Best Romance Manga of 2013

When the responsibilities of being an adult and the ugly side of corporate bullying betrays one's childhood dreams, many would wish to return to their innocent childhood to relive their life and make the right decisions. Dumbfounded by the offer presented to him, 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki hopes to turn his life around through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Returning home from his part-time job, Arata is persuaded by Ryou Yoake, an employee of ReLife Research Institute, into participating in an experiment which will help him overcome his difficulties and re-enter corporate life. As part of the ReLife experiment, Arata's physique is reverted to that of a 17-year-old, and all he must do is relive his high school life for one year. Waiting for him at the end of the experiment is a job offer that he has been struggling to get ever since he left his first company. With few other options, he decides to go along with this plan. However, with adult-like tendencies and many years since his last formal education, Arata steps into an unexpectedly challenging territory—a normal day of high school.

Despite having the ability to see otherworldly creatures, Chise Hatori has never considered herself lucky. Ever since her parents abandoned her at a young age, it has been the center of her hardship, driving her to the point of selling herself to the slave market, just to secure a place she can call home. Presented to the bidders as a rare "Sleigh Beggy"—beings who have an unusually high affinity to magical energies—Chise's last remaining hope appears in the form of Elias Ainsworth, a mysterious magus more beast than man. Rather than keep her as a slave, he has decided to make her his apprentice, as well as his bride. Chise is not only physically transported to the English countryside where Elias lives, but also introduced to a world where wondrous things such as fairies and dragons are the norm. But she soon realizes there is as much to fear in her new life as there is to marvel at. And lying at the heart of it all is the question of whether she has fallen into the hands of something much darker than her own inner demons.

With a smirk, the mischievous middle school boy Nishikata glances over at Takagi, the girl seated next to him in class. He has just devised a master plan to finally get back at her for all the merciless teasing inflicted upon him. As he is about to set his plan into motion, Takagi intervenes with a single comment that halts Nishikata right in his tracks. She had turned the tables on him yet again. "If you blush, you lose." That has been the unwritten rule set between the two ever since they encountered one another in middle school. Day after day, loss after loss, Nishikata strives to see Takagi red with embarrassment, but his futile attempts are only met by further ridicule. Beyond this vicious cycle of trying to outwit one another, will their relationship ever evolve?

Being the eldest child of a large family, Yuki Machida was forced to become the responsible one of her many siblings at a very young age. Accustomed to making sacrifices for them, she is all too familiar with disappointment and the pain of suppressing her true feelings. Though expecting nothing to become of them, Machida becomes the basketball club manager in order to be closer to her crush. But at the start of the new school year, Shou Naruse joins the team. He is extremely talented... and has taken an interest in Machida. Stoic-faced and cold, she is unfazed by his advances, despite how relentless he is when it comes to winning her love—from kissing her with no warning to asking for permission to grope her. Keeping her cool and focusing on basketball becomes a much more difficult task when Naruse makes no effort to conceal his desires.

Eleven-year-old Natsuru Nanao is the ace of the soccer team yet has trouble speaking to girls because of a certain event following his transfer to his current school. Due to his father dying long ago, he lives only with his mother but does not let this distract him from his passion for soccer, as he hopes to become a professional player. One day, a female classmate named Rio Suzumura approaches Natsuru, a meeting that signals a huge turning point in his life. Upon talking with Rio, Natsuru immediately becomes interested in her. After he saves an abandoned cat, he runs into the girl and her younger brother, Yuuta, on their way to the supermarket and asks if they can take care of it, to which they agree. However, when Natsuru arrives at their home, he is shocked to discover that the siblings have been living alone in a dirty house, a secret that Rio absolutely wants to keep. As Natsuru spends more time with them, their circumstances and reasons for secrecy are slowly brought to light.

Meet Kuromine Asahi, "the man who can't lie." On the way home, he learns an important secret. His crush, Shiragami Youko, is actually a vampire! Can Asahi actually keep her secret? It's a fun, clumsy, one-of-a kind vampire romantic comedy!

Recently unemployed, 29-year-old Michiko Shibata has barely any money left and so must survive solely on cabbages. With no qualifications and little experience for her age, all of her job interviews have been unfruitful. Despite this, she continues to splurge on expensive gifts for her young "boyfriend" in the hopes that her romantic interest will someday marry and support her. Eventually, Shibata finds out that her feelings are one-sided, for her boyfriend has been lying and using her for money. At the lowest point of her life, she unexpectedly reunites with Ayumu Kurosawa, her strict former boss whom she resents. Feeling responsible for her unemployment, Kurosawa agrees to help Shibata and once again becomes her employer.

In a world where vampires have a similar genetic makeup to humans, it is difficult to tell them apart. However, there is a distinct difference: when one of these vampires, called devils by the general public, sees the blood of a human, they completely lose control. Ordinary girl Tsukasa Taira finds herself the object of affection of vampire Shouta Akimura. To avoid hurting her, he has resorted to killing other humans to satiate his bloodlust. However, Shouta treads a thin wire, running the risk of losing control at any time. To neutralize the potential threat, detective Yuuki Anzai swoops in to save Tsukasa from becoming Shouta's next victim. As he takes her home, Tsukasa finds herself enthralled by Anzai, who is a vampire himself. Together, they begin a tenuous relationship that takes them into the depths of a vicious conspiracy, rampant with murder and intrigue.

Sung-Gi Jang is cursed with the persona of a complete pervert! To all his peers, he is a fiend who only hungers for women. Yet in reality, he just has terrible social skills, making him incapable of properly expressing his intentions and feelings to the women around him. On top of that, he seems to have the worst luck there can be. This all turns around when Jae Hwang, a fellow student and good friend, witnesses Sung-Gi completely shattered and decides to help him out. What Sung does not know is that Hwang is actually a master in attracting the opposite sex—a pick-up artist! From square one, Sung-Gi builds up his conversation and interaction skills with women through several trials and tribulations. He soon learns how much depth and finesse there is in properly conveying intimate emotions to others. As he learns about the subconscious signals sent out by people, Sung-Gi finds himself paying more and more attention to a particular girl in his class, and he puts to use the skill that he was lacking before: The Skill of Lure.

Compilation of side stories of Kaichou wa Maid-sama! series.

Ririko is a hardworking girl who has been performing the role of a mother in her household after the death of her own one when she was five. When her father, a handyman, is stricken with illness and admitted to a hospital, Ririko decides to take up the role of a handyman to help her father's business in his absence. Her first client is a rich teenage boy with high expectations of his helpers. Will she be able to satisfy him? Included one-shot: Volume 3: Mebuki Kimidori

Ikki Kurogane is a Blazer, a person who can materialize his soul as a weapon. Unlike most Blazers, however, his aptitude for magic is virtually nonexistent. Branded a talentless failure and nicknamed "Worst One," he has spent his life honing his swordplay in order to become a Mage-Knight nonetheless. Stella Vermillion is the second imperial princess of the Vermillion Empire and a powerful Rank A Blazer. Having spent her whole life undefeated in battle as a result of her incredible natural talent, she travels to Japan in search of powerful opponents, hoping to grow ever stronger and become an accomplished Mage-Knight herself. The two meet at Hagun Academy, one of seven Mage-Knight schools in Japan, and soon realize that they share the same goal: to become a powerful Mage-Knight renowned for their hard work and skill, regardless of their level of talent. In order to reach that goal, their first step is to meet in the finals of the Seven Stars Battle Festival, a no-holds-barred tournament that gathers the strongest student knights from all seven schools across Japan, and fight for the title of Seven Stars King. Can Ikki and Stella fight toe-to-toe with even the strongest of Blazers and achieve their dream of reaching the peak of knighthood?

At a young age, a part of Chiaki Mikado's soul was bitten away by a peculiar dog with three heads. Unable to feel happiness and joy as a result, he lives his days deprived of positive emotions, faking smiles when the situation calls for it. Eight years later, his father sends him a box from Greece. Inside it is a girl with three forms and personalities: Kuro, Shirogane, and Roze. With the form of Kuro, she tells him that she will be Chiaki's guard dog. The girl reveals that she actually is the guardian of the Gates of Hades—the Cerberus—and is the same creature that tore his soul. But this time around, she will help Chiaki smile again. However, this task is no small feat. Due to the missing piece of his soul, Chiaki is a magnet for fiends and wicked spirits. Meeting rivals, friends, and foes along the way, Chiaki perseveres to regain one of the most important things to being human—the capability to feel.

After an accident on his scooter, Yuusuke Serizawa awakes to find himself in a hospital bed. The cause of the accident—the sight of a familiar face that distracted him. However, it turns out that the person who distracted him was also the person who called the ambulance for him, and whoever it was won't reveal their identity. All Yuusuke knows is that this person is a woman from his past—someone that he loved and possibly wronged. Now Yuusuke must search his memories of the women in his life to discover the identity of his guardian angel. Will Yuusuke be able to find the true identity of this woman and rekindle the flame of a past love or will this woman forever remain a mystery, lost to old memories?

Colette is the only doctor in her village and has earned the trust of many. However, an overwhelming amount of work has left her exhausted and desperate for a break. Wanting to discover a place where her heart could be at peace, she jumps into a well. Colette wakes up and finds herself in the Land of the Dead, ruled by the god Hades—who is in charge of judging the souls of the demised. But Hades has fallen ill, causing his servants to beg Colette to treat him. Unable to ignore their demands and Hades' condition, it is up to Colette and her skills to look after the man and help him return to his duties as the Lord of the Dead.

Ayaka Shiramine has everything going for her: a beautiful, kind, and hard-working girl, she is the star of Seiran Academy—at least, that was the case before she moved up to the academy's high school division. Enter Yurine Kurosawa, an aloof and friendless girl who excels at everything from academics to housework without lifting a finger. In fact, she seems to surpass Ayaka in almost all aspects, and the former star student quickly begins to despise her new rival. Despite her disdain for Yurine, Ayaka's kind nature and a push in the right direction help Yurine to begin making friends... and fall head-over-heels for the girl who hates her. Meanwhile, Ayaka struggles to deal with her growing feelings towards Yurine; though she can't stand the girl who knocked her down to number two, she finds herself falling in love with her. Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo tells the story of two seemingly perfect girls who, while still searching for their place in the world, have at least found someone in a similar dilemma: each other.

Spin-off of the SaeKano novel series focusing on the unlikely relationship between famed author Kasumigaoka Utaha and average otaku Aki Tomoya. Down in a rut and out of lacking creativity, infatuation develops after a fan-signing for 'Love Metronome' and Aki becomes the estranged "assistant" of one of his school's top idols.

Transferring often, Mikiko "Mikki" Amane maintains an aloof and detached attitude at each new school. However, she is thrown for a loop when she sets eyes on her classmate Nekota. He has the face of a cat! No matter what angle it's viewed from, or how hard it's tugged on, his head looks like a mascot. To make matters worse, Mikki seems to be the only one who finds this strange. With her interest piqued, Mikki unravels the mystery behind the cat-faced Nekota, and why only she sees him this way. There is no better way to get close and investigate than to befriend him. For once, the usually indifferent transfer student might just have to make some friends!Included one-shots: Volume 2: Retake! Volume 3: Kumori Sora, Ue no Hou. Volume 9: Chounouryoku Shoujo Clane Volume 10: Hoshikuzu yori Ai wo Komete

Third season of Cheese in the Trap.

Yukimi is her real name but everyone calls her Bambi. She is the student discipline committee member who locks students out of the school if they're a minute late but herself sneaks cigarette breaks on the roof. Lone wolf (Dhole, Asiatic wild dog) transfer student Tetsu (everyone pronounces it Tooru) Nagasawa who hops the fence after she locks it and breaks her cigarette in half when he finds her on the roof, yet he is a super nice guy to a mother and baby on the train. Bambi already has a boyfriend but will the wolf steal her heart?

One day, the world ended—so we built a new one. Everything on Earth, even gravity itself, is now powered by endlessly intricate clockwork. Young machine-lover Naoto Miura dreams of becoming a master clocksmith, working with the wonders of this artificial planet. When one of those wonders comes crashing right through his ceiling, he gets more than he bargained for. Armed with a supernatural sense of hearing and a beautiful robotic ally, Naoto just might be the best hope to unravel a conspiracy threatening millions of lives.

Makabe Masamune has changed himself greatly for a single reason: he wants revenge. Contrary to his past, he has worked hard to become good-looking in order to carry out this goal. Faster than anticipated, he even meets the target of his revenge the first day after transferring in — Adagaki Aki. He wastes no time beginning his plan, but revenge doesn't come easily.

The plot of Fate/hollow ataraxia is based half a year after the events of Fate/stay night. Like its preceding counterpart, the story is set in Fuyuki City. Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a member of the Mages' Association and a master in the 5th Holy Grail War, wakes on the fourth day of the 5th Holy Grail war with a new servant, Avenger, and no memory of what happened to her beforehand. She and Avenger set off to fight and win the Holy Grail War. Meanwhile, Shirou Emiya lives a peaceful life with all his friends from the 5th Holy Grail War. After one of her experiments changes time and space, Rin Tohsaka leaves for the Mages' Association in England to fix things. The Servants sense a new danger while dark creatures appear soon afterward. Shirou, as a precaution, sets off to ensure nobody is in danger and instead finds himself frequently meeting a mysterious girl, Caren Ortensia. Both Bazett and Shirou find themselves in time loop that lasts four days, beginning of the fourth day of the 5th Holy Grail War. Each time they die or survive four days, they always awake on the first day of the loop aware of what has happened to them since the first time loop began. Determined to end the loop, Bazett, Avenger, and Shirou fight to discover the truth behind what's causing the endless four days.

As Izaya Orihara wildly enjoys holding all the information about Ikebukuro's main players, Mikado Ryuugamine and Masaomi Kida stay by Anri Sonohara's side while she recovers. However, Kida seems to be faking a smile. Enraged by the circumstances that led to Anri's harm and his own helplessness, Kida returns to the world he vowed to never come back to after Izaya interfered with them—the Yellow Scarves gang. Once the Yellow Scarves' leader, Kida knows that many of his old team members may now be a part of the Dollars, but they are losing their trust in the group's misdirected ideals. With the power of the Yellow Scarves' unwavering loyalty behind him, Kida swears to clean up Ikebukuro's streets of all wrongdoers, especially those in support of the recently faced criminal, the Slasher. But his aspirations and determination are put to the test, as Izaya is not the only one powerful enough to stand in his way.

Togeun used to work for his father's company without any passion, so he quits his job and moves out from his parents' house in order to follow his dream in drawing. At the homecoming party (reunion party), Togeun begs Sonagi, a great illustrator, to teach him how to draw.

When fifteen-year-old Kaho Nikaidou leaves her sheltered home to start life anew in a Tokyo high school dormitory, the last thing she expects is to nearly get hit by a truck! Saved in the nick of time by a handsome stranger, Kaho falls head over heels for him and, after finally tracking him down, boldly confesses her feelings. Turns out Kaho’s mystery savior, Kanade, is the son of Kaho’s new landlord! The handsome object of Kaho’s affection agrees to go out with her, but her newfound bliss is short-lived when it turns out that her new boyfriend…is a fifth-grader?!

The Koudai-ke no Hitobito comedy depicts the romance between a quiet, day-dreaming female employee named Hirano and Koudai, the handsome male upper-tier employee who just arrived from the New York branch. Despite having trouble talking with people, Hirano is suddenly invited to eat with Koudai for some reason.

At age 31, office worker Chikage Deguchi feels she missed her chances at love and success. When word gets out that she’s a virgin, Chikage is humiliated and wishes she could return to the time when she was still young and popular. She takes an experimental drug that changes her appearance back to when she was 15. Now Chikage is determined to pursue everything she missed out on all those years ago—including becoming a star!

A boy falls in love at first sight with a girl, as apparently, he drew a picture of her when he was younger. And so an incredibly awkward and one-sided love begins.

There are mysterious masked-men trying to conquer the earth!! And to defeat them, the state started a project team called 'Rebirth Knight'. Kang Chan, one of the strongest high schoolers, meets a girl named Chaewon and falls in love at first sight. However, Kang Chan hears from Chaewon that she is a member of the Rebirth Knight, and decides he wants to be a member too...

The new series from Tomoko Ninomiya, creator of Nodame Cantabile, turns its focus on the world of jewelry! Shinobu, a second-year in high school, is part of the family that runs Kurata-ya, a storied pawn shop based in a breezy central Tokyo neighborhood. She helps run the place when school isn’t calling, and she has a natural gift that aids her a great deal—the ability to see the “aura” released by gemstones! Shinobu doesn’t have a boyfriend, but she does have a fiancé handpicked for her by her grandfather—Akisada Kitagami, a man from a prestigious family who wound up being taken in by Kurata-ya at a young age. He now works as a salesman for a first-class jewelry brand, but he’s also got more than his fair share of secrets…

Fall, when graduation is only half a year away. Haruki Kitahara, the final member of the light music club that dissolved, plays his guitar by the window after school in preparation for the school festival. It was the one and only adventure of a good student who spent two diligent years on his studies. But when a flowing piano melody and a voice as a clear as bell harmonize with his guitar... He goes from being alone, to being two, then three in the light music club, as the semester he dreamed of, no, hoped for, began.

The story about a special service agency that deals with people’s previous lives. Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will reap generously. No one knows. In this line of trade of ours, we offer you a chance to return back to your past life. discover the origin of your troubles, seek redemption, and reshape the course of your current life. For such a service, we do not ask for money. Instead we desire. a single drop of your tear.

Hiroto Kiyokawa is a completely ordinary high school freshman - but that's until he gets sucked into another world by the power of a mysterious old map! As the so-called Diferente - a savior from another world - the lord who summoned him commands him to rid their world of vampires. But Hiroto chooses another option - he plans to start a country where different races like vampires and mummies can coexist!

On rainy mornings, Takao can never bring himself to go to school—instead, he spends that time at the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen gardens and finds a brief reprieve from everything else in his life among the trees and flowers. And on one of those mornings, he discovers a mysterious woman named Yukino in his haven, skipping work, and an unlikely friendship blooms between them. But though these two are the center of this story, they are far from the only ones trying to find their way in life.

V.1 - *Motoyome* Serizawa Sonoko, 32-year-old divorcee, is the president of a company that imports women's lingerie. One day she meets a new hire, 24-year-old Itou Hiroshi, who reminds her too much of her ex-husband. Since she can't fire him for fear of giving the wrong message to the rest of her employees, she decides she's going to make him quit... by sexually harassing him. V.2 - *Onna Shachou Hen* Serizawa Sonoko, 32-year-old divorcee, is the president of a company that imports women's lingerie. One day she meets a new hire, 24-year-old Itou Hiroshi, who reminds her too much of her ex-husband. Since she can't fire him for fear of giving the wrong message to the rest of her employees, she decides she's going to make him quit... by sexually harassing him. V.3 - *Elite Joi Hen* V.4 - *Joryuu Kadouka Hen*

Riki was a child when his parents died, leaving him hopeless and depressed. What saved him was a group of four kids calling themselves the Little Busters. They took Riki out and played with him during his time of need. He really enjoyed being together with them, and his grief gradually faded away. Now in his second year of high school they still hang out, fight and live together, and enjoy their school life.

The manga is a love story between Akira Kuroiwa, a 14-year-old boy who knows nothing of love, and Hijiri Suenaga, his new 25-year-old homeroom teacher. One fated summer, Akira begins to realize he has feelings for Hijiri, but Hijiri has a long distance fiancee. The story follows the pair over the course of several years.

"4 Rang" is pronounced "Sa Rang" in korean which is the same pronunciation as "Love". This series is regarding romantic interests among a group of close friends who have known each other from their high school days.

This is the story of several harem girls for a new ruler. The most beautiful is the silver-haired, large-chested Relenia, but she has a lot of rough edges in terms of her personality. She can jump extremely high, and she was recruited for the harem in exchange for tax exemption for her family and the promise of a cat of her very own. Martena is very anxious about not losing out to Relenia, though she seems to end up quite often in sexually charged situations with Relenia and another girl, Edel. The three of them navigate their life in the harem together!

Kasugazaka Koukou Manga Kenkyuubu was originally published as a web novel on Shousetsuka ni Narou site from January 27, 2011 to October 8, 2014. The series was officially published by Kadokawa under Beans Bunko imprint.

The happy children (4 boys and one girl) of the Suzuki family are living on their own. Their parents live overseas, so this year on the birthday of the youngest, Asahi, they send the kids a video letter. When they happily start watching it... It turns out that the only girl among them, Haruna, is adopted! What's more, she has to marry one of her 4 brothers! To Haruna, who is confused, the brothers present an idea: "Have sex with us all to decide which one." Haruna can't turn down the idea, so she goes to bed with her brothers and...?! She loses her virginity to her younger brother, and her older twin brothers touch her from the front and the back... "Mom, I... went crazy with pleasure... again..." Don't miss this outrageous "marriage arranging"!