Mikage, Eiji

Tetsuo

Kazuki Hoshino values his everyday life above all else. He spends the days carefree with his friends at school, until the uneventful bliss suddenly comes to a halt with the transfer of the aloof beauty Aya Otonashi into his class and her cold, dramatic statement to him immediately upon arrival:

"I'm here to break you. This is the 13,118th time I've transferred. After so many occasions, I have to say that this is all starting to grate on me, which is why this time I'm spicing things up with a proper declaration of war."

And with those puzzling words, the ordinary days that Kazuki loved so dearly become a cycle of turmoil and fear—Aya's sudden appearance signals the unraveling of unseen mysteries surrounding Kazuki's seemingly normal friends, including the discovery of mysterious devices known as "boxes."

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria

空ろの箱と零のマリア

Tezuka, Osamu

From time immemorial to the age of space colonization, there is one legend that has stayed unchanged in every history book—the tale of the immortal bird Phoenix. A being whose blood is said to grant eternal life or wisdom, the radiant figure ensures the continuation of sentient life in the universe as it oversees human civilizations and their development.

Yet, mankind remains a slave to its habits; from happiness and sorrow, to wrath and love, a myriad of emotions continue to play an integral part of human life. Simultaneously, time and time again, certain beliefs and agendas persist over the centuries to disturb the fragile equilibrium of the world's preordained nature and principles. It appears that fate, with its dynamic variables, can manifest itself in many ways—and oftentimes exhibits a bizarre sense of humor.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Note: This is an incomplete series due to Tezuka's death.

Hi no Tori

Phoenix

火の鳥

Hotaru, Takana

Piro, Shiki

"Irises" are unique abilities most people are said to possess from birth. These powers manifest themselves in the form of visual cues and range from lie detection to danger prediction. Unfortunately, high school student Tooru Mizushima is one of the very few without an Iris. As an "Iris Zero," he is frequently bullied, and therefore, he tries to stand out as little as possible.

However, when the popular schoolgirl Koyuki Sasamori comes crashing into Tooru's life, his motto of minimal exposure is brutally shattered. Koyuki's Iris allows her to identify the most qualified person for a certain task—and she determines Tooru to be the most capable person to help her find the next student council president.

Tooru refuses to become involved in such a public affair, but Koyuki's cheerful persistence ultimately prevails. And so, Tooru's lonely life as an Iris Zero slowly changes as he comes to meet more people and utilize his exceptional deduction skills to solve various mysteries.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Iris Zero

アイリスzero

Urobuchi, Gen

Chuuou, Higashiguchi

Ootsuki, Suzuki

Fuminori Sakisaka, a young man who lost his family in a tragic car accident, has his life saved through an untested surgical procedure. However, thanks to a strange side-effect, all that comes upon his eyes appears twisted and ugly. All except for the beautiful girl who goes by "Saya", who draws the color of beauty to Fuminori's stained existence. For him, she is the only strand of light still remaining in life.

(Source: Seikaisha, translated)

Saya no Uta

沙耶の唄

Mizushiro, Setona

Mashiro Ichijou, an attractive and popular high school student, has always lived his life as a boy. However, nobody notices that deep down, he resents the fact that his body is half female. He has decided to conceal his femininity from those around him, while in reality, he is insecure about who he is supposed to be.

One day, an unfamiliar nurse asks Mashiro to follow her to the school's infirmary in the basement—an office that has never existed until now. Little does he realize that the moment he steps into the mysterious room, he will never be capable of returning to being the person he was before.

As he struggles to find his true identity, Mashiro must face the disquiet in his own heart, all while protecting himself from the prying eyes of his classmates. Slowly but steadily, the unbecoming truth of the world is laid bare: all its lies and deceit engulfed in nightmares that only unfold in broad daylight.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Houkago Hokenshitsu

After School Nightmare

放課後保健室

Hasekura, Isuna

Ayakura, Juu

A young traveling merchant, Kraft Lawrence, has become accustomed to days of roaming and trading with few companions. Or so it was until one peculiar day when the trader finds a young, naked, wolf-like girl asleep in his wagon.

The beautiful girl, calling herself Holo, claims to be a local wolf deity worshipped by locals as the God of Good Harvest. Year after year, she ensured they would reap a good harvest, but she has since grown tired of fulfilling the wishes of the ungrateful locals.

Holo ends up striking a deal with Lawrence: if he helps her escape the villagers, she will gladly help him in his merchant endeavors. Together, they roam from town to town in search of business, and Lawrence realizes both the ups and downs of traveling with a haughty and shrewd wolf goddess.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ookami to Koushinryou

Spice & Wolf

狼と香辛料

Taguchi, Shouichi

Miaki, Sugaru

Helpless and struggling for cash, 20-year-old Kusunoki sells the last of his possessions to buy food. Noticing his poverty, an old shop owner directs him to a store that supposedly purchases lifespan, time, and health. While not completely believing the man's words, Kusunoki nevertheless finds himself at the address out of desperation and curiosity.

Kusunoki is crushed when he finds out the true monetary value of his lifespan—totaling a meager three hundred thousand yen. Deciding to sell the next 30 years of his life for ten thousand yen per year, Kusunoki is left with only three months to live. After heading home with the money, he is greeted by an unexpected visitor: the same store clerk he sold his lifespan to. She introduces herself as Miyagi, the one tasked with the job of observing him until the last three days of his life.

Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de. follows the remaining three months of Kusunoki's life as he confronts lingering regrets from the past and discovers what truly gives life value.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de.

Three Days of Happiness

寿命を買い取ってもらった。一年につき、一万円で。

Kamoshida, Hajime

Mizoguchi, Keiji

One day, in the library where Sakuta Azusagawa studies, he runs into an unexpected sight: a beautiful high school girl in a bunny outfit. She turns out to be Mai Sakurajima, a famous former actress and fellow student at Minegahara High. His surprise at seeing Mai wear such risqué attire in the library, however, is nothing compared to the shocking realization that he is the only one who can see her!

Reminded of an event from his past, Sakuta offers to help Mai discover the reason behind her invisibility. Despite their initially contentious relationship, the two quickly become close: Mai and Sakuta learn to appreciate each other, and their friendship turns into a budding romance. This further fuels their determination to solve Mai's dilemma.

While the investigation progresses, Sakuta attributes Mai's situation to an urban legend known as Adolescence Syndrome: strange phenomena occurring in youth, unexplained by science and often dismissed as delusion. With few promising results, Mai's predicament worsens to the point where being unseen is the least of her worries. Can Sakuta and Mai solve the mystery of her Adolescence Syndrome before she disappears completely?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Seishun Buta Yarou Series

Rascal Does Not Dream

青春ブタ野郎シリーズ

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

Mizukami, Satoshi

Fuuta Okeya, a 14-year-old student, can see ghosts and wears a bandage on his left cheek to hide his striking birthmark. One day, a girl with a scar on her forehead named Kouko Ishigami, accompanied by a ghost of a tall and friendly man, transfers into his class.

Fuuta quickly takes a liking to Kouko, wondering if it might be love at first sight. After waking up crying from a strange dream involving her, he feels a nostalgic connection to Kouko and becomes determined to befriend her. However, a chain of events forces Fuuta to reveal his birthmark to Kouko, to which she declares him to be the enemy of her life. A furious Kouko explains that the two are bound by reincarnation, and that Fuuta's birthmark is a curse she engraved on him in one of their past lives to recognize and eventually defeat him.
 
Kouko brings out a circular object made of flames known as the "spirit circle" and attacks Fuuta, pushing him off a flight of stairs. As he falls, Fuuta is thrown back into the insight of one of his previous lives. Spirit Circle chronicles Fuuta's journey back and forth his several past lives as he gradually unravels the mysteries behind his apparent bad blood with Kouko.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Spirit Circle

スピリットサークル

Oh! Great

NISIO, ISIN

Koyomi Araragi is no stranger to the abnormal. During the spring break of his third year in high school, a fateful encounter with vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade turns him into a vampire himself. Thrust into the world of oddities, Araragi finds himself catching classmate Hitagi Senjougahara when she falls down the school stairs one day—but something is amiss. After being confronted by the girl in question, Araragi learns that her weight was stolen by a mythical crab. In spite of Senjougahara's blunt threats, he manages to convince her to let him help. In need of a solution to an abnormal problem, the two visit the mysterious Meme Oshino, a wanderer who saved Araragi from his vampirism.

Bakemonogatari is a tale about the monsters that reside within everyone, but just how deep do they dwell in the people Araragi meets?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Bakemonogatari

化物語

Koume, Keito

Dreaming of someday owning his own shop, traveling merchant Kraft Lawrence spends his days looking for trade opportunities. One day, however, Lawrence's adventure takes an unexpected turn when he discovers a naked wolf girl asleep in his wagon.

The charming girl claims to be Holo, the wolf deity of the nearby town Pasloe. Having grown weary of the ungrateful locals, she requests Lawrence to take her back to her hometown of Yoitsu, located farther north. In return, she will help him with his mercantile affairs, lending him her shrewd mind and keen judgement.

The pair now travels from town to town, dealing with various people and the troubles they come with. But as their hearts and destination grow closer, their days of companionship are numbered.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kindai Renai

12 Manga Like Kindai Renai