Yotsuba herself is only five years old, but it’s her personality that is the heart and soul of this slice of life manga. You can dip in and out of what will become your favourite chapters, enjoy a few happy stories, and then move on. While there is a supporting cast of characters, the focus of this slice of life manga is on Yotsuba herself, and the chapters are very much unchronological. Stylised as Yotsuba&! in its English translation, Yotsuba to! is a charming and upbeat slice of life manga that follows the everyday living of a young girl, the titular Yotsuba. Read More: Essential Adult Manga for Mature Readers Horimiya by Daisuke Hagiwara That goes for its characters’ thoughts and actions, as well as its depictions of sexual encounters. A Girl on the Shore is brutal and graphic. Young readers of YA fiction should look elsewhere. Which makes this a good point to mention that, despite our characters being teenagers, this slice of life manga is not suitable for young readers. Their story begins with Isobe having admitted his feelings for Koume, and her brushing him off while still being comfortable enough to sleep with him.Īt the beginning, their relationship is defined by their sex, which is depicted with graphic intensity through Asano’s art. They antagonise, threaten, manipulate, and even brawl with our protagonists. Though also far from it given the nature of his and Koume’s relationship.Įvery other character exists as a thing against which our protagonists can react, which they often do. Meanwhile, Isobe is explicitly written as a lonely, isolated, awkward otaku loser an incel in the making. Koume has briefly involved herself with the local cool guy, who quickly used her for fun and games. Our protagonists of this slice of life manga are Koume and Isobe, neither yet sixteen years of age but both already chewing their nails in sexual anticipation.
His series Goodnight Punpun is an oft-touted masterpiece that taps into the tragedy of growing up lost and frightened.īut if you want a self-contained example of the genius of Inio Asano, and of slice of life manga done so harrowing, might I suggest the raw, erotic, desperately sorrowful A Girl on the Shore ( Umibe no Onnanoko).Ī Girl on the Shore follows the rocky, immature, sexually charged relationship of two Japanese middle-schoolers living in a sad, ugly nowhere town.
Inio Asano is a mangaka best known for being one of the manga world’s smartest and boldest creators. The fact that he does is consistent proof of the comedy genius at work here. It’s remarkable and always unexpected, the ways in which Oono continues to keep this manga’s comedy fresh, given its simple premise. The comedy here derives from the brilliant and absurd juxtapositions created by Tatsu’s situation: that of a crime boss living the simple and soft life of a househusband. Like Kaguya-sama and Nichijou, Gokushufudo is an episodic comedy slice of life manga. While he was once known as The Immortal Dragon, Tatsu is now a dedicated househusband, eager to support his career-woman wife Miku. Gokushufudo: Way of the Househusband is a slice of life manga with a simple premise: a once fearsome and terrifying yakuza boss is now living the life of a househusband. While you can find a live-action and a Netflix animated adaptation of Gokushufudo, it’s Kousuke Oono’s original manga that’ll really have you gripping your hips with laughter time and again. The manga, however, makes better use of the narrator’s voice and Aka Akasaka’s depiction of his characters’ facial expressions comes out on top in the original, making for one of the best comedy and slice of life manga around. There is also an anime adaptation of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, which uses top-tier voice acting, some gorgeous animation, and a stellar OP to make for a perfect adaptation. Its situations are relatable, even if our protagonists - being elite-level smart and, in Kaguya’s case, rich - are less so. This slice of life manga is, at times, laugh-out-loud hilarious, but it keeps you pushing forward with its moments of honesty and earnestness.
We see Kaguya and her rival Shirogane blush and act sheepish as they come close to letting their guards down and being genuine. We see more and more moments of genuine adoration. Love, as the subtitle says, is war.Īs Kaguya-sama escalates, however, the romance peeks through the clouds of comedy. Most prominently, it’s a comedy about two young geniuses locked in a battle of wits as they each avoid admitting their feelings to the other, while simultaneously attempting to trick the other into admitting their own feelings. Kaguya-sama stretches itself neatly across the comedy, romance, and slice of life manga genres.