Best Romance Manga of 2016

A heart can only beat so many times in a lifetime. Kokuhaku disease, a rare condition that weakens the heart, leaves the victim with less heartbeats and a shorter lifespan than normal. With the right device, the amount of heartbeats remaining can be measured. When Hato Iijima accidentally walks in on Hatsu Takagi changing her clothes, he sees this device attached to her chest. Hatsu has resigned herself to an uneventful and isolated life to avoid elevating her heart rate. However, she expresses her true desire—to freely and wholeheartedly experience every second she has left. Recognizing her wish, Hato swears to help her enjoy life to the fullest and make her heart beat like crazy.

Nanako Yukishiro is an average cute and cheerful high school girl, except for the fact that she does not speak! Her only method of communicating her thoughts and feelings is through senryuu—a form of haiku which utilizes the 5-7-5 format. Surrounded by friends such as the misunderstood ex-delinquent Eiji Busujima, stalkerish and eternally single club president Amane Katagiri, shy but talkative artist Kino Yakobe, mysterious Tao Hanakai, and Eiji's self-proclaimed "big sister" Koto Ootsuki, Nanako's high school life has never been more enjoyable.

Due to family circumstances, high school student Miko Sonoda is forced to live at her uncle's boarding house. However, before she can arrive there, Miko is already met with a bad omen: while trying to find the place, she suspects that someone is following her! When her uncle comes to her rescue, the assumed stalker happens to be one of his tenants, leaving Miko embarrassed on her first day. Miko learns that she will be living with five unique adults, including the accused man. Additionally, it turns out that he is Jun Matsunaga, a 27-year-old designer who seems to lose his temper easily. Having made such a humiliating first impression, Miko believes that only a miserable life awaits her. But in the presence of Jun, she comes to realize that living with adults is not so difficult after all—and there may even be enough room for romance.

First-year high school student Serina Koshino discovers a love song scribbled all over her desk. Figuring that an upperclassman is responsible for the act, the slightly disturbed Serina is interested in finding out who did it. Later, she finds the culprit: Asuma Mizukawa, a male student who is one year her senior. Despite Mizukawa's aloof exterior, he goes out of his way to help Serina, leading her to immediately fall in love with him. Even with her blooming feelings, luck is not on Serina's side, as Mizukawa barely acknowledges her existence. Still, the girl refuses to give up on love and hastily confesses to him, which moves Mizukawa enough to become her boyfriend. They may not know each other well but, with the start of their relationship, Serina might see more endearing sides to Mizukawa.

Upon successfully capturing all of the elusive Clow Cards and transforming them into her very own Sakura Cards, Sakura Kinomoto finds her duty as Cardcaptor complete. On the way to her first day of classes at Tomoeda Middle School, Sakura is surprised by a reunion with her sweetheart Shaoran Li, who informs her that he is permanently moving back to Tomoeda. To her delight, Shaoran will also be attending the same school! Although her life seems brighter than ever, Sakura has a strange dream later that night where she is surrounded by transparent cards and meets a mysterious cloaked figure. To her horror, the Sakura Cards have all turned clear upon waking up, and her dream now reality. With ongoing prophetic dreams, a new staff, and encounters with a new set of cards, Sakura must once again take up the role of Cardcaptor alongside her guardians and friends in a whole new adventure.

For Fumiya Tomozaki, one of the best gamers in Japan, the "game of life" is the worst game in existence. Despite the fact that Tomozaki is the number one player in the video game Attack Families, he is a self-proclaimed bottom-tier character when it comes to real life. As a second-year high school student, he suffers from an absolute lack of self-esteem, leading him to completely give up on trying to improve himself as a person. Instead, he blames the real world for being completely unbalanced, with no logical way to level up your character. Aoi Hinami is an immensely popular girl in Tomozaki's class with fantastic grades. She fits the role of a perfect heroine and is on the opposite end of the social spectrum from Tomozaki. However, after a chance encounter with Hinami, Tomozaki realizes that she is not a perfect character after all! So begins a story of drama and romance revolving around Tomozaki's attempts at conquering the game of life under Hinami's guidance.

One day, Azure becomes acutely aware that her body is being controlled by someone else and, even moreso, she is aware that this person intends to kill her and make it look like a suicide. But Azure doesn't actually care if she dies; she has wanted to die for quite some time. Her controller, not satisfied with taking the life of someone who actually wishes for death, vows to make her into the type of target he prefers: someone who enjoys life, so that when he kills her, she will die full of regrets. Through a few twists and turns, Azure meets her controller—a man named Claude—and the two begin to spend time together in order to further Claude's ultimate goal. But these two have more in common than they know, and soon, a strange relationship blooms between them.

Yuuri Kariya is an airhead who falls head-over-heels in love with Ryuuhei Aono after their very first meeting. Yuuri's happiness knows no bounds when Aono surprisingly ends up agreeing to go out with her, and thus she starts to enjoy her perfect relationship with her perfect boyfriend. Alas, misfortune strikes when only two weeks into their relationship, Aono tragically dies in an accident. But is something as simple as death really enough to keep the two lovers apart?

Chii and her husband are like any other happily married couple, except for one thing: Chii was assigned male at birth. Chii details her autobiographical account of growing up with gender dysphoria and ultimately deciding to transition in her early adult years. Shortly after Chii starts transitioning, she meets a man who is instantly enamored by her, and although he is surprised when Chii eventually tells him she used to live as a guy, he still wants to go out with her. As Chii continues to transition, her boyfriend supports her through the process, culminating in their marriage once her transition is complete.

An uprising in the kingdom of Earlswald has led to the death of its lecherous and tyrannical king, his wife, and their son. Cayden, the leader of the rebellion, is crowned as the new monarch and grants his right-hand man, Eli—a peasant—the title of duke. Although considered a hero thanks to his achievements during the war, Eli is rumored to be a cold-blooded madman who strikes fear in his allies and enemies alike. Due to supporting the former king in the past, a nobleman must marry off his eldest daughter to Eli. But he instead sends a servant named Edna under the pretext that she is his illegitimate child. Despite their rocky start as newlyweds, Eli is intrigued by Edna's sophisticated demeanor and fiery personality, while she finds her husband to be more than what the rumors make him out to be. Nonetheless, Edna must maintain her facade because if Eli were to discover who she truly is and why she cares so much for the kingdom, it would cost her not only their marriage—but also her life.Note: This entry includes the sequel series Golden Time as they are serialized on the same page on Kakao.

A tiger and a beaver who grew up together defy peer pressure to end their friendship and join forces to fight injustice. A camel journalist who passed judgment on carnivores for years spends a life-changing night with a seductive wolf. A crocodile and a gazelle must find a way to work together as chef and assistant on a cooking show with flagging ratings. A fox and a chameleon wrestle with stereotypes about each other—and themselves. And much more...

Although she never asked for it, 27-year-old So Yeori possesses the extraordinary ability to communicate with ghosts. She has always considered it a burden rather than a gift and always passes spirits without a single glance. When she moves into a new house, Yeori resolves to ignore the resident ghost. However, he has a different idea. Even when he was alive, Go Joon yearned for the comfort of living together with someone, and his untimely death three years ago only exacerbated his pain. He wants nothing more than to talk to someone, for Yeori to stay; and reluctantly, she agrees to live with him for a year. As two people who have always been alone, Yeori and Joon must now face the joys and hardships of the cohabitation between human and ghost.

The twins, Aoi and Akane, have been living with their grandparents from their late mother's side and their father. They are now fifth graders and are about to start taking steps towards life while embracing new encounters and new experiences on their own. As they grow up, they do so by remembering the teachings of the person they still hold the dearest—Shiharu. This is the continuation of a story of growing up while holding on to small things that bring happiness in life no matter what life may throw at you.

Lee Young-joon is a perfect specimen of a man, and he knows it. Not only is he remarkably attractive, intelligent, and wealthy, but he is also the vice-president of one of Korea's top five corporations. For the past nine years, Young-joon has been accompanied by his extremely talented and diligent secretary, Kim Mi-so. She is the only person who has met the difficult vice-president's standards and the only one whom he has allowed to stand by his side, keeping her as close as a husband would keep his wife. Therefore, it comes as quite a shock to Young-joon when—despite all the years they have worked together and everything they have accomplished—Mi-so suddenly decides to resign. She proclaims that it is time for her to live her own life and, if possible, even get married. However, Young-joon is not ready to give up his beloved secretary that easily. Having grown attached to the capable Ms. Kim, Young-joon will do whatever it takes to keep her by his side. But even though he tells himself that it is only to avoid the inconvenience of finding another secretary, there may actually be a deeper reason behind why he refuses to part with Mi-so.

Since entering high school, Hiro Ootaki has tried to avoid standing out by hiding his hobbies regarding 80s Japanese pop culture, although he manages to obtain a circle of friends and some popularity. To his surprise, Tomoyo Yakushimaru—a social outcast and fellow classmate—also shares the same interests. The two begin meeting to indulge in their common passion, engaging in all kinds of activities based on this period, such as discussing music, dressing up, and even changing their hairstyles. This chance encounter leads to a truly special relationship as they gradually begin to fall in love.

Until recently, Kang Eun Ju worked as a designer and had a roof over her head. But after being fired from her job and kicked out of her shared room on the same day, Eun Ju desperately searches online for new employment opportunities. She soon finds a job posting that would solve both of her problems. Seeing this as a lucky chance, she swiftly submits her application and is delighted to be called in for an interview. Once Eun Ju meets her potential employer, any prior excitement quickly fades. Kwak Woo Jin speaks to her in a condescending manner and pokes fun at her resume. Eun Ju is put off by his arrogant attitude, but in dire need of money and a residence, accepts the offered position. Bedeviled by an employer with unconventional demands and more tenants than she accounted for, Eun Ju begins her hapless days as the live-in caretaker at Woo Jin's unlucky mansion.

Five hundred years have passed since the humans went extinct at the hands of the fearsome and mysterious 'Beasts.' The surviving races now make their homes up on floating islands in the sky, out of reach of all but the most mobile of Beasts. However, this new safe haven Regul Aire has a dark secret behind it. Only a small group of young girls, the Leprechauns, can wield the ancient weapons needed to fend off invasions from these creatures. Into the girls' unstable and fleeting lives, where a call to certain death could come at any moment, enters an unlikely character: a young man who lost everything in his final battle five hundred years ago, the last living human awakened from a long, icy slumber. Unable to fight any longer, Willem becomes the father that the girls never had, caring for and nurturing them even as he struggles to come to terms with his new life, in which he feels the pain of helplessly waiting for his loved ones to return home from battle that his 'Daughter' once felt for him so long ago. Together, through their everyday interactions in the 'orphanage,' Willem and the girls gradually come to understand what family means and what is truly worth protecting.

Mio Asahina and Subaru Ichijou have recently moved into the neighborhood. On the outside, the young and discreet Mio works as a florist to support her alleged grade school brother, but that is a far cry from reality. Behind this facade, the two share an incredible secret: Subaru is not a kid. When no one is around, he acts like a typical stay-at-home husband—doing the housework, cooking dinner, and waiting for his partner to return home. A few months prior, Mio's boyfriend, Subaru, was living an ordinary life as a promising chef. However, after an inexplicable event, the young man regressed into a child before his lover's eyes. Bearing this weighty secret, Mio and Subaru confront their strange situation together as they seek answers and a way to reverse Subaru's condition.

The story is about a man whose compulsive tendencies make it impossible for him to keep a job, and a young girl who skips school and loves insects. The two meet, come to support each other in reintegrating into society, and fall in love. There’s a problem, however: namely, the parasites in their heads.

A heart-rending tale of star-crossed young lovers and parallel worlds! Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e and Kimi wo Aishita Hitori no Boku e: two novels, two films, one multiverse. In Koyomi Hidaka's world, travel between slightly different alternate universes is commonplace. After his parents' recent divorce, Koyomi lives with his father, and falls in love with a girl named Sato Shiori when they meet at his father's workplace. But their young love seems doomed when their parents get remarried—to each other. Is there some parallel world out there where Koyomi and Shiori can be together as lovers, not step-siblings...and what could be the price if they try to find out?

His Majesty comes close; he's so handsome that the flushed queen pushes him reflexively and falls with him into a pool of water. Then they swap their bodies. The way to swap back is unknown. The most important thing is that the emperor is quite angry now!! Since they can't return to normal, the emperor has to deal with his mean imperial concubines that he doesn't even know, and the queen has to mediate between high-ranking ministries...