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20 of the best romance manga

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Are you a fan of romance and love reading manga? Read on to discover 20 of the best romance manga you must check out.

20 of the best romance manga

Manga, the word for Japanese comics, are available in numerous genres, and one of the most popular is romance. If you’re in a romantic mood and want to read something with a great love story, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of romance manga.

Here, we’ll discuss 20 of the best romance manga according to manga readers today.

The best romance manga

Check out this list of the best manga love stories:

My Wife Is the Student Council President

The high school romance begins with Izumi Hayato wanting to become the high school student council president. However, he loses to a girl and becomes the vice president instead. The girl tells him she will become his wife due to an arrangement, and that’s where the story really becomes interesting.

Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket is a slice-of-life manga that has a huge fan base and has received a romance anime adaptation. This shoujo manga tells the story of Tohru Honda, a girl who lives in a tent in the woods. After stumbling upon Yuki Soma’s (her classmate) house, Yuki’s older brother lets her in. She soon discovers this family’s secret and learns how to live with it.

Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War

This seinen romance depicts two student council members: Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane. Although they love each other, neither is willing to confess their emotions. Instead of allowing themselves to be vulnerable in front of each other, the two play mind games.

Lovely Complex

Lovely Complex is a classic comedy romance manga that follows the relationship between two students at an Osaka school. Risa, the high school girl, is unusually tall, while Atsushi, the boy, is unusually short. The story gets complicated after the appearance of boys and girls who better match their height.

Snow White with the Red Hair

This Japanese shoujo manga inspired by the Snow White fairytale has been running now for a long time. It follows Shirayuki (the Japanese translation of Snow White), an herbalist from the Tanbarun kingdom. She turns down Prince Raji’s advancements, flees, and comes across Prince Zen. Shirayuki saves him from a poisoned apple and becomes his court’s herbalist. From there, their friendship and romance grows.

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku

Wotakoi differs from other manga in two aspects. First, the main characters aren’t high schoolers but adults working in an office. Second, both are nerds pretending to be ordinary workers. Narumi is obsessed with yaoi manga and anime, while Hirotaku is obsessed with games.

Kare First Love

This love triangle shojo manga shows Karin and Kiriya’s romantic journey, even though Karin’s classmate Yuka tries to keep them apart. Soon, Karin realizes everything isn’t perfect as it seems and is forced to pick sides.

Maid Sama!

This manga written by Hiro Fujiwara (mangaka) is also called Kaichou wa Maid-sama! The central character is Misaki Ayuzawa, who works hard to turn Seika High, once an all-boys school, into a better place for girls. On her quest, Misaki encounters obstacles and setbacks. Takumi Usui discovers she’s secretly working at a maid cafe.

My Dress-Up Darling

Thanks to its popularity, this seinen romance story received an anime adaptation in 2021. The series centers around Wakana Gojo, a guy who enjoys creating hina dolls. He meets Marin Kitagawa, a girl fascinated by his hobby, and asks him if he could assist her with cosplays. They eventually develop feelings for each other, and this romantic comedy series explores their relationship.

Sweat & Soap

Kintetsu Yamada writes this manga. It centers around Asako, a girl who works at Lilla Drop, a famous perfume company. Asako loves the company’s products, especially the soap, which helps her get rid of her body odor. It makes her very self-conscious. One day, the company’s boss starts talking about the lovely smell he can’t get out of his head. Asako realizes he’s talking about her body odor.

Love Me, Love Me Not

The story follows two childhood friends, Hikari and Yuri. Although they have different personalities, they are inseparable, or at least they were, until two boys named Kazuomi and Rio appear. The manga explores relationships and their complexity.

Daily Butterfly

The manga’s main character is an attractive 15-year-old girl named Suiren Shibazaki. On the first day of school, every boy falls in love with Suiren, except Taichi Kawasumi. Later, we see the two characters have chemistry and start dating.

Rose of Versailles

Many agree that this is one of the most romantic manga ever made. Still, this isn’t your typical romance manga. The story is set in France in the pre-Revolution era, and it features historical elements and multiple love stories.

My Androgynous Boyfriend

Here, the main character is Wako, a manga editor. Her boyfriend, Maguru, is an androgynous fashion influencer who loves looking great for Wako. This exciting manga has elements of humor and follows the heartwarming romance story between the two characters.

A Sign of Affection

This newer sweet romance story has become quite popular in the manga world. It depicts the love between Yuki, a girl who can’t hear, and Itsuomi. After meeting each other, they feel instant chemistry, but one significant problem is that Itsuomi doesn’t know sign language.

Yakuza Lover

A feisty college girl falls in love with a yakuza boss and embarks on a dangerous but exciting adventure. After being attacked at a party, she is saved by the underboss of the yakuza syndicate, Toshiomi Oya, and can’t deny the attraction.

Love of Kill

On one of her missions, Chateau Dankworth meets Son Ryang-Ha, also a professional assassin. They keep meeting each other, with Son constantly saving Chateau when she’s in danger. Soon, their secrets become too much to handle.

Lovesick Ellie

Eriko Ichimura has an interesting hobby: she spends her time looking at Akira Ohmi and tweets her fantasies under the nickname “Lovesick Ellie.” One day, she witnesses Ohmi’s true self, and he learns about her Twitter account.

Catch These Hands!

This manga is anything but typical. It follows the story of two delinquents, Takebe and Soramori. At first, Takebe wants to leave her delinquent days behind her and get a fresh start. But, when Soramori appears in her life, this changes.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House

The story’s main character is Himari Momochi, a girl who inherits a beautiful but famously haunted house and decides to move in. Not long after, she realizes the legends are true and starts to notice supernatural beings inside the house and meets a gorgeous demon guardian.

Other Recommendations

If you’re hungry for more romance stories that will make your heart swoon, here are a few more recommendations:

  • Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (also called Horimiya), with Kyouko Hori as the main protagonist
  • Ao Haru Ride with its central characters, Futaba Yoshioka and Kou Mabuchi
  • Kimi ni Todoke, an excellent slice-of-life love story, where Sawako Kuronuma is the main protagonist
  • Unconventional romances Hana to Akuma and Kamisama Kiss

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Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.