Manga like Boys on the Run

Ciguatera

Also known as Ciguatera.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life

This coming-of-age tale from contemporary master Minoru Furuya centers on seventeen-year-old Yusuke Ogino, a self-described loser whose only refuge from the bullying hell he experiences at school is his dream of freedom on a motorcycle. But the unexpected entrance of a beautiful young woman into his life threatens to upend his whole world, forcing him to re-evaluate his relationships and even his sense of self. Instantly relatable and painfully honest, Furuya’s manga blends pitch-black humor with pathos and the awkward realities of everyday life to produce a quintessential tale of youth. The meticulous yet uninhibited art swings from stark realism to laugh-out-loud caricature, while nuanced characters and complex emotions help Ciguatera transcend the bounds of genre to take its rightful place as one of the great masterpieces of graphic storytelling.



Tags: School , Psychosexual , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Seinen , Bullying , Motorcycles , Nudity

Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa

Also known as The Legend of the Strongest, Kurosawa!.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Psychological

Kurosawa is sick and tired of his boring, ordinary life growing old as the less popular site foreman in Anahira Construction. The turning point comes when his 44th birthday comes along, and no one remembers or celebrates with him. Realizing he lived a life without drive or purpose, Kurosawa tries to go past his comfort zone to turn his life around. Will his newfound shenanigans help him or hurt him when he gets caught up in fights with delinquents?



Tags: Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Delinquents , Bullying , Seinen , Work , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Homeless , Urban , Satire , Nudity , Samurai , Bar , Age Gap

Ressentiment

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Ecchi , Sci-Fi

A story set in the near future, about a middle-aged loser whose only refuge is a virtual bishoujo game.

Takurou, the main character, is a stereotyped, low self-esteem, adult male in a dead-end job. Because he feels he has nothing to live for, he let himself go, becoming fat, miserable, and lonely. The only shining thing he lives for is the occasional visit to a brothel where his savings will allow him to at least not be completely sexless. This is when, through a real-life friend of his, he is introduced to the virtual reality world of "The Unreal." Where, after spending $6000+ on equipment, you can purchase a virtual girlfriend who only thinks of you. Only the girl, Tsukiko, that Takurou purchases, seems to have come with a few defects.



Tags: Virtual World , Otaku Culture , Seinen

Himizu

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Every day in Japan, 2500 people die due to any number of causes. Do you think you'll be one of the ones to die? No, of course not. Do you think you'll win the lottery? You'd like to think so, we all would. But Sumida is different. He wants the status quo to remain in every way; live a normal life, get a normal job, have normal kids, never to be anyone fortunate or unfortunate, content in normalcy. Anyone who doesn't agree is foolish, doomed to live their life scraping up a mountain that they can never conquer, fated to die in despair wishing things had been better.

When his mother kicks his father out of the house and onto the streets, he thinks he'll be fine. When his mother leaves him to live with her boyfriend, he makes the best of it. When he realizes that he's no longer average, he strives to make his life worthwhile the only way he knows how. When the demons in the back of his mind speak to him, he tries his best to ignore them.

Tags: Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Denpa , Suicide , Crime , Seinen , Philosophy , Psychosexual , Male Protagonist , Yakuza , Nudity

Sekitou Elegy

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Satoshi Yanagawa is working part-time as a police assistant, and works with a beautiful girl that he likes at first sight. But she has a pretty bad character. Are there any prospects for romance? Read on to find out, the story is hilarious at certain moments, and touching at others.

Tags: Seinen , Work , Delinquents , Coming of Age , Love Triangle

Holyland

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Psychological

Yuu is a high school kid who doesn't really fit anywhere. To find a place he can belong, be accepted, he will do anything. However one thing leads to another and he is forced to fight to keep his place, his holyland.

Tags: Martial Arts , Gangs , Delinquents , Philosophy , Boxing , Coming of Age , Primarily Male Cast , Bullying , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Educational , Drugs , Suicide , Tragedy , Meta

Aku no Hana

Also known as The Flowers of Evil.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance

The story opens as middle school student Takao Kasuga receives an F on a math test. But he doesn't even seem to notice because he's too engrossed in surreptitiously reading Beaudelaire's The Flowers of Evil. And the day goes downhill from there. In a moment of weakness, he finds and takes home the gym clothes belonging to sweet, pretty Nanako Saeki on whom he has a major crush. Unfortunately for Takao, there's a witness to the theft: Nakamura, who has a huge chip on her shoulder and a sadistic streak.

As the saga unfolds, we see Takao struggling to decide whether to confess or cover up his misdeeds at the same time that he tries to win over the girl of his dreams, and avoid the blackmail attempts of Nakamura, his new ”BFF.”

Smart, funny, and emotionally engaging, The Flowers of Evil introduces a character who's not a hero, but just an ordinary teenager in search of true love and real friendship.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Coming of Age , Psychosexual , Philosophy , Denpa , Love Triangle , Rehabilitation , School , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Time Skip , Sadism , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Suicide , Female Protagonist , Writing , Shounen , Rural , Heterosexual , Urban , Blackmail , Nudity , Crossdressing

Bokutachi ga Yarimashita

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life , Thriller

Although satisfied with his average lifestyle, Tobio Masubuchi wishes for a long and fun existence, hoping that nothing will get in his way. Alongside his good friends Sho Isami, Yuki "Maru" Maruyama, and Hidero "Paisen" Kosaka, the group passes each day worry free, doing as they please. But when delinquents from a neighboring school overhear Maru saying that they should die, their troubles begin.

After being kidnapped and brutally assaulted, Maru is found by his friends, who are shocked to see what has been done to him. Angry, Tobio proposes that they take immediate revenge, and after deciding how they should do so, the four put their plan into action. But when what should have been just a prank turns deadly, Tobio's aspirations for an undisturbed life are shattered forever.



Tags: Seinen , Tragedy , Terrorism , Philosophy , Primarily Male Cast , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Satire , Revenge , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Delinquents , Ensemble Cast , Suicide , Nudity , Time Skip , Crime , Age Gap

Kiichi!!

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Left to himself at an early age in the slummiest parts of today’s Japan, Kiichi learns how to survive on his own. As a teenager, how can he adapt to a society whose rules he rejects? Unless he creates his own rules… Kiichi, a raw icon of strength and integrity, stands alone against the world’s injustice and becomes an unforgettable character.

Tags: Conspiracy , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Seinen , Philosophy , Crime , Urban , Politics , Bullying , Orphan , Prostitution , Terrorism , Nudity , Primarily Child Cast , Time Skip , Homeless , Yakuza , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crossdressing , Hikikomori , Aliens , Photography

Oyasumi Punpun

Also known as Goodnight Punpun.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Slice of Life

Meet Punpun Punyama. He’s an average kid in an average town.
He wants to win a Nobel Prize and save the world.
He wants the girl he has a crush on to like him back.
He wants to find some porn.
That’s what he wants, but what does he get…?



Tags: Coming of Age , Seinen , Tragedy , Philosophy , Denpa , Psychosexual , Suicide , Urban , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Time Skip , Surreal Comedy , Fugitive , Meta , School , Cult , Gods , Work , Nudity , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Religion , Ghost