4 Laid-Back but Heartfelt Slice-of-Life Manga

Slice-of-life refers to a genre of stories that involve characters going about their daily lives, commonly — but not always — in everyday real-world settings. Often less plot-driven, these stories focus more on the characters’ emotions, interpersonal relationships, and motivations. As a result, some slice-of-life stories can really take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride — don’t dismiss this genre as boring just because it’s centered on the mundanities of characters’ lives!

Here are four of our picks for heartfelt slice-of-life manga. Whether it’s a short-but-sweet series of chapters that are episodic in nature, or a longer story that will take you through the ups and downs of the protagonist’s life, all of these stories we’ve picked are full of earnest emotion.

1. Night and Day

Story: Yu Akegata
Publisher: SHODENSHA Publishing Co.,Ltd.
Genre: GL/Yuri
Status: Ongoing (currently 2 volumes)
Access Options:

• Manga Planet Pass (all currently available volumes)
• Points (all currently available volumes)
• Free preview of Chapter 1

When they’re on their sugar-sweet dates, Akari’s always dressed to the nines in the cutest, trendiest fashion. Meanwhile, her dear Shiho always looks like she just rolled out of bed. Despite their differences, both of them are alike in exactly one thing: they want their girlfriend to be the happiest woman in the world!

2. Blue Period

Author: Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Publisher: Kodansha Ltd.
Genre: Seinen
Status: Ongoing (currently 11 volumes)
Access Options:

• Points (readable in full)
• Free preview of Chapter 1

Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. It’s an effortless performance and, ultimately…a dull one. But he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst — and he’s about to learn how savage and unforgiving art can be!

3. SUPER NATURAL

Author: Etsuko
Publisher: Kodansha Ltd.
Genre: Boys’ Love (BL)
Status: Completed (7 volumes)
Access Options:

• Manga Planet Pass (readable in full)
• Points (readable in full)
• Free preview of selected chapters

Beauty school students Noburu and Daichi are always together, from their dorms to their group of friends. However, something makes Noburu start thinking of Daichi as more than a friend.

Unable to be honest about his feelings, Noburu ends up being mean to Daichi, who, unable to understand where he is coming from, feels at a loss. From this stretched relationship, their feelings start to drift apart… “Sorry for thinking I might like you…”

Etsuko’s new novel focuses on that instant where the friendship between two straight guys turns into a romance.

4. See You Around (Complete Edition)

Author: Natsuno Kiyohara
Publisher: Home-Sha Inc.
Genre: Josei
Status: Completed (3 volumes)
Access Options:

• Manga Planet Pass (readable in full)
• Free preview of Chapter 1

Yuuko is an average 5th grader from the late 1960s whose friend gives her a brown tabby kitten. She names her Tiger. Yuuko and Tiger grow up together, although Tiger is, of course, much quicker to mature.

From 1967 to 1970, Yuuko goes through a formative four years from childhood to young adulthood where she learns about time and space travel, sports, and… where babies come from! Just wait till she tells Tiger about this! What Yuuko doesn’t know, however, is that Tiger understands everything she is saying and looks after her more than she will ever realize…