The romance genre, we all love it and crave the perfect partner, but not all will find one :(. Being one of the most popular genres among anime and manga lovers, they offer many stories and duos that amuse them.
However, the constant repetition of high school romance stories has exhausted mature manga readers. Luckily, there are many romance manga featuring adult leads to choose from.
I think having adult leads as main characters has allowed the mangaka to show their creative talents, engaging with fans through real-life problems we face as adult couples.
I have had my fair share of romance as a teen and adult, and surprisingly, the problems faced are almost similar, even if it’s just a harmless fling.
1. A Girl on the Shore
Sounds like a straightforward story, right? A Girl On The Shore digs deeper into the deep desires of a teenager, hormones acting up, anger, bitterness, anxiety, you name it. At the same time, it’s shockingly raw and touching, and it has mature topics and stories. Inio Asano, popular for his hardship tales, really keeps fans glued.
Two junior Japanese students, Koume and Isobe freshman, live on the outskirts of town. Though they haven’t reached sixteen, they are already thirsty for coitus.
The manga imitates their unstable, childish and sex-driven relationship. The story starts with Isobe confessing his feelings for Koume, who rejects him but continues sleeping with him regardless.
Originally, their relationship was set off by their sex with detailed, intense graphics [ thanks to Asano’s art ]. Maybe that’s why we all love it. But eye, who knows?
Isobe’s character is portrayed as a loner who isolates himself and is sometimes considered an awkward otaku loser, failing to find himself a partner, yet he desires one.
I guess his secret is that Kouma keeps him company. On the other hand, Kouma involves herself in a fling with a local hood boy who uses her just to satisfy him.
Even though they occasionally have sex, sometimes in class, their feelings for each other are one-sided. I guess both their interests are different. Its detailed content might make some of you uneasy, but honestly, I think it speaks for us; for real, all the drama, sadness, loneliness, anger, experimenting, and fear we go through is shown.
2. Sweat & Soap
When you just hear sweat and soap, think of bad odour straight. The series is about Asako, who works at a high-end company and lacks confidence in his body scent.
But little did she know her natural scent would unite her with her true lover. Koutarou, an expert fragrance developer, is drawn in by her natural scent. Basically, instead of seeing love, he smelled love at first sight. Regardless of a few flaws, it might still be considered one of the best manga.
It charmingly tells the story of every important moment between the two. Right from their embarrassing first encounter, finally feeling comfortable living as a couple, introduced to her family, other moments included too.
Like any other couple, their relationship isn’t always perfect,t but with how they express their feelings to one another, they are what we call “finding your true love”.
3. Velvet Kiss
The manga follows the story of Shin Nitta, who owes a large amount of money to people. Unable to settle his debts, his private loan agent suggests he settles his debt by keeping a certain woman [ Konoko ] “pleased”. He thought it would be just an in-and-out simple relationship, but things got ugly after a few months.
I think Shin comes from a rough background because of the way he despised Kanoko and called her a privileged, selfish, spoiled child [ rough way to begin a relationship, right ]. As time passed by, Shin learned why she was always self-obsessed.
Her aunt, who married her father, brought misery to her life. She caused her mother’s death and her father’s sickness. Regardless, Shin had to be Kanoko’s companion to settle his debt with the company the loan was given to. [I almost forgot to mention that Shi’s aunt also got him into an 80 million debt ]
4. Prison School
You can’t call yourself an anime or manga fan if you have never watched or heard about Prison School unless you’ve been hiding from the modern world. If you are among them, believe me when I say it’s one manga you will never regret watching. You won’t be disappointed.
Just like any adult manga out here, Prison School’s unexpected event keeps fans focused. Brushing off such a deep sea of stories would be a shame, which is a big mistake.
You will get a clearer picture once you leave behind the disciplining and imprisonment of a group of dodgy boys by the underground student council. Your insight on the habits and soul of most protagonists.
5. Nisekoi
Nisekoi is based on the story of a gang mafia’s son, Raku Ichijo, the son of Shumi-Gumi leader of the Yakuza and the daughter of a rival mafia boss, Chitoge Kirisaki of the Beehive gang. Both run into each other unexpectedly over a wall. Chitoge accidentally stomped Rakus in the face while hurrying to school.
Shortly after this encounter, Raku notices that the locket he had been gifted to him by his childhood buddy has gone missing. He panicked, forcing Chitoge to help him look for it since she had bumped into him earlier.
And from that day, they both became enemies. The story tells us they both heard a role to play in forming a bond between their families. It required them to get together.
Raku later comes across multiple girls he thinks might be the childhood friend who gave him the locket. I doubt he will ever find her shame.
6. Snow White With The Red Hair
The story follows a herbalist, Shirayuki, a free, self-made woman living in Tanbarun. Her different red-coloured hair separated her from the rest. Hence, she always kept it a secret from foreigners. Unfortunately, one night, Prince Raj sees her hair and immediately commands her to be his mistress.
Denying the princess’ request, Shirayuki shaved her ends off, handing them to him since she was attracted to them. She then flees to the neighbouring kingdom, the kingdom of Clarines. Soon, she comes across a prince named Zen and his guards.
I forgot to mention that Prince Raj poisoned Shirayuki’s apple, which was later eaten by Prince Zen [ honestly, I still don’t know why he took it in the first place ].
Luckily, she managed to gather the antidote ingredients on time. Further, it tells us about her finally passing her herbalist test, falling in love with Prince Zin and living happily ever after.
7. Nana
A true adult manga which is understood by older fans. All its themes, scenes, characters and occurrences need a mature mind. Nana Komatsu was originally raised in a small growth point just outside of town.
She had never met her parents and lived an average lifestyle; she had enough to survive. In a few days, her boyfriend is set to travel to Tokyo. [ I bet those last days with him were hard for her ].
The outstanding shoujo manga is not mature regarding its storyline and content. She was brought up by her ironic grandma, who always made her work.
Now she is the leader of a local punk band named BLAST, not forgetting her bass player lover was leaving without her for Tokyo. Finally, when they reached 20 years, the two nanas moved to Tokyo for different reasons. One was chasing fame, while the other was searching for love.
So they both boarded the train to Tokyo simultaneously, and fate brought them together. Kicking it off from the start, they became friends in no time and later became roomies. A positive and amazing side of the Shoujo manga space indeed.
8. Boku ni Natta Watashi
Now, this here is one of my all-time classic manga stories. It talks about a girl named Momoko who is surrounded by evil around her and only sees the bad in her surroundings. She just wanted what every normal girl desires: a regular life, attending an ordinary school and having normal friends.
I don’t know how, but she finds herself in the middle of a story. She is kicked out of home and finds herself at a boys-only boarding school, sleeping with roommates she hates. Keeping her gender a secret can ruin her life.
If the boys at her school realized she was a girl, she would trend everywhere. She fights her edges and resists the temptation of dating her attractive boy colleagues.
She is living a movie if you ask me. She has guts bigger than yours, shame. She is forced to act like a boy to fit in perfectly. I wonder if her secret will ever be discovered. Can’t wait to find out.
9. Something’s Wrong With Us
Something Wrong with Us is a manga filled with the right amount of murder sprees, love and romance, and vengeance. It’s originally a traditional Japanese song, and I would recommend it to much more mature fans. It’s a story about Nao, who continues her mother’s legacy by joining the sweet-making business.
Her passion and unique skill set directly advance her to the confectionary chain. This leads to her getting the boss’s attention. A Japanese stoic alpha male named Tsubaki. The same man who falsely accused her mother of killing. So obviously, she’s filled with vengeance, nervousness and delusion.
Cleverly, she didn’t confront him but stayed undercover in search of the real truth about what went down that day.
Being able to stand her ground in the company’s highly competitive and harsh working conditions, she investigates further and looks into Tsubaki’s history and lifestyle. She must be really brave cause she did all this just to prove her mom’s innocence.
A sudden turn of events shocked readers as her investigations led her straight into Tsubaki’s arms. I think this unexpected twist stunned readers and made them hungry for more. A well-articulated story indeed
10. Recovery of an MMO Junkie
A manga which has both realistic and virtual game qualities. Its games are more or less similar to the “ready player one “you have watched. It follows the story of a self-made 30-year-old professional woman called NEET Moriko Morioka.
She adds some spice to her life by playing an online MMORPG, “Fruits de Mer “, with her male avatar, Hayashi. , Hayashi meets another avatar in the game, Lily, who eventually becomes his friend. Little did they know that they both were of the opposite sex outside the game.
Lilly teaches Hayashi the game rules. Keeping her real identity a secret, Hayashi lies that she’s a 21-year-old freshman at a nearby university. It really does get lonely after 30; luckily, she meets Yuta Sakurai, the same man who also goes as Lily in the MMORPG game. Nothing can’t keep you apart if you’re made for each other.
Conclusion
So, finally, our list comes to an end. Brave New World Manhwa has recently engaged us with a combination of drama and suited adult main leads.
If you have a similar taste in manga, this list will improve your life. Stroll through it, and eventually, you will come across something of your liking. At least one
I am curious about your views about “A Wonderful New World”. Like, am I the only one who spends days watching it? Be sure to drop your comments on it. Again, if you feel our list is missing something, just share your thoughts below.
