Yu☆Gi☆Oh! Zexal
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

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For the best experience, it's probably best if you have watched the anime first (though this is isn't necessary). The Zexal manga came out slightly before the anime and has pretty much the same setting with the same initial set of characters. Both the anime and manga were written by the same person (Shin Yoshida). While they start off more or less the same, they both go in different directions. In many cases the manga provides anime viewers with alternative situations to the anime.

The characters are more or less the same, though there are less of them than in the anime. This does mean that ... the starting set of characters get a lot of focus and it many ways end up being better characters than in the anime. This applies even to the power trio, who did actually get a lot of development in the anime. It also cuts down on the number of (important) antagonists, meaning that the antagonists we do have get more focus. This is in comparison to Zexal part I though, I would argue that the characters in part II of the anime were better.

The story is more or less the same as the anime, with Yuma and Astral working to collect all 100 number cards. They do face different opponents and therefore have to overcome different strategies and forms of adversity. For a 50 chapter manga, the story is pretty good. The pacing isn't bad either.

The strongest aspect of the Zexal manga was probably the duels - they were GREAT! Remember the original duels from duelist kingdom where characters thought outside the box and pulled out all sorts of creative yet logical strategies to grab the win? Now imagine if they did that while still following the rules. That's what Zexal did. The Zexal manga is aesthetically far better than any other Yugioh spinoff, with the Arc V manga being the only one that can compare (in my humble opinion).

Anyway, give it a shot. It's only 50 chapters and it's worth the time, especially if you enjoyed the Zexal anime. If you're one of those people that hated the beginning of Zexal and didn't get past the first 10 episodes, you should know that the story starts the same way but progresses to the meat of the story a lot faster - as early as the second volume even