Top Photography Manga Recommendations

Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru

Also known as My Dress-Up Darling.

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

Traumatized by a childhood incident with a friend who took exception to his love of traditional dolls, doll-artisan hopeful Gojou Wakana passes his days as a loner, finding solace in the home ec room at his high school. To Wakana, people like beautiful Kitagawa Marin, a trendy girl who's always surrounded by a throng of friends, is practically an alien from another world. But when cheerful Marin--never one to be shy--spots Wakana sewing away one day after school, she barges in with the aim of roping her quiet classmate into her secret hobby: cosplay! Will Wakana's wounded heart be able to handle the invasion from this sexy alien?!



Note: Includes four extra chapters.

Tags: Cosplay , Otaku Culture , Fashion , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Gyaru , Makeup , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , Seinen , Photography , Educational , Crossdressing , School , Primarily Female Cast , Nudity , Drawing , Unrequited Love , Time Skip

Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de.

Also known as Three Days of Happiness.

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

Kusunoki used to believe he was destined for great things. But now, approaching the age of twenty, he’s a completely mediocre college student with no motivation, no dreams, and no money. After learning he can sell his remaining years, he chooses to divest himself of all but his last three months. Spending this remaining time with his monitor, Miyagi, has Kusunoki truly destroyed his final chance to find happiness…or has he somehow found it?



Note: Includes two extra chapters.

Tags: Philosophy , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Kuudere , Cohabitation , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , Suicide , Drawing , Photography , Shounen , Mopeds

Mikkakan no Koufuku

Also known as Three Days of Happiness.

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

HOW MUCH IS LIFE TRULY WORTH?
Kusunoki used to believe he was destined for great things. Ostracized as a child, he held on to a belief that a good life was waiting for him in the years ahead. Now approaching the age of twenty, he's a completely mediocre college student with no motivation, no dreams, and no money. After learning he can sell his remaining years-and just how little they're worth-he chooses to divest himself of all but his last three months. Has Kusunoki truly destroyed his last chance to find happiness...or has he somehow found it?



Tags: Tragedy , Philosophy , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Urban , Seinen , Heterosexual , Hikikomori , Writing , Suicide , Photography , Drawing , College , Mopeds , Autobiographical , Amnesia

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia

Also known as Insomniacs After School.

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

Unable to sleep at night, Ganta Nakami is cranky in class and unpopular with his classmates. He discovers that the school observatory, once used by the now-defunct astronomy club, may be the perfect place for a nap—but he’s not alone. Fellow insomniac Isaki Magari is willing to share the observatory with Nakami, and a friendship between the two begins as they bond over the most unlikely of things.



Note: Nominated for the Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Manga Category.

Tags: Coming of Age , Astronomy , Iyashikei , Heterosexual , School , School Club , Photography , Seinen , Disability , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Camping , Time Skip , Tomboy

BANANA FISH

Also known as Banana Fish.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands--and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance...



Tags: Mafia , Tragedy , Gangs , Conspiracy , Drugs , Noir , Primarily Male Cast , Shoujo , Crime , Revenge , Criminal Organization , Ensemble Cast , Anti-Hero , Fugitive , Coming of Age , Delinquents , Urban , Foreign , Male Protagonist , Politics , Guns , Primarily Adult Cast , Adoption , Orphan , Tanned Skin , Assassins , LGBTQ+ Themes , Boys' Love , Police , Cars , Bisexual , Photography , Classic Literature , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Prison

Boku dake ga Inai Machi

Also known as Erased.

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

Twenty-nine-year-old Satoru Fujinuma is floundering through life. Amid his daily drudgery, he finds himself in the grip of an incredible, inexplicable, and uncontrollable phenomenon that rewinds time, a condition that seems to only make his drab life worse. But then, one day, everything changes. A terrible incident forever changes Satoru's life as he knows it...and with it, comes a "Revival" that sends Satoru eighteen years into the past!

In the body of his boyhood self, Satoru encounters sights he never imagined he would see again--the smile of his mother, alive and well, his old friends, and Kayo Hinazuki, the girl who was kidnapped and murdered when he was a boy the first time around. To return to the present and prevent the tragedy that brought him back to his childhood in the first place, Satoru begins plotting a way to change Hinazuki's fate...But up against the clock and a faceless evil, does eleven-year-old Satoru even stand a chance?



Note:
- Was nominated for the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Reader Award in 2014 and for the 7th, 8th and 9th Manga Taisho Award between 2014 and 2016. Also nominated for the 40th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2016.
- Volume 9 contains the 5-chapter “Boku Dake ga Inai Machi:Re” side story.

Tags: Crime , Primarily Child Cast , Age Regression , Male Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Time Skip , School , Seinen , Detective , Fugitive , Tragedy , Revenge , Bullying , Rehabilitation , Writing , Amnesia , Snowscape , Photography

2.5 Jigen no Ririsa

Also known as 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.

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

“I have no interest in real girls!”

So claims Okumura, the president of the school’s manga club. He’s your typical otaku, obsessed with a sexy (fictional) 2D manga character known as Lilliel. Then the new school year starts, and a (real!) 3D girl named Lilysa whose passion is cosplay joins the club. Lilysa convinces Okumura to become her photographer–and guess who her favorite manga character is? Not only that, but Lilysa is into modeling the fetishy stuff! The boundaries between 2D and 3D start to blur as this hot-blooded romantic comedy unfolds.



Notes:
- Won 4th place of Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Web Manga Category.
- Includes 40 extra chapters.

Tags: Cosplay , Otaku Culture , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Nudity , School Club , Male Protagonist , LGBTQ+ Themes , Photography , Shounen , Primarily Female Cast , Gyaru , Kuudere , Tsundere , Female Protagonist , Bisexual

Munou na Nana

Also known as Talentless Nana.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

An academy on an island in unnavigable waters. There, students trained tirelessly, to fight back against the enemies of humanity. The protagonist, a student newly transferred there, also sets out with the intention of eradicating all enemies of humankind. An unpredictable, intellectual suspense story of justice and evil.



Tags: Conspiracy , Dystopian , Tragedy , Assassins , Super Power , Anti-Hero , Female Protagonist , Detective , Time Skip , Found Family , Primarily Teen Cast , Crime , Espionage , Ensemble Cast , School , Prison , Military , Politics , Gore , Shounen , Urban , Rural , Terrorism , Amnesia , Kuudere , Shapeshifting , Adoption , Time Manipulation , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yuri , Bullying , Twins , Zombie , Necromancy , Time Loop , Photography , Suicide , Chibi

Sukitte Ii na yo.

Also known as Say "I Love You"..

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Mei Tachibana has no friends—and she doesn't need them! Ever since her "friends" betrayed her in elementary school, she's sworn off friendship entirely. All it leads to is betrayal and heartbreak, and she's well enough on her own. But everything changes when she accidentally roundhouse kicks the most popular boy in school! However, Yamato Kurosawa isn't angry in the slightest—in fact, he thinks his ordinary life could use an unusual girl like Mei! He won't take no for an answer, and soon Mei and Yamato embark on an unwanted friendship that will change both of them forever.



Tags: School , Shoujo , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Bullying , Love Triangle , College , Age Gap , Time Skip , Photography

Cloud

Also known as Lost in the Cloud.

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

Ha-Neul has a secret hobby: taking photos of his crush, Chan-Il. But when Hyeon-Un stumbles upon Ha-Neul's cloud storage with its impressive collection of Chan-Il's photos, things escalate pretty quickly. At first confident his secret is safe with Hyeon-Un, Ha-Neul continuously finds himself in compromising situations, making him question Hyeon-Un's true motives.



Tags: Boys' Love , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , School , Male Protagonist , Rehabilitation , Yandere , Bullying , Blackmail , Tragedy , Full Color , Primarily Male Cast , Photography , Unrequited Love , School Club , Suicide , Age Gap , Long Strip , Heterosexual

Ichinose-ke no Taizai

Also known as The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery

Tsubasa Ichinose is a middle schooler who loses his memory in an accident. He is able to safely reunite with his family, but is soon faced with a new shocking reality... What is going on with this family?!

Note: Chapter count includes two one-shots included in vol. 6.

Tags: Tragedy , Amnesia , Family Life , Time Loop , Male Protagonist , Memory Manipulation , Time Manipulation , Bullying , Conspiracy , Coming of Age , Shounen , Estranged Family , School , Found Family , Rehabilitation , Photography , Disability , Ensemble Cast

Boys Run The Riot

Also known as Boys Run The Riot.

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

High schooler Ryo knows he’s transgender, but he doesn’t have anyone to confide in about the confusion he feels. He can’t tell his best friend, who he’s secretly got a crush on, and he can’t tell his mom, who’s constantly asking why Ryo "dresses like a boy." He certainly can’t tell Jin, the new transfer student who looks like just another bully... The only time Ryo feels at ease is when he’s wearing his favorite clothes. Then, and only then, the world melts away, and he can be his true self. One day, while out shopping, Ryo sees an someone he didn't expect: Jin. The kid who looked so tough in class has the same taste in fashion as him! At least, Ryo has someone he can open up to - and the journey ahead might finally give him a way to express himself to the world.



Note: Includes the original one-shot.

Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender , Fashion , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Bullying , Work , Seinen , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Primarily Male Cast , Urban , Drawing , Photography , Found Family

Tonari no Neko to Koi Shirazu

Also known as Learning to Love My Cat-like Classmate.

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

Minato Seno’s high school life had just begun when his homeroom teacher requested his help with Nekozane, the cat-like chronic napper who sits next to him in class. Timid and socially anxious, Minato has never talked to her or even seen her face. But when he finally musters up the courage to wake Nekozane, she unexpectedly hugs him on the spot! Thus begins a sweet tale of two teens awkwardly stumbling into a new friendship, unaware that their feelings are slowly turning into something more! Note: Originally self-published on Twitter, it was picked up for commercial publication with two volumes collecting the Twitter comics releasing on 2024-03-25 and 2024-04-25, with subsequent serialization in Big Gangan starting 2024-04-25.

Tags: Heterosexual , Animals , School , Kuudere , Primarily Teen Cast , Seinen , Photography , Iyashikei

GE: Good Ending

Also known as GE: Good Ending.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Ecchi , Romance , Sports

High school student Eiji is in love with Aki, the head of the tennis team, but he is unable to ask her out. Another student, Yuki, discovers his obsession with Aki, and promises to help him get closer to her… but Yuki’s help comes at a cost, and soon, the analytical, strategic Eiji finds himself deep in the messy turmoil of emotion...



Tags: School , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Baseball , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , School Club , Tennis , Photography , Female Harem , Unrequited Love

Yesterday wo Utatte

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

After college, Rikuo Uozumi, a boy without much ambition in life, takes on a job at a convenience store. The days pass by uneventfully for Rikuo until he meets his former girlfriend and classmate, but especially thanks to the unusual Haru Nonaka, and her pet raven… Readers of Toume Kei’s other works- Hitsuji no Uta, Luno, Kurogane- will enjoy her unique style.

Tags: Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , Coming of Age , Konbini , Rehabilitation , Urban , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Teacher , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Philosophy , Photography , Drawing

Kao Dake ja Suki ni Narimasen

Also known as It Takes More than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love.

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance

A high-speed romantic comedy featuring a senior with dangerously good looks and an incredibly resilient junior with a serious face fetish!

Sana, a fan of the influencer Kanato, who is rumored to attend the same high school, finally encounters him only to find out he's on the verge of expulsion! Determined to prevent this, Sana takes on the role of managing his social media. From holding hands to hugs and almost kisses... Days filled with an excessive supply of sweet thrills beyond his handsome face are about to begin.



Note: Includes three extra chapters.

Tags: Shoujo , School , Photography , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast

Misu Misou

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror

Nozaki Haruka's family moves to a small town following her father's new job. Unfortunately, Haruka becomes the target of bullying in the new school, which is set to close in a few months due to the lack of students. As a strong girl, who doesn't want to worry her family, Haruka tries to ignore the bullies, but the case is steadily growing out of proportion. And since the teachers are not willing to deal with bullying during the final school months, nothing is stopping an appalling tragedy that is looming over Haruka.

Tags: Revenge , Bullying , Tragedy , School , Gore , Rural , Female Protagonist , Primarily Child Cast , Anti-Hero , Denpa , Snowscape , Josei , Love Triangle , Yandere , Heterosexual , Yuri , Photography

Hwajang Jiwojuneun Namja

Also known as The Makeup Remover.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

After years of being told to focus on studying, Yeseul feels lost when she starts college and is suddenly expected to pay attention to makeup. When a chance encounter with brilliant makeup artist Yuseong leads to her taking part in a televised makeup competition, Yeseul begins to question the role that makeup and appearance play in society.



Tags: Makeup , Female Protagonist , Full Color , Fashion , College , Photography , Primarily Adult Cast , Love Triangle , Long Strip , Age Gap , Gyaru , Idol , Twins , Revenge , Tomboy , Urban , Crossdressing , Tragedy

Umi ga Hashiru End Roll

Also known as The Credits Roll into the Sea.

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

Umiko, a grandma, realizes that she has the same desire to make movies as university student Kai—and soon she enrolls in Kai's film school!

"It's not the movies you like…you like watching the people watching the movies."

Just what are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's the question you'll always have to answer, no matter your age. Umiko Chino is a 65-year-old retired woman in mourning for her late husband. Remembering how they used to watch films together, Umiko goes to the movie theater for the first time in years, where she meets Kai, an attractive, ambiguous young man who studies filmmaking at a nearby art school.

They would seem to have nothing in common, except for this—both of them sometimes like to look more at the way the audience reacts to a movie than the movie itself. Kai believes Umiko has the same deep desire he possesses to experience how people respond to something they made… and challenges her to stake the rest of her life discovering that thrill.

Soon Umiko surprises herself by enrolling in the same film school as Kai. But sailing into this new sea, she's suddenly inside the currents of her fellow students' lives, a much younger generation that she struggles to understand, driven by their own passions and their own relationships. Who's really experienced at life, and is it old age or observation that brings wisdom? And does what you're looking for change when you look with your eyes instead of through a camera lens…?



Tags: Female Protagonist , Elderly Protagonist , Filmmaking , Photography , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Shoujo , Iyashikei , LGBTQ+ Themes , Asexual , Aromantic

Toumei Ningen no Hone

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Supernatural

At first glance, the family of Kinomiya Aya may seem quite ordinary: loving mother and father and a kind elder brother, however, appearances can be deceiving—Aya's father constantly beats her mother, scolds them for the slightest "transgressions," and commits other inappropriate deeds. Her brother spends all of his time selfishly ignoring what's right in front of him in favour of enjoying himself. Her mother is enduring it all for her children, and both mother and daughter live in constant fear of Aya's father. Because of all this, Aya envies ordinary families and the children who enjoy them.

One day, after witnessing a quarrel between father and mother turn violent, Aya experiences a great deal of stress, due to which she gains the ability to turn invisible. At first, the girl indulged in her superpowers, but eventually she makes a decision that will probably make her blame herself for the rest of her life...

Tags: Primarily Female Cast , Crime , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Family Life , Philosophy , Photography , School , Work , Yuri , Super Power , Shounen