Best Completed Romance Manga You Should Read

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 out there for just about everyone, whether they choose tried-and-true classics or hot new releases.

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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 they also concluded their runs in the last few years, letting readers enjoy their full story from beginning to end.

Updated on February 25th, 2024 by David Heath: Love comes in all sorts of forms, so it’s no surprise there’s a wide range of romance manga too. There are high school romcoms, workplace dramas, slice-of-life tales following couples, and even supernatural love among other subjects. Who’d have thought there would be so many ways to bring two people together?

This list has been updated with more suggestions for fans looking for great, completed romance manga, and reformatted to rank them by score. Though even these are just a brief glimpse of what the genre offers. It’s enough to make one dip into an action or horror story just to get a break from the lovey-doveyness.

10 Masamune-kun’s Revenge

MyAnimeList Score: 7.27

• 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 really 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, then break her heart. But as their friendship grows, he starts to have second thoughts.

9 Sakura, Saku

MyAnimeList Score: 7.35

• 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.

8 Even If You Slit My Mouth

MyAnimeList Score: 7.63

• 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, who happens to be 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 17yr-old from an important supernatural family.

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She wants to regain her notoriety by herself without help from some guy. 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, with this being the third of her tales involving love and the slit-mouthed woman. 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.

7 365 Days To The Wedding

MyAnimeList Score: 7.65

• 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 has its leads, Takuya and Rika, not feeling one way or the other about each other. They were just coworkers at the JTC Travel Agency. When the company opened up a new branch in Irkutsk, all the way in Siberia, neither of them wanted to get sent there as its new manager.

However, the two learn the company narrowed down their selections to bachelors. So, they could render each other both 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 interests before. Their attempts often get them into awkward but hilarious situations, as neither of them are particularly suave or extroverted. But it also makes them endearing, making the reader hope they can find real love in each other too.

6 It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too

MyAnimeList Score: 7.84

• 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, Two 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 endearing 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.

5 Cheeky Brat

MyAnimeList Score: 7.94

• 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.

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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.

4 Home Office Romance

MyAnimeList Score: 8.10

• 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 also 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 endearing and believable characters overcoming isolation to fall in love with each other.

3 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 fairly hilarious misunderstanding to fuel an emotional story about unexpected love. Aoki has a crush on a girl named Mio; unfortunately, he borrows her eraser and realizes she has a thing for their classmate Ida since his name is written on it.

In a funny and charming moment, Aoki drops the eraser, causing Ida to find it and mistakenly believe that the guy has a crush on him. 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 friendship. Even though it starts with a literal lie, their relationship develops beautifully from that point.

2 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku

MyAnimeList Score: 8.36

• 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 life. While Tarou and Hanako start off 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.

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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.

1 Horimiya

MyAnimeList Score: 8.42

• 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 other 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.

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