So, I found a novel (Skill Collector) in which I have never read in my life, but that I SWEAR I have seen the anime of it. I can even vaguely remember some scenes or characters appearance.

But when I searched for it, nothing came out.

I didn't even fully read the novel, just the premise and a few lines of the first chapter and instantly went "wait, is this not from that one anime?".

Have I fabricated my memories? Was it a pilot episode and then axed? Was I hallucinating? Was it a premonition?.

I just know I saw it, probably the start of a first chapter and it was long ago. I really wanted to see it but does it really not exist??

Nevertheless, I will gladly accept any animes or novels where the protagonist raises skill or talents, be them magical or ordinary (cooking, languages, acting etc). No romance or harem for me though.

I'm a real picky reader. That doesn't mean my tastes are refined or anything like that (I've liked reading some silly things here and there). But that does mean that finding something for me to read is heelllll.

Aside from mangas, I'm fine with other type of recommendations as well. Be it

Novels, Manhwas, manhuas, comics, Books, Webnovels, Lightnovels, fanfictions

— you name it, I do not care about the format. Just PLEASE give me something to read.

(Hope this doesn't infringe any community rules. If it does, I'll correct and repost it)

I don't like reading straight romance (no, I won't elaborate), heavy toxic romance overall or Dumb protagonists. In fact, I rarely read any romance, but I'm not against reading it either (I'll give it a try even if it's straight, because I also have my share of straight romances that I really liked, but don't expect too much from me).

And some of the themes I enjoy are those with Systems/Ai helpers; futuristic; superpowers; supernatural typeshi.

Also, if anyone got any, I've been searching for something with an all rounder protagonist. As in, he excels, is decent or even just learns multiple things (cooking, fighting, acting and so on).

With that in Mind, here's a list of my recommended Mangas as well

Basic courtesy if you will

No Romance So Far

• Welcome to The Raison D’etre Antique Shop

Female Protagonist; Supernatural; This Here, is PEAK. It's been a while since I've seen something so passionate, original and good, just read it. Basically, the protagonist, an orphan, happened to stumble upon quite the odd antique shop, and after some events, ended up recruited by the shop owner. To her surprise, all of the objects in the shop had human forms and could talk. Her job is to help each item find a new owner based on the will behind their existence, and possibly help cure scars from their past owners as she navigates the mystery behind that very shop.

Ongoing

• The Forsaken Saintess and Her Foodie Roadtrip in Another World

Female Protagonist; Isekai/Transportation into another world; Cooking/Culinary. Nothing much new about the isekai troupe. She gets transported with her living truck and all, gets some perks about her truck and ends up being part of a mercenary group as their cook. But the writing and the characters are really great.

Ongoing, few chapters.

• Welcome to Ghost Mansion

Female Protagonist; Supernatural; Ghost-seeing Protagonist; Pure comedy and light hearted. After painstakingly saving money, the protagonist bought an apartment complex of her own. However, the building is haunted, and no one wants to risk such an ominous building, no matter how cheap the rent may be. Of course that wouldn't stop her, so one thing led to the other and she started recruiting ghosts as tenants, and they got surprisingly better at the whole being depressed and scary stuff (as in, they went from haunted ghosts that give you nightmares to just... Non-threathening Ghosts?).

Ongoing

• RuriDragon

School Life; Supernatural; Lighthearted; Girl basically discovers her father is a dragon when she starts growing horns and gained some superpowers all of a sudden (and this isn't even considered normal in her world as far as I got). Ongoing

• A Single Aristocrat Enjoys a Different World: The Graceful Life of a Man Who Never Gets Married

Male Protagonist; Isekai/Reincarnation; He's an inventor too, super cool. Exactly as the title implies. He has no interest in being in a relationship, ever. He barely ever stands his family lol (also, he was blessed/cursed by a seclusive god who took a liking to him, giving him unparalleled strength for being a lone wolf, and losing his power if he ever teams up with anyone)

Ongoing

• Unparalleled Path - Reincarnated as the AI for a Space Battleship

Isekai; Male Protagonist; Non-Human Protagonist; Plot twist was insane. The tittle says it all, I don't want to spoil too much, but it also includes space war and spaceships.

Completed - 15 chapters

Straight Romance

• My New Girlfriend Is Not Human?

This here, is peak relationship; Supernatural; A lot of chapters but they're all really short (really.short) Never seen someone so nonchalant upon discovering their girlfriend isn't human (not like she hid it well anyways). Character building is great for me.

Ongoing

• The Witch And The Mercenary

Another peak one; Magic & Fantasy; really good. Mercenary guy with not a single drop of magic in his body is incredibly skilled and strong physically. He'll take any request from anyone as long as he's paid accordingly, which ends up with him escorting a witch (that he was supposed to kill, but his contractor died) to safety. They end up in an isolated island where magic is common (their previous kingdom treated magic users as witches/evil beings, and it wasn't a common thing at all) and demihumans even more so. I bet at least one of the artists is a furry, because they draw demihumans incredibly well.

Ongoing

• Uncle Reincarnation: The Aging Life of a Villainous Lady

Female Protagonist; Isekai; Reincarnation; Reverse isekai kinda? Basically, villainous young woman from the past reincarnated in the body of an old men in the modern time. It's really unique imo and I'd never thought about such a concept — seeing her/him going through some societal and gender problems shows how this story was so well though of.

Ongoing