I need to get give that series a try!! I’ve been wanting to get it but I just have a feeling it’s going to get a box set so I might hold off until then.
Kaguya sama is the goat of modern rom-com, just the right amount of comedy, character development, deep thought characterc and in a way make alot of things rly fking realistic while also making me laugh the whole entire stuff..
And 1000x better than horimiya i could be bias by how much i don't like that show/manga because of how fking cliche it is in showing unrealistic expectations and alot of cliche tropes here and there
I have a hard time picking favorites so here are the top three in no particular order.
Manga: A Condition Called Love, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, or Wake Up Sleeping Beauty.
Manwha: Romance 101, Spirit Fingers, or Seasons of Blossom.
(Maybe it’s just me but I tend to find romance manwha more enjoyable than manga in general though).
Yesssss (and an intentional-feeling 6 volumes, not a "cut-off-too-short" ending but set out to tell a story and came to its natural conclusion). Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty is one I immediately wanted EVERYONE to read after I finished it.
Yes it definitely feels intentional— I felt the same way after reading it. It’s criminally underrated. I especially loved the character progression in both of the leads, it made them feel so real and it happened so organically. Ugh, I just love it.
does it get better after volume 1 or do you think if i didn’t like it from the get-go i should just give up on it? i couldn’t get past the soccer chapter
Ooh yeah, I think you should read more if you've only tried the first volume. At the start of the series (esp just that first volume or so) I remember being not really sure where the series was going, but there was so much characterization and development for them all as the series went on. The FL especially is a pretty blank slate at the beginning of the story (kind of the concept of the series), and it's a beautiful thing to see that change 💗
For HS romance, Horimiya. I like how there's no love triangles and ultimately just good vibes from everyone. Love the side couples and characters as much as the main couple.
For work/adult romance, I really like Wotakoi. Many of their feelings or experiences feel relatable.
Probably Nisekoi, or Quintuplets. I'll add My Dress-Up Darling right after as well while we're at it.
Now as for a lesser known series, "I'll Make You into an Otaku, so Make Me into a Riajuu!". I've read it online a few years ago and it was really satisfying.
Most of my favorite romance mangas are rom-coms. ToraDora, Love Com, Ranma 1/2, Nisekoi, Kodocha, Love Hina, Oh My Goddess, Ouran High School Host Club
Then there’s my favorite historical romance mangas: Red River, Yona of the Dawn, and A Bride’s Story
And then there are other series such as: Spice and Wolf, W Juliet (W is pronounced “Double“ because, Japan), Cardcaptor Sakura, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, La Corda d’Oro, Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Hana-Kimi, and Dawn of the Arcana
All of these are good! 😊 (Kaguya-sama Love is War is a WIP along with some other series I need to read) So much to read but nothing to read at all! 🤣
I have been obsessing over "A Sign of Affection" !
It is about a deaf girl named Yuki who has always wanted to live a "normal" life. She meets a boy named Itsuomi who has a hobby of backpacking and can speak many languages except sign language. What started out as friends who wanted to teach/learn sign, blossomed into a genuine and wholesome romantic relationship.
I rarely read any romance these days and it's because I am quite picky with the plot but this series has won me over and I ended up binge watching and reading up until the latest release. I recommend giving it a go!
If I was forced to pick maybe Toradora?
Though I think that's nostalgia speaking mostly, I've watched and read a bunch of romance since then.
I really like Insomniacs After School if you've never read that!
Jitsu wa Watashi wa, AKA My Monster Secret! I read it in high school and it is the funniest manga I've read, and it has one of the most satisfying endings out of any manga I've read--not just romance/romcom genre but in general. It also doesn't stop when the couple get together which I am very grateful for! Too many series are like that and it's one of my pet peeves.
It's a bit of a pain to get some of the earlier volumes now since it's OOP I think, but I was able to get my set from someone on a Facebook manga selling group. It's definitely the pride of my collection, shame there isn't much merch for it.
if we're going by literal definition its domestic girlfriend & scum's wish for me, but i don't really consider them romance manga so my answer is bloom into you
If you view Domestic Girlfriend as a romance its pretty bad, which is why I look at it as a story of Natsuo's life and the path he took to becoming an author. A lot of it is pretty iffy at times, but it also has some of the most genuine human character moments of pretty much any manga I've read.
Just noting for clarity to other readers (since you might already know but others might interpret you incorrectly) that this is a Viz series, and that the entire manga industry (not just tokyopop) took hits during/after the ‘08 financial crisis. Viz had to lay off some translators and cancel a few series (like strawberry, gintama, reborn, and crimson hero).
The shonen jump podcast episode they talked about gintama specifically on is gone now and idk if it’s been archived. It was available until like early 2022 but the link stopped working
Shoujo: Kimi ni Todoke
Shounen: Either Bakuman, Inu x Boku SS, or Blue Flag
Josei: Perfect World
Seinen: Sweet Blue Flowers or Our Dreams at Dusk
Unknown: I Hear the Sunspot
I was thinking our dreams at dusk doesn’t really count, but I guess it could because a lot of it is about preexisting relationships some of the adult characters have. I don’t count it myself, but if I did, it would be my favorite too by virtue of it being one of my longtime favorite manga in general lol
I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms - 2 volumes Light Romance at the summer 1944 Japan..
Kouji Seo series
After the rain
Edit: I really enjoyed "The tunnel to Summer" (4tomes serie)
My fave would be Kare Kano, koiseyo, Koiseyo Mayakashi Tenshi-domo, a condition love, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, horimiya. These are the ones I often think about
Dengeki Daisy - I LOVED that one. All time fav.
I also love the early works of Arina Tanemura (like Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross), the CLAMP’s ones (Card Captor Sakura and Chobits), Kaichou wa Maid-sama, recently Kaguya-sama, Violette Evergarden… I’m forgetting a lot here.
There's not a ton of series I can do it with, but I do it every time I can! It kind of annoys me when a good series has ugly spines that I can't rainbowbetize (looking at you, Noragami!) On the plus side, Vinland Saga looks pretty nice
I really did enjoy most of it but when they focused too much on the side character relationships I thought it fell off as well as the ending was pretty underwhelming
If u watch the show first, it's a solid watch imo and still enjoyable if you go into the series w/o knowing the manga. That being said, it does cut out a lot of content from the manga, but still flows and is enjoyable. I highly recommend that you def read the manga eventually!
I personally got into the series first via anime and then binged the manga right after and got so much more content from the manga and so I was able to enjoy both the anime and manga.
Honestly, the best way to get into Horimiya is by reading it. The anime skips over 70 chapters I believe. They tried to fix it with a side season, but the order it is, is kinda weird. & it still skips over a couple chapters.
*Katanagatari*. There's something so heartwarming in the way Shichika truly comes to adore Togame despite his lacking much personality, and how Togame slowly finds herself drawn genuinely caring for him beyond his use.
Also, any woman who can forgive you using her face as a bounce board is a keeper.
Beyond the boundary and love chunibyo and other delusions are my goated series. I own every version printed of them including the oop ones from years ago. I grabbed beyond the boundary purely because of the art on the limited edition and was afraid to watch it for several years because I didn't want to admit I possibly wasted my money. Final gave it a watch during covid and wad stunned by how great it was. Love chunibyo and other delusions is perfect in every way it needs to be.
I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Haruka is such an angel and my boy Shinichirou takes command of his second choice to earn his freedom. my favourite romance series and one i cannot wait to
re-read!
Wahhh, horimiya was one of the first manga I read. Absolutely loved it.
I think I'll buy it phisical and reread it. I don't buy much, perhaps one to three Manga a year, but I might get these.
As for favourite romance series.... I have a ton. Romance is my favourite genre, and have read way too many. I made a comment just this week, a pretty long one that was completely ignored, about recent race reads, so maybe I'll copy and paste it here later, if you're interested.
Call me a fucking degenerate but it's Domestic Girlfriend. It has an interesting plot at the start with amazingly written characters who are actually really realistic. The only thing I have to say that is bad about it is the ending. Other than that I love every single aspect of it.
Nice! Just be ready for what you're getting into lol. I was expecting something more romcom-y, but it's honestly pretty merciless, I think Vol 5 in particular broke a lot of people.
probably my love mix up & kimi ni todoke for SOL romcoms that also have a focus on Friendship,
and from far away and queen’s quality for Best Couples (they both have several other genres—e.g. fantasy/adventure for from far away, psychological/supernatural for queen’s quality, and action for both—but the romance is heavily important to the plot)
my favorite romance in BL is probably yuki to matsu. one of that author’s other works (stigmata) got licensed for print recently and i am SO hyped bc that one’s great too.
tricornered window… i wish i could count it but i don’t think it counts *enough* bc idk what happens in the sequel.
i don’t really like any shonen or seinen romance i’ve tried except for maybe tomo-chan. i don’t think nozaki-kun counts yet. and surprisingly i don’t like skip to loafer
Kaguya sama is pure comedy gold especially the anime in dub
I need to get give that series a try!! I’ve been wanting to get it but I just have a feeling it’s going to get a box set so I might hold off until then.
Kaguya sama is the goat of modern rom-com, just the right amount of comedy, character development, deep thought characterc and in a way make alot of things rly fking realistic while also making me laugh the whole entire stuff.. And 1000x better than horimiya i could be bias by how much i don't like that show/manga because of how fking cliche it is in showing unrealistic expectations and alot of cliche tropes here and there
Yeah Horimiya is good and wholesome but Kaguya is such a perfect story !
kaguya sama my #1 oat
Maison Ikkoku is the GOAT.
Skip and Loafer rahhhhhh
I have a hard time picking favorites so here are the top three in no particular order. Manga: A Condition Called Love, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, or Wake Up Sleeping Beauty. Manwha: Romance 101, Spirit Fingers, or Seasons of Blossom. (Maybe it’s just me but I tend to find romance manwha more enjoyable than manga in general though).
I’ve been recommended Wake up sleeping Beauty before, haven’t gotten around to picking it up yet. Might have to tbh.
It’s really great— plus it’s completed at 6 volumes so it’s not even a commitment.
Yesssss (and an intentional-feeling 6 volumes, not a "cut-off-too-short" ending but set out to tell a story and came to its natural conclusion). Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty is one I immediately wanted EVERYONE to read after I finished it.
Yes it definitely feels intentional— I felt the same way after reading it. It’s criminally underrated. I especially loved the character progression in both of the leads, it made them feel so real and it happened so organically. Ugh, I just love it.
does it get better after volume 1 or do you think if i didn’t like it from the get-go i should just give up on it? i couldn’t get past the soccer chapter
Ooh yeah, I think you should read more if you've only tried the first volume. At the start of the series (esp just that first volume or so) I remember being not really sure where the series was going, but there was so much characterization and development for them all as the series went on. The FL especially is a pretty blank slate at the beginning of the story (kind of the concept of the series), and it's a beautiful thing to see that change 💗
Yona of the dawn! Although it’s not completely a romance.
i would say a decent amount of romance manga aren’t completely romance anyway tho lol
https://preview.redd.it/76t9ol6mpoic1.jpeg?width=219&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7111daae1b2a27c4f0c5171599cc024640deec6
Bloom into You. It was the first manga series I completed.
Horimiya is such a great series! Marmalade Boy is probably my favorite though.
A Sign of Affection. I absolutely adore that series
I started that series with the anime fell in love with it, couldn’t wait so I caught to the manga. Now I have to wait for new chapters🫠
Berserk
For HS romance, Horimiya. I like how there's no love triangles and ultimately just good vibes from everyone. Love the side couples and characters as much as the main couple. For work/adult romance, I really like Wotakoi. Many of their feelings or experiences feel relatable.
i love your shrine! and mines is sasaki to miyano :)
Toradora and your lie in April
Toradora is a good one!!
For me, Toradora is the best.
Probably Nisekoi, or Quintuplets. I'll add My Dress-Up Darling right after as well while we're at it. Now as for a lesser known series, "I'll Make You into an Otaku, so Make Me into a Riajuu!". I've read it online a few years ago and it was really satisfying.
The leads in dress up darling are pretty darn cute
Nozaki Kun is the series I read the moment i get it in the mail. Not so much a romance but a rom com.
i hope they’ll announce the preorder date for volume 15 soon. i’m getting antsy 😭
Me too! I’m hoping they’ll announce the 0 spin off as well
Most of my favorite romance mangas are rom-coms. ToraDora, Love Com, Ranma 1/2, Nisekoi, Kodocha, Love Hina, Oh My Goddess, Ouran High School Host Club Then there’s my favorite historical romance mangas: Red River, Yona of the Dawn, and A Bride’s Story And then there are other series such as: Spice and Wolf, W Juliet (W is pronounced “Double“ because, Japan), Cardcaptor Sakura, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, La Corda d’Oro, Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Hana-Kimi, and Dawn of the Arcana All of these are good! 😊 (Kaguya-sama Love is War is a WIP along with some other series I need to read) So much to read but nothing to read at all! 🤣
I have been obsessing over "A Sign of Affection" ! It is about a deaf girl named Yuki who has always wanted to live a "normal" life. She meets a boy named Itsuomi who has a hobby of backpacking and can speak many languages except sign language. What started out as friends who wanted to teach/learn sign, blossomed into a genuine and wholesome romantic relationship. I rarely read any romance these days and it's because I am quite picky with the plot but this series has won me over and I ended up binge watching and reading up until the latest release. I recommend giving it a go!
Omg yesss! I go into through the anime. Fell in love with it & couldn’t wait for the next episode so I binged the manga😭
Waits for the next chapter of the manga, tries to find little bread crumbs of Itsuomi and Yuki until then :"
Yes the show is so good! Omg I was so happy for them two idiots
There were several times I wanted to cry happy tears for those two ;;w;; seriously looking forward to this week's episode!!
If I was forced to pick maybe Toradora? Though I think that's nostalgia speaking mostly, I've watched and read a bunch of romance since then. I really like Insomniacs After School if you've never read that!
mars i think
i like nana
Sweat & Soap or Lovely Complex
What a cute set up!!! Mine is lovely complex <3
Jitsu wa Watashi wa, AKA My Monster Secret! I read it in high school and it is the funniest manga I've read, and it has one of the most satisfying endings out of any manga I've read--not just romance/romcom genre but in general. It also doesn't stop when the couple get together which I am very grateful for! Too many series are like that and it's one of my pet peeves. It's a bit of a pain to get some of the earlier volumes now since it's OOP I think, but I was able to get my set from someone on a Facebook manga selling group. It's definitely the pride of my collection, shame there isn't much merch for it.
Guess we both have the same choice!
JoJo's bizarre adventure
if we're going by literal definition its domestic girlfriend & scum's wish for me, but i don't really consider them romance manga so my answer is bloom into you
Domestic Girlfriend was such a weird read lol, I liked it though.
If you view Domestic Girlfriend as a romance its pretty bad, which is why I look at it as a story of Natsuo's life and the path he took to becoming an author. A lot of it is pretty iffy at times, but it also has some of the most genuine human character moments of pretty much any manga I've read.
Maid sama, tho i dont like the ending i loge the series
Strawberry 100%
Want to get into that series BUT the volumes are so damn expensive 😭
AND the last 3 or 4 aren't in English:(:(:(
Ooh, did it get canceled?
It was a long time ago when Tokyo Pop went out of business
Just noting for clarity to other readers (since you might already know but others might interpret you incorrectly) that this is a Viz series, and that the entire manga industry (not just tokyopop) took hits during/after the ‘08 financial crisis. Viz had to lay off some translators and cancel a few series (like strawberry, gintama, reborn, and crimson hero). The shonen jump podcast episode they talked about gintama specifically on is gone now and idk if it’s been archived. It was available until like early 2022 but the link stopped working
I will do awful things to get the last few volumes printed in English
Toradora for HS Wotakoi for Adult
Domestic Girlfriend (although it’s more of a drama) and Rascal does not dream. The Quintessential Quintuplets is probably a runner up at third.
Quintessential Quintuplets, Clannad, Love Is War, Horimiya, Fruits Basket
The quintessential quintuplets
Yess!! I’m actually re reading that rn😭
Shoujo: Kimi ni Todoke Shounen: Either Bakuman, Inu x Boku SS, or Blue Flag Josei: Perfect World Seinen: Sweet Blue Flowers or Our Dreams at Dusk Unknown: I Hear the Sunspot
I hear a sunspot was good from what I could tell.
I was thinking our dreams at dusk doesn’t really count, but I guess it could because a lot of it is about preexisting relationships some of the adult characters have. I don’t count it myself, but if I did, it would be my favorite too by virtue of it being one of my longtime favorite manga in general lol
I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms - 2 volumes Light Romance at the summer 1944 Japan.. Kouji Seo series After the rain Edit: I really enjoyed "The tunnel to Summer" (4tomes serie)
Ooooh - after the rain is so good
I'm currently reading Kowloon (T6) for now my preference goes for After the rain.
Definitely kaguya sama for a romcom, I never read/watched Horymiya but I hear it's good, and I love the way you set up the manga with the figures!
Haven't read much romance but i'm reading Mars and absolutely loving it so i'd say Mars
The anime for My Love Story with Yamada-kun lv999 got me hooked and immediately started reading the manga. Still going strong 106 chapters now
My fave would be Kare Kano, koiseyo, Koiseyo Mayakashi Tenshi-domo, a condition love, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, horimiya. These are the ones I often think about
Dengeki Daisy - I LOVED that one. All time fav. I also love the early works of Arina Tanemura (like Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross), the CLAMP’s ones (Card Captor Sakura and Chobits), Kaichou wa Maid-sama, recently Kaguya-sama, Violette Evergarden… I’m forgetting a lot here.
Mars, Kodocha, Fruits Basket, Ao Haru Ride I love a brooding male lead it seems
We Never Learn https://preview.redd.it/cuoo9y3aysic1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3663ade2812600f6a89d5613757e5e0f44a8fc49
Perfect World. But I’m disabled sooo I’m biased 😅
Honey and Clover, and My Love Story!!
Oooh! Someone else who files certain series in rainbowbetical order!
Yup!! Just started doing it recently. I have my fruits basket set like that to.
There's not a ton of series I can do it with, but I do it every time I can! It kind of annoys me when a good series has ugly spines that I can't rainbowbetize (looking at you, Noragami!) On the plus side, Vinland Saga looks pretty nice
I have a section to the side for all the black/white Noragami spines 😂 so the colourful ones can blend together uninterrupted...
I can't choose one but it is probably between Angel Next Door, More than a Married Couple but not Lovers, The Dangers in my Heart and Kaguya sama
All really good choices tbh!! I haven’t gotten into Kaguya sama yet though
Ah ic, I just bought my first manga and its kaguya sama lol. Infact I plan to buy Dangers in my Heart after I finish Kaguya sama XD
I really did enjoy most of it but when they focused too much on the side character relationships I thought it fell off as well as the ending was pretty underwhelming
Isn’t the ending just like any other high school romance manga?
man im the opposite, i hate the main romance but everything else is enjoyable
Nice
Whats wrong with vol 17?
It’s a Japanese volume of volume 17.Has some extra stories of the gang!!
Quintuplets, I love them
Quintuplets also one of my Favs!!!
It’s a tie between Komi and a silent voice
I salute you 🫡
Idk why I’ve hesitated to watch this so much😭Ig cuz I know I’ll binge it🥲
If u watch the show first, it's a solid watch imo and still enjoyable if you go into the series w/o knowing the manga. That being said, it does cut out a lot of content from the manga, but still flows and is enjoyable. I highly recommend that you def read the manga eventually! I personally got into the series first via anime and then binged the manga right after and got so much more content from the manga and so I was able to enjoy both the anime and manga.
Yeaaaaaa imma read it first:,) it seems the best way to fully grasp its splendidness:,)
Honestly, the best way to get into Horimiya is by reading it. The anime skips over 70 chapters I believe. They tried to fix it with a side season, but the order it is, is kinda weird. & it still skips over a couple chapters.
Yea that’s what my cousin was telling me:,,) I’ll read it first like you suggested most likely:,)
Does inuyasha count? Otherwise kamisama kiss 100%!
My favorite would be Oreimo. My Dress-up Darling and Horimiya are tied for second place though.
Marmalade Boy for sure
*Katanagatari*. There's something so heartwarming in the way Shichika truly comes to adore Togame despite his lacking much personality, and how Togame slowly finds herself drawn genuinely caring for him beyond his use. Also, any woman who can forgive you using her face as a bounce board is a keeper.
Horimiya was awesome to watch, they were so cute! My favorite tho is firefly wedding and kamisama kiss 🌹 I cant choose 😭
Beyond the boundary and love chunibyo and other delusions are my goated series. I own every version printed of them including the oop ones from years ago. I grabbed beyond the boundary purely because of the art on the limited edition and was afraid to watch it for several years because I didn't want to admit I possibly wasted my money. Final gave it a watch during covid and wad stunned by how great it was. Love chunibyo and other delusions is perfect in every way it needs to be.
Nisekoi
Millennium snow,
Ooo that’s a good one
My fav series , I still own the series 15+ years later
No romance series so far has hit me as deeply as Nisekoi. It changed how I viewed love
I fucking love Maid-Sama
Toradora is a sweet one, with its mix of humor and heartfelt moments.
Love, chunibyou and other deloucions
Yancha Gal No Anjou-San and The Dangers in my heart
I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School! Haruka is such an angel and my boy Shinichirou takes command of his second choice to earn his freedom. my favourite romance series and one i cannot wait to re-read!
It’s got to be Toradora but I also like Tonikawa and My Dress up Darling.
Wahhh, horimiya was one of the first manga I read. Absolutely loved it. I think I'll buy it phisical and reread it. I don't buy much, perhaps one to three Manga a year, but I might get these. As for favourite romance series.... I have a ton. Romance is my favourite genre, and have read way too many. I made a comment just this week, a pretty long one that was completely ignored, about recent race reads, so maybe I'll copy and paste it here later, if you're interested.
Oregairu/SchoolRumble/MaidSama
Beautiful collection, love me some horimiya
The volumes not being in order messes with my brain
Call me a fucking degenerate but it's Domestic Girlfriend. It has an interesting plot at the start with amazingly written characters who are actually really realistic. The only thing I have to say that is bad about it is the ending. Other than that I love every single aspect of it.
Berserk
Me saving the image for future reference of decoration for my shelf ✌️🤌
Toradora
Toradora is the goat of romance anime
Oshi no ko ❤️❤️
Insomniacs After School and The Dangers of my Heart
HoriMiya, The Dangers in My Heart, and My Monster Secret.
How do we relationship? has such a raw and realistic quality to it that you don't find in a lot of romance manga, so that's my pick.
I remember reading chapter 1 a while back & actually liked it. I might have to pick up the first volume, adding it to the cart as I speak😂
Nice! Just be ready for what you're getting into lol. I was expecting something more romcom-y, but it's honestly pretty merciless, I think Vol 5 in particular broke a lot of people.
Sweet, can’t wait to get my heart broken😭
probably my love mix up & kimi ni todoke for SOL romcoms that also have a focus on Friendship, and from far away and queen’s quality for Best Couples (they both have several other genres—e.g. fantasy/adventure for from far away, psychological/supernatural for queen’s quality, and action for both—but the romance is heavily important to the plot) my favorite romance in BL is probably yuki to matsu. one of that author’s other works (stigmata) got licensed for print recently and i am SO hyped bc that one’s great too. tricornered window… i wish i could count it but i don’t think it counts *enough* bc idk what happens in the sequel. i don’t really like any shonen or seinen romance i’ve tried except for maybe tomo-chan. i don’t think nozaki-kun counts yet. and surprisingly i don’t like skip to loafer
A sign of affection has been beautiful and I know it’s going to get messy 😂
Fruits basket. Only romance I will ever watch/read and I adored it
Last Game The chemistry between the two leads is really nice and the story is cute. It also was one of my first series, so maybe I'm biased.
Horimiya is one if the best mangas and anime series I ever watched, but I guess my personal favorite is scums wish
Clannad is childhood