While there’s still a month left of 2025, I couldn’t wait to highlight my favorites among the manga series I’ve finished this year. This list is in no particular order and includes both contemporary and historical romance.
Bloom Into You by Nakatani Nio
High school student Yuu Koito feels like she should be falling in love, but when a boy confesses to her, she feels nothing. When she witnesses the popular and high-achieving Touko Nanami turn down a confession, Yuu assumes they’ll relate to each other’s feelings on romance—only for Touko to soon confess to her. Yuu finds herself involved in both the student council and a relationship with Touko, who expressly forbids her from returning her feelings, a promise Yuu isn’t sure she wants to keep.
I first heard of this eight volume series many years ago, when I saw praise for a subplot challenging the idea (which has often influenced yuri manga) that even if a young girl has a crush on another girl, she must grow up and find a husband. I was pleased to find that the series as a whole takes this level of care in its coming-of-age story about young lesbians exploring who they are and how they love.
As many of my favorite emotional beats happen later in the series, I’ll avoid going into spoilers, but suffice to say I became increasingly invested in the characters and their relationships. Several characters have hangups about love that make it feel easier for them to pine over a crush, or even the idea of having one, than to confess their feelings—not only because of the risk of rejection, but the vulnerability that comes with acceptance. The idea that having one’s feelings returned is itself a possible consequence adds to the story’s tension and emotional depth.
Goodbye, My Rose Garden by Dr. Pepperco
This three volume series follows the aspiring author Hanako, who travels to England in the early 1900s to meet her inspiration, Victor Franks. She becomes a maid in the household of Alice Douglas, who promises to introduce her to the elusive author in return for one favor: she wants Hanako to kill her. While Hanako instead tries to find a way to help Alice, the two of them develop forbidden feelings for each other under the watchful eye of Alice’s family.
Hanako is determined to be Alice’s light in the dark, but that doesn’t mean she can fix the issues constraining Alice’s life, leading to a heartwarming relationship with many challenges. The beautiful, flowing page layouts highlight both the lavish historical scenery and the characters’ turbulent emotions. At times, Hanako is infantilized for her appearance, which I didn’t find necessary. Regardless, it was a treat for me to read a melancholic historical yuri manga starring adults.
Content warnings: suicidal ideation and period-typical bigotry
I Married My Female Friend by Shio Usui
As I enjoyed Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, another four volume series by the same mangaka, I was happy to pick up I Married My Female Friend by Shio Usui. This is another slice-of-life series with a sweet adult romance. It follows two friends who follow up on an old promise to get married if they are unable to find other partners. In this manga, gay marriage has become legal in Japan, so the marriage is proposed as one of convenience—but though the agreement is that they can get a divorce if one of them ever meets someone new, their developing feelings may just make that a moot point.
While I recall being more focused on the ensemble dynamics in Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, I was particularly attached to the main romance in this one. Kurumi, a writer who is chronicling the marriage for a column, is a night owl whose free-spirited routines don’t line up with those of the more structured Ruriko. As the two of them learn how to fit into each other’s lives, they begin to truly commit to their marriage. If you like Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon and/or She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (which also features characters bonding over domestic routines), I recommend giving this one a try.
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