Maddies Manga

The Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Award results have just been announced, so let’s take a look at which shoujo and josei manga made the list!

There are two categories for the awards that we will be looking at in this post: comics, and web manga. We will not be looking at the special awards, as there were no shoujo or josei series included.

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8th Place – Koi to Yobu ni wa Sasayaka desu ga / 恋と呼ぶにはささやかですが

Synopsis (Loosely translated by Maddie)

Umi, due to her family’s circumstances, ends up moving in with the family next door. There, she reunites with “Sho-chan”, a man eight years her senior whom she admired as a child. The image of the honours student Umi had fond memories of fades as they have their first re-encounter!. A cohabitation, age-gap romance story beings!

Maddie’s comments

This series took 8th place in the comics category. I haven’t read it quite yet so I don’t have much to say about it, but I am a fan of HERO’s other works.

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Sample the series here!

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14th Place – Tell Me Dear Butler / 教えて執事くん

Synopsis (K-Manga)

“If you understand, don’t cheat on me, dummy.” Kikyo has been in unrequited love with her butler, Hanayagi, since the day they met. No matter how many times she tries to get his attention, it doesn’t seem to have any effect on him…?

Maddie’s comments

This series took 14th place in the comics category. It’s currently one of my favourite shoujo series, so I’m so incredibly happy it made the list!

Sample the series here!

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6th Place – Haruno-san no Koto Nante Zenzen Suki / 晴野さんのことなんて全然好き

Synopsis (Loosely translated by Maddie)

Suzuri moved out of the countryside and into the city for two reasons: work, and to scout out a handsome, elite man to marry! Well… that was her goal. She just can’t get herself to take her eyes off of a man who is the exact opposite of her type: the plain Mitsunosuke.

Suzuri just wants to be a city girl, but she finds herself getting heart palpitations at his every move! This is the start of an unexpected office rom-com!

Maddie’s comments

This series won 6th place in the web manga category. I had the opportunity to pick up volume one a while back and let it slip, and now I’m kicking myself for it! I will be sure to start reading it as soon as I can.

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10th Place – On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance / 会社と私生活－オンとオフ－

Synopsis (Square Enix)

There are two sides to every working adult: one they show when they’re on the job, and one they show when they’re off the clock. For coworkers Sotaro Amata and Akira Hanku, this holds doubly true. Outside the office, these fashionistas don outfits that metamorphose them into completely different people! So what happens when they form a connection after hours…without recognizing who the other person is?

Maddie’s comments

This series won 10th place in the web manga category. While I have read the first volume, it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I can certainly see why it won however, as it really is a beautiful story with an interesting concept. I would recommend it if you’re interested in fashion and unique relationships.

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Sample the series here!

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17th Place – Moriagaranai Date / 盛りあがらないデート

Synopsis (Loosely translated by Maddie)

Out of desperation, a woman with terrible luck named Haida joins a dating app. There, she matches with a man who joined for the exact same reason, Kuroi. Despite their similarities, they just can’t seem to get on the same page, and the mood turns gloomy. Eventually they go on a date that turned out to be so dull it was spectacular.

With how their vibe is going, Haida assumes that there will be no round two…but is then surprisingly asked out by Kuroi again!? This is a slow-burn romance story that starts with a matching app.

Maddie’s comments

This series took 17th place in the web manga category, and the description has me so intrigued! I had not heard of this series until coming across it here, and I just don’t know how! A slow burn story about two awkward people who just can’t create a lively atmosphere—I just neeeed to read it!

Sample the series here!

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And that’s it! Out of a whopping 40 winners, four were shoujo series, and just one was a josei series. While I am rather disappointed that there wasn’t more support for shojosei, I am excited that I now have a few new series to try out!