The weather outside may be cold, but a cozy manga will help to warm you up during the cold Winter months. During this time of the year, I love to seek out heartwarming manga that lifts your spirit especially when the skies are grey and the weather is blustery. From Slice of Life to Romance here are five recommendations for cozy manga reads to enjoy during the Winter.
Cat + Gamer
For Readers That Enjoy: Animals, Slice of Life
This is a series that is wholesome is cozy. The chapters have an episodic nature to them as readers follow the main character, Riko, and her new journey of caring for her first pet. Musubi is the cutest kitten and is very hard for the reader to resist. Musubi treats each day as an adventure by discovering new household items to play with or distract Riko from her video games. It’s a lighthearted manga that is sure to put a smile on the reader’s face. I found myself curious to see what would happen next in each chapter. This is a great read for animal lovers or those looking for a low-stakes manga story.
Mame Coordinate
For Readers That Enjoy: Fashion, Coming of Age
Mame Coordinate is a series about Mame, a young woman from the countryside pursuing a modeling career in the city. She struggles with auditions, doesn’t think she is trendy enough, and struggles to grasp the industry as a whole. Just when she is about to give up and her agency may let her go, things start to turn around for her. When Mame is assigned a new chic manager, Kisaragi, it may give her the boost in her career that she needs. Aside from the self-discovery narratives and the heart of the story, the fashion focus is so cool! The illustrations are dazzling and I love the variety of fashions shown on the pages.
My Pathetic Vampire Life
For Readers That Enjoy: Paranormal/Supernatural, Slice of Life
Episodic manga can be a hit or a miss, but surprisingly My Pathetic Vampire Life keeps the momentum going in each volume. Each chapter follows a different day in Koide’s life as he tries to make friends in school despite being an outsider (compared to the human students). He initially puts up an apathetic attitude, but deep down he really wants to enjoy high school. Showing us the downfalls from his past experiences he is determined to do this school year right. This manga despite being simple in the plot is very comedic to the point I was laughing out loud. I loved the play on vampire tropes and reading about the daily chaos that happens in Koide’s classes.
Dragon Goes House Hunting
For Readers That Enjoy: Fantasy, Comedy
If you’re looking for a manga series that is pure fun and whimsical, this one is it. Though wacky at first glance (or read), I can tell that Dragon Goes House-Hunting has a lot of heart in its narrative. It follows the story of a dragon (Letty) that feels like an outcast and is trying to find a new place that he can truly call home. With a fearful dragon and a worldly elf, the journey of real estate begins. With each chapter, I could tell just how vast the lands are in Letty’s world. There are places full of ghouls, goblins, mermaids, and more. Some of the magical creatures are new and some turn over their traditional tropes. Among the surprises along the way, this is a story about someone trying to find their sense of purpose.
Stupid Love Comedy
For Readers That Enjoy: Slice of Life, Comedy, Romance
This manga is about a mangaka, Sakura, whose world is shaken up by a handsome new editor, Hasegawa, who starts to work with her. Sakura is lazy, a bit of a slob, and overly obnoxious which grows on you after a while as a reader. Even though she is loud and her imagination is always in overdrive, manga is her passion and that’s what drives her in her life and career. While there are hints of romance and what it means to fall in love, the book focuses more on what it takes to create a mangaka. I’ve read stories previously where they show the life of a mangaka but this was very in-depth and I appreciated seeing the little details such as the writing process, making deadlines, and working with designers for the cover art. It was comical, entertaining, and most of all heartwarming!
What cozy manga do you recommend reading during the Wintertime?
Are you a fan of Vampire Manga? Check out this list here!
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