Manga Like Smash!

Yamato Akitsuki, an easygoing and energetic boy, is eager to begin his high school life in Tokyo. When his aunt offers him a rent-free room at her housing complex, he jumps at the chance—unaware that the building is actually an all-girls dormitory. On his first visit to the new school, Yamato spots a girl practicing the high jump. Struck by her athletic grace and beauty, he becomes determined to know her. As luck would have it, that girl, Suzuka Asahina, lives next door to him. Unfortunately, every encounter so far has left her with a poor opinion of him. Despite the constant misunderstandings, Yamato joins the track team in hopes of impressing her, soon discovering that he has the potential to become a top sprinter in the hundred-meter dash. With friendships and perhaps love hanging in the balance, he trains with all his heart to win over the girl he loves.

Third-year middle schooler Tatara Fujita, lacking any clear aspirations or plans for the future, longs to find something he can dedicate himself to completely. Frequently bullied and extorted because of his timid nature, Tatara’s life takes a turn when a man named Kaname Sengoku rescues him from a group of delinquents. His savior, a dance instructor who rides a motorcycle, mistakenly thinks Tatara was looking at a flyer for Ogasawara Dance Studio and drags him there. During a trial lesson, Tatara is paired with his schoolmate Shizuku Hanaoka, a skilled dancer. After being bullied again the following day and once more saved by Sengoku, Tatara asks the studio to teach him dance, hoping to transform how others see him. Stepping into a bright, fast-paced new world, Tatara throws himself into dancing, sweeping across the dance hall as he dedicates his time to the art.

Kou Kitamura is in fifth grade and his family owns a sporting goods store. The Tsukishima Batting Center is a frequent customer, so he becomes close with the four Tsukishima sisters: Ichiyo, Wakaba, Aoba, and Momiji. Through endless practice in their batting cages, Kou becomes a natural hitter but lacks knowledge of any other baseball skills. This sets him apart from Aoba, who, although a year younger, is a skilled pitcher and batter. Wakaba, a classmate of Kou's, is fully convinced she will marry him when they grow up. Their peaceful life is shattered by a sudden tragedy. The narrative then jumps ahead four years. Kou has kept up the training he began back then, but hasn't stepped into a baseball game since. When he finally starts playing again, the question lingers whether he can fulfill the hopes of those who know the hidden talent he has kept under wraps all this time.

Touch is a shounen tale following twin brothers, a pretty girl next door, and the classic sport of baseball. This manga was crafted by one of the most renowned mangaka, Adachi Mitsuru, in the early 1980s (1981–1986). He is a gifted writer who frequently pens stories revolving around baseball and Koshien, the stadium that hosts the All High School Baseball Tournament.

Hiro has two passions: baseball and adult material. But due to an elbow injury, he abandons baseball and enrolls in a school without a baseball team. His childhood friend Hikari attends a different school alongside baseball ace Hideo, and both wish Hiro hadn't given up baseball. Hiro joins the soccer team but meets Haruka, an extremely clumsy girl who serves as manager of the unofficial baseball club. When the soccer team challenges the baseball club to a game hoping to humiliate them, the baseball club nearly loses until Hiro, disgusted by the soccer team's arrogance, switches to the baseball club.

Two 15-year-old best friends, Satoyama Katsuki and Kawakami Kyouta, join Mizutani Boxing Gym to get closer to their tomboyish crush, Mizutani Katsuki, whose father owns the gym. Satoyama quickly realizes that she is estranged from her father, and even worse, she despises boxing. During a sparring session, everyone—including Mizutani—notices Satoyama's raw but untapped boxing talent. Satoyama later learns that Mizutani actually loves boxing but resents it because it is a male-dominated sport she cannot participate in. She then decides to become Satoyama's trainer and manager, aiming to guide him toward a championship belt. Satoyama agrees, hoping to grow closer to her. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Satoyama possesses a hidden past and lineage that grant him the inherent skill and talent to become a legendary Oriental professional boxing champion.

For 15-year-old Nobara Sumiyoshi, volleyball is everything—she's a talented player with huge aspirations. But the cutthroat world of high school volleyball often makes it hard for her to catch a break. Included one-shots: Volume 15: "Second" Volume 16: Sugar

Yamato Keisuke is a promising freestyle swimmer, and Ninomiya Ami is a talented diver. They are the children of two rival families that each run a confectionery shop. Two generations ago, Grandfather Ninomiya came up with an idea for an owl-shaped cake. Grandfather Yamato quickly responded with a similar cake, but his version gave the owl ears. Since both cakes were priced the same, Yamato's extra ears gave him an advantage, and the Ninomiya confectionery business suffered as a result. Grandfather Ninomiya fell ill from worrying about his shop. Before dying, his last words were, "I was killed by the Yamatos." From that moment on, the two families became sworn rivals.

Bae Sugu is a 17-year-old model student who lives with his father, the vice principal of his school. Crushed under the weight of his father's expectations, Sugu must keep his one true passion hidden: swimsuits. He doesn't understand where this obsession comes from, but it's pure and sincere—and frequently misunderstood. However, one day while secretly taking pictures of swimsuits by the pool, his homeroom teacher catches him and forces him into an absurd situation. Can Sugu find a way out of the dead end his life has become? Can his heart start beating again?

Sagara Yuuki is a male high school student who stands shorter than every other boy in his class. Moriyama Miki is the girl who looks up to him despite his small height. This story follows the comedic mishaps and romantic development between Sagara and Moriyama as they grow closer and overcome the challenges standing in the way of their love! Included one-shots: Volume 1: Mamotteagetai♥ (I Want to Protect You) Volume 4: Ookami nanka Kowakunai!? Bangai-hen: Valentine nanka Kowakunai!? Volume 6: Mousou♥Virgin (The Delusional Virgin)

Set at Meisei Gakuen, the same high school as Touch but 26 years later, Mix continues with brothers and baseball as its central focus.

Moritaka Mashiro is a skilled artist in middle school but feels uncertain about his future, assuming he'll just lead an ordinary life. After spotting one of his drawings in class, aspiring writer Akito Takagi insists they create a manga together. Mashiro hesitates—his uncle, a mangaka, died from overwork only a few years earlier. However, learning that his crush Miho Azuki aims to become a voice actress, Mashiro becomes determined to produce a manga that can be adapted into an anime for her to star in. Azuki, who returns his feelings, agrees to marry him once they both achieve their dreams. Bakuman. follows Mashiro and Takagi's triumphs and struggles as they try to get serialized in Weekly Shounen Jump and become famous mangakas. Will their gamble succeed, or will they join the countless failures?

Takao Kasuga is an awkward middle school student with a passion for reading, particularly Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal. He harbors a crush on his class's idol, the sweet-natured Nanako Saeki. In sharp contrast, Sawa Nakamura is a rude, unpleasant girl who couldn't care less about school. One day, Takao forgets to bring his book home. He returns to school to fetch it, but freezes when he spots Nanako's freshly worn gym clothes lying on the floor. A strange desire overcomes him, and like a twisted pervert, he steals them. Burdened by guilt over his crime, Takao tries his best to carry on as usual. However, Sawa—who witnessed the theft—has other intentions for him...

When the burdens of adulthood and the harsh reality of workplace harassment shatter childhood aspirations, many might long to go back to their carefree younger years for a second chance at making better choices. Stunned by the proposal laid before him, 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki seeks to change his fate through an extraordinary opportunity. After returning from his part-time job, Arata is convinced by Ryou Yoake, a staff member of the ReLife Research Institute, to join an experiment designed to help him overcome his struggles and re-enter the corporate world. As part of the ReLife program, Arata's body is transformed to look like a 17-year-old, and his only task is to live through high school again for one year. Awaiting him at the end of the experiment is a job offer—the very thing he has been unable to obtain since leaving his first company. With few alternatives, he agrees to proceed. Yet, due to his adult habits and the long gap since his last formal education, Arata finds himself facing an unexpectedly tough challenge—just getting through an ordinary day of high school.

Nana Komatsu is a naive and unmotivated girl who spends her high school years chasing one crush after another. Despite repeatedly failing in her pursuit of love, her spirits never fade. At age 20, she boards a train to Tokyo, hoping to reunite with her current boyfriend. Nana Osaki, in contrast, is feisty and proud. After joining a local band in high school, she falls in love with both music and a fellow band member. But when forced to choose between her relationship and her musical career, she picks the latter and parts ways with her boyfriend. On her 20th birthday, she takes the same train to Tokyo as her namesake, determined to become a top vocalist. These two girls, sharing a name but having very different goals, end up seated together on their journey to the city, and as fate would have it, eventually share the same apartment. A deep and unique bond forms between them, and they support each other through a saga of love, music, friendship, and heartbreak.

One morning, Naho Takamiya finds a letter in her mailbox that claims to be from her future self, ten years from now. The letter details a sequence of events predicted to occur that day. Initially, Naho dismisses it as a joke, but when a transfer student named Kakeru Naruse actually arrives in her class later that day as the letter foretold, she is compelled to accept its truth. As Naho reads further, her future self lists several regrets and urges her to make better choices now. These regrets all seem to revolve around Kakeru, and with the weight of knowing that he will not be present with her and their friends in the future, can Naho make the perfect decisions to change what appears to be destiny? Also includes the Haru-iro Astronaut (Spring-Colored Astronaut) series.

Through pain and relentless effort, one can reach the summit of the world. Standing where nobody has ever stood before brings an overwhelming sense of achievement. That is what Mori Buntarou trains, struggles, and truly lives for. His ascent begins when he transfers to a new high school. Despite his withdrawn and solitary personality, Mori's classmates convince him to scale the school building. Without any safety gear or hesitation, he starts his climb to the top. Passing the point of no return, he stops when confronted by a final daunting challenge—a horizontal overhang. With adrenaline rushing through him, Mori leaps for the last hold at the peak. From that vantage point, he gazes upon something he would never have noticed otherwise—another peak, another objective. With a newly ignited passion and a renewed sense of purpose, Mori delves into the thrilling world of rock climbing.

Seon Jin finds no refuge anywhere. At school, he suffers constant bullying because of his unnervingly quiet demeanor and weak physique. Yet this is not the root of his overwhelming horror—what he dreads even more is his own father. To the outside world, Jin's father is a thriving businessman, a charitable volunteer, and an affectionate parent. But this is only a disguise. In truth, he is a twisted serial killer, and Jin is his reluctant accomplice. For years, they have kept up this pretense without the police ever catching on. When his father sets his sights on the attractive transfer student Yoon Kyun, Jin must decide—stay the coward who delivers her to the same doom as the previous victims, or become the bastard son who stands up to his monstrous parent.

After losing her parents, Tooru Honda finds herself living in a tent in the woods, until the Souma family offers her a place to stay. But the Soumas are far from ordinary—they carry a heavy secret: whenever someone of the opposite sex embraces them, they transform into animals from the Chinese zodiac. Tooru takes on the task of helping Kyou and Yuki Souma keep their curse hidden from their classmates, as well as from her friends Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima. As she becomes more involved in the mysterious lives of the Soumas, she encounters more members of the family and forms bonds with them. Yet this curse has brought immense pain, breaking many Soumas over time. Even so, Tooru may be the one who can mend their wounded hearts and bring peace to their spirits.

Although Chidori Public High School and the all-girls Kikyo Private Academy are situated right next to each other, they might as well inhabit entirely separate worlds. Kikyo maintains a flawless reputation and primarily enrolls students from wealthy families, while Chidori is considered a haven for slow-witted delinquents. The students of Kikyo hold a deep-seated hatred for their Chidori counterparts. Rintarou Tsumugi, a sixteen-year-old student at Chidori, has a forbidding face that causes others to shun him. He doesn't let this bother him, as he is happy with his close group of friends. However, there is a secret he hasn't revealed to them: he occasionally works at his family's cake shop. One day on the job, Rintarou spots a customer sitting at a table, but she quickly leaves before he can speak with her. The next day, the girl, Kaoruko Waguri, approaches him to apologize, explaining that she didn't flee because of his appearance and that she believes Rintarou is genuinely kind. Though he is unaccustomed to Kaoruko's lively personality, Rintarou looks forward to building a friendship with her. There is just one problem standing in the way: Kaoruko is a student at Kikyo!

At Ouran High School, a prestigious academy reserved for the children of the wealthy and influential, the Host Club stands as the most exclusive club on campus. Inside their lavish clubroom, six handsome, bored boys pass the time entertaining equally beautiful, bored girls. Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student from a modest background, has zero interest in the Host Club—until she accidentally smashes an expensive vase in their room. Mistaken for a boy, she is compelled by Kyouya Ootori to join the club and work off her debt. Tamaki Suou, the club's princely leader, eagerly takes her under his wing to teach her the art of hosting. But life with the Host Club is never ordinary. Even the simplest events turn into grand spectacles thanks to prankster twins Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the stoic Takashi Morinozuka, and the sweet-natured Mitsukuni "Hunny" Haninozuka. The Host Club's crazy adventures are only beginning, and Haruhi must learn to navigate the glittering, over-the-top world of the hosts. (The final volume includes a bonus chapter where the group travels to Spain.)

Both Juri Mutou and Yuu have their own reasons for wanting to die. Juri is the child of a former renowned pianist whose career ended when she gave birth. Following a traumatic incident during her teenage years, Juri has made three suicide attempts and developed a deep hatred for her mother. Her life overshadowed by a painful history, her aunt Monica—a woman of the clergy—asks her to meet a condemned prisoner. Yuu sits on death row for killing three people, and has repeatedly tried to take his own life inside his cell. Monica regularly writes to him hoping to offer support, but he perceives her letters as mere pity. When Yuu finally agrees to see Monica in person to tell her to stop writing, he comes across Juri, and that encounter alters the course of both their existences.

After her brother Souichirou dies, Teru Kurebayashi is left all alone—except for a person named Daisy. She can always talk to Daisy through a cell phone her brother left for her, and Daisy never hesitates to cheer her up. However, Teru has never met Daisy; she has no idea what Daisy looks like, and her only means of contact is that cell phone. In stark contrast to the kind words and encouragement from Daisy, Teru receives nothing but grief from the rude school janitor Tasuku Kurosaki. He forces Teru to work for him after she accidentally breaks a window. Kurosaki seems like a lazy good-for-nothing who only enjoys making her miserable, but is there more to him than meets the eye? Included one-shot: Volume 16: Hetakuso Cupid (The Hopeless Cupid)

Tomomi Nomiya, the former captain of his high school's basketball team who eventually turned into a delinquent, chooses to leave school after being consumed by guilt for causing a traffic accident that changed a young girl's life. While devoting his free time to assisting her, he encounters Kiyoharu Togawa, a one-time sprinter who has lost function in his right leg and now plays wheelchair basketball as a substitute. After facing Kiyoharu in a one-on-one match, Tomomi suffers a complete defeat. Inspired by this experience, he understands that he cannot so easily abandon his passion for basketball and resolves to help others while aiming to become a professional player. Meanwhile, Hisanobu Takahashi, who succeeded Tomomi as the high school team's captain, is involved in an accident that leaves him permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Real chronicles the moving story of these three young men as they battle their disabilities and internal struggles to pursue their dreams, sparking a shared fervor that draws them together.