Arakawa, Naoshi

At a very young age, Kousei Arima was strictly taught how to play the piano and meticulously follow the score by his mother, to the point where he dominated every competition he entered with ease. He earned the title of "Human Metronome" for performing almost perfectly. Every musician of his age looked up to him. However, after his mother suddenly dies, he became tone-deaf due to the shock and then disappeared, never to be seen onstage since.

Two years later, Kousei lives a monotonous life with his childhood friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari supporting him. He continues to cling to music, although performing is still an impossibility for him. This is until his unexpected encounter with Kaori Miyazono, a violinist who performs freely without the dictations of a score. A story of friendship, love, music, and a single lie, Kousei's life begins to change and gain color as Kaori helps him to take up music again.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Your Lie in April

四月は君の嘘

Adachi, Mitsuru

Kou Kitamura is a fifth grader whose family runs a sporting goods store. One of the regular customers of his family's store is the Tsukishima Batting Center, and so he gets to know the four daughters of the Tsukishima family (Ichiyo, Wakaba, Aoba, and Momiji) very well. Since Kou has spent so much time practicing in their batting cages, he has become a genius hitter, but has no knowledge of any other aspect of baseball. This is in contrast to Aoba, who, despite being a year younger, is an adept pitcher and hitter. Wakaba is a classmate of Kou's, and she seems fully intent on marrying him when she grows up. All seems idyllic in their world, until tragedy strikes. The story then skips ahead to four years later, as Kou has continued the training he began four years ago, but has not played in a baseball game since. As he finally begins playing again, it remains to be seen whether or not he will live up to the expectations of those who know the true talent he has been hiding all this time.

(Source: ANN)

Cross Game

クロスゲーム

Touch is a shounen story about two twin brothers, a pretty girl next door, and that good old pastime of baseball. The manga was written by one of the most well known manga-ka out there, Adachi Mitsuru in the early 80's (1981-1986). He's a wonderful writer who tends to write stories that are related to baseball and Koshien, the stadium where the All High School Baseball Tournament is held.

(Source: MangaProject)

Touch

タッチ

Wakamatsu Masato lives with his step-sister, Miyuki, whom he does not have blood relationship with. Their father is always working overseas and left the two of them living by themselves in Tokyo. Miyuki is cute, nice, sensitive and very popular among guys around Masato. Masato has a girlfriend at school whose name is Kajima Miyuki, who is pretty and gentle, the ideal dream of every high school boy. It took years for Masato and his sister to realize whom they love and care the most.

(Source: The Ultimate Manga Guide)

Miyuki

みゆき

Shimamoto, Kazuhiko

In this story set in the early 1980s, a young man dreams of becoming a renowned comic writer in years to come. His name is Honoo Moyuru. He has no money, only a dream. Then, he feels overwhelmed by his lack of ability, and buys some sake, although he has no head or stomach for alcohol. This is a tortured elegy for any dashing young art student who spends his days careening around in burning ambition.

Aoi Honoo

アオイホノオ

Marukawa, Tomohiro

Kazuto Iizuka is your average 14-year-old boy. That is until he has a run in with another student at his school, Narue Nanase, when she saves him from an attacking alien creature. During the ordeal Kazuto discovers that Narue is actually half alien herself and that her father is part of a galactic exploration team. With the encouragement of his friend Masaki Maruo, Izuka asks Narue out to on a date. Narue is reluctant at first, but after Kazuto assures her that he is not bothered by her alien heritage Kazuto and Narue start their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. However, like any couple they have to deal with their fair share of problems; such as Narue's alien sister Kanaka and Hajime Yagi, Narue's classmate and ufologist who doesn't believe Narue is really an alien and thinks that Narue is lying to get attention.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Narue no Sekai

The World of Narue

成恵の世界

Yazawa, Ai

Nana Komatsu is a naive, unmotivated girl who spends her high school days chasing one crush after the other. Despite continually facing failure in her quest for love, her spirits have never dampened. At the age of 20, she finds herself on a train to Tokyo with hopes of reuniting with her current boyfriend.

Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is feisty and prideful. After joining a local band during her high school days, she falls in love with music and one of the band members. However, when faced with the choice between her relationship and her musical career, she chooses the latter and separates from her boyfriend. On her 20th birthday, she boards the same train to Tokyo, like her namesake, where she aims to become a top vocalist.

The two girls with the same name but very different aspirations find themselves sitting together on their journey to the city, and, as fate would have it, eventually share the same apartment. A deep and unique bond is then forged, where they will support each other in this saga of love, music, friendship, and heartbreak.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nana

NANA

Suetsugu, Yuki

Always deemed inferior to her elder sister, the strong-willed yet aimless Chihaya Ayase has no dream of her own. In contrast to her, Taichi Mashima, the son of a surgeon, is gifted yet insecure as he is burdened by the heavy expectations of his strict mother, who wants him to be perfect in everything. However, the lives of Chihaya and Taichi soon change as they encounter Arata Wataya, the new transfer student in their class.

Inspired by Arata's dream to become the best at competitive karuta—a card game based on the classic anthology of one hundred Japanese poets—Chihaya quickly falls in love with the game. Refusing to lose to the talented Arata, the prideful Taichi joins along and immerses himself in the game, aiming to one day surpass his fated rival. The three friends spend their childhood practicing karuta everyday, until certain circumstances force them to part with each other.

A few years later, now in high school, the trio finds themselves reunited through the world of competitive karuta. Alongside their newfound comrades and rivals, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and romance.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Chihayafuru

ちはやふる

Takaya, Natsuki

Tooru Honda is an orphan with nowhere to go but a tent in the woods, until the Souma family takes her in. However, the Souma family is no ordinary family, and they hide a grave secret: when they are hugged by someone of the opposite gender, they turn into animals from the Chinese zodiac!

Now, Tooru must help Kyou and Yuki Souma hide their curse from their classmates, as well as her friends Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima. As she is drawn further into the mysterious world of the Soumas, she meets more of the family, forging friendships along the way.

But this curse has caused much suffering; it has broken many Soumas. Despite this, Tooru may just be able to heal their hearts and soothe their souls.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Fruits Basket

フルーツバスケット

Kodama, Yuki

Constantly transferring schools since childhood, Kaoru Nishimi has always been seen as a social outcast when he transfers due to his intellectual nature and wealthy background. But after moving to Kyushu for his first year of high school, things begin to change. Kaoru befriends the class president, Ritsuko Mukae, and, unexpectedly, the notorious school delinquent, Sentarou Kawabuchi. While Kaoru is an honors student, Sentarou is constantly getting into fights and skipping class. However, these two opposites find a common ground in one thing—music.

One day, Kaoru is invited by Ritsuko to visit her family's record store, where he finds Sentarou in the basement showcasing his skill in jazz drumming. Kaoru, being a classical pianist, knows nothing about jazz. But inspired by the performance, he begins to open his mind to the genre alongside Sentarou. The duo begin to practice in after-school jazz sessions in the record store's basement. As he spends more time improving his skills in jazz, Kaoru finds a person whom he can truly call his friend and comes to learn the joys of playing music.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sakamichi no Apollon

坂道のアポロン

Tamura, Yumi

At the end of the 21st century, a great catastrophe devastates Japan, leaving its land unrecognizable and halting civilization's progress. In the present day, the emperor and his four sons reign over the country with an iron fist. It is said that only the prophesied "Child of Destiny" can free Japan from the royal family's shackles.

Sarasa is the twin sister of Tatara, the Child of Destiny. Despite having to live in her brother's shadow, Sarasa supports him in any way she can. However, tragedy strikes when the Red King, the emperor's youngest son, and his army attack her village, leading to Tatara's brutal death. To protect the townspeople, Sarasa takes on her brother's name and becomes the Child of Destiny, vowing revenge on the Red King.

With the sudden turn of events taking a toll on her health, Sarasa visits a hot spring to recuperate. During her stay, she meets Shuri, a charming yet mysterious young man. Shuri is fascinated by Sarasa as she treats him differently from other girls; meanwhile, Sarasa is unable to stop thinking about him. This casual encounter between the two seals their fate—destined to be bound by war, hatred, and love.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Basara

BASARA

Nakahara, Aya

When the taller than average 172 cm Risa Koizumi learns that her occasional nemesis, the shorter than average 156 cm Atsushi Ootani, is romantically interested in her friend, she decides to team up with him. After all, she also has feelings for his friend. Unluckily, however, their respective crushes fall for each other instead. Determined to find new love after their recent misfortunes, the pair decide to cheer each other on while maintaining their usual dynamic of constant bickering. 

Although they continually deny it, Risa and Ootani are more similar than they like to admit: they both have unusual heights, failing grades, identical tastes in food, and a tendency to act extremely childish. Together, they inspire laughter among their peers as a so-called comedic duo. Could the love that these two are looking for be closer than they think?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]


Included one-shots:
Volume 12: Hoshi ni Nattemo Aishiteru
Volume 16: Bokura no Ibasho

12 Manga Like Beck