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Ten of the Best Romance Manga to Date

Look no further as these picks will have you falling in love with everything shoujo in no time.

By Christina BPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
Top Story - August 2018
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Akatsuki No Yona [Credit: Hana to Yume]

Ever since I can remember, I always loved to read. I could escape into a fantasy world or another reality where I could escape my own. I had no knowledge of the great expansive manga collections out there until I was introduced to the art form in middle school where I quickly became addicted. I have always been a sucker for a good romance, so I quickly found that my favorite genre of manga was, and still is, the shoujo, rom-com genre. Here is a list of what I believe to be some the greatest romance manga out there.

1. 'Skip Beat!'

Skip Beat! [Credit: Hakusensha]

This manga was one of the first series I had picked up that I still read to this day. The story follows Kyouko Mogami, who has an unrequited love with her childhood friend Shoutarou "Shou" Fuwa. After following Shou to Tokyo so that she can support him in his dream of becoming a top idol, he reveals that he sees her as nothing more than his own personal housekeeper with no romantic feelings at all. Brokenhearted, Mogami swears to get revenge on him by also entering the entertainment industry and surpassing him but after failing the first time by the talent agency, she gets a second chance to cultivate her skills for stardom.

Where To Read:Mangakalot

Status: Ongoing

2. 'ReLIFE'

ReLife [Credit: Funimation]

I had recently completed both the anime and manga for this series and it immediately jumped to the top of my list of best manga I've read of all time. It's also one of the few mangas that is in all color which I found very fun to read. The story centers around Kaizaki Arata, who has closed himself off from most of society due to unfortunate circumstances at his previous job. One night, he is approached by someone who happens to work for the ReLIFE project, giving him a chance to relive his high school days and hopefully, re-enter society.

Where To Read: MangaRock

Status: Completed

3. 'Ouran Koukou Host Club'

Ouran Koukou Host Club

[Credit: VIZ Media]

This manga was the first manga I had ever read. I loved absolutely everything about it and have reread it multiple times. The story follows Haruhi Fujioka, a poor student, who gets offered a full scholarship to attend Ouran High School, an academy where the rich and powerful attend. She happens to stumble upon the host club, made up of handsome young boys, where she gets mistaken for a boy herself with her short haircut. Overwhelmed by the hosts, she stumbles and breaks an expensive vase causing her to now become a host herself to pay off the debt caused by the accident. Thus starts her crazy adventure with the hosts and all the unexpected situations they end up in.

Where To Read:Mangakalot

Status: Completed

4. 'Lovely Complex'

Lovely Complex [Credit: Discotek Media]

This is another manga that I picked up earlier on and have reread multiple times because I fell in love with the story so much. Both the anime and manga were incredibly well done. The story follows Otani and Risa who are known throughout their school as the "comedy duo" because of their height predicaments. Otani is much shorter than the average boy and Risa is much taller than most of the girls in her grade. Since they are both single, they decide to help cheer each other on as they begin to pursue their love interests, but Risa begins to develop feelings for Otani along the way. Risa then begins to work towards winning Otani's love. I would consider this manga a classic shoujo and would definitely watch the anime first and move onto the manga afterward.

Where To Read:Mangakalot

Status: Completed

5. 'Beauty Pop'

Beauty Pop [Credit: Ciao]

A quick read, this manga was really fun and had me laughing throughout the story. Kiri Koshiba, a prodigy in the world of hairstylists, has no interest in using her skills for fame and fortune. At her school, the three most popular boys work in the "Scissors Project," giving makeovers to girls and transforming them into beauties. She tries to stay away from the project but she still ends up getting drawn into their makeovers.

Where To Read: Mangakalot

Status: Completed

6. 'AAA'

AAA [Credit: Nakayoshi]

Another great example of shoujo manga, the story centers on Ogata Aoi, the student council president of the best middle school in the country, AAA. Her intention of getting into this prestigious school was to meet her first love once more but she ends up finding out that her first love happens to be the gang leader of her neighboring school, CCC. She finds herself getting more curious about the neighboring school's gang leader that has the same name as her first love and begins to investigate on her own. It's a great manga to read and can be completed very quickly as there are not that many chapters.

Where To Read: Mangakalot

Status: Completed

7. 'The One'

The One [Credit: Star☆Girls]

After her parents tragically passed away in a plane crash, Cane Lele refuses to join the fashion industry as both of her parents were top models in Taiwan, with her mother being the top model in the country. After turning 17, her mother's sister ends up convincing her to pose for her agency. It isn't until she happens to see a photo of Angus Lanson, the popular American model, that she reconsiders her outlook on the fashion industry. Hoping to meet the American model, she heads to the U.S. to start her fashion career while also finding herself falling in love.

Where To Read: MangaRock

Status: Completed

8. 'Kaichou Wa Maid-sama'

Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama [Credit: LaLa]

After being at an all-boys school for quite some time, Seika High School now is co-ed and Misaki Ayuzawa happens to be the first female student council president since the change. Known as the "Demon President," Misaki rules with an iron fist and doesn't seem to have that many friends. Unknown to the school, she is secretly working as a waitress at a maid cafe to help support her family and if anyone were to find out, it would most certainly ruin her image. Takumi Usui, the most popular boy at school, just so happens to be the one to find out her embarrassing secret and they begin to become closer as they learn more about each other's circumstances.

I would definitely say to read the manga over the anime. The anime isn't terrible but I read the manga first and tried watching the anime afterwards and it just wasn't the same.

Where To Read: Mangakalot

Status: Completed

9. 'Akatsuki no Yona'

Akatsuki No Yona [Credit: Hana to Yume]

This has to be one of the greatest finds I found for a fantasy shoujo manga to currently read and with each chapter, it just keeps getting better. Yona, the young princess of Kouka, lives a lavish life with her father the king and is hopelessly in love with her cousin, Su-won. Thinking that her life is just absolutely perfect, she stumbles upon her love Su-won murdering her father, forcing her to escape the castle grounds with her bodyguard, Son Hak. Living together in exile, Yona still wants to help save her kingdom and after learning more about the legend of the four dragons from a wandering priest, she sets out to find them to help protect her kingdom.

Where To Read: Mangakalot

Status: Ongoing

10. 'Akagami no Shirayuki-hime'

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime [Credit: LaLa DX]

Finally, we come upon the last manga on the list that I recently picked up after completing the anime earlier this year. Shirayuki, a local herbalist, gets a lot of unwanted attention due to the unique color of her hair. The prince of her country is one of those people that is intrigued by her hair and demands that she become his concubine. Not wanting to succumb to the prince's demands, Shirayuki chops her hair off and leaves her country behind. While traveling, she meets Zen Wistalia, the prince of the neighboring country, who helps get her out of her situation with her country's prince. Together with Zen and his companions, she travels to his country to become a herbalist of the palace while also finding herself growing closer to the crown prince, Zen.

Where To Read: MangaRock

Status: Ongoing

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About the Creator

Christina B

Cinephile. Also obsessed with anything anime or television related.

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