Since the start of the generalization of manga in the West, shounen has been the genre to top the charts. Generally, this genre is much more appealing to teenage boys and young adult men, with adventure-packed stories filled with action, usually with very little emotional baggage attached to it. Although in recent years, the demographic of the genre has been expanding, meaning more female readers have been won over by the unique tropes in shounen. However, the genre that is still most popular among this group is still romance, especially romantic comedies.
Alongside western culture, romantic comedies started becoming more popular during the 1970s and 1980s, and the manga industry is not any different. In recent years, however, rom-com manga has also taken on a more unique approach, creating incredibly interesting characters that appeal not only to a female audience, but that also draw in a particularly large male demographic with a good comedy kick to them. One of the most popular romantic comedy manga is Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie, a slice-of-life series about an extremely wholesome pair of students who are trying to juggle their newfound love with real life and its struggles. If you’re looking for an equally cute series for your daily dose of loving wholesomeness, here are five manga that may just fill the spot!
Toradora!
First published in 2006 as a light novel, Toradora! quickly became a staple in the rom-com genre, being adapted into a manga not long after. Completed at 10 volumes, Toradora! follows the story of Takasu Ryuuji, a sweet and hard-working high school student who oftentimes gets mistaken for a delinquent, and Asaika Taiga, a seemingly cute girl, who is in fact very loud and has a sharp tongue despite her pocket-size height.
This manga shows an unlikely friendship between this odd duo as they attempt to help each other with their respective crushes. While attempting to win over their crushes, an unlikely romance develops between these two sides of the same coin. The supporting characters are equally as interesting as the main protagonists, including Minori Kushieda, Ryuuji’s crush, Ami Kawashima, a model who pretends to be kind in spite of her arrogant nature, and Yusaku Kitamura, the class president, who also happens to be Taiga’s crush. Toradora’s popularity also earned the series an anime adaptation in 2008, becoming one of the most beloved romantic comedies for romance aficionados.
My Dress-Up Darling
Beginning serialization in 2018, My Dress-Up Darling is an ongoing slice-of-life romantic comedy series set in a high school which is currently in its ninth volume. With an anime adaptation from 2022, My Dress-Up Darling introduces the story of a traumatized 15-year-old boy, Gojou, who has a particular interest in becoming a craftsman, producing Hina dolls. Previously made fun of for his peculiar hobby, Gojou tries to maintain a low profile, avoiding sharing his unique interest in sewing.
However, everything changes when Marin Kitagawa, one of the most popular girls in the class, known for her indisputable beauty and assertive personality, discovers Gojou’s secret after seeing him sewing a doll’s costume in the crafts room at school. With a unique interest in cosplaying and no talent in making costumes whatsoever, Kitagawa asks her classmate to make her a costume of a video game character she likes. This interaction leads to the two classmates becoming good friends, with a funny and characteristic friendship that may lead to something more along the way.
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War
Published in 2015, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is a romantic comedy manga with 24 volumes that follows a group of students at a prestigious high school. Receiving several awards for the anime adaptation, which came out in 2019, this slice-of-life story has an incredibly balanced comedy-to-romance ratio, considering the story is developed on the premise of an unspoken bet between the main characters, in which they are placed in numerous awkward adventures with their friends.
The story’s protagonists are Shirogane, the student council president, and Kaguya, the vice-president. These two characters are highly competitive and neither one will admit their feelings for each other, even though they are both well aware of the reciprocity of their crushes. Consequently, this duo is constantly butting heads and trying to manipulate each other into admitting their feelings. Helping them along with their shenanigans are the other members of the student council, Chika, the genius and quirky secretary, Ishigami, the gloomy and sarcastic treasurer, and Miko Lino, the hard-working and strict auditor.
Horimiya
Completed at 15 volumes, Horimiya’s first serialization started in 2012 and ended in 2017, getting its anime adaptation in 2021. In rom-coms, it is fairly common to see an “opposites attract” trope, and Horimiya certainly masters the two sides of the same coin idea. The two main characters are complete opposites, in a way that no one would ever consider them to get along. Horimiya introduces a funny and unique love story between two characters who seemingly have nothing in common.
This manga introduces the story of Kyouko Hori, who is seen as the perfect high school student that is amicable and dependable, and Izumi Miyamura, a seemingly brooding and meek student. These two characters are actually hiding their real identities from their colleagues, for their real personas are far from the reality they portray. Hori, albeit friendly and kind, is in fact going through a difficult time at home, with her family struggling financially and having to look after her younger brother, while Miyamura, is in fact hiding his tattoos and piercings which make him look like a delinquent, albeit a very friendly one. These two characters, even if appearing to be opposites, share odd similarities to one another, thus creating a newfound safe haven where they can truly be themselves around each other.
Komi Can’t Communicate
Komi Can’t Communicate is a 2016 ongoing manga series with 26 volumes as of 2022. Last year, the manga got an anime adaptation, increasing this story’s popularity even more, and exposing a larger audience to the story of Komi, a high school student who suffers from extreme social anxiety. In spite of her good looks, which win over the hearts of her fellow students who are just in awe of her beauty, Komi just isn’t able to communicate. Although she has an extremely serious communicational disorder, Komi wishes to befriend 100 people by the end of the year, and that’s when she meets her seatmate Tadano, who inadvertently discovers Komi’s social disorder and decides to help his classmate achieve her dream.
This coming-of-age story is a perfect romantic comedy, filled with interesting and unique characters, including Najimi, Tadano’s childhood friend who has a knack for switching their gender at will, and Yamai, a funny and obsessive girl who is far overly protective of Komi. Komi Can’t Communicate is the type of manga that doesn’t take itself too seriously, being a light-hearted silly story, with comical moments, perfect for a relaxing reading session.
There are plenty of reasons why one would be particularly fond of Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie, from its joyful and lively story to its absolutely endearing relationships. Although difficult to recreate, these are the best possible mangas to perfectly tug at your heartstrings while letting out a chuckle at every other panel.