You asked for popular recommendations, but popularity doesn't always mean "mainstream." These are critically acclaimed but sometimes overlooked.

Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Drama Why it’s popular: The quintessential Shojo (girls' manga). Tohru Honda ends up living in a tent in the woods, only to be taken in by the mysterious Sohma family. She discovers they are cursed to turn into animals of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by the opposite sex.

Anime: Skip and Loafer In a sea of high school melodramas, this is a life raft. A country girl moves to Tokyo for school. There is no love triangle, no fan service, and no villain. Just incredibly drawn, empathetic characters dealing with career anxiety, friendship, and gender identity. It is the most mature "feel-good" show of the decade.

Manga: The Summer Hikaru Died It won the "This Manga is Amazing!" award for a reason. Yoshiki’s best friend Hikaru went missing in the mountains. He came back, but he isn't Hikaru. Something wearing his face is trying very hard to be human. It is a folk horror masterpiece that asks: If you love the monster wearing your friend’s skin, are you a bad person?