After… too many months, we’re back with 5 recommendations and a bonus for a valentine’s day full of heart-warming romance.
A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow (aka) Nettaigyo wa Yuki ni Kogareru
Who would have thought that the chill waters of an aquarium would be the place for love to spring?
A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow is a manga about the new transfer student: Konatsuki. She moves to a coastal town after her father gets a job abroad, leaving her to live with relatives.
The first person she interacts with is Koyuki, the other main character. Little do they know, they have a lot in common from their tendencies to worry, to hide their pain for the sake of others. The irony.
This story explores the need to live up to expectations imposed by parents and teachers. And how debilitating the sense of constant worry and self-criticism can be, even for the brightest of students. So, if you want to see two girls slowly fall for one another while building each other up, I recommend this manga.
MyAnimeList ranks it at a 7.74 but I would give it an 8 – only because they take a while to get together. But the slow burn is worth it. Read it and root for them. It’s an order.
Genre: GL: Seinen, Slice of Life, Romance, School Life
Mangaka: Makoto Hagino
Publisher: Dengeki Maoh
Published: 2017-2021
Vanilla Chocolate Cigarette
Vanilla Chocolate Cigarette by Panda is a sequel of sorts to Bitter Cigar but can be read by itself with no problem. In fact, I started with this one and was only pleasantly surprised to find out that there is another story I could read right after.
This manga follows Tsubaki Ryouji who’s just had a job transfer that puts him ill at ease in the sales department with Azuma Takumi, his charismatic senior. His new neighbours are the main pairing in Bitter Cigar. Everything is strange and new to Tsubaki from his friends who make him reconsider romantic relationships, to his loneliness in this big city to his biases.
I love art like Inoue Takehiko’s but shaky lines are my soft spot. Panda puts so much love and warmth in their art; every scene is lived in and every character expressive.
Genre: BL: Yaoi, Romance, Slice of Life, Office Romance
Mangaka: Panda/Kumaneko
Publisher: equal (Kasakura Shuppansha)
Published: 2018
An Ideal Wife
An Ideal Wife might sound like a weird manga to add to this list but listen. It’s really hard to find romance manga that doesn’t have weird sexism, queerphobia or racism. This manga doesn’t clear the bar – or rather, it has some of these problems but it does address them. So. Yeah, I’m not recommending this just as a romance but as a possibly unintentional comedy with a romance B plot.
An Ideal Wife is a manga adaptation of the 1998 book by the same name by Betty Neels. It was drawn by Shizuku Katsuragi in 2020 and follows Louisa Howarth a secretary at a clinic. A new doctor starts working at the clinic and she is assigned to help him. But this new doctor is fiancéd to a vain and cruel woman and Louisa herself is being chased by the self-important, sexist lawyer Percy Witherspoon. With her cunning, Louisa tries to rid them both of these terrible matches.
If you want some shenanigans in your romance or prefer your classic romance, definitely pick this one.
Genre: Josei: Romance
Mangaka: Betty Neels (writer), Shizuku Katsuragi (illustrator)
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Published: 2020
Kakkou no Yume
This is also a weird recommendation but Kakkou no Yume or the Cuckoo’s Dream by Tamekou is a pretty messed up psychological thriller you should absolutely read. It’s two volumes long with the first setting up the story while the second subverts your expectations. I couldn’t have been more thrilled by the way the story ends – bittersweet as it is.
The Cuckoo’s Dream is about Shougo Natsuka who has a crush on his perfect friend, the popular and handsome Hiro Hakushima. Out of fear for Hiro’s reputation – and just general fear of losing Hiro, he has never confessed his feelings. Now in college, Shougo sleeps with Seno. One day, Hiro and Seno end up in an accident with Hiro remaining in a coma whilst Seno wakes up some days later. However, everything points to Seno and Hiro having exchanged bodies.
This manga has a great story and riveting character arcs.
But keep in mind, this particular rec is for adults only.
Genre: BL: Yaoi, Drama, Psychological Thriller, (mature) Romance
Mangaka: Tamekou
Publisher: onBlue
Published: Feb 25, 2016 – Aug 25, 2017
Yagate Kimi ni Naru (aka) eventually I Will Become You (aka) Bloom into You
This wholesome shoujo ai is about Yuu who eagerly waits for the moment love will make her sprout wings and make her feel like a character in a shoujo manga. At the end of middle school, she gets confessed to, and yet no wings. Still firmly planted on the ground, she asks the boy to wait for her response. This numbness follows her to high school and after a month of deliberation, she’s capable of rejecting the guy. And it’s all thanks to her new friend and student council president: Nanami. She’s the only one who understands how Yuu feels.
The indifference they both feel when they get confessed to would make a reader think that maybe they’re just not into relationships. Yuu and Nanami know that empty pit that follows a confession and they don’t want to seem weird to others by expressing these feelings. Turns out, they’re perhaps into each other.
And lemme tell you how cute and sad these girls are. They have friends yet the distance between them and those who are supposed to be close to them is what brings them together. Whether it’s because people revere them, or if it’s because they find themselves incapable of relating to their friends, they know they have each other.
And have crushes on each other. You will be so hyped when they finally realise they’re on the same damn page.
I give it a 7/10, MyAnimeList gives it an 8.67. I’m only deducting marks because it’s not S tier. Otherwise, it’s a solid read. And if you’re unwilling to read it, there’s also an anime though, I promise nothing.
Genre: GL: Shounen, Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life, Shoujo Ai
Mangaka: Nio Nakatani
Publisher: Dengeki Daioh
Published: 2015-2019
Bonus: The Seasons, Nacchan and I
I had to add The Seasons, Nacchan and I to this list. It’s one of the best-drawn manga I’ve ever read. Still, I can understand how it might not hit home for some – seeing as it reads more like a series of skits. But trust me. This manga is full of heart-warming scenes with vibrant yet adorable characters. Definitely worth the read.
The Seasons, Nacchan and I by Sagan Sagan follows childhood friends as they fall in love and end up dating in high school. They have to face their diverging futures and the question of coming out to their friends. But mostly, it’s them being cute.
Genre: BL: Shounen Ai, Romance, Slice of Life, Comedy, School Life
Mangaka: Sagan Sagan
Publisher: Poe Backs
Published: May 21, 2021
These were six romance manga that we recommend. If you have any favourite romance manga, let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for more romance, check out our review of the adorable Our Dinning Table!
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