Manga like Sora Yori Takaku

Hadashi no Gen

Also known as Barefoot Gen.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

1945, Japan. Gen Nakaoka is a spirited six-year-old boy who lives with his poor yet loving family in wartime Hiroshima. As the second World War rages on, Gen's father Daikichi stands among the few outspoken who are opposed to the emperor and stand for the innocent civilians bearing the brunt of the war. However, in a society with nothing but feverous support for their nation, Gen and his family are ostracized as traitors. Unbeknownst to them, a terrible fate awaits the people of Hiroshima...

One quiet morning, the US forces drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In an instant, the city is completely destroyed, leaving thousands dead and many more exposed to radiation. Though Gen manages to survive the blast, he finds his life irreversibly changed. Regrouping with what's left of his family, Gen must now grapple with starvation, destitution, and an unsympathetic public who see survivors as little more than disease-ridden beggars.

Based on author Keiji Nakazawa's real-life experiences, Hadashi no Gen follows Gen and his fellow survivors in their struggle to survive in post-war Hiroshima. Gen resolves to soldier on with unwavering determination, while never forgiving those who caused the atrocity, never forgetting the pain of the bomb, and never letting his spirit be broken by the tragedy.

Tags: Tragedy , Historical , Delinquents , Adoption , War , Found Family , Autobiographical , Male Protagonist , Gore , Body Horror , Coming of Age , Shounen , Crime

Gabai

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Gabai Granny is based on the bestseller Saga No Gabai Baachan (Gabai Granny from Saga), which is penned by comedian Shimada Yoshichi as he recounts his childhood memories of growing up under the care of his grandmother.

This is the story of a young boy, after being sent from Hiroshima to Saga (10 years after the second World War, in 1958) by his mom because of a lack of money, journeying to a faraway place, and living in conditions alien to him, definitely makes him miss home. Worse, he is not familiar with his grandmother and her ways too. But with his Gabai Granny, he will slowly discover with his growing pains, just how resourceful Granny is...



Tags: Family Life , Seinen , Rural , Iyashikei , Historical , School

Hinemosu no Tari Nikki

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

After a long carrier and satisfyine life, Chiba Tetsuya only desires tranquility and peace. Through flash-back scenes, the 1939-born author remembers the big moments in his life, his youth under the U.S. bombings, the exile from Tôkyô, his recklessness in those times, but also his carrier, his beginnings, the hard moments, Tezuka's death... an extraordinary life tale filled with a refreshing positivism. A rare testimony by a master storyteller.

Tags: Autobiographical , Full Color , Seinen , Historical , Drawing , War

Shirahata no Shoujo

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

April 1945, Okinawa. While Japan has been at war for some time now, the small tropical island of Japan still seems untouched by conflict. It is there that little Tomiko lives in joy and good humor, despite the absence of her mother. However, when the bombing begins and her father has to go to the warfront, her daily life changes. Now, she will have to survive... survive against all odds!!

Tags: Autobiographical , Survival , War , Female Protagonist , Shoujo , Historical , Gore

Souin Gyokusai seyo!

Also known as Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths is his first book to be translated into English and is a semiautobiographical account of the desperate final weeks of a Japanese infantry unit at the end of World War II. The soldiers are told that they must go into battle and die for the honor of their country, with certain execution facing them if they return alive. Mizuki was a soldier himself (he was severely injured and lost an arm) and uses his experiences to convey the devastating consequences and moral depravity of the war.



Note: Won Best U.S. Edition of International Material at the Eisner Awards in 2012.

Tags: Historical , Military , War , Autobiographical , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Seinen , Guns , Suicide

Areyo Hoshikuzu

Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life

Kadokawa describes Areyo Hoshikuzu's story as a "bromance in the ruins of Tokyo." Kawashima Tokutarou, a drunk in the city's burnt-down rubble, reunites with his old World War II comrade Kuroda Kadomatsu just over one year after Japan's defeat. The manga depicts the daily life in the underworld of post-war Japan, including the black market, the "pan-pan girl" prostitutes and the government's euphemistic "Comfort Facilities," and the war orphans.

Note: Winner of the 23rd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Awards in 2019 for New Creator.

Tags: Historical , Seinen , Primarily Male Cast , War

Ashita Kakeru!

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Driven by his childhood dreams, Shunpei wanted to become a screenwriter. However, neither his friends nor his family expected him to succeed. Out of high school, he left home soaring into the unknown, with the sole ambition of telling the most beautiful story.

Tags: Male Protagonist , Writing , Seinen