Anime Accessories: Romance Manga to Feel Cutesy About
Valentine’s Day is over, but that doesn’t mean we’re not having cutesy feelings about these romance manga.
Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, or just ignore the whole thing altogether? There are a lot of corporate-feeling hallmark holidays out there, but Valentine’s Day always feels just a little egregious. Even if you have a significant other to celebrate with. But that doesn’t mean a little bit of romance isn’t nice. And romance manga can be especially cutesy and nice. I find slice-of-life anime so relaxing and low-stakes compared to some of the other series on my watch list. So whether you had a Valentine or not, these manga are just cute and schmoopy enough.
1. Wotakoi
This is definitely one of those series that are a bit too real and a bit too relatable and therefore hold a special place in my heart. Another is Watamote, and I think that will explain a whole lot about who I am as a person. Wotakoi follows a group of office-working adults who all have a hard time dating anybody but each other because they all happen to be video game-playing, fanfiction-writing, and cosplaying nerds. And sometimes dating is hard for otaku.
2. A Sign of Affection
Another series that’s near and dear to my heart, this is a really regular, straight forward slice-of-life style romance story… With the slight twist that one of the main characters is deaf. As somebody who’s in the process of learning ASL for a family member with hearing loss, it’s really cool to see this sort of representation in anime and Japanese sign language (which is very different from ASL) drawn out. Aside from personal attachments though, this is a legitimately cute, sweet, enjoyable series which you can also see animated as it’s being released right now this season.
3. Your Lie in April
This one is sad, so if you like a little tragedy with your romance, this may be your speed. After Kosei’s mother dies he gives up playing the piano until he meets Kaori who may just convince him to play again. If you’ve never read or watched this one, it comes highly recommended not just by me, but by everybody who I’ve ever heard talk about it. Basically, some people know this series is great, and people who have just never read or seen it.
4. Orange
Orange is a little sci-fi and a little romance. Naho gets a letter from a ten-years-in-the-future version of herself telling her to keep an eye out for the new boy transferring to her class soon. This one will keep you guessing, while pulling at your heartstrings and walks the line between slice-of-life and science fiction. I didn’t know there was a line there, either. But there is and it’s Orange.
5. Tomo-Chan is a Girl!
This is a series for anybody who’s ever tried to make the change from childhood tomboy to high school girl. Romance and feelings can be hard when the guys you know think of you as one of the guys, and that’s exactly the situation Tomo finds herself in.
Oh hey! BoLS might make a little dolla-dolla if you decide to buy these items. We need that money to buy raw meat to feed to our carnivorous plant from outer space.
