Manga like Kuchibiru Kara Sandanjuu

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii

Also known as Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku.

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

Narumi Momose has had it rough: every boyfriend she’s had dumped her once they found out she was an otaku, so she’s gone to great lengths to hide it. When a chance meeting at her new job with childhood friend, fellow otaku, and now coworker Hirotaka Nifuji almost gets her secret outed at work, she comes up with a plan to make sure he never speaks up. But he comes up with a counter-proposal: why doesn’t she just date him instead? In love, there are no save points.



Notes:
- Includes 29 extra chapters.
- The English edition combines 2 Japanese volumes into one each (so e.g. the first two Japanese volumes are combined into 1 English volume).

Tags: Otaku Culture , Primarily Adult Cast , Office Lady , Video Games , Heterosexual , Work , Episodic , Josei , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Meta , Iyashikei , Office , Ensemble Cast , Cosplay , Tsundere , Crossdressing , Chibi

Given

Also known as Given.

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

Ritsuka Uenoyama is bored with it all—with school, with his basketball club, and even with his one true passion: playing guitar. That is, until the day he finds his favorite hidden napping spot occupied by a strange boy cradling a broken-stringed guitar. At first, Uenoyama is nonplussed by Mafuyu Sato and his slightly odd behavior, but when, on a whim, he asks Mafuyu to sing, the power of that song pierces him to the core.



Tags: Boys' Love , Band , Rehabilitation , LGBTQ+ Themes , Musical Theater , Primarily Male Cast , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Unrequited Love , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Bisexual , School , Suicide , Urban , Josei , Love Triangle , Kuudere , Tsundere

Tomie

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Supernatural , Thriller

Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.



Notes:
- While a collection of mainly independent short stories, Tomie was originally published as Volumes 1 and 2 of the Ito Junji Kyofu Manga Collection. This entry is for the standalone release of Tomie first published in February 2000 with previously unreleased chapter "小指/Little Finger".
- Later collections such as the 'Complete Deluxe edition' by Viz combines this and the sequel entry Tomie: Again for a total of 20 chapters.
- The short story “Painter” has been adapted in the first part of episode 9 of Ito Junji: Collection.

Tags: Body Horror , Monster Girl , Gore , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Episodic , Josei , Male Harem , Yandere , Urban Fantasy , Nudity , Succubus , Bullying , Cannibalism , Demons , School

Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta

Also known as The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Music , Romance

Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya falls head over heels for an employee at a local CD shop. He's got an air of mystery about him, great style, and an impeccable music taste. Little does she know—this supposedly male employee is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! Mitsuki generally keeps to herself, but since her seat is right next to Aya's, she can't help but be extremely aware of the other's crush. Revealing the truth is out of the question for Mitsuki—but perhaps getting closer to Aya wouldn't be so bad...



Tags: Female Protagonist , Yuri , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tomboy , Josei , Rock Music , Gyaru , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Work , School , Iyashikei , Fashion

My Broken Mariko

Also known as My Broken Mariko.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Tomoyo Shiino has stood by her friend Mariko through years of abuse, abandonment, and depression. However horrific her circumstances, their friendship has been the one reassuring constant in Mariko's life-and Tomoyo's too. That is, until Tomoyo is utterly blindsided by news of Mariko's death. In life, Tomoyo felt powerless to help her best friend out of the darkness that ultimately drove her over the edge. Now, Tomoyo is determined to liberate Mariko's ashes for one final journey together... to set free her dear, broken Mariko.



Notes:
- Includes the one-shot "YISKA".
- includes the extra "Home Sweet Home!".

Tags: Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Suicide , Josei , Primarily Adult Cast , Coming of Age , Primarily Female Cast , Rehabilitation , Philosophy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yuri

Chihayafuru

Also known as Chihayafuru.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sports

Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game.

Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all because of her unbelievable natural talent for the game. Don't miss this story of adolescent lives and emotions playing out in the most dramatic of ways!



Notes:
- It won the 2nd Manga Taisho Award and the 35th annual Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shoujo.
- It was nominated for the 20th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2016.

Tags: Karuta , Josei , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , School Club , Card Battle , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast , Educational , Ensemble Cast , Slapstick , School , Tomboy , POV , Heterosexual , Bullying

Paradise Kiss

Also known as Paradise Kiss.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashionistas calling themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends 22 own exclusive clothing model.



Tags: Josei , Fashion , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , School , Heterosexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Meta , Bisexual , Love Triangle , Transgender , Ensemble Cast , Time Skip , Nudity

Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi

Also known as My Senpai is Annoying.

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

Igarashi is a hardworking young office lady. Takeda, the senpai above her at work, annoys her constantly–and yet she finds herself growing closer to him. Every day is filled with comic mishaps and romantic moments as Igarashi tries to balance work, life, and love.



Notes:
- Comic POOL chapters are included in this entry, as they are included in the print release alongside the original serialization.
- Originally published on Twitter and collated by Ichijinsha for print release.
- Now serialized in Ichijinsha's Comic POOL.

Tags: Office Lady , Full Color , Female Protagonist , Tsundere , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Heterosexual , Josei , Office , Ensemble Cast , Slapstick , Age Gap , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yuri , Crossdressing

Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi

Also known as The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Sparks fly between the handsome descendant of a snow spirit and the oblivious coworker he has a crush on! A romantic comedy in an office setting that takes coworkers to lovers to new heights within a winter wonderland of emotions!

Himuro is a modern-day ice god, an ordinary office worker who just so happens to be the descendant of a snow spirit. He's also besotted with his coworker Fuyutsuki, who's a little unusual herself. At first glance, the pair both seem to be calm, cool, and collected. But beneath Himuro's icy good looks rages a passionate blizzard of love! On the other hand, his coworker's cool facade belies nothing about any feelings she might have for Himuro in return⁠-because she's too oblivious to realize anything! What's a snowman in love to do?



Note: Originally uploaded to Twitter, after nine chapters it was serialized by GANGANpixiv, where it is being republished and now continues.

Tags: Heterosexual , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Youkai , Office Lady , Kemonomimi , Super Power , Josei , Work , Kuudere , Episodic , Iyashikei , Urban Fantasy , Office

Brutal: Satsujin Keisatsukan no Kokuhaku

Also known as Brutal.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

The manga centers on homicide detective Hiroki Dan, the son of a former police superintendent general, and who seems to be on the fast track to career success. He maintains a hidden identity as a serial killer responsible for more than a hundred murders of people he deems beyond the reach of the law.



Tags: Crime , Detective , Anti-Hero , Sadism , Gore , Torture , Male Protagonist , Josei , Episodic , Nudity ,

Kuragehime

Also known as Princess Jellyfish.

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

Tsukimi Kurashita has a strange fascination with jellyfish. She’s loved them from a young age and has carried that love with her to her new life in the big city of Tokyo. There, she resides in Amamizukan, a safe-haven for girl geeks who regularly gush over a range of things from trains to Japanese dolls. However, a chance meeting at a pet shop has Tsukimi crossing paths with one of the things that the residents of Amamizukan have been desperately trying to avoid—a beautiful and fashionable woman! But there’s much more to this woman than her trendy clothes! This odd encounter is only the beginning of a new and unexpected path for Tsukimi and her friends.



Note: Chapter count includes 10 extra chapters

Tags: Josei , Female Protagonist , Fashion , Crossdressing , Foreign , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Otaku Culture , Language Barrier , Primarily Adult Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Found Family , Urban , Makeup , Age Gap , Drawing , Male Harem , Gender Bending , Animals , Coming of Age

Tsukiatte Agete mo Ii ka na

Also known as How Do We Relationship?.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Shy Miwa has always dreamed of finding love, but living in small-town Japan made finding the right match difficult—especially since she likes girls! Even going away to college didn’t seem to help, until one day her outgoing classmate Saeko suggests they might as well start dating each other since it’s not like either of them has other options.

At first it seems like things won't work out as their personalities clash and misunderstandings abound. But when their casual friendship starts to become something more, Miwa begins to wonder—can a pragmatic proposal lead to true love?



Note: This series is a reimagining of tmfly’s earlier OC doujinshi of the same name.

Tags: Coming of Age , Yuri , LGBTQ+ Themes , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Nudity , Unrequited Love , Psychosexual , Josei , Love Triangle , Band , School Club , Rehabilitation

Kakukaku Shikajika

Also known as Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

High schooler Akiko has big plans to become a popular mangaka before she even graduates, but she needs to get much better at drawing if she ever wants to reach her goal. Looking for an easy fix, she signs up for an art class, thinking all her problems will soon be solved. She’s in for a surprise: her new instructor is a sword-wielding taskmaster who doesn’t care about manga one bit. But maybe this unconventional art teacher is just what she needs to realize her dreams!



Notes:
- Kakukaku Shikajika is an autobiography detailing the life of author Akiko Higashimura.
- The manga won the Grand Prize at the 8th Manga Taisho Award in 2015.

Tags: Drawing , Coming of Age , Otaku Culture , Teacher , Autobiographical , Josei , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Non-fiction , College , Time Skip , Meta , Work , Writing , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural , Swordplay , Philosophy , Educational , Mopeds

Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...

Also known as My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Romance , Slice of Life

At the age of eight, Katarina, a girl of noble birth in another world, has an accident that unlocks her memories–of playing an otome game that’s exactly like the life she’s living now. There’s one problem: she realizes that she’s playing the role of the villainess, and only bad endings await her! What will it take for her to “break the game” and live a happy life?



Tags: Female Protagonist , Reincarnation , Villainess , Isekai , Josei , Time Skip , Royal Affairs , Mixed Gender Harem , School , Parody , Magic , Twins , Bisexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Super Power , Work

Usagi Drop

Also known as Bunny Drop.

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

When 30-year-old Daikichi returns home for his grandfather's funeral he meets an unfamiliar child in the garden. His mother explains that Rin is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter by an unknown mother. The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and nobody wants to take her in because of the scandal. Annoyed by their attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience raising a child.

Tags: Family Life , Age Gap , Adoption , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Josei , Inseki , Coming of Age , Love Triangle , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Iyashikei , Parenthood , Work , School

Veil

Also known as Veil.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

A chance encounter. A handsome soldier. A beautiful woman. A tentative love affair smolders on the snowy cobblestone streets, out of sight of those that might keep them apart.

Veil is a beautifully illustrated full-color romance manga, told in stylish short vignettes, beautiful illustrations, and secret moments.



Tags: Foreign , Heterosexual , Josei , Primarily Adult Cast , Disability , Fashion , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Episodic , Full Color , Police

Hotaru no Yomeiri

Also known as Firefly Wedding.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Romance

It is the Meiji era. Satoko is born of a prestigious family and blessed with great beauty, but she is sickly and is said to have a limited life expectancy, so her only dream is… a convenient marriage to benefit her family. But suddenly, she is targeted by a mysterious assassin...!? Trying to survive, Satoko makes a desperate "proposal" to the killer...!? A high-class lady and an assassin... A suspenseful love story about a contract marriage between two people who never should've met!



Tags: Yandere , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Ojou-sama , Historical , Marriage , Assassins , Tragedy , Josei , Disability , Zombie , Prostitution , Love Triangle , Gore , Bullying , Dissociative Identities , Nudity , Orphan , Survival , Unrequited Love

Kakeochi Girl

Also known as Run Away With Me, Girl.

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

Maki's first love was her high school classmate, a girl named Midori. But Midori broke up with Maki at graduation, saying they were now "too old to be fooling around dating girls." Ten years later, Maki still can’t get Midori off her mind, and when the two women reconnect after a chance encounter, Maki realizes that, while her feelings haven’t changed, Midori has long moved on—in fact, she's engaged. Yet the more Maki hears Midori talk about her soon-to-be-husband, the more red flags she notices. And Midori has another secret, one she hasn’t yet shared with Maki. Will it be the last blow to Maki's hopes that their romance might be rekindled? Or will it be the push that sets them on a new path—one they'll travel together?



Notes:
- The series was published in 3 print volumes and 4 digital volumes in Japan. The official English translation follows the 3-volume print release.
- Chapter count includes 3 extras from the print release.

Tags: Yuri , Josei , LGBTQ+ Themes , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Marriage , Bisexual , Time Skip , Nudity

Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura Boss desu ga Maou de wa Arimasen

Also known as Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

A college student finds herself resurrected as Eumiella, an evil daughter of the nobility in the world of an Otome RPG that she played in her previous life. In the RPG, Eumiella isn’t worth thinking about at first, but in the endgame content she returns as a hidden boss, complete with ridiculous stats that put her on par with even the game’s heroes.

After being essentially abandoned by her parents at their family domain, the flames of Eumiella’s former gamer soul are ignited, and she takes to leveling, and leveling, and leveling, until...at the time of enrolling in the Royal Academy, she discovers that she is level 99. Though she’d originally planned to live a peaceful and discreet life, the game’s heroine and her love interests suspect that Eumiella is in fact the infamous Demon Lord.

These ridiculous powers invite all manner of trials and tribulations.

So begins the fantasy tale of a most powerful, evil hidden boss (who wishes she could just live a life of peace and quiet).

Tags: Female Protagonist , School , Villainess , Isekai , Demons , Ojou-sama , Reincarnation , Magic , Kuudere , Josei , Male Protagonist , Dragons

Perfect World

Also known as Perfect World.

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

26-year-old Tsugumi Kawana reunites with her first crush from high school, Itsuki Ayukawa, at a get-together between an architecture firm and the interior design company she works at. He sends her heart aflutter, until she realizes he's now disabled, and in a wheelchair. At first she feels she couldn't date a guy in a wheelchair, but then her feelings begin to change...



Tags: Disability , Josei , Love Triangle , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Work , Tragedy , Adoption , Urban , Parenthood