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Love So Life
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Alternative Titles

Japanese: LOVE SO LIFE

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 17

Chapters: 111

Status: Finished

Published: Apr 15, 2008 to Jul 18, 2015

Genre: Romance

Theme: Childcare

Demographic: Shoujo

Serialization: Hana to Yume

Authors: Kouchi, Kaede (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.29¹ (scored by 25,553 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #325²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #284

Members: 60,665

Favorites: 1,825

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 29 / 30

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Jan 16, 2010

Lenka-Penka

Recommended

Preliminary (4/111 chp)

i've totally falling in love with this manga! It's just amazing!
The art is very good and the story is also sweet. Those little twins're so cute, i want to give him a big hug.. lol
And of course? the main characters - Shiharu and Seiji. Shiharu is a very likable characters - kind, clever, open-hearted (i'm so tired of shy or stupids girl as the main characters of shoujo manga), so I really like Shiharu ( she reminds me a little bit of a Teru from Dengeki Daisy - the top of my favourite mangas). And Seiji...well actually I can't give any opinion of this ...

Jul 19, 2011

Moon_Light

Recommended

Preliminary (22/111 chp)

“In this world, things don’t always turn out the way we want them to.”

The story itself is charming. High School girl and part time babysitter falls in love with the uncle of the kids she’s in charge of. Actually the whole falling in love with a teacher or sensei has been done and sometimes butchered. This one is played rather nicely though. Suave till the end, or till the last chapter I read since it’s still publishing. So far, it’s about family. Not only the one you’re born into but the one that life or you choose for yourself. The innocence of kids and ... how someone changes your life just by their mere presence.

Shiharu is sixteen years old and lives in an orphanage. She’s been there since the death of her mother when she was five years old. Her dream is to open a day care of her own. Relentless in making her dream come true she has a part time job as a babysitter in order to save up money for it. The uncle and guardian of her two favorite kids, Seiji Matsunaga, asks her to be his personal babysitter and will pay her double what she makes in her current job. How can she resist?

Shiharu is a strong lead. Been on her own for a while she is looked at as like a mother hen to most of the other kids in the orphan. I would have liked to have seen her in other aspects of her life more but it was ninety percent of the time as a baby-sitter. No harm since that’s what this manga is about anyway. It would also be more weird if it was a sheltered girl, but Shiharu is mature for her age and is used to taking care of herself.

The characters are easy going and overall nice to get to know. None of the scenes with new characters is awkward or forced, it’s more of a casual introduction and they go about their day as usual. I am really looking forward to seeing some of the characters they introduced take a bigger part in the manga.

The manga isn't done publishing but you can tell right away it's building up for a romance. Maybe even a love triangle. Since it’s not off the table. Am I a little upset that the romance will be between a teenager and a twenty five year old adult? It’s a manga, and also a high school girls dream. Where else can they (I’m included ) live vicariously through? I say, bring on the sexy teachers, the mysterious and aloof guys, and the unattainable best friends.

The art is cute and average. The twins, Akane and Aoi are adorable. Seiji looks his part well and the in himself to portray his working side is believable and not exaggerated. It lacks in scenic beauty but it does great in character development (though slow).

A memory of her childhood, a recap of previous chapters and a new memory with the twins. This happens for the first three volumes. After that it stops giving recaps. Which is sad since I was looking forward to forgetting just so that I could be reminded.

Story is repetitive. For the first few chapters, it’s basically the same lesson as the previous ones. Baby-sit, play dress up, and awkward sexual tension they are obvious to. Which are probably my only problem with the manga thus far.

Heartwarming story. It’s actually so so sweet. Which is why I wanted so badly to give it a 10 but it’s too soon and it’s still publishing.

Jul 12, 2016

night3angel

Recommended

I fell in love with this manga!!!!!
the characters are so freaking cute and amazing. I finished this manga in one go. I am addicted to aoi and akane (the little kiddos) they were so cute, some parts of the chapters made me cry they were so cuuteee uuugghhhh . And Nakamura was so adorable, i just fell in love with her character.
this is the most pure, innocent and lovely manga I have ever read, truly, i have read almost 2000 romance mangas and believe me, this manga made my heart warm and filled with love. this manga is a little bittersweet.
the way the sibling ...

Jan 14, 2017

Chinomi-san

Recommended

It’s been a while since I’ve read a shoujo manga that made me squeal so much. I was recommended “Love So Life” by a friend of mine many years ago and while the cover looked cute, I was annoyed by its being incomplete at that time. I’m a fast reader, so it’s even worse when the manga is still updating. Nevertheless, I kept it on my list to read and when it was done, I read it quite quickly, only stopping when I had to focus on finals. The friend that had recommended it to me said that she loved fluffy shoujo series that were ... over-the-top adorable, and while I looked at some of the others she suggested, “Love So Life” took the cake for cutest shoujo. I’m sure if you read through the first few chapters, you’ll know exactly what I mean whether or not you’re familiar with the shoujo genre.

Already the synopsis paints the manga as a sweet little story from the beginning: a teenaged girl who is good with kids and lives in an orphanage is hired as a babysitter for the twins of a busy news reporting uncle. Shiharu is young and pure as an angel, and Matsunaga is attractive and extremely grateful he’ll have a hand with these kids that aren’t his. The questions you’ll probably have are (1) what happened to Shiharu’s parents? (2) What are these kids like? And (3) how handsome is Matsunaga exactly?

The answers to all these inquiries and more are answered fairly neatly in the length of this manga. If you’re down for a lovely and light slice of life manga, this is definitely it. I know a lot of people enjoy manga that instantly captures your attention and keeps you riveted and furiously flipping the pages, but “Love So Life” is so pleasantly relaxing. It does indeed become addicting, but it’s certainly not a stressful read.

I must give credit to the mangaka for being so incredibly creative. Almost every chapter is a new situation with the twins. Shiharu is always trying to find a way to keep them occupied and teach them something new while keeping them out of trouble. She constantly remembers what her mother taught her and what she observes from other children to work better with the ones that she is in charge of. I was never bored while reading this. Realistically, there are a lot of things children are up to, like making mischief in a kiddy pool, going trick-or-treating, meeting new friends, and so much more. Akane-chan and Aoi-chan never had a dull moment in the manga.

As to be expected, the growth of the twins over the span of the story also fostered Chiharu’s growth as a young woman. While she was already quite mature in the beginning (as described by her friends and Matsunaga-san) because she was seen being very responsible with the younger ones at the orphanage and studied dutifully, she seemed to open her eyes a little more with the help of the twins. The two of them were still emotionally growing and Shiharu became more and more attached to them, loving them like they were her family rather than some kids she had to babysit. She paid attention more and more to the feelings of those around her, which assisted in her job as a children’s caretaker.

Of course, characteristic to classic shoujo, the main love interest is Matsunaga-san, who doesn’t disappoint readers with his attractiveness. At first he appears very tired all the time from his job, so much that right after he arrives home, he collapses on the floor. As Shiharu takes care of the twins for him, he turns out to be a very nice man, always thanking Shiharu for her work, being kind to her, and thinking to include her in family plans.

The one tiny complaint I have is that the attraction between the two starts a little bit early, already in the first few chapters. I guess it’s understandable seeing that Shiharu is so cute and dependable, the kind of mother figure that Matsunaga-san admires, and Matsunaga is without a doubt good-looking, with a good career, and young-looking despite being older. The one thing that helps it is that the manga stretches their relationship for over 100 chapters, so you sort of forget about the rushing in the beginning. They are, of course, a good shipping.

The other thing I like about Love So Life is that there are a lot of things to focus on besides the twins. They definitely make up the biggest part of the plot, but there is also like I mentioned before, Shiharu’s relationship with Matsunaga, her best friend Rio’s boy problems, even a love triangle. I was never bored through the course of this manga and find it absolutely amazing that this is Kouchi’s first work.

The art style is a little bit simpler than I’m used to in shoujo, but it still does the job. The twins always look very precious with chubby faces and huge eyes. It’s so funny to see Shiharu and others being affected by how adorable they are when they say certain things or wear matching clothes. While Matsunaga is described as attractive, sometimes I found the line of his chin to be a little too long, or his face shaped a little strangely. Clothes-wise, though, I liked everyone’s selection, and hair was drawn fine.

Aside from how dense Shiharu could be sometimes when it came to her feelings and the romantic ones of others, I enjoyed this manga a whole bunch. I laughed out loud multiple times and found it very sweet at others. An avid shoujo reader would eat this up instantly, and I think a newcomer to shoujo would enjoy this immensely as well. Shiharu’s a delightful character and her interactions with the twins are pleasantly memorable. Love in many forms is present in “Love So Life,” true to its name.

May 7, 2015

Hyoko_Yukihime

Recommended

Preliminary (88/111 chp)

OH MY DAYS!!! I LOVE this manga! It's so heartwarming and cute and you fall in love with all of the characters, especially Aoi and Akane! I literally laughed and cried at the events in this and I wait with baited breath for the next chapter every time I finish the last. I still haven't found a manga to beat this one!

Mini reviews:

Story: 10
I know the story line seems over done but the execution of this one tops all the rest. It didn't feel overly cliched and things progressed naturally. It flows so smoothly and you can actually see and feel the passage of ...

Dec 20, 2012

washington-rain

Not Recommended

Preliminary (50/111 chp)

I've read up to the fiftieth chapter and the main coupling is not cannon yet. They show signs like "what is this feeling" or denies it at times but the romance seems to be going absolutely no where. The mangaka focuses more on the main character taking care of the twins and comparing it to her past, which gets annoying.

Feb 23, 2015

PoisonSunflower

Recommended

Preliminary (85/111 chp)

I fell in love with this manga! But I read it too fast and made it through all 85 translated chapters I can find. This is one manga that I'm actually screaming at my computer screen. "Noooooooooooooo!" "Yes!" or even just screaming at the top of my lungs. "Awwwww" sometimes is one of the things I say as well. I'm hoping I can find some translated versions soon because I'm dying to know what happens. The storyline isn't like any other. It's different from EVERY single manga I've read. I love the twins too! They are too cute! Then the "baby sitter is an orphan" ...

Jun 30, 2016

ae_shinobi

Recommended

This manga recieves a 10/10 so its a complete 100% of an awesome manga!

If they ever decide to create an anime for this manga, I really HOPE and PRAY they follow this manga closely! If not it will be a waste of time and effort on their part.

You know the saying " the books are better than the movies?" Well it will be the same case for this manga, I want to be able to have the visual and auditory happiness. (If that makes any sense LOL)

Anyways, this is the type of story where one can imagine our selves in the shoes of the ...

Jan 1, 2011

MoshiMochi

Recommended

Preliminary (12/111 chp)

"Love so Life" puts its emphasis on parent-child relationships and shows how important and dearing a child will see his or her parent. The scenes that show the bond between Shiharu and her mother are especially very touching to the point where I start sniffling and tearing, and the way that Shiharu plays and explains things to the twins make me smile and laugh even more. I look forward to every chapter, especially the parts where the twins make their appearance with their cute and matching clothes.

Reading this manga also made me think of Fruits Basket.

Mar 2, 2013

Ennys

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (55/111 chp)

Love So Life is an original manga after my opinion. There is not usual for a manga to have younger children as a part of the main characters, however this manga succeed in having an interesting story even with younger children as such a huge part of the plot line

What i find very amusing about this manga is the characters. Shiharu is a good feel character with a strong spirit. She has been through a lot but is not depressed and a character which need support from those around her. In one way she is quite mature, but emotional immature. The twins are amazing characters ... and are really my favorites and the drive in the manga. They are so cute and lovable, I think for myself that if I ever get children I would love them to be acting like Akane and Aoi. They show a lot of compassion and still they are very childish and come into disagreements with others in a way which is very usual for children. I find it that the strongest point of the manga is the characters even though there is a few irritating traits with some of them.

When it comes to the story it is as I said original. It also succeeds in the unusual story. However in my opinion it is still not among the best. We only get the insight in Shiharu's life as a babysitter, I understand that the manga is about this part of her life. But it gets easily annoying watching her problems with liking Seiji, and also feeling that my point of view easily gets affected by this. If I got to know about other part of her life would I then be able to rather cheer for Shiharo and Nao as a couple? I feel that I have to want her to be with Seiji, but on the other hand I don't really feel like they are fit for each other.

The romance between Shiharu and Seiji is probably the part I dislike. I am sad to say that I don't like the age difference of 9 years, I have read other mangas with the same age difference between the characters without blinking. But somehow it annoys me in this one. I believe that Siharu's immature part makes me against it, she doesn't understand love and is close to a person who is already been in the field for several years. There has also been shown that Seiji has the thoughts of an adult and probably is ready for a more adult relationship right away than Shiharu. I do not think things will go too fast, but the vibe between them is not the same, and therefore I don't find them that fit for each other. On the other hand the twins makes me want them to be together as a family.

The slow development is probably another reason why I don't find the story that great. They are not moving forward, and it is a slice of life manga following a life with a repeating daily routine, there is sometimes some progress and some sidetracks from this routine. But in the end it is always back into the circle. These sidetracks often show Shiharu's immature side where she is acting childish, and even though she is shown as a mother figure for many in the manga you are not able to imagine her as an actual mature mother.

The art is so-so, it was quite usual and nothing special. I like the art though, but I don't find it especially good, and I believe it to be quite average.

You should not be scared because of the criticism I have given the manga, I enjoy reading it, and am still reading it. I just don't see it as my favorite manga, and I don't believe it to a masterpiece. But it is enjoyable and cute, and worth reading.

Feb 7, 2012

Animecrazy_V

Recommended

Preliminary (33/111 chp)

STORY
I think to the readers of Love So Life, my rating for its story may be slightly strange. Yes, although the story may be truly sweet and extremely cuddly, if you're looking at a more professional perspective, I would say that this story is currently being repeated many times in many other manga as well.

However I do think that the story is very original in the sense that the story delivers quite a new taste of cuddliness and true familial love from the graphics and characters - this is not found in many forms of Shojo manga (at least of those I have read), and ... what I find very unique about Love So Life. That unique familial love that is introduced in the very beginning of the manga, and the growing relationship between the two main leads, Nakamura Shiharu and Matsunaga Seiji. Of course, there's also the regular, unclear mystery behind the male lead. :)
I also think that some people may find that this manga is going to be quite slow-paced; you will get frustrated at times because the manga, no matter how cute the twins are, will focus on them for about two whole chapters and not mention a single thing about the main leads' romance. Which, made me quite irritated at times, but I did enjoy the little twins' stories at the same time.

So, now again I say: for the story I give a 7 - for its unique taste, sweet story, but because of its lack of originality and slow progression, that took away some of the points I would've liked to give.

ART
Now I have almost complaints on this one. I will admit that I'm not one for the really quickly, scribbled ink drawings of many Shojo manga; nor am I the one to go for the simplistic Shonen types like the early forms of Dragonball Z. But this particular manga, oh - it was delicious eye candy.
The mangaka really designed the characters and environment very well for this manga. I can believe that Matsunaga Seiji is an exceptionally hot man, and Nakamura Shiharu a beautiful young girl. The twins speak for themselves, they are definitely one of the cutest things that you'll ever feast your eyes upon in this manga!
What the mangaka does is make the line art for the characters quite simplistic; however because the eyes are always drawn extremely well and varies distinctively depending on the situation, and because often times the background environment accompanies the situation well the manga's art is definitely quite moving.
However, there is some flaw to this beautifully illustrated piece of work. Although very minor, I did have some confusion between some of the characters due to their similarity in appearance - such as Matsunaga Seiji and Miyagawa Takeru. In the beginning when the two characters are introduced, you might find that these two are incredibly similar and can be mixed up often, but that's a minor problem that is solved as you progress through the manga.

So, 9/10. :)

CHARACTER
I think that the characters speak for themselves. Please keep in mind that this is NOT a smut Shojo manga, therefore you will not get an incredibly hot guy trying to get into another girl's pants in every chapter. Instead, you will see an incredibly hot guy in a cute dilemma about whether to even lay a finger on the girl. Through this manga you will see slight character development, but much is focused on the character being static as the mangaka seems to want to represent many messages about life - with the characters being static, it makes them easier to be symbolic of things in reality, and help the mangaka deliver the intended message.

And so, definitely 9 out of 10. Again, because of my pickiness about individuality, I think that a 10 is deserving of the mangaka who can come up with a unique character that stands out from all other mangas out there as of now. So, 9. :)

OVERALL
I think Love So Life is one of the most cutest, sweetest, mangas I have ever read - legit. Once you pick it up, I guarantee you if you are a cutie-lover you will not be able to put this manga down. It is definitely delicious eyecandy and sweets for thought. It's a bit similar to Faster than a Kiss in terms of the 'girl staying in an older man's home; student-teacher relationship' storyline. However it does have a more unique taste to it compared to many, many Shojo manga I've read, so please take your time to consider this manga as your next treat for the following weeks (or days!) to come. ;)

Jan 18, 2015

Jagory

Recommended

Preliminary (82/111 chp)

While reading synopsis, one can misunderstand the whole spirit of this outstanding work! It's bright and soft, it can also influence people! If you need some light to feed your inner strength, then Love So Life is right for you. If you wanna read an embarassing story about a couple with age gap, then move for another thing, cause here you'll definately won't find much of the sort.

Story - 10
It seems fresh and realistic, all parts do suit one another, without any contrivedness. A girl from orphanage finds a part-time job in sort of kindergarden and somehow perfectly deels with problematic 2-year-old twins. Exhausted uncle ...

Feb 12, 2023

improfessorrose

Recommended

I still remember the time when I read it, for the first time in 2018. That year, this manga made me closer to my mother. It made me come to appreciate her hardships and difficulties. It made me realize the importance of having a family. Also, how nice it is to have siblings to fight with, sometimes. It made me what I am today, somewhat.

Now, when I re-read it, I have connected with the characters and story more than my first time. It is because the first time, I had a happy family; I had my mother with me who was keeping all of us ...

Oct 4, 2016

Scinn

Recommended

I would like to say that this might be the best shoujo manga I have ever read, Shiharu our mc is very independent, like an adult despite still being a teenager, Sei-tan who is also the mc has a unique off/on mode and the twins which are just absolutely contagiously cute to the point of madness. Starting off with those 4, it seems like a great start than your average "girl mc falls in love with guy mc" shoujo manga, instead it seems to me that it was the guy who fell in love with the girl first.

At the start to maybe around Half? ...

Nov 22, 2016

vhOtaku

Recommended

If you were looking for a heart-throbbing, rooftop confessions, rival sabotaging protagonists-type of shoujo manga, keep on moving. I started reading this manga for one reason: HOW ADORABLE THE TWINS ARE.

Do you not see that cover photo? Those baby twins are cute! Honestly, they are what make up the plot. It is because of them that you truly get this sense of family and bonds. You get to appreciate the protagonist for all that she's been through and how she was able to grow to be such a responsible and caring person at such a young age. She makes me feel so inferior.

I absolutely ...

Jul 15, 2019

GGShang

Recommended

tl;dr on bottom

Love so Life could easily be a top or bottom pick manga depending on what type of person you are.

It is a story about a teenage girl that works at an orphanage, but then gets hired to become the babysitter of two young twins being looked after by their busy uncle. It is very slice of life with a bit of plot development here and there, but the main focus is definitely placed upon the relationship the MC has with the two kids. On the side is also a slow moving romance between the MC and the uncle of the two children that ...

Jan 26, 2019

flyinggumm

Recommended

if you want a feel-good manga that is a slice of life but things/character development still happen, this is most likely for you. it’s adorable!

regarding romance, there is a bit of an age gap but it’s not as bad (or squicky) as say, bunny drop’s was. i think it was only like 5 years or something?

the art is beautiful and the lines are very clean. it's also pretty consistent if you care about that. however it does in some moments fall into that shoujo style stiffness or the hands/fingers look awkward. but it’s good enough that you can tell that akane and aoi are children ...

Feb 24, 2021

treeshrew

Recommended

I would say this is one of my favourite shoujo mangas by far! The art style is gorgeous, the storyline flows well, and the characters have so much growth that it makes you really proud to see how far they’ve come by the end of the series!

The female lead is incredibly likeable from the start. Her personality reminds me a bit of Tohru from Fruits Basket, where she’s been through so much tragedy and you can't help but admire her for still being kind and resillent. There are many shoujo's that portray the female lead as being more masculine and look at any feminine ...

Apr 27, 2024

rea

Recommended

First, I want to say that I loved this manga, and when I came across it and read the summary I didn't hesitate to jump right into it. I loved that this manga developed at a good pace. "Love so Life" puts its emphasis on parent-child relationships and shows how important and dearing a child will see his or her parent. The scenes that show the bond between Shiharu and her mother are especially very touching to the point. It wasn't too fast nor too slow and made the romance feel natural. Shiharu and Matsunaga are both well-done characters who bring just about everything to ... the story. Drama is minimal, misunderstandings here actually help the story and seem natural not cliched (likely due to Shiharu's personality and age). This story is so close to real life that it's not funny but it's such a wonderful journey to follow all its heartwarming experiences leave you with nothing but a smile on your face. This is one manga I would recommend to anyone who loves a close-to-home, heartfelt love story evolving around a family environment. Love so Life has quickly become one of my favorite mangas. All 106 chapters are packed with heartwarming moments from the twins being simply adorable to Shitaru, who had spent most of her life in an orphanage, finally finding a place that feels like home. While the romance takes place between a 25-year-old and a 16-year-old, I feel like they addressed it pretty carefully and allowed Shitaru to grow before bringing on the heavier romance. However, I feel like I probably wouldn’t have had any problem with their relationship as Shitaru tends to act much more mature for her age. In any case, I think the real selling point for this manga has to be the twins. The way they grow, learn, and generally be toddlers creates a great light-hearted atmosphere that helps dampen some of the heavier themes woven throughout. The main focus of Love So Life deals with Shitaru’s growth as she begins to experience what a real family feels like after living in an orphanage for most of her life. Through some flashbacks, we see that her love for children came from her decision to take care of the children at the orphanage from a very early age. This also meant that she matured mentally pretty quickly at least in terms of a caregiver sense, which means to many at the orphanage and the twins as well, she is considered an older sister almost to the point of a motherly figure. But, this responsibility she thrust onto herself seems to be a way to mask the loss of her mother, which is something that is still very real to her.

As for the art choice of this manga, it is astonishingly amazing! beautiful and the lines are very clean. it's also pretty consistent.

I would say that if you like mangas like Sweetness and Lightning or maybe Barakamon, you’d find this to be up your alley. The tone stays pretty light-hearted throughout so it’s an easy read if you need a break from drama. Don’t let the 106 chapters scare you, there’s a lot of great content in there and much adorableness to be had. Well, the reason I start to read this is because the twins are so adorable ❤

Feb 17, 2016

blooish

Recommended

I don't understand how anyone could possibly dislike this manga. I started reading this when I was a freshman during midterms week on my iPod touch. I'm halfway through my junior year, still reading this on my iPhone 6. That's a lot of time. Just sayin'.

I'll keep it short and simple:

The characters are so lovable. It's so hard to hate any of the characters. The twins just melt my heart with their innocence. <3

The story is addicting. I can't get enough. Every time a new chapter comes out, I squeal in excitement. Like gasppp, what's going to happen next?!!?

The art is gorgeouss. It's ...