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Mr. Poltroon's Romance Manga Recommendations


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I was just about to do something productive. Thank god I thought to do this instead.

Please feel free to recommend me romance manga, or ask for recommendations. I'd be happy to provide, or be provided with.


This thread is to form a couple with this one, for I am somewhat well-versed in both areas:

To begin with, it is important to highlight a few tags, which I'll be using for organisational purposes.

Spoiler

Shoujo - In this list, "Shoujo" means that it (mainly) contains a female protagonist, that its characters are of high-school age, and that its themes tend to be about "falling in love" or "friendship". Both a confession, a kiss, and or intercourse can be seen as huge achievements (and cause enough to end the manga), although it is just as possible to see darker Shoujo, instead focusing on the depravity of high schoolers. Regardless, in it's most general form, I associate Shoujo with pure love stories in a high-school setting. In Japan, this constitutes the manga targeted at highschool (or younger) girls.

Josei - Targeted at adult women, Josei's themes tend to be less innocent than Shoujo's, even if the protagonist is female. Regardless, due to my preferences, my Josei is, too, all about love. The characters tend to be of University age or older, many of them involving working characters. Unlike Shoujo, getting into a relationship, or even having sex, does not tend to be the end goal. Expect deeper relationships, where holding your partner's hand does not automatically make you note how "big" his hand is (wow for anatomy).

Other - You can assume the manga is directed at males, and contains a male protagonist. I'm afraid I lack the knowledge to divide it further. From my manga, you can expect either a man attempting to court a female, or a man put into a harem situation, finally deciding on a partner he truly loves.

Very Important: The above aren't hard rules. There are titles clearly in the Shoujo or Josei categories with male protagonists, and vice versa.

Yuri - This tag represents a couple of homosexual women. It will therefore show up if any of the couples are homosexual (due to the fact that nothing I'll recommend contains male homosexual couples).

H-Scenes - This tag will be further divided into 3 extra tags: Nudity (denotes visible nipples), Smut, and Explicit. The difference between the latter two is as follows: Smut is aimed at women, and focuses on intimacy and romance during sex. It doesn't even need to contain nudity. "Camera" angles may be such that none of the act is depicted. Explicit is aimed at men, and fully focuses on the act. Expect to see clearly depicted breasts, penetration and positions.
This is no hard rule, of course, as I've seen smutty rape, and very romantic, if explicit, sex. In short, I'll subjectively separate what I think is more racy by labelling it "explicit". Note that the "H-Scene" tag will be present even if the sex is in no way depicted (and even if the title does not contain nudity).

Drama - As I dislike drama, I feel the need to note when it is particularly heavy. That is when you will find this tag.

Gender-Bending - This tag will denote works that contain, as a major plot point, a woman or a man cross-dressing, that is, dressing as if they were of the opposite gender, possibly attempting to fool others into thinking they are of the opposite sex. Other varieties include actual gender changing for any other reason.

There's a good chance I have forgotten plotpoints about some of these. Therefore, the tags may be somewhat inaccurate on occasion. Especially when it comes to H-Scenes.

 

Be fairly warned. I do not know what constitutes as a spoiler to you, so if you find things like whether or not there is a confession scene or how far the couple goes to be a spoiler, please avoid reading my comments.
 

Kare Kano - Shoujo, Drama

When somebody thinks "Romance Manga" the first thing that comes into their minds is a teenage relationship. Meeting someone, falling in love and fulfilling your teenage dream. Kare Kano is one of the first things anybody recommends when you ask for a romance. Whilst that speaks for itself, allow me to corroborate it: Kare Kano is actually fantastic. It is the typical story of two teenagers falling in love with a lot of twists and turns in the middle, wonderfully comedic too. I could not have asked for more. If I were to complain about anything at all, I wasn't too keen on a particular facet of the main guy. I will mention that the protagonist is the female, I'm pretty positive. You can probably tell the story wasn't memorable enough for me to remember details, though...

Bonnouji - Josei, H-Scenes

Is my go to recommendation for a relaxing romance. That is all it is, literally. The female protagonist broke up with her boyfriend and is left somewhat broken. It is at this point she meets somebody who lives in the same building, and they become friends. Eventually, they fall in love. And that is it. Most if not all of the story is spent inside the flat of one of the two, and they relax, converse, play with packages they receive from a man they know and fall in love. Both of them are adults, sometimes they act like adults, their time is spent relaxing, playing and talking. You could say basically nothing happens in this manga and you'd be mostly right, and that's totally fine. When two people love each other there isn't much more to develop, truth be told. Wholehearted recommendation (although it's so short you may cry as a consequence).

Orange Yane no Chiisana Ie - Other

A divorced man with two male children and a divorced woman with two female children get conned and end up living in the same house. If you can somehow believe that both parties would accept living together for more than a few days, then you'll find a brilliant story of family bonding and love. Both families cooperate with each other, and then feud with each other, and then cooperate again. You can see the period of adaptation they go through, and I thought it was well done. Eventually they establish bonds, whether or not they admit it. Familial bonds and even love bonds. The manga could not possibly be better, mostly because I'm a sucker, pardon the expression, for family.

Living Game - Other

Where Orange is about two half-families living together, Living game is about two individuals, with a perceptible age gap, living together... sometimes. It's... complicated. A lot of stuff happens and sometimes they live together, and as should be predicted they fall in love and one's an adult and the other a teenager, yada yada. Sometimes it's even hard to guess who's the most infantile. Through all hoops and difficulties I ended up loving the two of them, they ended up loving each other, and I loved the manga. Here's to a romance about living together, which I'm also weak to!

Boku ni Natta Watashi - Shoujo, Gender-Bending

Here's another thing I'm weak to. Cross-dressing. Ok, I may not be weak to it per say, but I have to admit, I really loved this one for some reason. It's about a girl who is forced to enrol in a boy's only high school, with dormitories! I'll be completely honest. I don't remember much beyond the fact that I loved it. So, if my word is worth anything to you, go read it! Otherwise, next!

HajiOtsu - Shoujo

What if the very first scene of your manga was a confession scene? It wasn't the first time I'd seen such a premise, but it's certainly one of the better executions. The culmination of the shy girl trope, this story's protagonist, is deathly afraid of the male gender. However, she ends up confessing to a boy who lives nearby, and he accepted! Boyfriend acquired. Now all she needs is the courage to look at him. And speak to him, too -- I heard couples do that kind of stuff, right? There's nothing quite so cute as watching a couple slowly get used to one another, especially when both are ridiculously conscientious, and shy. Read as they warm up to one another and are supported by an excellent supporting cast that, just when it looked like they'd get some real development, were left to dry as the story abruptly ended. Indeed, this may very well leave you wanting for more, especially if you liked the main protagonists. Unfortunately, no more for you. The art is terribly clear and, consequently, very pretty.

Last Game - Shoujo

This manga is one of the best examples of "Melting the Ice Queen". It shows us the story of a rich man pursuing his crush all through his childhood, finally catching up with him in the present day, when both him and her are students in the same university. Indeed, for once it's a Shoujo not set in high-school, although the setting does not wildly diverge from it, either... As for Ms. Ice Queen herself, she is not so in the traditional sense, as she simply sucks at interacting with other people. This is the story of how she slowly realises how truly complicated human relationships are, and how she has been taking her "childhood friend" for granted. This story's main strength is, once again, the cuteness of our main heroine, and the pitiable existence of her crush, who has decided to make his advances very, very slowly, since he has all the time in the world. It dragged on a little at the end, as they tend to, but it was otherwise extremely cute, and the main couple is fantastic.
Could be compared to the likes Kimi ni Todoke, assuming it ended after the confession, or Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, assuming the characters were way cuter and the drama was a tad less (Both of which I'd heartily recommend for the same reasons. Check my anime recommendations for more information. The manga version is even better).

Eensy Weensy Monster - Shoujo

This title asks you: "Do you have a little monster inside of you? A little, dark creature that makes you spill your innermost thoughts, even when you shouldn't?". This is exactly what this story is about. Our protagonist is an average, gentle soul who everybody regards as cheerful, never getting mad or sad; until one day, she came across a super popular guy. A pampered guy who has a beautiful face, good grades, is great at sports, and loved by all the girls, with little to no effort. And so, she blew up. Spitting vitriol in his face, she tells him exactly what nobody's bothered to tell him before, how much of a spoilt, pampered child he is. And so, the lives of our protagonists begin to change, with a girl that's just a little to honest, and a boy that never before knew the taste of harshness.
One of its main draws is, without a doubt, how unexpected the developments are. I won't say it subverts all clichés, but it certainly threw me for a loop with the direction they went for. I expected something else entirely. Instead, just keep in mind that this is a comedy, and throws drama out the window at every turn.

Kimi wa Pet - Josei, H-Scenes, Nudity

Imagine keeping a human as a pet. A younger lad, in his early twenties. You also need to imagine that you're a woman, in case you aren't.
The female protagonist in this story is no weak lady. We follow her as she lives her life with her "pet". A lot of the manga is dedicated to her stressful daily life, due to work or romance, and to her interactions with her "pet" -- her means of relaxation. Maybe you could claim that there's a love triangle. Maybe you can't. I wish I could say more, but I can't, for I just surmised it. Be prepared for excellent interaction and romance; both with her lover and her pet. Speaking of the pet, make no mistake. He is not some super horny male who keeps making advances on his owner or any such thing. He is very much an animal in bed.

Angel Densetsu - Other

This is the story of a man who looks so evil that everyone submits to his apparent strength. It is a story of misunderstandings.  When how good a person you are is proportional only to how evil you look, and you look really damn evil, hilarity ensues. It is one hell of a comedy. Read on as the nicest highscool boy you've ever met becomes the leader of the delinquents and makes any average person on the street run over in the opposite direction or turn over their wallet.
The romance? Oh, yeah, that. There's this girl who actually figured out you're a nice guy. You can see how it goes. Just beware, it takes its time, but neither is it the focus, so I pardon it.
And I feel you should be aware that the first many chapters have art that looks like the artist used the wrong hand and had his eyes closed while drawing. If you can put up with it, it gets better.

Karakuri Odette - Shoujo, Nudity????

Did you like Chobits? Excellent. This is even better. Maybe.
Welcome to the story of a girl android. One of the better executed ones I've ever seen. Not in the sense that she feels like an android -- there's plenty of dubious technology and mechanics and ideas, as with any story containing a humanoid android -- but in the sense that it truly, really, feels like somebody learning to be human. From her earlier curious stoic self she develops into something with feelings and thoughts, opinions and who makes decisions. This is even better when contrasted with her earlier self or with any other androids present. The character development feels incredibly smooth, with no one chapter sticking out as personality changing, or her acting drastically to the point where it seems out of character. The side cast is also fantastic.
I imagine the ending will be divisive. It is very much the kind of ending I'd typically hate -- not particularly conclusive, and with a thread left hanging -- but what happens next is implied to the point where I had no issues. It's also the kind of ending that'd make me revoke its "Romance" tag, but I'll be keeping it since she develops important bonds with many people, and that is romance in and of itself.

Warau Kanoko-sama - Shoujo

Finalizing the trilogy of pretty much not romances, this title introduces one of my favourite characters of all time: Kanoko Naedoko.
The best thing about this manga is that the main character doesn't really change. wat is dis no character development wat wat arghdteggd,shs!!!!1!! Understand, the title in English would likely be something similar to "Laughing Kanoko-sama", and for good reason. Kanoko is someone who is primarily concerned with watching other people, and analysing/noting how the act and comport themselves. Understanding their feelings and rationale -- chuckling at their hypocrisy or interactions all the while. To achieve this, she must remain impartial and objective, and therefore, avoid befriending or interacting with anyone. And she does. Almost. She ends up 'befriending' a couple of people at her first school, and these people lead her to somewhat develop her beliefs, without intrinsically changing her personality, like many other manga tend to do.
The story almost takes upon the format of a bunch of short stories that occur as Kanoko changes schools due to family circumstances. At each school, she ends up invariably interacting with people, though not through her desire in particular, and, through her coldness, bluntness, frankness, and analytical prowess, helping them. Even then, the majority of the time is spent looking at other people and their stories.
Over the course of this manga the romance does not develop much, but that isn't the important part. For that there's a sequel, one I didn't like much, but fairly decent in its own right. Also, that one also takes a slowwwwww approach to romance. In general, this series just isn't the best in that particular department.

Love Celeb - Shoujo, Nudity, H-Scenes, Smut

Here's the story of a girl who aspires to be an artist. As it happens, she has the bad luck that her talent isn't extraordinary enough to attract the important people's attention, and that everyone else seems to be employing dirty tactics to get gigs and jobs. Oh, I do mean dirty very literally. In this depiction of the entertainment world, just about anybody looking to move up in the ranks does so by sleeping with the important people who decide if they get them or not. In this world, our pure hearted protagonist stands no chance. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for her, she happens to catch the eye of a super important guy, who proposes to buy her. Protagonist-chan is not amused.
If you're reading this, you're reading it for the smut and/or "romance". I thought this was fairly racy, and really liked it as a result. There's little else of any worth, so far as I recall.

Renai Shijou Shugi - Shoujo, Nudity, H-Scenes, Smut

Much like the above, you won't find much in the way of coherent plot or logical progression. In fact, I am willing to bet you will find a lot of what goes on to be not only improbable and ridiculous, but also degrading. Regardless, something within it sparked something within me. The story goes from evil guy who almost rapes our protagonist to evil guy who almost/pretty much rapes our protagonist, where she ends up being saved by the male hero every time -- said hero also frequently has sex with her. Seeing a pattern yet?
This is a story whose focus is on sex and love. Love buried by all the sex, but love nonetheless -- you can even see glimpses of it every now and then. The finale was also good. Once they were done with all the almost rape/pretty much rape/actual rape.

Mint na Bokura - Shoujo, Gender-Bending

There once were two twins who were very close to each other; a boy and a girl. One day, the girl fell for the coach of another school's basketball team, and decided to secretly transfer to said boarding school without telling her brother, who was very attached to her. Once she did, and he found out, he tried to transfer too, but there were no places left for boys! Well then, the solution is simple: transfer as a girl. And so he did. His main objective being, as the siscon he is, getting in the way of his sister's relationships.
What makes this good? It feels like Josei. The characters aren't stupid or dense, and there's no 'one true love', characters pursuing multiple relationships, establishing bonds, and understanding when something doesn't work. It's also not only one couple and both the siblings are protagonists, to an extent. Essentially, the rivalries and relationships of highschool characters seem to be well represented without delving into unnecessary drama. There's also some good comedy.
Difficult to explain, nevertheless a definite recommendation.

Ultra Maniac - Shoujo

By the same author as the above, this is a similar sort of story with a different premise. Expect multiple couples, good comedy, excellent characters and no melodrama. Things make sense and characters are neither dumb, nor do they act out of porportion with the issues they face. Other than that, it's a manga about a little witch who transfers into a human school and makes friends with a human girl, and her quest to be helpful with her magic despite being bad at magic.

Spicy Pink - Josei

Finally, my last recommendation by this author (though I'd actually recommend everything; for drama, Cappuccino). A depiction of a mangaka and her love life. Same traits as the previous: Wonderful characters, no melodrama, nice comedy. All three of these last recommendations are wondrous romances I'd recommend to anyone.
Yeah, I know these are getting kinda short. That's mostly because they apply to all three and I'd like these to be more than just a rewrite of the manga synopsis. I'm just finding it difficult to better explain other than how much of a romance it is.

Skill of Lure - Other

Is this cheating? It probably is. This isn't actually a manga. Doesn't matter. It's still the best thing since the previous best thing.
This is a story about your typical protagonist, who, by his panic-induced illogical actions, has a propensity to act as if he were a pervert, causing women to label him as such. But there's more. There's also his best friend, who you could label as a playboy, but a special kind of playboy -- one who thinks of the women first. His friend, then, decides to teach him how to interact with women, and how to pursue his love. And it's awesome. Putting aside how much of these life lessons are applicable in real life, it's fantastic to see him growing over the course of the story, and seeing his crush recognise him for who he really is. Other plotpoints and side stories are brought up, but those unrelated to our protagonists mostly end up dead in the water. And that's still fine, because the real story is about the protagonist and his friend, as well as the protagonist and his love interest, and how they sweet they are and such and such. You know, romance. The romance bit's well done, and the friendship bit is also well done, and that's what this list focuses on.

Hapi Mari: Happy Marriage!? - Josei

The premise is such that you are likely to have heard of it before. A woman whose family is buried in debt becomes engaged to the owner of a huge company. Even if you have heard of it before, though, that does not mean that the story goes on to be bad. Its main themes are learning to become a 'family', or, more specifically, learning to love each other, and it is in that way that it's very comparable to the Orange Yane no Chiisana Ie manga I mentioned way above. Which is also why it really appealed to me. It is not a story about following your passions and crushes, but about developing bonds and learning to love.

Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji - Shoujo

To truly appreciate this story you may need to thicken your skin a bit. The protagonist is, for the first fifth of the story, rather cold to the heroine, using her as his personal gopher and tricking her so as to make her think that he likes her. Whilst the transition from when he was tricking her to when he started just teasing, having fallen in love with her without realising it, is unclear, after they officially begun dating it became a story much to my taste. The focus was not always on the couple, but one the issues either one of them tackled, and how they supported each other to overcome them. They also had intimate moments aplenty, and strain the relationship, which they attempted to overcome. How lovely.

Kanojo ni Naru Hi - Other, Gender-Bending, H-Scenes

Be careful. This manga tackles the issues of changing gender and gender-specific urges/problems somewhat crudely, which may cause offence to some. If you're not bothered by any such things, you may find one of the greatest manga you have seen. Do you like couples fawning on each other? Do you like flirting and open displays of affection? Do you like the idea of lovers living together? Do you like to have each of them work toward their own goals, but support each other all the while? Perhaps this manga pushed my very particular buttons, but the vast majority of it represents a... peculiar relationship, due to the circumstances, but a real relationship nevertheless. If you've made it thus far, you know what I like: A couple working together to overcome their obstacles in life, establishing bonds and an open relationship and learning to love one another. And this title delivers that in spades.

 

On 25/10/2017 at 11:05 PM, Mr Poltroon said:

What. You're telling me you're surprised women have a greater propensity to write love stories? I agree. Terribly surprising indeed.

But seriously, it's just overall harder to recommend... wholesome seinen. It's almost as if one of its main characteristics is having ecchi or being a harem. With Shoujo it's not as much of a problem because they simply aren't that explicit, generally. Even when they are, the fanservice is directed at 'em girls, and, I must admit, bare male chests don't particularly embarrass me or prevent from recommending something quite as much as a camera shot pointed right into the lower parts.
However, it would be unjust and inaccurate to say good Seinen and Shounen that don't revel in fanservice aren't out there. Let's try to list a few things; though I'll see if I can avoid things that are borderline hentai. Or not.

Love Hina - Other, Harem

Here's a classic. I don't read classics much. Generally because they're 200+ chapter-long drama fests or who only deign to give us romantic progression every centenary chapter. I know well how these things work, and I'm bloody tired of them. Thankfully, Love Hina isn't actually any of these things. The romance progresses nicely every few chapters, giving us intimate moments between the couple, and intercalating it with a few many chapters of comedy and development for all the other characters. It also doesn't try to take us hostage via drama, which I deem to be the greatest offence. Indeed, if there were such a thing as a romcom harem, this would be it. None of the three elements I just mentioned are neglected, making for an excellent read all around. However, anything that's long also implies that the story gets drawn out, so don't expect plot progress to be all that fast.

Mahoraba - Other, Drama

Ehhh, that "drama" tag is a bit iffy. To be more accurate, this manga tackles serious themes, if in an ever so childish manner.
Here's a comedy that tell us the story of an apartment complex. It begins on the day our protagonist moves in and meets all the residents -- and what characters they are! I wouldn't be entirely off-base in saying that, at least in the "we're a community living together" aspect, Mahoraba is quite similar to Love Hina (I believe at least one of the character archetypes is exactly the same, even). The difference, then, lies in the fact that this one is not a harem. The story focuses on the protagonist and our heroine; And here shines the second main aspect of the story: the heroine. She suffers from some form of DID, which leads to plenty of comedic hijinks, sure, but the story doesn't shy away from trying to remind us that this is a serious problem for the girl, and how it affects her life. Regardless, I believe it never gets overbearingly serious, making for an excellent story all around, comedic (surprisingly!), romantic, and serious all the same.

Hen Koi - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Explicit

For the less than wholesome recommendations, let me start with this one.
The title stands for "Weird Love", and that is both fairly accurate and not nearly close enough. In what is essentially a nukige plot, the heroine is the most popular girl in school and it turns out she has such an active libido that led to the protagonist being selected as the target of her desires. One day, he finds out about this, they have intercourse and become a couple. From then on it focuses on their time together after school, which, of course, almost always involves sex.
Jesus Christ. Why would I recommend this? Because this story managed to make me go both "that's hot" and "that's cute, awwww". It's short, it's cute, it's funny, and it's best reserved for a day you may be in one of those moods.

Can't See Can't Hear But Love - Other, Drama

I am currently of the belief that Koreans make really dramatic dramas. That's because of this entry and another one that'll show up soon.
The premise by itself is already really good, and yet they went that much further... to make it into a living hell and basically have me cry in pain and frustration. But let's start with the premise. A blind man is currently living with a deaf woman, his girlfriend. Who would've thunk it? But yes. Over the course of the story, what happens to them is tragic. Their backstories are tragic. Their neighbour's backstory is tragic. The neighbour's dog's backstory is tragic. I don't think I'm even exaggerating here. It is a drama through and through, and seems intent on showing us how things can get progressively more miserable. Of course, this makes the -- what, two chapters of pay-off? -- all the more rewarding. But. BUT. If, like me, you are not a fan of drama, don't put yourself through this. I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Renai Shimasen Ka? - Other

Huh. Pretty much the only thing I remember about this one is that I felt it ended when it got good.
Essentially, I really liked it at the time, but I can't remember why. The couple are both otaku and they've got some "dramatic" backstories, but so far as I remember what gripped me was the cute grill whenever the lad had a heart-to-heart with her. She was, indeed, especially cute at those times.

Emma - Other

This is a historical title, set in the United Kingdom, close to 1900. It is also the story of romance between a maid and her master. You know, the good stuff. Except she's not actually his maid and most of the story lacks the romance it very well could have had.
Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent story, but, perhaps due to the historical accuracy, the main couple weren't together near as much as they could/should have after their initial couple of dates. Tragic, really.
It's still an excellent story of a maid's life and a "nouveau riche" merchant, complete with rich people politics and maid gossip. It just feels like such a wonderful romance didn't get much development in the overall scheme of things.
Did you get it, yet? I'm basically saying the story is so good that I wish there were more of it.
DISCLAIMER: In fact, there is. "Emma: Further Tales" are extra chapters which detail... something, I'm not sure what, but I never read them because they seemed to introduce new characters and I was in no mood for that at the time.

Toshiue no Hito - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Explicit

I was reading reviews for this one, and it would appear this story is mainly bashed for not having enough drama. Wow. Goodie.
Don't get me wrong, the drama was there, especially certain scenes towards the end, but this is a love story, and also a tale of growth. These two college students get together, date, their relationship grows. Sometimes somebody does something stupid (hint: the protagonist), but they get through it. It's also got some basically Hentai sex scenes. And uh... I think she was a loli? Not quite in appearance (which is sexy) or personality (which is that of a normal human being) as much as body type.

Koibana Onsen - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Explicit, Harem?

Koibana Onsen is about a Hotsprings inn specifically made for couples, and that leads said couples to get busy all the time, and all over the place. In comes our protagonist who, having broken up with his girlfriend, did not want to cancel the reservation he had made and came by himself. As the girls who work there are not accustomed to receiving sole guests, things take some odd turns, and he ends up working there! Oh, whatever will occur...
Obviously, this manga has a lot of focus on sex. Nevertheless, I found it to be very good, and it surprised me! What seemed to be a simple harem, with a guy who'd go for the many girls actually turned out to be a cute (and sexual) romance where all the "harem" candidates ended up getting a partner of their own! This was unheard of to me.
Through all the manga I've read, I've never seen this before. Maybe a rival or another may end up getting a partner of their own, but never the whole bloody harem! (note: I think there's one who doesn't, but I do not clearly recall)
Give this a read if you're into sexy manga about sex and also like some decent sexy romance. It's just a raunchy, sexy, cute read overall.

Koharu no Hibi - Other

A quick warning for slightly disturbing content. The main girl has stalker/yandere tendencies.

If you haven't run away yet, fantastic. If you're interested already, go read it. If you aren't, light spoilers ahead, allow me to try and convince you.
This manga appeals to a very specific section of me: A section which believes all Yanderes can be handled with enough care, attention and smarts. To sum it up, it's a yandere story that doesn't go terribly terribly wrong. There are its tense and dramatic moments. There are its creepy moments. And it's clear the girl is not normal, but can she achieve her happy ending? Can a person actually find it in himself to look past all the faults and try to help and love the person instead of being filled with disgust? Maybe.

B-gata H-kei  - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity?

I didn't for a second expect this manga to be so 'deep' or to end so well.

It's a gag manga about a perverted (but relatively timid) girl, and her wish to sleep around with 100 guys. There's just one problem: she's a virgin, and that makes her afraid she'll be rejected by all the hot guys. So, she chooses a random guy that looks like he's inexperienced. And so begins the story.
It's a comedy gag manga. There's not much plot to expect... except, there is some, and that's why I loved it so much. Over the course of the manga the 'couple' progresses, new characters are introduced, things happen! It's not static, but it can be extremely cute, whenever I'm not laughing to death. Give it a read, if you don't mind the subject matter.

Mayo Chiki! - Other, Harem, Nudity

Perhaps one of the most traditional manga on my list. It's an ecchi harem about a guy who has a nosebleed whenever he touches a girl and a girl who cross-dresses as a butler.
*sigh* What a state manga is in when this premise isn't particularly abnormal for harem manga.

However, the execution is where it triumphs. Because the main girl is beyond clear, and because the other character have interesting characters and interactions, and because the main couple is close and has intimate moments every few chapters, and because the comedy and hijinks is good... I ended up liking it despite it all.
An ecchi shounen manga... but if you have to read one of those, make it this one. It has a solid conclusion.

Hajimete Datteba - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity

If a shounen or seinen author tried to write a Shoujo romance, maybe it'd come out a bit like this.
This is the story of the two protagonists, of their first love and their relationship, as well as how they grow to know each other over time, and culminating in their first time. As well as these two, the stories and relationships of a few of their friends are also detailed, making for a slice-of-life with a few couples, no drama, and a lot of firsts.

Software Engineer - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity

This manga is shamelessly ecchi. It's all about that ridiculous setting, and how it's milked to produce fanservice and titillating scenes.
Yet, it makes it here for that very setting, and for delivering. It is, in reality, a romance story, no matter how odd the surrounding circumstances. The main characters fall in love, they bond, they get together, the end. There's not much of anything else, but I was surprised, and that's enough. I did not think it would be so... decent (it is indecent, yes, but it's a decent manga).

Fujiyama-san wa Shinshuki - Other, Nudity

Have you ever heard of an innocent ecchi? No, not one of those about the main girl innocently engaging in innuendo. I mean a story about horny middleschoolers and how they end up developing a real relationship with time.
That's exactly what this is. It's half silent (at least half of the panels have no dialogue, and simply depict scenery or scenes taking place), and it all starts when a middleschooler sees some breasts. This makes him confess to the girl, who accepts, and from there they grow to better understand and accept each other through a slow slice of life.
In this way, it is really easy to empathise with, and you can probably imagine yourself when you were in middle school, and the way a girl's curves really attracted your attention. A lot of the shots, then, focus on the girl with this in mind.
How a story can be so innocent, ecchi, slow and cute is beyond me, but they've managed it.

Kanojo wa Rokubi - Other

There are predictable stories and then there's this: the exact opposite.
The characters are weird, the situations are surreal, the interactions are out of this world. There is rhyme or reason, it's just usually at odds with our own. Furthermore, most characters are inhuman, for they're youkai. This is a story I suggest you experience -- from characters getting excited from seemingly innocuous actions, to being capable of physically impossible actions, and getting themselves into trouble that way, to being flat-out incomprehensible -- all this and more, with a hint of romance on the outside.

Love Lucky! - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Smut?

Guilty pleasure? Maybe. If you want escapism, look no further!
A guy just happens to get married to an idol... who also happens to be really innocent and in love with him. Read on as they...
...kiss!
...have sex!
...have pointless drama that lasts little more than a chapter!
...have said drama culminate in a make up scene, which may or may not involve sex!
...rinse and repeat. I want enough of this to fill up the entire 50 chapters.

Tropey, predictable and generally plotless as it might be, this is the perfect adult ecchi if you're looking to pass the time with a surrealistically cute and loving wife, titillating scenes and immediate payoff from the drama, please go ahead.

 

Dishonourable Mentions:

Yume de Aetara - Other, Drama, H-Scenes

Painfully shoujo-like. A story of misunderstandings and love triangles, coupled with occasional sweet moments and over a hundred chapters...
I can't actually recommend this one in good conscience. As one of the first few romance manga I read, it is back from a period where I could stand love triangles and chapters upon chapters of no official relationship. It's the sort of story that, once it grabs your investment, you can't leave it. It's also through said investment that it actually "pays off". If you stick to it a hundred chapters, of course you're going to be as happy as the main protagonist when there's some tangible progress. How, then, did I like it so much? It's by the guy who made Orange Yane no Chiisana Ie, and you can tell that is just a better version of this one. Courtesy of being by the same guy, I also happen to like the character designs, general art, and caricatures very much, despite that usually not being too much of a factor.
To conclude, it's not the best. The last few dozen chapters are essentially the pay-off, but they do require you to read the hundred chapters previous to that, and with the good moments intercalated with frustrating situations and drama, you may not want to go through with it.

Sankarea - Other, Drama, Nudity?

A quick warning for the presence of light gore and horror elements. The author seems to get a quick of making things looking more disgusting than he needs to.

This Shounen romance seems to do all the kinds things I dislike... while still having a good enough premise to hook me in and force me to read the whole thing.
The story started well -- boy meets girl, they interact a bit, become friends, and then circumstances lead the girl to become a zombie. They then need to learn more about what consequences being a zombie has, and how to deal with them, and we watch the couple work towards these goals, along with both comedy and light horror as we see them witnessing the consequences of her now zombie status. But over time, more and more plot elements get introduced, along with characters, and the story just keeps on growing in scope. It's no longer about the couple as it is an amazing quest to discover the truth and save the girl. Drama, cliffhangers, exposition dumps, love triangles, and shounen troupes abound. It becomes a story that is entirely different from what I started reading and, in my case, that was not for the better.

And this is a shame: The couple had a real thing going, the girl was cute and the more light-hearted moments were quite funny and endearing. Unfortunately, the tonal shift into shounenland soured my experience considerably.

In light of all this... I can probably recommend the anime instead! I hear it focuses more on the romance, since it covers very little of the story.

NOTE: This list is the same as the one in a reply below.

 

...I would go on, but I fear I'd be here all year. Literally. This post was started on February of last year.
There's plenty more lovely romance manga out there, but I don't believe I can write about them all. But feel free to ask, should you find any one my list you want to know about!

https://myanimelist.net/animelist/Poltroon

 

Edited by Mr Poltroon
Added the list found in a reply.
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https://myanimelist.net/manga/57015/Jitsu_wa_Watashi_wa

https://myanimelist.net/manga/13102/Kanojo_wo_Mamoru_51_no_Houhou

https://myanimelist.net/manga/18939/Yasashii_Sekai_no_Tsukurikata

https://myanimelist.net/manga/41375/Yome_ga_Kore_na_mon_de

https://myanimelist.net/manga/47617/Kyou_no_Yuiko-san

 

Thanks for the recommendations, haven't heard of a few of these. I'll check em out!

 Listed a few you might not know of [according to your mal], otherwise you're pretty well set up with enough romance mangas to read for a long long time :sachi:.

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31 minutes ago, DharmaFreedom said:

https://myanimelist.net/manga/57015/Jitsu_wa_Watashi_wa

https://myanimelist.net/manga/13102/Kanojo_wo_Mamoru_51_no_Houhou

https://myanimelist.net/manga/18939/Yasashii_Sekai_no_Tsukurikata

https://myanimelist.net/manga/41375/Yome_ga_Kore_na_mon_de

https://myanimelist.net/manga/47617/Kyou_no_Yuiko-san

 

Thanks for the recommendations, haven't heard of a few of these. I'll check em out!

 Listed a few you might not know of [according to your mal], otherwise you're pretty well set up with enough romance mangas to read for a long long time :sachi:.

Wow, wow, wow, "everyday life with wife/girlfriend" sounds right right up my alley.

Also, please do recommend things even if they're on my list. You can probably guess that I'm not concurrently reading 70+ plus manga, and that a plan to read list with 250+ is a bit... like browsing the entire library. There's stuff there that were attuned to my tastes back when I could still tolerate blatant harems and love triangles!
Speaking of which, that right there is what I don't like. Relationship drama as a result of love triangles and harems, or drama based stories.

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5 hours ago, Mr Poltroon said:

Speaking of which, that right there is what I don't like. Relationship drama as a result of love triangles and harems, or drama based stories.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/57015/Jitsu_wa_Watashi_wa

Jitsu wa watashi is a really funny romance manga, there's abit of relationship drama and there's some love triangles going on but they get resolved fairly quickly and the focus goes back to humour and the main pair. Its mostly a straight up happy slice of life with a relationship formed quite early in the manga. It surprised me since they usually keep that stuff for the end chapters not 1/3 of the way through lol. I say again, really funny :sacchan:.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/15805/Tasogare_Otome_x_Amnesia

Its a horror, mystery, romance. Good art, good story. Enjoyable romance moments with an endearing female lead. 

https://myanimelist.net/manga/42451/Horimiya

slice of life, comedy, romance. No drama, focused of the main pair and their relationship.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/52741/Hadi_Girl

since you liked hajiotsu, you may like this. Its a cutesy story about a girl forced to woe a boy due to necessity at the beginning which turns to something else. She's shy, so you should get how the scenes would be like lol.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/47617/Kyou_no_Yuiko-san

cutesy innocent romance story about how a couple of high-schoolers manage their secret relationship. 

 

I wish there were more Bonnouji type manga too but alas, most people love drama. Have fun mate! 

 

Edited by DharmaFreedom
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So much shoujo...

But i grabbed some interesting stuff. Thank you.


Personally i can only recommend:

Amagami (Love Goes On! and Precious Diary) , KimiKiss and Love Plus Rinko days(dat art from Seo Kouji)) if you like short things. Being based on Date-sims and anime they have different filing, and quite good overall,without harem and triangles despite having many heroines. Though MC is blank, because you know...date-sim curse, but it is excusable when almost all girls get love(1vol = 1 girl, like routes).

Also maybe you enjoy Spotted Flower - about a otaku and his pregnant wife.

Edited by ShinRaikdou
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10 hours ago, DharmaFreedom said:

I wish there were more Bonnouji type manga too but alas, most people love drama. Have fun mate!

Alright, let's try and list a few in the "romantic interactions with no/little drama" category. I mean, I basically picked these at random, but it's fine. The more the better. I'll add them to the main post eventually.

Spoiler

 

Under One Roof - Yuri

I am recommending this one for providing me with the same "feelings" as bonnouji, even if the premise is a bit different. Indeed, this one is even yuri. It's about a straight woman who rents an apartment/room in someone else's house, but that certain someone else is a lesbian. A great deal of the story shows off their interactions, with a bit of tension hidden in how the homosexual lass feels like she has a thing for the other woman, and becomes self-conscious about making her uncomfortable. It's funny, and it projects good feelings all around.

Fu-fu - Yuri

Because Bonnouji type stories are apparently all Yuri, here's another. This is about a couple of married -- though I suppose they aren't actually married -- women living together. That premise alone should say all that needs to be said. No drama, there's nothing but fluff. I also believe another coupling is introduced sometime through? Because all female couples are attracted to that particular apartment complex or something.

Love Roma - Other, H-Scenes

Love Roma is unique. And it's also really good. No idea how it got left out of my initial listing.
The story begins when the protagonist, having fallen in love at first sight, confesses to his crush. And things work out because this protagonist also happens to be the most honest person you'll ever meet, values communication, and is pretty good at putting his feelings into words (I'd also wager he has high immunity against embarrassment). He is the one who moves the story and pulls everyone along with him, like his girlfriend, who has to learn how to deal with somebody who loves her wholeheartedly and is not afraid to convey his desires. You will feel happy for them, you will feel warm, fuzzy feelings at their interactions, you will feel 'something' at the atypical art.

Hitorimi Haduki-san to. - Shoujo

Our dear protagonist is already in her twenties and has never been in a relationship before. She's also pretty salty about it. Which leads to her family setting her up for a date with a younger boy, a high-schooler.
The high-schooler is eager to please, having quite the crush on her, and she tries to keep up the adult image which the boy carries. She fails. Indeed, despite being an adult she is actually rather childish, leading her to become ever so slightly estranged from her friends who actually 'grew up'. Join these two in their dating experiences as they disillude themselves, learning to be themselves and loving each other for who they really are. (themselves x2)

Saruyama! - Shoujo

I think every girl goes through a phase where she thinks all boys are stupid. Well, this high-schooler seems to compare everyone else to a bunch of monkeys.
Creating a philosophy and world-view based on how human societies are in fact rather similar to monkey societies, the girl meets a boy who actually looks like a monkey. I'm being completely honest when I say that I didn't expect their relationship to actually officially progress until the end, but no, I was pleasantly surprised. They fall in love and midway through they end up in a relationship. This is the story of their love, and how this boy who looks like a monkey changed her world views. It's also really funny, by the way. To the point where I found said comedy overlapped any 'drama' that may be present.

My Hero! - Shoujo

This is the story of the side character. You know, that comedic relief guy who looks really silly and funny and therefore is disqualified from being the main love interest? He's no bishounen, and he may also be pretty creepy in his nervousness, but he has feelings too, and he has a right to love too.
This story reminds me of Saruyama, as it is the story of a boy who, through his hard work, became a part of the protagonists life and achieved his love. This story is only about the trip until they truly get together, but what a trip it is. We see the guy struggling, many of the times actually putting the protagonist off, but in the process showing his fondness and ingraining himself in her life. Which is why this technically doesn't fit the criteria I set above, but those be damned.

Kiss ni Juuzoku - Shoujo

Do you like stronger than average protagonists? Do you like hot kisses? Do you like nice gentlemen? Well, this is certainly a story you could do with. Quick to read, light, and both cute and hot, depending on how you interpret them kisses.

Mori no Takuma-san - Shoujo

Would you believe me if I told you it's not the first time I've seen a "promise to marry as childhood friends but they get separated and when they reunite again one of them is overweight" premise? Well, it is the first one I thought was really good, though.
Meet our protagonist, who I'd call Miss Superficial, as she is one who values looks above anything else, including practicality. Oh, the irony of the situation when she ends up in a relationship with an overweight guy. Regardless, this is overall a very sweet tale, with borderline fantasy/supernatural elements... But that doesn't matter. Read this if you want the story of a girl learning to love even when it means breaking her ideals.

 

I think one of the above might be to your liking. If you need more, there's definitely more if I look and refresh my memory, but for now that's enough Shoujo.

 

Note: Blast it all. I have read some of this stuff so long ago I can't rightly remember which are most appropriate or what they're about, exactly.
Note2: I have some 11 tabs open, courtesy of the MAL pages of the stuff I want to recommend. But every time I finish writing one and progress, more tabs seem to appear! What's this?! Nooooo
Note3: I think there's little more ridiculous than finding stuff on my 'plan to read' list that I think is really good. Making me wonder why the flying squirrel I haven't gotten into reading it yet!

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On 2017-6-8 at 10:48 PM, Mr Poltroon said:

Alright, let's try and list a few in the "romantic interactions with no/little drama" category.

Nice of you the suggest some mate! I'll definitely check them out after I'm done with what I'm reading now [Magi]. Btw I have the same problem with MAL as well as wikipedia, tabs just magically appear and I end up going down rabbit holes that I have no intention to going down initially!  then before I know it, hours have flown by... :michiru:.

Cheers, enjoy your readings! 

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  • 4 months later...
On 08/06/2017 at 2:42 PM, ShinRaikdou said:

So much shoujo...

But i grabbed some interesting stuff. Thank you.


Personally i can only recommend:

Amagami (Love Goes On! and Precious Diary) , KimiKiss and Love Plus Rinko days(dat art from Seo Kouji)) if you like short things. Being based on Date-sims and anime they have different filing, and quite good overall,without harem and triangles despite having many heroines. Though MC is blank, because you know...date-sim curse, but it is excusable when almost all girls get love(1vol = 1 girl, like routes).

Also maybe you enjoy Spotted Flower - about a otaku and his pregnant wife.

What. You're telling me you're surprised women have a greater propensity to write love stories? I agree. Terribly surprising indeed.

But seriously, it's just overall harder to recommend... wholesome seinen. It's almost as if one of its main characteristics is having ecchi or being a harem. With Shoujo it's not as much of a problem because they simply aren't that explicit, generally. Even when they are, the fanservice is directed at 'em girls, and, I must admit, bare male chests don't particularly embarrass me or prevent from recommending something quite as much as a camera shot pointed right into the lower parts.
However, it would be unjust and inaccurate to say good Seinen and Shounen that don't revel in fanservice aren't out there. Let's try to list a few things; though I'll see if I can avoid things that are borderline hentai. Or not.

Love Hina - Other, Harem

Here's a classic. I don't read classics much. Generally because they're 200+ chapter-long drama fests or who only deign to give us romantic progression every centenary chapter. I know well how these things work, and I'm bloody tired of them. Thankfully, Love Hina isn't actually any of these things. The romance progresses nicely every few chapters, giving us intimate moments between the couple, and intercalating it with a few many chapters of comedy and development for all the other characters. It also doesn't try to take us hostage via drama, which I deem to be the greatest offence. Indeed, if there were such a thing as a romcom harem, this would be it. None of the three elements I just mentioned are neglected, making for an excellent read all around. However, anything that's long also implies that the story gets drawn out, so don't expect plot progress to be all that fast.

Mahoraba - Other, Drama

Ehhh, that "drama" tag is a bit iffy. To be more accurate, this manga tackles serious themes, if in an ever so childish manner.
Here's a comedy that tell us the story of an apartment complex. It begins on the day our protagonist moves in and meets all the residents -- and what characters they are! I wouldn't be entirely off-base in saying that, at least in the "we're a community living together" aspect, Mahoraba is quite similar to Love Hina (I believe at least one of the character archetypes is exactly the same, even). The difference, then, lies in the fact that this one is not a harem. The story focuses on the protagonist and our heroine; And here shines the second main aspect of the story: the heroine. She suffers from some form of DID, which leads to plenty of comedic hijinks, sure, but the story doesn't shy away from trying to remind us that this is a serious problem for the girl, and how it affects her life. Regardless, I believe it never gets overbearingly serious, making for an excellent story all around, comedic (surprisingly!), romantic, and serious all the same.

Hen Koi - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Explicit

For the less than wholesome recommendations, let me start with this one.
The title stands for "Weird Love", and that is both fairly accurate and not nearly close enough. In what is essentially a nukige plot, the heroine is the most popular girl in school and it turns out she has such an active libido that led to the protagonist being selected as the target of her desires. One day, he finds out about this, they have intercourse and become a couple. From then on it focuses on their time together after school, which, of course, almost always involves sex.
Jesus Christ. Why would I recommend this? Because this story managed to make me go both "that's hot" and "that's cute, awwww". It's short, it's cute, it's funny, and it's best reserved for a day you may be in one of those moods.

Can't See Can't Hear But Love - Other, Drama

I am currently of the belief that Koreans make really dramatic dramas. That's because of this entry and another one that'll show up soon.
The premise by itself is already really good, and yet they went that much further... to make it into a living hell and basically have me cry in pain and frustration. But let's start with the premise. A blind man is currently living with a deaf woman, his girlfriend. Who would've thunk it? But yes. Over the course of the story, what happens to them is tragic. Their backstories are tragic. Their neighbour's backstory is tragic. The neighbour's dog's backstory is tragic. I don't think I'm even exaggerating here. It is a drama through and through, and seems intent on showing us how things can get progressively more miserable. Of course, this makes the -- what, two chapters of pay-off? -- all the more rewarding. But. BUT. If, like me, you are not a fan of drama, don't put yourself through this. I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Renai Shimasen Ka? - Other

Huh. Pretty much the only thing I remember about this one is that I felt it ended when it got good.
Essentially, I really liked it at the time, but I can't remember why. The couple are both otaku and they've got some "dramatic" backstories, but so far as I remember what gripped me was the cute grill whenever the lad had a heart-to-heart with her. She was, indeed, especially cute at those times.

Emma - Other

This is a historical title, set in the United Kingdom, close to 1900. It is also the story of romance between a maid and her master. You know, the good stuff. Except she's not actually his maid and most of the story lacks the romance it very well could have had.
Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent story, but, perhaps due to the historical accuracy, the main couple weren't together near as much as they could/should have after their initial couple of dates. Tragic, really.
It's still an excellent story of a maid's life and a "nouveau riche" merchant, complete with rich people politics and maid gossip. It just feels like such a wonderful romance didn't get much development in the overall scheme of things.
Did you get it, yet? I'm basically saying the story is so good that I wish there were more of it.
DISCLAIMER: In fact, there is. "Emma: Further Tales" are extra chapters which detail... something, I'm not sure what, but I never read them because they seemed to introduce new characters and I was in no mood for that at the time.

Toshiue no Hito - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Explicit

I was reading reviews for this one, and it would appear this story is mainly bashed for not having enough drama. Wow. Goodie.
Don't get me wrong, the drama was there, especially certain scenes towards the end, but this is a love story, and also a tale of growth. These two college students get together, date, their relationship grows. Sometimes somebody does something stupid (hint: the protagonist), but they get through it. It's also got some basically Hentai sex scenes. And uh... I think she was a loli? Not quite in appearance (which is sexy) or personality (which is that of a normal human being) as much as body type.

Koibana Onsen - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Explicit, Harem?

Koibana Onsen is about a Hotsprings inn specifically made for couples, and that leads said couples to get busy all the time, and all over the place. In comes our protagonist who, having broken up with his girlfriend, did not want to cancel the reservation he had made and came by himself. As the girls who work there are not accustomed to receiving sole guests, things take some odd turns, and he ends up working there! Oh, whatever will occur...
Obviously, this manga has a lot of focus on sex. Nevertheless, I found it to be very good, and it surprised me! What seemed to be a simple harem, with a guy who'd go for the many girls actually turned out to be a cute (and sexual) romance where all the "harem" candidates ended up getting a partner of their own! This was unheard of to me.
Through all the manga I've read, I've never seen this before. Maybe a rival or another may end up getting a partner of their own, but never the whole bloody harem! (note: I think there's one who doesn't, but I do not clearly recall)
Give this a read if you're into sexy manga about sex and also like some decent sexy romance. It's just a raunchy, sexy, cute read overall.

Koharu no Hibi - Other

A quick warning for slightly disturbing content. The main girl has stalker/yandere tendencies.

If you haven't run away yet, fantastic. If you're interested already, go read it. If you aren't, light spoilers ahead, allow me to try and convince you.
This manga appeals to a very specific section of me: A section which believes all Yanderes can be handled with enough care, attention and smarts. To sum it up, it's a yandere story that doesn't go terribly terribly wrong. There are its tense and dramatic moments. There are its creepy moments. And it's clear the girl is not normal, but can she achieve her happy ending? Can a person actually find it in himself to look past all the faults and try to help and love the person instead of being filled with disgust? Maybe.

B-gata H-kei  - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity?

I didn't for a second expect this manga to be so 'deep' or to end so well.

It's a gag manga about a perverted (but relatively timid) girl, and her wish to sleep around with 100 guys. There's just one problem: she's a virgin, and that makes her afraid she'll be rejected by all the hot guys. So, she chooses a random guy that looks like he's inexperienced. And so begins the story.
It's a comedy gag manga. There's not much plot to expect... except, there is some, and that's why I loved it so much. Over the course of the manga the 'couple' progresses, new characters are introduced, things happen! It's not static, but it can be extremely cute, whenever I'm not laughing to death. Give it a read, if you don't mind the subject matter.

Mayo Chiki! - Other, Harem, Nudity

Perhaps one of the most traditional manga on my list. It's an ecchi harem about a guy who has a nosebleed whenever he touches a girl and a girl who cross-dresses as a butler.
*sigh* What a state manga is in when this premise isn't particularly abnormal for harem manga.

However, the execution is where it triumphs. Because the main girl is beyond clear, and because the other character have interesting characters and interactions, and because the main couple is close and has intimate moments every few chapters, and because the comedy and hijinks is good... I ended up liking it despite it all.
An ecchi shounen manga... but if you have to read one of those, make it this one. It has a solid conclusion.

Hajimete Datteba - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity

If a shounen or seinen author tried to write a Shoujo romance, maybe it'd come out a bit like this.
This is the story of the two protagonists, of their first love and their relationship, as well as how they grow to know each other over time, and culminating in their first time. As well as these two, the stories and relationships of a few of their friends are also detailed, making for a slice-of-life with a few couples, no drama, and a lot of firsts.

Software Engineer - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity

This manga is shamelessly ecchi. It's all about that ridiculous setting, and how it's milked to produce fanservice and titillating scenes.
Yet, it makes it here for that very setting, and for delivering. It is, in reality, a romance story, no matter how odd the surrounding circumstances. The main characters fall in love, they bond, they get together, the end. There's not much of anything else, but I was surprised, and that's enough. I did not think it would be so... decent (it is indecent, yes, but it's a decent manga).

Fujiyama-san wa Shinshuki - Other, Nudity

Have you ever heard of an innocent ecchi? No, not one of those about the main girl innocently engaging in innuendo. I mean a story about horny middleschoolers and how they end up developing a real relationship with time.
That's exactly what this is. It's half silent (at least half of the panels have no dialogue, and simply depict scenery or scenes taking place), and it all starts when a middleschooler sees some breasts. This makes him confess to the girl, who accepts, and from there they grow to better understand and accept each other through a slow slice of life.
In this way, it is really easy to empathise with, and you can probably imagine yourself when you were in middle school, and the way a girl's curves really attracted your attention. A lot of the shots, then, focus on the girl with this in mind.
How a story can be so innocent, ecchi, slow and cute is beyond me, but they've managed it.

Kanojo wa Rokubi - Other

There are predictable stories and then there's this: the exact opposite.
The characters are weird, the situations are surreal, the interactions are out of this world. There is rhyme or reason, it's just usually at odds with our own. Furthermore, most characters are inhuman, for they're youkai. This is a story I suggest you experience -- from characters getting excited from seemingly innocuous actions, to being capable of physically impossible actions, and getting themselves into trouble that way, to being flat-out incomprehensible -- all this and more, with a hint of romance on the outside.

Love Lucky! - Other, H-Scenes, Nudity, Smut?

Guilty pleasure? Maybe. If you want escapism, look no further!
A guy just happens to get married to an idol... who also happens to be really innocent and in love with him. Read on as they...
...kiss!
...have sex!
...have pointless drama that lasts little more than a chapter!
...have said drama culminate in a make up scene, which may or may not involve sex!
...rinse and repeat. I want enough of this to fill up the entire 50 chapters.

Tropey, predictable and generally plotless as it might be, this is the perfect adult ecchi if you're looking to pass the time with a surrealistically cute and loving wife, titillating scenes and immediate payoff from the drama, please go ahead.

 

Dishonourable Mentions:

Yume de Aetara - Other, Drama, H-Scenes

Painfully shoujo-like. A story of misunderstandings and love triangles, coupled with occasional sweet moments and over a hundred chapters...
I can't actually recommend this one in good conscience. As one of the first few romance manga I read, it is back from a period where I could stand love triangles and chapters upon chapters of no official relationship. It's the sort of story that, once it grabs your investment, you can't leave it. It's also through said investment that it actually "pays off". If you stick to it a hundred chapters, of course you're going to be as happy as the main protagonist when there's some tangible progress. How, then, did I like it so much? It's by the guy who made Orange Yane no Chiisana Ie, and you can tell that is just a better version of this one. Courtesy of being by the same guy, I also happen to like the character designs, general art, and caricatures very much, despite that usually not being too much of a factor.
To conclude, it's not the best. The last few dozen chapters are essentially the pay-off, but they do require you to read the hundred chapters previous to that, and with the good moments intercalated with frustrating situations and drama, you may not want to go through with it.

Sankarea - Other, Drama, Nudity?

A quick warning for the presence of light gore and horror elements. The author seems to get a quick of making things looking more disgusting than he needs to.

This Shounen romance seems to do all the kinds things I dislike... while still having a good enough premise to hook me in and force me to read the whole thing.
The story started well -- boy meets girl, they interact a bit, become friends, and then circumstances lead the girl to become a zombie. They then need to learn more about what consequences being a zombie has, and how to deal with them, and we watch the couple work towards these goals, along with both comedy and light horror as we see them witnessing the consequences of her now zombie status. But over time, more and more plot elements get introduced, along with characters, and the story just keeps on growing in scope. It's no longer about the couple as it is an amazing quest to discover the truth and save the girl. Drama, cliffhangers, exposition dumps, love triangles, and shounen troupes abound. It becomes a story that is entirely different from what I started reading and, in my case, that was not for the better.

And this is a shame: The couple had a real thing going, the girl was cute and the more light-hearted moments were quite funny and endearing. Unfortunately, the tonal shift into shounenland soured my experience considerably.

In light of all this... I can probably recommend the anime instead! I hear it focuses more on the romance, since it covers very little of the story.

 

 

Did you spot the pattern? Exactly! Not only was the 'drama' tag rampant, there were even small cases of 'harem', and love triangles or H-Scenes are basically unavoidable.
Pffft, and then this guy is surprised I recommended so few Seinen.

On 08/06/2017 at 2:42 PM, ShinRaikdou said:

Amagami (Love Goes On! and Precious Diary) , KimiKiss and Love Plus Rinko days(dat art from Seo Kouji)) if you like short things. Being based on Date-sims and anime they have different filing, and quite good overall,without harem and triangles despite having many heroines. Though MC is blank, because you know...date-sim curse, but it is excusable when almost all girls get love(1vol = 1 girl, like routes).

Also maybe you enjoy Spotted Flower - about a otaku and his pregnant wife.

Oh, and thanks for your recommendations. I will look at them... Eventually. I just seem to have some 200 other things to read first maybe?

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https://myanimelist.net/manga/14787/Ame_Nochi_Hare
I heard you like gender-bender.

Seishun Rikon is pretty short and sweet. You should get that one off your to-read.
Of course, if you can get your hands on the novel, even better.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/109243/Haru_to_Bonkura
Another short one, though.... romance? Kinda?

https://myanimelist.net/manga/67405/Musume_no_Iede
https://myanimelist.net/manga/76811/Koiiji
These are by the same author as Aoi Hana
You should get that and Sasameki Koto off your list, too.
Good yuris that showcase two ends of a spectrum, I feel.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/103123/Tatoe_Todokanu_Ito_da_toshitemo
I like where this one seems to be going. Yuri.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/58141/Machida-kun_no_Sekai
Not a romance first but some aspects. Heartwarming.

https://myanimelist.net/manga/89087/Wotaku_ni_Koi_wa_Muzukashii
Game otaku x fujoshi

https://myanimelist.net/manga/98187/Saraba_Yoki_Hi
"It's true afterall. I can never marry Kei-chan"

Edit:

https://myanimelist.net/manga/1162/Bitter_Virgin
Somewhat surprised I didn't see this one on the list.

Edit:

https://myanimelist.net/manga/92629/Nobo-san_to_Kanojo
Falling in love with a ghost you can't see.

Edited by Beichuuka
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  • 1 year later...
On 26/10/2017 at 2:33 AM, Beichuuka said:

https://myanimelist.net/manga/1162/Bitter_Virgin
Somewhat surprised I didn't see this one on the list.

I have some things to say about this one.
I'd put it off for months because it always seemed like something kind of dark and not very positive, which meant I wouldn't like it. However, I went and read the synopsis, which led me to decide I actually might like this... depending on how they go about it. Unfortunately, I didn't like it too much. My initial impression was correct on all counts. It was very bittersweet. Often outright mean.
If you're looking for drama or this more negative look at humanity in general, I'd recommend it. But it's certainly not for me.

As for your other recommendations, most are either compilations of short stories or are still publishing. I'll refrain from reading things which have yet to finish.

On 08/06/2017 at 5:03 AM, DharmaFreedom said:

https://myanimelist.net/manga/15805/Tasogare_Otome_x_Amnesia

Its a horror, mystery, romance. Good art, good story. Enjoyable romance moments with an endearing female lead. 

I started this story and all was going well. About halfway through, however, the characters' young age started to bother me. Especially with how far into the ecchi spectrum it kept trying to go, whilst at the same time recognising that it can't really go that far. Unfortunately, I very much dislike being teased. I'm fine with a chaste and 'no touching until marriage' sort of relationship, but not when I feel like they're giving me glimpses of something more and then withdrawing just before anything truly happens.
It was enjoyable whilst I was fine with reading it, though.

As for your other recommendations, Kyou no Yuiko-san was absolutely phenomenal! This is the sort of relationships I truly love. In a way, it reminds me of another manga where the girl denies being a ninja all the time whilst acting like one... I wonder why I find these similar?
Horimiya has been on my list for some three or four years, and I'm sure I will get to it some day. Haidi Girl was more forgettable. I liked it a bit while reading it, but I don't seem to have found it very memorable like others. Had I a need to describe it, I would be unable to.

 

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If you are still looking for recommendations here are some non yuri ones that I would recommend to you

https://mangadex.org/title/17342/machida-kun-no-sekai

This one is really fantastic and is just good for the soul. It kinda restores your faith in humanity until something happens a second later to destroy it all over again.

https://mangadex.org/title/15722/tomo-chan-wa-onna-no-ko

It has a great lead and it is truly funny

https://mangadex.org/title/22078/saotome-senshu-hitakakusu

This is very endearing and sweet and proves that tomboys are the best both in and out of yuri

https://mangadex.org/title/16050/kawaii-hito

This is sort of unusual but very sweet, a guy with a face like death finds a girl who loves him.

https://mangadex.org/title/15240/kishuku-gakkou-no-juliet

It is one of the few male helmed shojos that I like because I can understand why a woman would fall for him.

 

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3 hours ago, Ranzo said:

https://mangadex.org/title/17342/machida-kun-no-sekai

This one is really fantastic and is just good for the soul. It kinda restores your faith in humanity until something happens a second later to destroy it all over again.

Haha. I literally just finished this an hour ago, before I'd even seen this post. I would describe the very same way as you. It is wholesomeness incarnate.

As for your other recommendations, they are currently ongoing, so I'll hold off.

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