blue period by tsubasa yamaguchi

• ongoing manga // one season anime
• the studious yatora leaves a dry life of study and good manners behind for a new passion: painting. but untethering yourself from all your past expectations is dangerous as well as thrilling...
• a relatable guy! he's so real and i can't stress this enough. HE'S JUST LIKE ME fr fr(and he's also a second-year uni student!)

skip to loafer by misaki takamatsu

• ongoing manga // anime adaptation announced
• excellent student mitsumi has always dreamt about leaving her small town, going to a prestigious university, and changing the world. but she’s so focused on reaching her goals that she’s not prepared for the very different (and overwhelming) city life that awaits her in a tokyo.
• i love this so much. one of my favourites. the right balance of everything.
• good trans rep! the characters are all so heartfelt and good. bonded over a healthy relationship.

natsume yuujinchou by yuki midorikawa

• ongoing manga // six seasons + two movies + a bunch of ovas
• when reiko was takashi's age, she bound the names of demons and spirits in her book of friends, enslaving them to her capricious whim. now takashi is the owner of the book, and the creatures will do anything to get their names back.
• i definitely prefer the anime over the manga. six seasons of watching natsume grow! i swear he is the loveliest person out there
• the anime is somewhat slow, but trust me it will be the best experience ever.

hirayasumi by shinzou keigo

• ongoing manga
• 29-year-old hiroto is a carefree young man without a love life, regular job and no genuine worries about the future. thanks to his kind disposition, he inherits an old house from the neighborhood granny, where his 18-year-old cousin, natsumi moves in with him to study art in tokyo.
• a story about hiroto and the people around him who struggle with life.
• a warm meal.

yugami-kun ni wa tomodachi ga inai by sakura jun

• finished manga
• the story of the comedy manga revolves around yugami and chihiro, who sit next to each other in class.
• basically, yugami doesn't need friends, but he isn't very likeable tbh so you follow him and chihiro kinda yknow getting to know each other and unintentionally helping each other
• the dialogues are so long! because yugami babbles a lot! definitely should read this again.

3-gatsu no lion by umico chica

• ongoing manga // two seasons anime
• rei, a 17-year-old shogi player. he lives by himself, not having a family, and does not go to school and has scarcely any friends. among his acquaintances are three sisters.
• prepare tissues!!! season 1 episode 10 made me fucking weep. contains an accurate depiction of depression.
• shoji is like japanese chess? i don't get chess so i def missed so much.

kimi to boku by hotta kiichi

• ongoing manga // two seasons anime
• a tranquil and sometimes comedic story of youthful friendship of five boys.
• very therapeutic. basking in the sun kinda feels.
• very wholesome friendship with a bunch of cat cameos

yotsuba to! by azuma kiyohiko

• finished manga
• following 5-year old yotsuba in her daily life
• yotsuba is the funniest ever. i love her so much. and her friends and family are also so funny.
• yotsuba pulls you into her own realm of imagination and discovery that'll leave you mesmerized and curious as to just what other bizarre adventure she'll go on next!

ao no flag by kaito

• finished manga
• a story about the many choices a teenager embarking on his way to young adulthood will take and also about self-growth
• a powerful story. you'll cry. it's just beautiful.

shimanami tasogare by kamatani yuhki

• finished manga
• a heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.

mob pyscho 100 by ONE

• finished manga // two seasons anime (3rd in the works)
• shigeo kageyama, a.k.a mob is an extremely talented esper, who has insane psychic powers, but just wants to be like everyone else around him. whether that be confessing to his crush, joining a club, or just making friends. he takes on each and every knew day in search of who he truly is and his purpose in the world.
• boderline shonen too? but mob isn't your typical shonen protagonist, he's just a sweet boy!
• hilarious, has awesome fight scenes, reigen arataka, and lots of life stories!

tamako market by naoko yamada

• original one season anime + a movie (tamako love story)
• tamako's life becomes complicated with friendships, rivalries and the arrival of a peculiar bird.
• as simple and soft as mochi. a show that exemplifies that meaning of slice of life.