Relive the Memories of School Life with These 4 Manga

In Japan, April is a month full of new beginnings, as it marks the start of a new school year for students across the country. (For many companies, It’s also the first day of work for new hires, as well as the start of the fiscal year.) Cherry blossoms tend to bloom around this time, so he gorgeous scenery makes for perfect opportunities for proud parents sending off their little ones to their first-ever day of school — or, for older students, photos with friends at their high school or university entrance ceremony.

To get into the spirit of things, why don’t we take a trip down memory lane? Let’s go all the way back to our school days with these four titles.

1. Sasayaki no Kiss -Read my lips.-

Story: Kumako Nambu
Art: Akiko Morishima
Publisher: Parsola Inc.
Genre: GL/Yuri
Status: Completed (10 volumes)
Access Options:

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

Haruka has always lived in a soundless world. But not in her dreams, where she can hear her own voice — and the voice of the only other person in the dream with her, a beautiful high school student wearing an adorable, unfamiliar school uniform. Haruka knows this is just a dream, but why does a part of her think it’s more than that? Is this girl she finds falling asleep in the park really the literal girl of her dreams?

2. ARISA

Author: Natsumi Ando
Publisher: Kodansha Ltd.
Genre: Shojo
Status: Completed (12 volumes)

Access Options:

• Manga Planet Pass (partly readable — up to Volume 10)
• Points (readable in full)
• Free preview of Chapter 1

Twin sisters, Arisa and Tsubasa, are separated by their parents’ divorce. The twins secretly exchange letters during their separation. Finally reunited after three years, Arisa asks Tsubasa to pretend to be her and spend a day in her school just for fun. At school everyone seems very nice to Tsubasa (who is pretending to be Arisa) and everything seemed normal… until she finds a strange note in her sister’s shoe locker.

When Tsubasa hands over the letter to Arisa, Arisa tries to kill herself. Arisa survives but remains in a coma. The letter read, “Arisa is a traitor.” Determined to unravel the mystery behind the act and the letter, Tsubasa decides to investigate…

3. Genshiken Omnibus

Author: Shimoku Kio
Publisher: Kodansha Ltd.
Genre: Seinen
Status: Completed (3 volumes, plus a sequel series here)
Access Options:

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

It’s the spring of the first year, and Kanji Sasahara has a dilemma. Should he declare his love for manga and anime fandom by joining an otaku club, like he has always wanted to? Is he prepared to deal with the social stigma of being an otaku? Meanwhile, Saki Kasakabe has her otaku conundrum. How can she turn her boyfriend, anime fanboy Makoto, into a normal guy?

Kanji follows his heart, as does Saki. When Kanji and Makoto join Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Saki chases Makoto through the club’s various activities, from costume playing and comic conventions to video gaming and anime model figures. Saki finds otaku to be more than she imagined, but not necessarily in a good way. Includes special extras after the story!

4. Everyday, Love Me More

Author: Shota Kon
Publisher: Home-Sha Inc.
Genre: Boys’ Love (BL)
Status: Completed (1 volume)
Access Options:

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

When he was young, Oto would visit his grandma in the summer. But, because he was from Tokyo, Oto had no friends to play with and sat alone in the shade. That was until a boy two years older named Sora came and invited Oto to play with him and his friends. To Oto, Sora was his knight in shining armor and was destroyed when he disappeared the following summer, making Oto regret not communicating his true feelings for Sora.

Several years pass, and it’s finally Sora’s last year of high school. All he wants is to focus on studying for his university entrance exams. Sora thought his only distraction would be his loudmouth best friend, but on his first day back, he runs into an old face — or rather, that old face runs into him, professing his love for Sora all the while.