellent manga with heavy themes, Vagabond’s worth a read.
Distant Sky – In-Wan Yoon
Similarities – Drama & Themes
Distant Sky is a bone-chilling webtoon that will leave a lasting nightmarish image in your head. Our story is about a boy named Kang Haneul who wakes up in a deserted world. He must find a way to survive in this new but familiar environment. In-Wan Yoon knows how to build up suspense as you’ll be questioning multiple instances that crop up in this world.
Thankfully, Haneul will meet someone else who’ll tag along on his journey through this barren and bleak world. You’ll be cheering for these two to survive and empathize with them as the story progresses. In-Wan Yoon likes to use a lot of time skips to make his story feel more immersive and the illustrations Sun-Hee Kim provides are icing on this gloomy cake.
They make the world feel more horrific with their rough lines and sketches. It emulates the uncertainty of the world and will make you feel more concerned for Haneul and his friend’s safety. For those looking for another work filled with tragedy, give this a shot.
Made In Abyss – Akihito Tsukushi
Similarities – Child Protagonists, Brutal World, Drama
Made In Abyss is a horrifically beautiful manga full of adventure and wonder. It offers readers a gripping journey about two children named Riko and Reg who explore their world’s abyss in search of Riko’s mother, Lyza. Riko is a full-fledged human with cave-reading experience while Reg is a robot child with little knowledge of his past. The two develop a strong bond over the course of the story.
They’ll endure multiple traumatic and beautiful scenarios during their endeavor through the abyss. These moments will break your heart, make you smile, and keep you hooked on the mysteries that lie deep within this immersive world. The creatures that lurk in the abyss get more creepy and whimsical the deeper our protagonists get into the abyss.
Along the way, Riko and Reg will recruit allies who’ll lend them a helping hand. These characters come equipped with their own personalities and beliefs that will resonate with audiences. For those looking for another story set in a brutal world with child-like protagonists’ lives who are on the line all the time, Made In Abyss is the story you seek.
Berserk – Kentarou Miura
Similarities – Psychological Adventure
For those wanting a manga with psychological elements and an adult protagonist, Berserk should suffice. This manga’s known for inspiring multiple creators from across all media. It harbors excellent characters, a well-crafted world, and splendid action scenes that will get your heart racing. Berserk follows the life of Guts. He’s a warrior who stumbles upon a strong syndicate led by Griffith.
After interacting with Griffith for a bit, Guts joins his army. After several years and battles, Guts becomes the commander of Griffith’s army. He earns respect from Griffith, his comrades, and other wandering travelers. Little does Guts know that his proud lifestyle is about to take a dramatic turn he’ll wish he saw coming. Kentarou Miura implements many heavy obstacles for Guts to conquer.
They will lead him to his breaking point and will crush readers’ minds. However, these will help Guts become more rounded as a character and give him the experience he needs to survive in this tragic and gritty setting. Along with its bone-chilling illustrations and incredible lore and world-building, Berserk is a worthy read.
Uzumaki – Junji Ito
Similarities – Drama & Nightmarish Imagery
Uzumaki is an incredible manga written and illustrated by Junji Ito. It features bone-chilling illustrations, memorable characters, and mind-numbing concepts. It takes place in Kurouzu-cho and follows female resident Kirie as she heads to her boyfriend, Shuiichi’s household. She notices his father has a strange fascination for snail shells and tells Shuuichi about it.
However, Shuuichi’s aware of his father’s strange hobby and wants to leave the town with Kirie to free himself of this town’s grasp on him. Before they could discuss things further, strange anomalies occur in the town that results in everyone becoming more paranoid and hideous. Uzumaki offers a more absurd take on its horror, unlike The Horizon. Nonetheless, both tales will leave you speechless.
You’ll be baffled by the level of detail that went into each work’s illustrations. Characters express exaggerated emotions that will evoke similar feelings in you as you continue reading. These are perfect tales to read if you want to get spooked at night.
Girl’s Last Tour – Tsukumizu
Similarities – Adventure & Exploration
For something less dark and somewhat wholesome, I’d recommend giving Girl’s Last Tour a shot. This is a comfy manga that follows two girls hanging out in a military facility. That’s what you’d like to hear, but in reality, the girls are actually traversing a landscape that used to be the battleground of a great war. Nonetheless, the girls harbor cheery attitudes during their travels.
Tsukumizu does a great job at blending his character’s cutesy designs with his mysteriously dark settings well. Although it offers more lighthearted scenarios than The Horizon, Tsukumizu knows how to authentically swap between a cozy atmosphere to one that feels mature and slightly terrifying. Both stories offer a great degree of exploration and feature subtle obstacles for our child cast to defeat.
These obstacles will strengthen the bond between our cast and help readers resonate with them more. If you’re looking for unique adventure manga that places adorable-looking characters in a somber environment, Girl’s Last Tour will impress you.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with The Horizon.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!