Top Coastal Manga Recommendations

Grand Blue

Also known as Grand Blue Dreaming.

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

After moving out on his own to a seaside town, Iori Kitahara makes a college debut he never anticipated. A new chapter of his life unfolds, full of diving with beautiful girls and shenanigans with a gaggle of lovable bastards! Idiot-expert Kenji Inoue and au naturel authority Kimitake Yoshioka bring you a glorious college tale filled with booze-fueled antics!



Tags: Slapstick , Surreal Comedy , Male Protagonist , College , Seinen , Primarily Adult Cast , Nudity , Coastal , Bar , Scuba Diving , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Otaku Culture , Kuudere , Meta , Female Harem , Tsundere , Bisexual , Gore , Yandere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Gyaru

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

Also known as Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.

Status: Finished
Genres: Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Set hundreds of years in the future after an environmental catastrophe, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (also known as Yokohama Shopping Log) centers on the simple life of Alpha, an android who runs a small coffee shop in coastal Japan. Alpha stands witness to chronicle the end of humanity’s days with coffee, a slice of watermelon, and the sound of her moon guitar backed by distant seagulls. Quiet and bittersweet, this tale is about the melancholy beauty that can be found even as the end approaches.



Tags: Iyashikei , Coastal , Female Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Rural , Robots , Time Skip , Lost Civilization , Seinen , Artificial Intelligence , Episodic , Travel , Work , Mopeds , Yuri , Family Life , Restaurant , Motorcycles , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity

Sachi-iro no One Room

Also known as One Room of Happiness.

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

That day, she was abducted. But to her, that abduction was a ray of hope -- the beginning of a new life. The girl promises to marry her abductor, and the abductor offers plenty of "happiness." This is the story of an abductor and his victim... How could it be so warm?
Note: Chapter count includes one bonus chapter.

Tags: Denpa , Rehabilitation , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Crime , Philosophy , Suicide , Detective , Found Family , Yandere , Age Gap , Homeless , Heterosexual , Delinquents , Coastal , Time Skip , Primarily Adult Cast , Crossdressing

Gyo

Also known as Gyo.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

The floating smell of death hangs over the island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene... So begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror and stench of the sea. Here is the creepiest masterpiece of horror manga ever from the creator of Uzumaki, Junji Ito. Hold your breath until all is revealed.

Something's rotten in Okinawa...



Included one-shots:
Volume 2:
Daikokubashira Hiwa (大黒柱悲話, The Sad Tale of the Principal Post)
Amigara no Dansou no Kai (阿修羅断層の怪, The Enigma of Amigara Fault)

Tags: Seinen , Body Horror , Tragedy , Animals , Gore , Male Protagonist , Cosmic Horror , Primarily Adult Cast , Survival , Pandemic , Urban , Coastal , Circus , Cyborg , Time Skip , Nudity

Umibe no Étranger

Also known as Seaside Stranger: Umibe no Étranger.

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

"There's nothing wrong with liking another guy."

To be in the arms of the person I love... I thought that was an unobtainable dream......... On an island off the coast of Okinawa, two young men meet on a beach. Shun Hashimoto is gay and aspires to be a novelist. He is interested in Mio Chibana, a somber high school student, and starts to flirt with him. Day by day, the two of them grow closer, but then, suddenly, Mio decides to leave the island. Three years later, Mio returns and approaches Shun with the words, "I've thought about it for the past three years. I like you, Shun, even if you're a guy." However, when faced with the prospect of finally becoming lovers with Mio, Shun cannot take the first step towards commitment...

This is a tantalizing love story about a gay novelist and a younger part-time worker. It's a manga that will touch and purify your heart.



Tags: Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , Time Skip , Writing , Coastal , Nudity , Love Triangle , Yuri , Cohabitation

Pocket Monsters SPECIAL

Also known as Pokémon Adventures.

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

Red is just a normal kid living in the rural Pallet Town, when he decides to go out on his own adventure, along with his rival since childhood, Green. In this world of Pokemon, he makes many friends, humans and Pokemon alike. However, all is not well. Team Rocket is trying to capture Mew, a very rare Pokemon, and is performing experiments on other Pokemon, trying to increase their power. Red and his friends must battle against Team Rocket to stop their cruel experiments and unlock the secrets of Pokemon.


Tags: Travel , Animals , Primarily Child Cast , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Proxy Battle , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Tomboy , Criminal Organization , Urban Fantasy , Creature Taming , Video Games , Kids , Gangs , Tragedy , Coastal , Ojou-sama , Cult , Detective , Slapstick , Super Power , Time Skip , Time Manipulation , Estranged Family , Shapeshifting , Acting , School , Environmental

Barakamon

Also known as Barakamon.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

For a certain reason, a handsome, young calligrapher by the name of Seishuu Handa uproots himself and moves to an island on the westernmost edge of Japan. "Sensei," as he comes to be known, is a city boy through and through, and has never experienced rural life until now. And by the looks of it, he has much to learn! Luckily(?), he has a willing teacher in Naru, the energetic expert islander, to help show him the ropes. But can Sensei keep up with the plucky first-grader, or will he get schooled?! Here unfolds a heartfelt island comedy about a gruff on the outside, soft on the inside urbanite teacher and his new, unfailingly kind island neighbors!



Notes: - One extra and four side stories are included in volume 18+1. - Original serialization was completed on 2018-12-12 with 18 volumes (139 chapters). - A new limited-run serialization was started on 2023-04-12 and ended on 2023-09-12 in Monthly Shounen Gangan, in conjunction with the TV-drama adaptation. This new run adds 7 chapters and 1 volume to the total count.

Tags: Family Life , Iyashikei , Calligraphy , Rural , Found Family , Work , Male Protagonist , Coastal , Food , Rehabilitation , Teacher , Fishing , Shounen , Cars , Agriculture , Tomboy , Crossdressing , Cycling

Dwaejiuri

Also known as PIGPEN.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

A relaxing getaway in paradise, or a death trap? A young man wakes up on a breathtaking beach, but he has no idea who he is or how he got there. Try as he might to piece it all together, untangling this mind-bending mystery won’t be easy when every clue leads to more maddening questions... and the family that welcomes him into their home is not what they seem.



Note: Includes the prologue.

Tags: Amnesia , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Male Protagonist , Achronological Order , Full Color , Rehabilitation , Survival , Alternate Universe , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural , Tragedy , Coastal , Software Development , Crime , Long Strip , Wilderness

Nettaigyo wa Yuki ni Kogareru

Also known as A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow.

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

Konatsu is doing her best to adapt to her new school, but being required to join a club has introduced additional pressures. Her friendly classmate Kaede invites her to join the Home Ec Club, but Konatsu hasn’t even had time to consider which club she’s interested in. Meanwhile, Koyuki is like a ray of sunshine in Konatsu’s cloudy world. Will Konatsu join the Aquarium Club?



Tags: Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Animals , School , Coastal , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Yuri , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Fishing

Harukaze no Étranger

Also known as Seaside Stranger: Harukaze no Étranger.

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

Shun and Mio connected on their small island near Okinawa, leading to a friendship and eventual romance. But Shun’s quiet home by the seaside started with pain–he left his hometown after his parents disowned him for being gay. That inescapable fact still haunts him, especially now that his father is ill. Shun is ready to go back to Hokkaido to see his parents again, but this time, he has Mio by his side. Mio has complicated feelings about this himself, as he was devastated by the loss of his own parents and now might not be accepted by Shun’s–what will this trip mean for him?



Tags: Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Iyashikei , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Nudity , Writing , Age Gap , Coastal

Fujimoto Tatsuki Tanpenshuu: 22-26

Also known as Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22-26.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Ecchi , Psychological , Romance , Supernatural

Killer mermaids, gender swapping, and a devilish little sister with the power to end the world—four more unforgettable short stories that reveal the starting point of Tatsuki Fujimoto, the twisted mastermind behind Chainsaw Man.



1. Ningyo Rhapsody (2014)
2. Me wo Sametara Onnanoko ni Natteita Yamai (2017)
3. Yogen no Nayuta (2015)
4. Imouto no Ane (2018)

Tags: Anthology , School , Mermaid , Fishing , Coastal , Gender Bending , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity

Geunyeoui Simcheong

Also known as Her Tale of Shim Chong.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Based on a Korean folktale, two very different women find themselves making the same wish - to leave this world behind. One is Shim Chong, a young beggar living off the kindness of others to support herself and her blind father. The other is the bride-to-be of old Chancellor Jang, sold off to him for the sake of her family. When Shim Chong rescues this new bride from the river, their relationship triggers both love and hidden intentions. But will these two women be able to find their way forth in a world that favors men?



Note: Includes 7 extra chapters.

Tags: Female Protagonist , Full Color , Yuri , Historical , LGBTQ+ Themes , Primarily Adult Cast , Class Struggle , Arranged Marriage , Primarily Female Cast , Politics , Coastal , Tragedy , Fairy Tale , Youkai , Long Strip , Foreign

Kaijuu no Kodomo

Also known as Children of the Sea.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does.

Ruka's dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans' fish.



Tags: Philosophy , Mythology , Environmental , Seinen , Swimming , Female Protagonist , Cosmic Horror , Ensemble Cast , POV , Astronomy , Kaiju , Male Protagonist , Urban , Scuba Diving , Amnesia , Monster Boy , Coastal , Educational , Animals , Ships , Body Horror , Cannibalism , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Work , Nudity

Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi

Also known as This Monster Wants to Eat Me.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Horror , Psychological , Romance , Supernatural

“I’ve come to eat you.”

So softly utters the mermaid Shiori as she emerges from the sea and takes high school girl Hinako by the hand. Hinako lives alone in a town by the sea and possesses an unusually delicious body that is irresistible to nearby monsters. To ensure that she matures to the best condition, Shiori seeks to protect Hinako—all so that someday, she can devour every piece of her. What will become of Hinako’s feelings as this looming unjust death closes in on her…?

Tags: Tragedy , Denpa , Mermaid , Youkai , Monster Girl , Female Protagonist , Yuri , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Coastal , Orphan , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Body Horror , Mythology , Rural , Gods , Disability

Yoru to Umi

Also known as The Evening and The Sea.

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

"I never really wanted good friends. I always thought I'd rather have things I'd be okay with leaving behind."

Tsukiko is the new girl in school. One day, she catches a glimpse of her classmate, Utsumi, swimming in the school's pool. She becomes fixated. Tsukiko knew they were classmates, but beyond that, the two girls had no reason to cross paths. However, one rainy day turns all of that around. An emotional story about the everyday lives of the enigmatic new girl and the girl with no filter who happens to love swimming!



Tags: Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Coming of Age , Swimming , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Josei , Kuudere , Yuri , Coastal , LGBTQ+ Themes , Animals , School Club , Acting , Time Skip

Kimi to Natsu no Naka

Also known as The Summer With You.

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

After graduating from high school, Chiharu returns to Tokyo to start university, and spend another summer with his now-boyfriend Wataru. The two boys might be busy with their part-time jobs and schoolwork, but they're living in the same city again at last, which sets off new sparks and adventures. In addition to their usual weekend movie plans, they shake things up with a night out at a fireworks festival before continuing their summer pilgrimage to a deserted island. And then, when Wataru misses the last train home, he spends the night at Chiharu's. In return, Chiharu asks for just one thing...



Tags: Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , College , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Time Skip , School , Coming of Age , Coastal

Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru

Also known as Throw Away the Suit Together.

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance

Haru and Hii-chan are two young women in college buckling under the weight of adult responsibilities. Getting into university, then job hunting, then preparing for careers after graduation–it’s what they’re expected to do, because that’s what “everyone” does, but what do they really want for themselves? Finally, Haru and Hii-chan decide to take life into their own hands, toss their resumes into the sea, and move to an island together! They soon find that island living isn’t all blue skies and breezing through sunny days…but whatever the future holds, they can face it together.



Note: Includes 3 extra chapters.

Tags: Rural , Yuri , Travel , LGBTQ+ Themes , Marriage , Female Protagonist , Coastal , Tragedy , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Cohabitation , College

Uminekosou days

Also known as Days of Love at Seagull Villa.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

When Mayumi’s fiancé leaves her for another woman, Mayumi impulsively decides to move away and start over again by the seaside. Once there she meets Rin, a tough but kind single mother who runs the housing complex Seagull Villa. While the two women might not have a lot in common, they’re drawn to each other, and the relationship growing between them is deeper than they expected. Sail away on this tale of romance by the sea!



Note: chapter count includes three 4-koma extra chapters.

Tags: Rural , Yuri , Family Life , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Incest , Found Family , Time Skip , Primarily Female Cast , Coastal

Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi

Also known as Josee, the Tiger and the Fish.

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

College student Tsuneo loves the ocean and the creatures it harbors, and he dreams of studying abroad in faraway waters. All he needs is enough funds to go, so when a girl in a wheelchair suddenly barrels into his life, he readily agrees to work part-time as her caretaker. Getting close to the prickly Josee is easier said than done, but before he can give up, an impromptu trip to the beach shows them both that sometimes, they must take that first plunge to see the wonders that await. The hit animated film based on the striking story by Seiko Tanabe has been beautifully illustrated by Nao Emoto and collected in this single omnibus edition!



Note: The chapter count includes an epilogue.

Tags: Disability , Josei , Tsundere , Drawing , Scuba Diving , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Rehabilitation , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Love Triangle , Urban , College , Coastal

Oboreru Knife

Also known as Drowning Love.

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

"I don't know what this feeling is … I don't know what I should do now … all I know is, I want him." They fight one another, they chase after one another, they capture one another—a turbulent tale of preteens on the brink of self-destruction, masterfully brought to life by George Asakura!

Tags: Shoujo , Gods , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Psychosexual , Rural , Tragedy , Mythology , Fashion , School , Photography , Love Triangle , Crime , Delinquents , Acting , Gangs , Coastal , Suicide