Oboreru Knife
Drowning Love

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Growing up sucks lmao

One thing I've noticed over the years is the sheer amount of people that want recommendations based on a handful of titles that get the whole "being a teenager is physical and emotional hell" angle down pat. You know the ones, we've all been there.

The listed series all deal with the relationships between youths and their bodies, the bodies of others, and the difficulties of becoming an adult. I tried to select series that are more grounded, but ones that capture that same mood and themes will be considered as well.

for masochists

You are reading a slow burn romance, and you start rooting for the second lead despite the odds being against them. Deep down, you know that 80% of the time the MC is gonna end up with the main lead. But you can't stop hoping since they feel more realistically flawed and human. In some cases, the second lead even ends up with the protagonist, and that's the closest feeling to winning the lottery.

If you are a masochist like me who loves rooting for second leads because of their less Mary-Sue, idealized traits, then this list is for you!

Some of these works have the second lead succeed in love, so stay tuned

mainly consist of shoujo, josei, and maybe seinen

i'm particularly picky about romance animanga because too many of them drag out for the sake of making more money, they don't even experience the couple's relationships and just ends it at them getting together, etc. the romances i chose have either character development, charm, and/or unique premise.

i tried not including romances where the romance isn't really a huge focus, and i haven't read many novels in general but i'll be adding romance novels i like in the future.

(P.S. I do not hate high school rom-coms, I just read a lot more romances of other genres and it's hard to find a rom-com that doesn't drag out or that stands out imo)

Here are all the shoujo manga I think one should read in order to cover all bases. I organized this list by general theme, with publishing series at the bottom.

We start off with serious drama and slice of life series, then period and fantasy action and war series, then science-fiction series, then magical girl series, then series for younger audiences, then romance comedies, then drama slice of life romances, then horror and supernatural manga, and lastly, important ongoing series.

I'm currently using this list too, despite me being the one who created it!

Mangas from different genres and demographies that will most likely leave a mark on you. Rich stories with strong characters and themes, sometimes uplifting, sometimes tragic, but stories worth telling. Beware of the TWs, lots of the mangas presented here contain delicate subjects

Part 1:
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/35258

Deep in the darkness of the mind

Whether it be beautiful, sad, cruel or happy, these titles follow a character across multiple years of their life, observing them being slowly shaped into... something.

This "something" can be a cruel end, a fiery goal achieved, a promise fulfilled, or a love finally found - a metamorphosis of a lifetime.

I tried to add as many different flavors of a "metamorphosis" as I could - from disturbing, to sweet, to heartbreaking, to inspiring and many more.

DISCLAIMER: not every title on this list is trying to be a "good and realistic representation". You've been warned.

This stack contains a variety of titles with deaf characters. Includes everyone from protagonists to side characters.

Note: arranged in the order of release. Some of the titles are NSFW.

Work in progress!

Not found on MAL: Donguri no Ie(1993), Helen Adams Keller(2000), Anata no Koe ga Kikoeru(2005), Into the Depths(2014), Ho!(2014), Smile Diary of a Deaf Dog(2015), Sabishii no wa Anta Dake ja Nai(2016), Hajimari no Oto(2017), Seijaku no Kuni(2019), Shima no Oto(2020)

part 1:https://myanimelist.net/stacks/56697

Kindle Unlimited Shojo and Josei manga continued. A chunk of the available titles don't have MAL database entries, so I'll list them below. For KU BL offerings, check the MediBang(global), Yuzu comics, Printemps publishing and Kobunsha Co. LTD amazon pages through the Media Do amazon storefront (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/49BC511E-8056-4E72-9C36-C177D68DA0C0?ingress=0&visitId=d0aed31a-074c-46f6-9d2a-4e6a4b30e420)

Shojo or Josei manga with no MAL entries:

- Getting married to a good for nothing: would this marriage work?
- All my fiancé and I did was fight, but now he’s all over me?
- Pairazahda
- Shuya is my Shallow Tengu Housemate
- Riho Sachimi collection
- Cherry!
- The trunk of a queen
- 0 Second Proposal: My Friend's Brother Asked to Marry Me
- A pet to my bias
- I Want to Make My Demon Boss Blush!
- I won’t get married
- Love within a radius of 150 meters
- ROOMMATES~ROOMmates x roomMATES~
- Scabiosa
- That boyfriend comes with a price
- The brush that traces love
- The love of shadow hinata
- The right way to touch me
- The takamıya family and the false fiancé
- The Vengeance of Leah - A Girl Who Lost Everything's Vow to a Reaper
- The wolf of paradise and the lonely nun
- This guy is a high-spec virgin
- OL visual kei
- All about kuru
- For my adorable fiancee’s sake
- I’m a single mother in a fake marriage
- I’m not interested in real men
- The cat running wild in my apartment
- Reset: Prisoner Transformation program
- The demon king’s retirement

A list of all the digital-only english licenses for Shojo and Josei manga by Kodansha. This does include some titles that received print-runs from now-defunct publishers like Old Tokyopop or Del Rey Manga. Depending on what they announce the list will be edited accordingly.

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/56730
Part 3: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/56738

*The Cloistered Princess and the Royal Groom is also a kodansha Shojo digital-only title, but I didn't have room for it on this list (https://myanimelist.net/manga/146330/Hikikomori_Hakoiri_Reijou_no_Kekkon?q=The%20Cloistered%20Princess%20and%20the%20Royal%20Groom&cat=manga)

*I Don't Want to be killed by you, my crown prince!: set up by the blessed one, I will avoid a second attempt on my life! is also one, but I ran out of room (https://myanimelist.net/manga/149797/Outaishi-sama_Watashi_Kondo_koso_Anata_ni_Korosaretakunai_n_desu__Seijo_ni_Hamerareta_Binbou_Reijou_Nidome_wa_Kushizashi_Kaihi_shimasu)


There are 2 titles which Kodansha publishes as digital-only currently that don't have MAL entries:
- My Ice-Rose Husband Said He Only Wants Me to Play the Role of the Next Duchess, but Now He's Stalking Me at Home!
- Her Majesty Wants a Divorce: Now that a Saint has Come from Another World, I Suppose I'm No Longer Needed, Right?

Traumatized/depressed mcs who love each other but can't help but hurt when put together. Their story spans entire lifetimes in a tangled mess of sadness and hatred and longing for the other while trying to heal or destroy themselves.

Most of the readers end up hating them so much... But you get them, oh boy if you do.

(mature themes, heavy reads, check trigger warnings, despicables characters)