Boost Your TOEFL iBT® Reading Speed Using Manga and Webtoons

Struggling with long reading passages in the TOEFL exam? Building reading speed doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, using manga and webtoons can make your TOEFL Reading practice fun and effective. These visual stories train your brain to process information faster while keeping you engaged. Let’s explore how you can boost your TOEFL reading speed using manga and webtoons in 2025.

How Manga and Webtoons Help Improve Reading Skills

Here’s why using manga and webtoons is a smart way to improve your TOEFL reading skills:

1. Helps Build Reading Speed: They help you read faster by exposing you to quick, natural conversations.

2. Vocabulary in Context: You learn new vocabulary in context, making it easier to understand and remember.

3. Visual Support for Comprehension: The visuals support better comprehension, especially when dealing with complex ideas.

4. Understanding Tone and Transitions: You get used to tone changes and transitions, which are useful for inference questions.

5. Encourages Daily Reading Habits: Reading becomes enjoyable, so you are more likely to stay consistent.

6. Exposure to Academic Themes: Many stories cover deeper themes that build your ability to handle academic content.

7. Strengthens Skimming and Scanning: They improve your skimming and scanning skills, which are essential for TOEFL reading.

Top Mangas to Read for TOEFL Preparation

If you're looking to build your reading speed while enjoying the process, manga is a great place to start. These stories offer natural language, engaging plots, and valuable vocabulary that can support your TOEFL prep in a fun way.

1. Yotsuba&!

This slice-of-life story follows a curious little girl named Yotsuba as she explores the world around her. The conversations are simple and natural, making it perfect for picking up everyday vocabulary and understanding tone.

2. Shirokuma Café (Polar Bear Café)

A light-hearted series about a polar bear who runs a café where animals and humans chat about daily life. It uses a lot of conversational language and humor, which helps learners grasp informal speech and tone changes.

3. Barakamon

This manga tells the story of a calligrapher who moves to a remote island and learns life lessons from the quirky locals. The language is casual and filled with emotion, making it ideal for reading practice that builds fluency and understanding of natural speech.

4. Silver Spoon

Set in an agricultural high school, this series blends education, humor, and real-life challenges. It introduces semi-academic themes in a simple way, which helps you get comfortable with the kind of topics often seen in TOEFL reading passages.

5. My Roommate is a Cat

A touching story about a shy writer and his stray cat, told from both human and animal perspectives. It uses simple vocabulary and emotional dialogue, perfect for practicing reading tone and perspective shifts.

6. Natsume’s Book of Friends

This calm, supernatural series follows a boy who can see spirits and tries to help them find peace. The pacing is slower and the language is poetic yet clear, helping readers improve focus and build reading stamina.

7. Chi’s Sweet Home

This cute manga follows the daily adventures of a kitten adjusting to her new home. It’s written in short, simple sentences that mirror the kind of clarity needed for quick TOEFL reading responses.

Top Webtoons to Read for TOEFL Preparation

These stories offer clear, conversational writing and plenty of visual context to help you absorb vocabulary, tone, and sentence structure while staying motivated and entertained.

1. Lost in Translation

A slice‑of‑life drama set in South Korea about a rookie K‑pop group navigating fame and identity. It’s written in English with everyday dialogue, making it easy to understand. The story builds naturally and helps you focus on conversational tone and subtle emotional cues.

2. My Giant Nerd Boyfriend

An autobiographical comic featuring slice‑of‑life stories about the creator, her husband, and their dog. Each short strip uses simple language and humor, making it perfect for fast reading practice. Vocabulary is relatable and repeated often, helping you notice and remember new words quickly.

3. Adventures of God

In this humorous urban fantasy, God interacts with humans, angels, and mythical beings in modern life. The comedic dialogue is clear and fun, and readers learn tone shifts and context from conversational exchanges. This helps you get comfortable with inference questions and everyday phrasing.

4. Hooky

A fantasy‑adventure about twin witches who skip magic school and instead face an unfolding magical conflict. Though imaginative, the writing is smooth and easy to follow. Characters speak naturally, which supports fast reading and steady vocabulary building.

5. Penguin Loves Mev

A lighthearted webtoon about a penguin and a young girl who share playful conversations. It’s beginner‑friendly with minimal text and a humorous tone, making it ideal for learners who want quick, enjoyable practice.

6. Room of Swords

A sci‑fi/fantasy webtoon about a time‑travel astronaut exploring strange worlds in search of powerful swords. The style is clear, imaginative, and features simple dialogue even as the plot deepens. It offers engaging context and encourages daily reading without overwhelming text.

I hope this blog gave you fresh and fun ways to improve your TOEFL reading skills. Manga and webtoons make practice enjoyable and consistent. Try them out and build your speed, one page at a time. With the right titles, even your leisure time can boost your test performance.

Additional Resources:

• TOEFL  Reading Tips: How to Read Complex & Long Sentences
• Is 25 a Good TOEFL Reading Score?
• How to Answer TOEFL Exam Reading Fill in a Table Questions
• Time Management Tips for TOEFL Reading Section
• Common TOEFL Reading Section Difficulties
• How to Answer TOEFL Reading Sentence Insertion Questions