Top Writing Manga Recommendations

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 , Rehabilitation , Love Triangle , School , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Sadism , Suicide , Writing , Shounen , Urban , Heterosexual , Blackmail , Female Protagonist , Rural , Nudity , Crossdressing

Bakuman.

Also known as Bakuman。.

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

Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world?



Tags: Drawing , Work , Meta , Writing , Educational , Shounen , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Otaku Culture , Tomboy , School , Tragedy

Domestic na Kanojo

Also known as Domestic Girlfriend.

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

High schooler Natsuo is hopelessly in love with his cheerful and popular teacher, Hina. However, one day at a mixer, he meets a moody girl by the name of Rui and ends up sleeping with her. Soon after, his father announces that he's getting remarried to a woman with two daughters of her own. And who shows up in tow, other than both Hina and Rui?! Natsuo's outrageous new life starts now!



Note: Includes 23 extra/side chapters.

Tags: Inseki , Love Triangle , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Writing , Age Gap , Family Life , Female Harem , Nudity , Teacher , Heterosexual , School Club , School , Crime , Acting , Time Skip , Food , MILF , Shounen , Transgender , Drugs , Yandere , Bisexual

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 , Hikikomori , Heterosexual , Writing , Suicide , Photography , Drawing , College , Mopeds , Autobiographical , Amnesia

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

Geunyeoga Gongjagjeolo Gaya Haessdeon Sajeong

Also known as The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Mystery , Romance

Eunha Park was just a regular girl desperate to get into college, but when she finally does, her elation is cut short as she's pushed off a roof—only to wake up as Raeliana McMillan, a character from a novel whose death serves as the catalyst for the story's events. But Raeliana refuses to die a second time and is determined to change her fate, no matter what!



Tags: Full Color , Female Protagonist , Isekai , Reincarnation , Conspiracy , Politics , Revenge , Terrorism , Heterosexual , Body Swapping , Primarily Adult Cast , Yandere , Male Harem , Alternate Universe , Writing , Royal Affairs , Magic , Gods , Guns , Love Triangle , Swordplay , Fake Relationship

Eojjeodaboni Cheonsaengyeonbun

Also known as Maybe Meant to Be.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

Jia Han, a 32-year-old freelancer with no work, is tired of her parents nagging her to get married and finally move out. When she runs into her childhood friend, Mincheol Jin, who is also feeling the same pressure from his parents, she blurts out that they should just get married to solve both of their problems. Little did she know he’d accept her suggestion, and she suddenly finds herself thrust into marriage. A story of an unexpected romance that’ll have you scrolling for more!



Tags: Marriage , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Full Color , Rehabilitation , Family Life , Fake Relationship , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Tsundere , Fitness , Kuudere , Work , Writing , Urban , Software Development

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

HIDEOUT

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Psychological

On an idyllic vacation island in the southern seas, a young couple is trying to overcome the death of their only son. But for Seiichi Kirishima, the husband, the trip has a different purpose altogether. He plans to kill his wife and dispose of her body deep inside the forest. However, when his plan goes awry and his wife manages to escape, Seiichi follows her into a dark cave, only to find himself trapped inside and soon hunted by a savage creature with an insatiable hunger for human flesh…



Tags: Tragedy , Gore , Seinen , Survival , Crime , Time Skip , Cannibalism , Writing , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni

Also known as After the Rain.

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

Akira Tachibana. 17 years old, high school junior. Akira, awkward when it comes to expressing her feelings, finds herself secretly falling for the manager of the family restaurant where she works, one Masami Kondo, age 45. The curtain rises on the small love story that begins to unfold between Akira, stuck standing on the crossroads of adolescence, and Kondo, at the turning point of his own life…



Note: Includes the epilogue.

Tags: Age Gap , Work , Athletics , Writing , Female Protagonist , Seinen , School Club , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , Restaurant , School , Tragedy

Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet

Also known as Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet.

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

Fumi Oono, second-year high-school student. Stuck with the debts of her father, she needs a job—fast. While she did indeed manage to find one as a housekeeper for THE Akatsuki Kibikino, it leaves much to be desired. After all, the novelist has a mean glare and an even worse attitude...And on top of that, she has to live with him?!



Note: Includes 8 extra chapters (from which two are Hirunaka no Ryuusei extras, released with this series).


Tags: Shoujo , Coming of Age , Age Gap , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Adoption , Writing , School , Love Triangle , Tsundere , Tragedy , Time Skip , Work

Jakjeonmyeong Sunjeong

Also known as Operation: True Love.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance

It’s hard dating someone who won’t give you the time of day. Su-Ae Sim knows that better than anyone, having dated her indifferent boyfriend, Min-U Kang, for years. She sometimes wishes she could be more like her charismatic stepsister, Ra-Im, who seems to have it all. But life takes a turn for the weird when Su-Ae discovers Jellypop, a sentient flip phone, in her locker. Jellypop has a lot to say about her love life, especially as Su-Ee drifts further away from Min-U and finds herself running into Min-U’s friend, Eun-Hyeok. Add to the mix a growing suspicion that Min-U and Ra-Im might be more than friends, and Su-ae might need a miracle to navigate the ups and downs of high school romance!



Tags: Revenge , Primarily Teen Cast , Love Triangle , Full Color , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , School , Time Skip , Magic , Bullying , Urban Fantasy , Fake Relationship , Chibi , Achronological Order , Idol , Writing

Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata

Also known as The Summer You Were There.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance

Shizuku is a shy girl who hardly talks to other people. Instead, she loses herself in creative writing, crafting a novel that she never plans to show anyone. But when Kaori–Shizuku’s cute, popular classmate–gets her hands on Shizuku’s manuscript, everything changes. Kaori is a huge fan, and suggests that Shizuku can get inspiration for her writing if the two of them start dating! Can these very different young ladies create their own love story together?



Tags: Tragedy , Yuri , Writing , Female Protagonist , Rehabilitation , Disability , Bullying , Primarily Female Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , School , Suicide , Primarily Teen Cast

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

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

Hourou Musuko

Also known as Wandering Son.

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

Fifth grade friends Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki have happy homes, loving families, and are well-liked by their classmates. But they share a secret that further complicates a time of life that is awkward for anyone: Shuichi is a transgender girl, and Yoshino is transgender boy.



Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Coming of Age , School , Transgender , Female Protagonist , Gender Bending , Primarily Female Cast , Crossdressing , Bullying , Fashion , Seinen , Writing , Yuri , Acting

Boku to Kimi no Taisetsu na Hanashi

Also known as Our Precious Conversations.

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

Nozomi Aizawa has has kept her feelings for her schoolmate Azuma-kun a secret for quite a while, but the time has come for her to finally confess. His response, though, is far from ordinary! Led in circles by his hilarious tangents, these two awkward teenagers find themselves growing ever closer while muddling through misunderstandings and off-topic rants. When the airheaded stalker Aizawa-san finally connects with the petulant know-it-all Azuma-kun, the result is a romantic comedy worth talking about!



Note:
- Nominated for the 43rd Kodansha Manga Award in the Shoujo Category in 2019.
- Winner of the 44th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shoujo Category in 2020.

Tags: Shoujo , Heterosexual , School , Meta , Writing , Love Triangle , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Episodic

Asper Kanojo

Also known as That's My Atypical Girl.

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

Yokoi Taku has trouble getting along with people, so he moved to Tokyo as soon as he graduated from high school. He now lives alone, making a living by delivering newspapers and drawing doujinshi, though people totally ignore his non-erotic works. One day, a girl named Saitou Megumi suddenly shows up at his door, claiming that she came all the way from Tottori to meet him because she's a big fan of one of his doujinshi. It ends up that she has faced many hardships herself, and with no intention of leaving, she ends up living with him.

Note: Current chapter count is based on the original serialization. Several chapters were combined into 100 chapters in the physical release.

Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Rehabilitation , Bullying , Seinen , Disability , Suicide , Heterosexual , Philosophy , Psychosexual , Drawing , Male Protagonist , Estranged Family , Writing , Language Barrier , Female Protagonist , Tragedy

Watashi ni xx Shinasai!

Also known as Missions of Love.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

Cell phone novelist Yukina Himuro has decided that, in order to satisfy her fans’ demand for love stories, she must experience romance firsthand. But with her icy reputation, how can she find someone willing to play the part of boyfriend? By blackmailing the most popular boy in school, of course!



Tags: Shoujo , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , School , Love Triangle , Tsundere , Male Protagonist , Writing

Violet Evergarden

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy

Auto Memories Doll. It's already been a long time since that name was first popularized. It's a machine that Dr. Orlando created that talks in a natural voice. At first, he only made it to help out his loving wife, but before long they spread out into the world. and companies were made to lend them out. "I'm Violet Evergarden, the Auto Memories Doll who will rush to provide service anywhere you wish." That translucent voice comes from a robotic beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes like she came out of a storybook.

Tags: Writing , Disability , Female Protagonist , Rehabilitation , War , Episodic , Military , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Age Gap , Heterosexual , Robots