Best Completed Romance Manga You Should Read

Summary

• Romance manga genre thrives with varied options for readers both classic and new.
• Familiar romance manga stories end successfully, offering satisfying conclusions to readers.
• Recently completed romance manga like “The Summer You Were There” continue to captivate audiences.

As a genre, romance manga will always have a place in the industry. While some of the most popular stories earn anime adaptations, these series are just a drop in the bucket compared to the full scale of the manga romance scene. There is a romantic manga for just about everyone, whether they choose tried-and-true classics or hot new releases.

As certain stories can span years upon years, somebody might prefer to pick something that’s already finished its run. That way, it tells a complete story. The following romance manga are not only great but also concluded their runs in the last few years, letting readers enjoy their full story from beginning to end.

Updated December 19, 2024 by David Heath: It’d be easy to pick out multiple old-school romance manga as examples of completed runs, though chances are fans have already given them a try. Some are even still running, like Skip Beat, which has been going on for 22 years as of this writing. Others might as well be complete, as their creators were either driven into semi-retirement by the breakneck schedule of manga-making or passed away before their time.

Luckily, most romance manga conclude, be it pre-planned or rushed. So, since it’s the holidays, this list has received more than the usual little info tweaks here and there. It has multiple new entries that run the gamut from bittersweet encounters to wholesome romcoms, girls’ love to boys’ love, mysterious lovers to supernatural gothic temptation. All of them are complete, and all are worth checking out in full.

24 Sakura, Saku

MyAnimeList Score: 7.21

• Japanese Title: Sakura, Saku (Sakura in Bloom, and also the name of the leads).
• Writer/Illustrator: Io Sakisaka.
• 9 Volumes, 36 Chapters.
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shojo Beat.

Famous for making Ao Haru Ride, Io Sakisaka’s latest manga reached its end in November 2023 after just under 3 years of appearing in the pages of Bessatsu Margaret. While Ao Haru Ride sees its leads try to overcome their past to make their future together, Sakura, Saku has its lead focus on her present after a chance encounter. One day, while leaving a train, Saku Fujigaya suffered a fainting spell due to her anemia and lost her handbag.

She thought she’d never see it again on waking up. But when she did, she found the bag and its contents safe and sound beside her in the infirmary, alongside a note containing the name and phone number of its savior: Sakura. She tries to phone him, but her calls never make it through. Moved by their kindness, she follows suit and helps anyone in need of help, right up until she gets to high school, where she finally gets to meet the mysterious Sakura.

23 Masamune-kun’s Revenge

MyAnimeList Score: 7.26

• Japanese Title: Masamune-kun no Revenge.
• Writer: Hazuki Takeoka.
• Illustrator: Tiv.
• 13 Volumes, 70 Chapters.
• Available in English via Seven Seas Entertainment.

Takeoka’s original light novel has exploded in popularity since it was first published. Masamune-kun’s Revenge was adapted into a manga by Tiv, two anime seasons, and an OVA by Silver Link, and even got a set of side stories. But Tiv’s manga version finally reached its end in December 2023 after nearly 12 years in print. So, readers can now find out from start to finish if Makabe Masamune’s revenge plot was worth it.

As a child, he was bullied by a rich, pretty girl called Aki, who called him ‘Piggy’ because of his weight issues. Seeking revenge, he worked hard to lose weight, becoming a handsome, if narcissistic, high schooler. The goal was to charm Aki, who doesn’t recognize him, and then break her heart. But as their friendship grows, he starts to have second thoughts.

22 Love’s In Sight!

MyAnimeList Score: 7.59

• Japanese Title: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Girl (The Yankee and the Girl with the White Cane).
• Writer/Illustrator: Uoyama.
• 8 Volumes, 127 Chapters.
• Available in English via Viz Media.

As of September 10th, 2024, Love’s in Sight is now fully available in English. Viz Media released the last volume in English on that date, 2 years and 4 months after it hit the Japanese presses in May 2022. So, readers can officially pick up all 8 of its volumes in English and read it from beginning to end. That is, if they find the story of a delinquent falling for a blind girl intriguing.

It followed Morio Kurokawa, a dropout delinquent (or “yankee” in Japanese slang) whose reputation is so fierce he’s known locally as “Morio the Black Panther.” He fights off all comers but finds himself tamed by Yukiko Azawa, a girl who’s effectively blind, getting by with just her white cane. She isn’t scared of Morio or his reputation, leading him to fall more for her with each meeting and become more protective of her as she faces different dangers each day.

21 Even If You Slit My Mouth

MyAnimeList Score: 7.68

• Japanese Title: Kuchi ga Saketemo Kimi ni wa (Even if You Slit My Mouth).
• Writer/Illustrator: Akari Kajimoto.
• 11 Volumes, 80 Chapters.
• Available in English digitally via MANGA Plus.

If the title Even If You Slit My Mouth sounds dark, then don’t worry, it’s not that grim. Or at least, it isn’t about a murdery kind of love. It’s actually about Miroku, a slit-mouthed woman, or kuchisake-onna, a famous ghoul from Japanese urban legends. Except in her case, her role as the “Queen of Folklore” has been on the decline as fewer people believe in her. Even worse, she’s betrothed to Koichi, a 17-year-old from an important supernatural family.

She wants to regain her notoriety without help from anyone else. So, Koichi makes her a deal: if she can scare him before he turns 18, he’ll call off the engagement. But he’ll do his best to win her heart in that time too. She accepts but fears that he may actually woo her heart before she can chill his spine. Supernatural romance is Kajimoto’s forte, as this is his third strip about a slit-mouthed woman finding love. The second, Even If You Avoid the Slit, is also worth tracking down as it acts as a sort-of prequel to Even If You Slit My Mouth.

20 Pure, Shameful, And Annoying

MyAnimeList Score: 7.68

• Japanese Title: Kiyoku, Yamashiku, Modokashiku.
• Writer/Illustrator: Nao Arihara.
• 7 Volumes, 35 Chapters.
• Fan Translations only.

Romance manga aren’t strangers to conventions, like opposites attracting, or unlikely partners, alongside not letting people judge their books by their cover. Pure, Shameful, and Annoying is no different, as it has the uptight chairman of the school’s disciplinary committee trying to set the female delinquent gal straight. Except their personalities aren’t what they seem.

Enjouji looks like a girl with an attitude but is actually quite gentle and reserved on the inside. The only person who knows this is chairman Fuji, the one person at the school brave enough to talk back to her. However, despite his position, he also frequently teases Enjouji, making lewd comments about her looks that she’s too innocent to get. But the two manage to work together to solve one issue or another and grow closer in the process. It’s a fairly familiar formula, though it’s told with enough charm to keep readers going.

19 365 Days To The Wedding

MyAnimeList Score: 7.72

• Japanese Title: Kekkon surutte, Hontou desu ka? (Are You Really Getting Married?).
• Writer/Illustrator: Tamiki Wakaki.
• 11 Volumes, 110 Chapters.
• Available in English via Seven Seas Entertainment.

Love can come from hate in Masamune-kun’s Revenge and from frustration in Even If You Slit My Mouth. But can it come from deception? 365 Days to the Wedding follows its leads, Takuya and Rika, two coworkers at the JTC Travel Agency. When the company opens up a new branch in Irkutsk, all the way in Siberia, they need a new manager to oversee it, and neither Takuya nor Rika wants the job. However, the two learn JTC has narrowed down their selections to bachelors.

So, they could render each other ineligible if they got married to each other! They just have to convince the rest of their coworkers that they’re in love, even though they haven’t shown any romantic interest in each other before. Their attempts often get them into awkward but hilarious situations, as neither of them is particularly suave or extroverted. But it also makes them endearing, making the reader hope they can find real love in each other too.

18 It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too

MyAnimeList Score: 7.83

• Japanese Title:Futari Ashita mo Sorenari ni (The Two Get By Tomorrow Too, More or Less).
• Writer/Illustrator: Suzuyuki.
• 5 Volumes, 92 Chapters.
• Available via One Peace Books.

Concluding its run in 2021, It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too sets itself apart by focusing on an established, grown-up couple. After dating for roughly 18 months, Rio and Yuuya decide to move in together, which naturally comes with its share of challenges. While the core relationship does grow somewhat, the manga primarily focuses on the pair’s everyday interactions, most of which are mundane but sweet and relatable.

From fights over who gets the last pudding, to serious discussions about how they should spend their future, the manga is a proper slice-of-life romance that generally avoids overindulging in melodrama. Rio and Yuuya have a believable dynamic which, despite the occasional hiccup and heavy moment, resolves itself with some feel-good moments.

17 Black Sesame Salt And Custard Pudding

MyAnimeList Score: 7.86

• Japanese Title: Gomashio to Purin (Sesame Salt and Pudding).
• Writer/Illustrator: Yufuko Suzuki.
• 3 Volumes, 22 Chapters.
• Available in English digitally via Renta!

Odd couple stories are as old as the hills when it comes to romance. Black Sesame Salt and Custard Pudding takes up the trope with its own twist. In it, Haruhi has been living her dream life as a heavy machine operator on a construction site in Tokyo, but now it’s on the verge of ending as her father is demanding that she return to the countryside to take over their family business. Distraught, she drowns her sorrows in a bar with one of her coworkers, Nagato, a man twice her age.

One thing leads to another, and before she knows it, she wakes up the following morning to find she’s married to him. Together, they work out a deal to make their marriage seem legit, playing a happy couple and living together. That way, they can convince Haruhi’s father that she’s got a new home in Tokyo. But as time goes on, their ruse begins feeling more like the real deal. Maybe the two found love in each other after all, even if they skipped a few steps along the way.

16 The Fallen Student And The Hopeless Teacher

MyAnimeList Score: 7.88

• Japanese Title: Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoushi.
• Writer/Illustrator: sora.
• 20 Volumes, 119 Chapters.
• Fan Translations only.

Japanese strips are no strangers to wordplay, even on rather dark topics. For example, The Fallen Student and the Hopeless Teacher starts with a girl who, after having her love confession rejected, contemplates committing suicide by jumping off the roof of her school. She’s called Mikoto Ochiai, where part of her surname literally means “to fall.” However, she’s interrupted by the school’s physics teacher, Jin ‘Haijin’ Haiba.

He smokes, drinks, gambles, and is often the butt of his students’ jokes, hence his nickname. ‘Haijin’ is a portmanteau of his first and last names, though it’s also Japanese for ‘invalid’, or literally ‘obsolete person’. But he manages to convince Mikoto to live on by offering to go out with her. That way, if she’s still insistent on dying, she’ll at least have known romance by the end. She tentatively accepts, and gradually falls for him, though she’s never sure if he’s serious or if he’s just playing with her. Readers can now know for sure by reading its full run.

15 Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible

MyAnimeList Score: 7.90

• Japanese Title: Kubo-san wa Mob wo Yurusanai (Kubo-san Won’t Let Me Be a Mob).
• Writer/Illustrator: Nene Yukimori.
• 12 Volumes, 152 Chapters.
• Available in English via MANGA Plus and Viz Media via Shonen Jump.

In Japanese slang, a “mob” is another term for a minor character in media, or a non-playable character (NPC). They just hang around in the background or pass by sporadically. Junta wants a fulfilling life, but he blends in so well at his high school that people think he’s absent when he’s right in front of them. The only person who notices him is his classmate, Kubo, who likes to tease him and put him into different, awkward situations. But it does mean his youth may be more interesting than he thinks.

Hence, why the English release went for the more clear title of Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, which ended in Japan back in March 2023. Only the official English translation had only just reached Volume 6 by then, and they continued translating it throughout the year until March 2024, when they finally reached the story’s end. So now, readers can check out Junta’s journey from NPC to protagonist, and his growing romance with Kubo, in full.

14 Cheeky Brat

MyAnimeList Score: 7.92

• Japanese Title:Namaikizakari (Cheeky).
• Writer/Illustrator: Miyuki Mitsubachi.
• 23 Volumes, 140 Chapters.
• Available via Yen Press.

At its peak, Cheeky Brat was one of the best shojo manga on the market. That said, the series lost quite a bit of momentum during its concluding years, and it arguably stumbled across the finishing line instead of smashing it when it ended in 2021. Nevertheless, there is a lot to enjoy about Yuki and Shou’s love story, as the former has to learn how to relax, and the latter has to learn how to grow up, for both to find love in each other.

Whether at home or school, Yuki can come across as unapproachable, as she had to mature beyond her years to look after her younger siblings. As the manager of her high school’s basketball team, she kept the players at a distance; well, at least, that used to be her standard practice until Shou came along. He almost instantly takes an interest in Yuki, and makes his intentions quite clear, even if he needs to repeatedly announce them to deaf and confused ears. It’s going to take more than shouting to win her heart.

13 The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses

MyAnimeList Score: 8.05

• Japanese Title: Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta (The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, ‘SukiMega’ for short).
• Writer/Illustrator: Koume Fujichika.
• 12 Volumes, 110 Chapters.
• Available in English via Comikey and Manga UP!

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses‘ English translation is still ongoing. But now it’s only got one more volume to go. The last Japanese volume came out in June, and its penultimate volume’s translation was released in August 2024. It’s only a matter of time before the series is finally fully available in English. It’s an interesting tale where, like Love’s in Sight, two people get together based on a visual impairment.

Kaede finds himself charmed by Ai, the cutest girl in school. He hopes she’ll get to look at him with her beautiful, bespectacled eyes. However, she’s prone to forgetting them, leaving her so nearsighted she has trouble getting around school. Nonetheless, Kaede still finds her adorable and offers to help her get by whenever she forgets them. This way, he gradually proves himself worthy of Ai’s attention as a person.

12 Teasing Master (Former) Takagi-san

MyAnimeList Score: 8.08

• Japanese Title: Karakai Jouzu no (Moto) Takagi-san.
• Writer/Illustrator: Mifumi Inaba.
• 22 Volumes, 314 Chapters.
• Fan Translations only. Teasing Master Takagi-san is available in English via Yen Press.

The original Teasing Master Takagi-san manga released its last Japanese volume at the start of 2024, and its official English translation is due to hit shelves in March 2025. It saw the hapless student Nishikata try to get one over his classmate Takagi, who’s always teasing him. But no matter what he does, she either turns it back on him, or his few victories feel hollow. It caught on well enough to be adapted into a 3-season anime, an animated movie, a live-action series, and a live-action movie.

2024 was a big year for Takagi-san fans as, on top of that live-action series and movie, it’s also when its sequel manga ended. Teasing Master (Former) Takagi-san saw a grown-up Takagi and Nishikata raising their daughter Chi, who picked up her mother’s mocking mastery. Its last chapter came out in July 2024, and its last volume came out in Japan in October 2024. Likewise, Teasing Master(?) Nishikata-san, about Chi in her middle-school years, ended its brief 10-month run in August 2024.

11 Home Office Romance

MyAnimeList Score: 8.11

• Japanese Title: Telework Yotabanashi (Telework Gossip).
• Writer/Illustrator: Kintetsu Yamada.
• 1 Volume, 20 Chapters.
• Fan Translations Only.

The Covid lockdown from 2020 onward hit society hard and changed it in all sorts of ways. For example, it popularized working from home, which some are still promoting as a preferable alternative to going into a cramped office. It also inspired Home Office Romance, which popped up in Kintetsu Yamada’s short story collection, and the Manga Day to Day compilation, where multiple mangaka detailed how their working days changed during the pandemic.

The story follows Nokoru as he adjusts to working from home. At first, he’s left adrift as he doesn’t know what to do with the extra time he’s got. But as he gets to know his neighbor, an archeology grad student called Natsu, he finds ways to spend that time constructively. Despite running from 2020 to 2023, it’s a short story that’s over rather quickly because it doesn’t pad its time out. It just tells a convincing tale about two charming characters overcoming isolation to fall in love with each other.

10 Call Of The Night

MyAnimeList Score: 8.17

• Japanese Title: Yofukashi na Uta (The Nighthawk’s Song).
• Writer/Illustrator: Kotoyama.
• 20 Volumes, 203 Chapters.
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shōnen Sunday.

Tired of life but unable to sleep, Ko Yamori drops out of school and decides to go wandering the streets at night. Instead of inviting the attention of muggers, he catches the attention of Nazuna. She thinks his insomnia is caused by him holding himself back during the day, and gives him a taste of what it’s like to be free by taking him out on the town. In return, she takes him back to her place to get a literal taste of him, as she bites into his neck while she thinks he’s sleeping.

It turns out Nazuna is a vampire, and despite her impromptu bite, Ko is smitten with her and the way she lives. He wants to be a vampire too, but for that to happen, he has to fall in love with her, and there’s a difference between infatuation and true love. Call of the Night received an anime adaptation, which is due to start its second season in the new year. But the strip itself finished its run in Japan back in March 2024. Its last 2 official English volumes are due for release in 2025, with Volume 19 set for March 11th.

9 Touch Within The Abyss

MyAnimeList Score: 8.34

• Japanese Title: Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru (Touching Your Night).
• Writer/Illustrator: Moyori Mori.
• 1 Volume, 6 Chapters.
• Available in English via Shu-Cream on Mangaplaza.

Love can simultaneously be the most painful thing a person can go through, and the feeling that makes life worth dealing with, as Touch Within the Abyss shows in its brief one-volume story. Chinatsu and his brother Fuyuku were raised since childhood to follow in their father’s footsteps as professional assassins. But Fuyuki died as a result of Chinatsu failing a mission. Left alone, he finds solace in a blind boy called Kasumi, who offers him a shoulder to lean on.

Years later, Chinatsu still can’t bring himself to assassinate anyone, but he does succeed in finding one of Kasumi’s lost items. On returning the item, Kasumi offers him a place to stay, where Chinatsu learns he has his domestic problems. Kasumi feels his blindness makes him a burden on his family, and feels alone as a result. He asks Chinatsu if he can be his friend, to which he readily agrees. Through Kasumi, Chinatsu feels he might’ve found a bright night amidst the darkness in his life.

8 My Love Mix-Up!

MyAnimeList Score: 8.35

• Japanese Title:Kieta Hatsukoi (My Vanishing First Love).
• Writer: Wataru Hinekure.
• Illustrator: Aruko.
• 9 Volumes, 39 Chapters.
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shojo Beat.

Nothing screams “rom-com” like a good old-fashioned misunderstanding. For instance, My Love Mix-Up! uses a funny misunderstanding to fuel an emotional story about unexpected love. Aoki has a crush on a girl named Mio; unfortunately, he borrows her eraser and finds the name of his classmate Ida written on it, figuring out Mio has a crush on him in turn.

Then Aoki drops the eraser, causing Ida to find it and mistakenly believe that Aoki is the one interested in him instead. Rather than expose Mio, Aoki goes with it. Although Mio is a strong character in her own right, My Love Mix-Up! is primarily about Aoki and Ida’s growing relationship. Even though it starts with a literal lie, it develops beautifully from that point.

7 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku

MyAnimeList Score: 8.35

• Japanese Title:W otaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (Love is Hard for Nerds/Otaku).
• Writer/Illustrator: Fujita.
• 11 Volumes, 105 Chapters.
• Available in English via Kodansha USA.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard For Otaku is a romance manga that follows four otaku of different stripes: Narumi, Hirotaka, Hanako, and Taro, as they experience the highs and lows of their careers and love lives. While Tarou and Hanako start as a couple, Narumi and Hirotaka begin dating at the start of the story. The comic delves into the difficulties of identifying as an otaku in a culture that often stigmatizes such pastimes.

Wotakoi stands out because it has mature protagonists who are unabashedly devoted to their pastimes. Friendship, self-acceptance, and healthy communication are also addressed in the manga. The original piece and its anime adaptation won praise for their honest depiction of adult friendships and the difficulties of juggling various responsibilities. Its humorous tone, likable protagonists, and accurate portrayal of otaku culture combine to create a modern classic.

6 Horimiya

MyAnimeList Score: 8.41

• Japanese Title:Horimiya (portmanteau of the two leads’ names).
• Writer: HERO.
• Illustrator: Daisuke Hagiwara.
• 17 volumes, 139 Chapters.
• Available in English via Yen Press.

Horimiya is a love story set in high school about two classmates, the popular but secretly shut-in Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura, a school nerd by day but a tattooed bad boy by night. Their relationship develops as they learn more about one another and experience the highs and lows of adolescence together. Hori and Miyamura are both multifaceted people who have been through a lot and kept a lot to themselves, and their connection helps them express their true selves and overcome their issues.

Romance in Horimiya isn’t without its difficulties, as the main lovers and their supporting cast deal with envy, communication issues, and living up to expectations. Yet, their love for one another holds fast, and the manga concludes with a happy ending that readers will find touching. Horimiya, as a whole, is a moving and approachable manga that deftly addresses the joys and perils of first love.

5 Insomniacs After School

MyAnimeList Score: 8.41

• Japanese Title: Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (Your After-School Insomnia).
• Writer/Illustrator: Makoto Ojiro.
• 14 Volumes, 25 Chapters.
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Viz Signature.

Readers who prefer the official English translation of Insomniacs After School will be reading for at least another year or so, as Viz Media only started translating the manga back in March 2023. But the manga’s original Japanese run ended back in October 2023. With just 8 of the 14 volumes officially translated into English (as of this writing, with a 9th due in March 2025), there’s a chance some eager beavers might try reading ahead.

It’s certainly a long time to avoid spoilers. The manga follows Ganta and Isaki, two students who bond over their shared insomnia. Originally, Ganta used his school’s abandoned observatory as a place to try and snooze, only to find Isaki had the same idea. They both agree to use the same space as their haven, which gradually leads them to open up to each other and restore the observatory as part of their astronomy club. The more the club gets fixed up, the better (and closer) Ganta and Isaki become.