Personal project / VS Code extension
Code through
the next arc.
MangaMode is a collection of anime and manga-inspired editor themes designed to keep long coding days readable, expressive, and easy on the eyes.
The starting point
Long sessions.
Less visual noise.
I created MangaMode because I wanted editor themes I could comfortably use throughout a full day of coding. Many colorful themes look exciting in a screenshot but become tiring when every hue is bright, every token demands attention, and the interface competes with the code.
The goal was not to remove personality. It was to control it: pair recognizable anime-inspired palettes with low-glare surfaces, restrained saturation, and syntax contrast that stays useful over time.
Design system
Character in the palette.
Calm in the editor.
Low glare
Dark variants start with subdued editor backgrounds rather than pure black. The light variant uses warm cream instead of stark white.
Controlled color
Each palette captures the identity of its source without turning every token into a competing focal point.
Useful contrast
Callable, structural, and literal tokens stay distinguishable while borders, scrollbars, and the minimap remain quiet.
Theme roster
Pick your
mode.
Six dark themes and one light theme translate familiar worlds into practical editor palettes. Each one has its own identity, but all follow the same readability-first rules.
One Piece
Ocean teals, muted reds, and a deep navy editor canvas.
Dragon Ball
Bold oranges and deep blues with the brightness kept in check.
Pokémon
Recognizable yellows balanced by soft greys and cool blues.
Demon Slayer
Charcoal foundations with water-blue and fire-red accents.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Dark violets and restrained cyan inspired by Hollow Purple.
DanDaDan
A deliberately strange mix of pink, green, and occult purple.
Sailor Moon
The first light variant, with warm cream and softened pastels.
Refinement
Details that
stay quiet.
Iteration focused on the parts of an editor that can create background fatigue. Bracket colors were reduced to three tonal shades per theme, diff states were matched to each palette, and borders were softened so the sidebar and tab strip recede.
Scrollbars and minimaps use lower-emphasis colors, while semantic highlighting keeps callable tokens visibly separate from structural ones. The result is still expressive, but the code remains the most important thing on screen.
Release
v1.2.0
Themes
7 variants
Compatibility
VS Code 1.85+
License
MIT