I'm a littleee late for May but better late than never I guess! XD Tbh, I've been playing too many old school JRPGs so I've been totally consumed by those lmao. It's so nostalgic to play games like Chrono Cross and The Legend of Dragoon again, it just makes my heart so warm seeing all my favourite characters again~ Anyway! Most of the recommendations this time are pretty wholesome. They're not particularly great, well I really enjoy Bokura, but the others are just such nice slice of life ones that are super easy to read after a long day, and they really bring a smile to your face for being so cute and heartwarming.
Bokura no Kiseki
by Kumeta Natsuo
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Josei, Mystery, Romance, School Life, Supernatural
Status: Ongoing, 98 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 8/10
Bokura no Kiseki is a story I've followed for at least a year or two, and I think I've only come to like it more and more as I read it. I think the concept is really interesting and fresh, as well as the feeling of unravelling a mystery alongside the characters is really nice. The story follows Minami, a guy who constantly dreams about this Princess Veronica and her memories, making him believe that he is her reincarnation. After a bout with some classmates, he rediscovers that he can use magic like he did in his previous life as Veronica, and now he's starting to realise and discover that there are other people similar to him..
The main plot revolves around what exactly happened in the past to have caused everyone to have died and reincarnated into the same place, but I think the most interesting thing is that everyone who regains their memories acts a lot like their previous persona. They are so affected by the sudden restoration of their memories that some of them get a bit of an identity crisis about how to deal with it, and would even think that they need to continue to fulfill the duties they had in their previous lives. In a sense, it's quite amusing to see how affected they all are and how that motivates them into action. So yeah, basically what I love most about this story are the variety of characters. Not only do you get their current personalities to see and understand, but you also align them with their previous lives and personalities making their character more fascinating than it is. I find it fun to see the different reactions a lot of the characters have towards regaining bits of their memories as well as their previous motives for doing what they did, because everything about the past also seems to intertwine with the relationships of their current lives. It's also not as simple to unravel the mystery, because just as you would think that everyone wants to know the "truth", a lot of the characters have their own reasons for hiding their identities or what they had done in the past, and I think their feelings and their thought processes are presented really well, making it understandable for these characters to be who they are. Oh, honestly though, it is a bit confusing at first due to the amount of characters + previous lives but you kinda get the gist of who is who as the story goes haha. Anyway, definitely recommended, but I do feel like it's best binged because it's easier to remember the characters that way haha.
by Enoshima Suzu, Art by Sakakiri
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Josei, Romance, School Life
Status: Ongoing, 9 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 8/10
The ultimate lovable tsundere appears!! I really enjoy this manga, like, I've only read 9 chapters but I absolutely love it! It kinda does a bit of a twist on the otome game villainess genre where instead of the MC going inside the game and having to divert their end, our MCs are Endo and Kobayashi who are playing the game as the outsiders, and are giving live commentary to the prince character to help him understand the villainess girl better, and thus prevent her death/end. Honestly, it's really interesting and I love how passionate both MCs are in trying to help the villainess Liselotte because they know how much of a kind tsundere she is. I think it's really nice to see how different things can turn out when the main LI aka the prince actually gets to understand the thought process of a tsundere like Liselotte through the voices of Endo and Kobayshi, because without them, the story obviously ends up bad, but with them on the side dissecting and explaining why Liselotte says the "mean" things and acts cold, everyone including the prince gets a whole new perspective and understanding towards the "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" kind of character, and it's just so wonderful to see how cute and wholesome it all is. I mean, you just start to see how adorable a tsundere can be and it's just so fun and cute to see, LOL! I guess it's mostly because Liselotte is such a lovable tsundere though, she acts all tough but she's like the most fluffy cinnamon roll ever lmao. I also love how all the relationships are "set" already, so the strong heroine gets to bond with her own LI, and even our Endo and Kobayashi have their own story. I think the best part about it all is that each relationship develops really well in that they all get to spend time with each other and understand each other better. Endo and Kobayashi's friendship was really heartwarming and I love how even though most of the story is pretty lighthearted and cute, there is darker elements where they both realise that Liselotte and them aren't just game characters, they really have feelings etc, and that even though they are playing the game, there are no reloads to it. It's definitely one of my most recent favourites to the genre just because of how funny and cute it is!
My Tiny Senpai From Work (Uchi no Kaisha no Chiisai Senpai no Hanashi)
by Saisou
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Status: Ongoing, 37 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 8/10
I love how cute this manga is! The basic premise follows the idea that the MC is a new junior in the office, so his senior/senpai Shiori teaches him the ropes and cares about him a lot. There isn't much of a story aside from Shiori and Shinozaki (MC) bonding in a cute and wholesome way as they grow to like each other more and more. It's pretty cute how much they love each other but are so oblivious to it, even their co-worker and their chief find their love for each other so obvious. I think the funniest thing is how much of a wingman the chief is, and how considerate he is towards helping these two young buds develop their relationship. He's always there checking up on them and helping them out, it's so sweet, I love it! This is definitely the nice type of manga to unwind to after a long day, because each chapter is pretty short but it's so heartwarming that those few pages would brighten up your mood easily anyway haha! Also helps that the senpai is so adorableee! She always tries to be a good senpai to the MC and does really well in that factor, so she's practically perfect haha.
A Story About a Grandpa and Grandma Who Returned Back to Their Youth (Ojii-san to Obaa-san ga Wakigaetta Hanashi)
by Araido Kagiri
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Seinen, Supernatural
Status: Ongoing, 30 chapters scanlated
My Rating: 8/10
I love how wholesome this one is! This is another short manga but omgg it's so worth reading! Similar to the above, it is definitely a great manga to unwind to because of how cute and hilarious it is. The story is exactly as the title states, it basically follows a grandpa and grandma who have returned back to their youth and their everyday life. The grandpa and grandma's relationship is so wonderful because they're both such great people together and on their own, and this is escalated by how good looking they now are again~! I think the coolest thing is seeing how good they take care of their kids and their grandchildren by understanding them, loving them and helping them. This obviously extends to the whole neighbourhood and village so everyone loves them hahaha, but I think the way the story does it really brings a smile to your face because of how the grandma and grandpa can be such normal good people helping out others like the angels they are. It kinda reminds me of Machida-kun no Sekai but in a much more simplistic and cute way. Honestly, just seeing their everyday life and their words warming up people's lives is such a nice sight to see~
