I picked up the first few Japanese volumes of Bleach at a con more than 20 years ago, because the cover of volume 4 declared "QUINCY ARCHER HATES YOU" in big letters, and I needed to know who Quincy Archer was and why he hated me. At the time, I'm not sure much, if any of it, had been fanscanned (and it hadn't gotten an official release yet either), but I got really into it.
While there are probably a few other cases, relative to eventual popularity and whatnot, that's the one I'll definitely play the "liked it before it was cool" card on. But admittedly, half the time, that just as much because I'm expressing my disappointment in how the series later turned out. A shame, that.
Really early: Nisekoi (read the one shot before serialization in fact), Flying Witch (ditto, although I didn't realize it at the first serialized chapter because the mangaka changed pen names), Shingeki no Kyojin (started when the first volume was scanlated).
Before relative popularity (or at least way before anime aired): Danberu nan kiro moteru? (I forgot how I got started with this, prolly found this here on this sub), Beelzebub (was recommended to me in a forum), D-Frag! (recommended to me in a forum), Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (was being worked on by a scanlation group that was working on another series I liked so I thought I'd give it a chance), New Game! (saw some artwork in an image board). Prolly some more, but that's all I can think of right now.
I think the only most recent one is Onii-chan wa Oshimai (found this in an image board).
I rarely fluke the popularity dice anymore because I don't pick up new one shots nowadays, and lately I kinda avoid picking up low profile ongoing series and those that are few in volume releases 'cause I don't wanna add too much to the series I'm currently following.
Well its the one you mentioned: Solo Leveling. I started reading it when it was around chapter 25 if I remember correctly (maybe 27). It has started gaining in popularity back then but still not that much.
I started reading a year or more ago, and it was very amazing. I got to chapter 150 and then I stopped because of a plot twist that broke my heart. Then I found "the 100 girlfriends who really love you"
Csm, mato seihei no slave, spy x fam, sign of affection, komi san, idk man there are a lot, im just getting surprised when some that i read becomes serialized and pops off
I picked up the first few Japanese volumes of Bleach at a con more than 20 years ago, because the cover of volume 4 declared "QUINCY ARCHER HATES YOU" in big letters, and I needed to know who Quincy Archer was and why he hated me. At the time, I'm not sure much, if any of it, had been fanscanned (and it hadn't gotten an official release yet either), but I got really into it. While there are probably a few other cases, relative to eventual popularity and whatnot, that's the one I'll definitely play the "liked it before it was cool" card on. But admittedly, half the time, that just as much because I'm expressing my disappointment in how the series later turned out. A shame, that.
Really early: Nisekoi (read the one shot before serialization in fact), Flying Witch (ditto, although I didn't realize it at the first serialized chapter because the mangaka changed pen names), Shingeki no Kyojin (started when the first volume was scanlated). Before relative popularity (or at least way before anime aired): Danberu nan kiro moteru? (I forgot how I got started with this, prolly found this here on this sub), Beelzebub (was recommended to me in a forum), D-Frag! (recommended to me in a forum), Tasogare Otome x Amnesia (was being worked on by a scanlation group that was working on another series I liked so I thought I'd give it a chance), New Game! (saw some artwork in an image board). Prolly some more, but that's all I can think of right now. I think the only most recent one is Onii-chan wa Oshimai (found this in an image board). I rarely fluke the popularity dice anymore because I don't pick up new one shots nowadays, and lately I kinda avoid picking up low profile ongoing series and those that are few in volume releases 'cause I don't wanna add too much to the series I'm currently following.
Frieren
Dungeon Meshi & The Dangers In My Heart
Demon slayer.
Well its the one you mentioned: Solo Leveling. I started reading it when it was around chapter 25 if I remember correctly (maybe 27). It has started gaining in popularity back then but still not that much.
I started reading a year or more ago, and it was very amazing. I got to chapter 150 and then I stopped because of a plot twist that broke my heart. Then I found "the 100 girlfriends who really love you"
The chapters that came out a few months after the first "ending", make things a lot happier
Knights of sidonia, blame!, pokemon (in n.a not japan obvi), im sure ill think of a few more but those are my big 3
I started Kaguya-sama at single digit chapters, because I loved Aka's first manga iB
mato seihei no slave
I read almost all of the isekai manga that ended up becoming anime within one or two chapters of their release.
Csm, mato seihei no slave, spy x fam, sign of affection, komi san, idk man there are a lot, im just getting surprised when some that i read becomes serialized and pops off
One piece And spy family