Slow Romance

Best Shoujo and Josei Manga featuring a slow romance.

Yakuza ni ofuro de hatarakasaretemasu screenshot the male l-ead leans towards the heroine as she stares at him

Yakuza ni Ofuro de Hatarakasaretemasu

Name: Yakuza ni Ofuro de Hatarakasaretemasu (working in a bathhouse under the orders of an obsessed gangster)
Mangaka: Takashi

Volumes: 2 (Ongoing – Scanlations)
Type: Manga
Genre: Comedy
Age Group: Teen

Summary:
Miyako Yamazumei, who grew up in a single-parent household, returns to her hometown for the first time in 10 years after the death of her father. Her father left Miyako with the public bathhouse that he cherished, and a debt of 10 million yen that he owed to the yakuza. Miyako and the yakuza money-lender are determined to rebuild the bathhouse to make it profitable again.

–Manga Updates

Graphics Rating: 3/5
Plot Rating: 4/5

Opinion: I saw a comment on this series that summed it up perfectly. Is this another series with a poor woman who is helped by a yakuza man who secretly remembers her from childhood? Yes. Am I gonna love it anyways? Also yes.

The art has it’s moments but it is very plain. It’s not bad at all but doesn’t stand out very much.

The plot is super predictable with every yakuza trope you could imaging. THAT SAID. I love it. The male lead is so cute and sweet rather than pushy like most yakuza series. This is as cute as it gets.

Final Rating: 4/5

Extra: n/a

Read Online:
Batoto
Artlapsa (Scanlator)
MangaDex

Screenshot from Nina the Starry Bride. The heroine is smiling.

Nina the Starry Bride

Name: Nina the Starry Bride
Mangaka: Rikachi

Volumes: 15 (Ongoing)
Licensed: Kodansha (Digital and Print)
Type: Manga
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Age Group: Everyone

Summary:  
Nina had a rough start to life, orphaned and stealing to survive, only to be abducted for her unusual lapis lazuli eyes. But to her surprise, her captor, Prince Azure, ordained that she would live the life of a princess…specifically, that of the recently deceased princess-priestess, Alisha, who had her same eyes. Despite her changing fortune, Nina won’t give up her old life without a fight. Azure might just be the one to finally match her wits, but how much can she trust him? And can she stop the feelings budding in her heart, knowing she must eventually marry another?
–Manga Updates

Graphics Rating: 5/5
Plot Rating: 5/5

Opinion: I have no doubt in my mind that Nina the Starry Bride will be considered a staple must-read Shoujo for this generation.

The art is very unique to this author. I find the characters have a much more baby face look to them that would usually bother me but I find it quite cute here. Very detailed lots of attention paid to designing this fantasy world, especially through fashion.

I have nothing bad to say about this series. It is so well-paced and even for a complex world it rarely leads to any confusion or frustration. The heroine is strong in her own way and her perseverance is inspiring.

For the romance it is a very heavy love triangle. One of the few times I am stumped as to who she is going to end up with. And even more so my choice for male lead is constantly swaying and strained. The tension is wonderful! (Unless you hate love triangles)

I think anyone who is interested in Shoujo manga must read this. Especially if you also enjoy fantasy or adventure series.

Final Rating: 5/5

Extra: None

Purchase:
Book Walker
iBooks
Kindle
Nook

Screenshot from the manga Getting Closer to You. The male lead holds a tie in his mouth seductively

Getting Closer to You

Name: Getting Closer to You
Mangaka: Kamino Ruri

Volumes: 7 (Complete)
Licensed: Kodansha (7 Volumes: Digital)
Type: Manga
Genre: Comedy/Sports
Age Group: Teen

Summary:  
For Kaho, a man’s muscles are all that matters. She’s sports-agnostic, type-agnostic—all she cares about are that those abs, pecs, biceps and delts look good. She thinks she’s found her perfect Muscle Prince in Natsume-sempai…that is, until he finds out what a muscle-freak she is. But instead of ridiculing her, he instead suggests she becomes manager of the basketball team—the one he just so happens to be on? For a muscle-lover like Kaho, there’s nothing to lose…and everything to gain.
–Manga Updates

Graphics Rating: 4/5
Plot Rating: 4/5

Read more

The heroine and the male lead each bend down to grab something on the floor while staring at each other. Screenshot from the manga Show it to Me Baby

Kisarazu-kun no xx ga Mitai

Name: Kisarazu-kun no xx ga Mitai (Show It to Me, Baby!)
Mangaka: Keiku Hagiwara

Volumes: 10 volumes (Ongoing)
Licensed: E-Renta
Type: Manga
Genre: Slice of Life/Smut/Drama/Comedy
Age Group: Mature (18+)

Summary:  Finally a manager at age 35, Asahi Maebashi seems to have it all. People think she’s gorgeous, and everyone knows how good she is at her job. Now if only she could have as much confidence in the bedroom… but is it any surprise she has given up on love and marriage after her husband divorced her for her lack of skills in the boudoir? Asahi is determined to be celibate, but now she has a new burning desire… to see a man touch himself while looking at her! As fate would have it, she meets 29-year-old Kouya Kisarazu, a hot, but the slightly narcissistic director, through work. He doesn’t seem inexperienced with women, but after a traumatic past, he is so insecure in that arena, that he has already had enough! He would like a woman to watch him spank his monkey, though!! Realizing this is a win-win situation, the two release their inner freaks and help each other out…

–Manga Updates

Graphics Rating: 3/5
Plot Rating: 4/5

Read more

The King’s Beast

Name: The King’s Beast
Mangaka: Touma, Rei

Volumes: 16 (Ongoing)
Licensed: Viz (13 Volumes: Digital (App) / Paperback)
Type: Manga
Genre: Adventure/Drama/Gender Bender/Fantasy
Age Group: Teen

Summary:  
Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast-servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters, to be kept or discarded on a whim. When they were children, Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu was ripped from her arms and sent to the palace to attend Prince Tenyou as a beast-servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody dynastic intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope at avenging her brother is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace!

Prince Tenyou is not what Rangetsu expected, and the political currents in the palace run deep and strange. Does Rangetsu have any chance of finding justice for her brother, or will she become just another Ajin casualty in the game of kings?

– Mangaupdates

Graphics Rating: 4/5
Plot Rating: 3/5

Read more