Book picks similar to
Maiden Railways by Asumiko Nakamura


manga
short-stories
graphic-novels
comics

If I Could Reach You, Vol. 1


tMnR - 2017
    After spending a year under the same roof with her brother and Kaoru, Uta witnesses the cracks in their marriage beginning to show. And when Uta becomes Kaoru's sole comfort and ally in their home, she is torn between her duty and her feelings. She just can't get over her...not yet.

Whisper Me a Love Song, Vol. 1


Eku Takeshima - 2019
    One day, high school girl Himari sees a girl, Yori, sing in a band, and it awakens feelings she doesn't understand... but Yori does!Bubbly, energetic first-year high school student Himari falls head over heels for her senpai Yori after hearing her band perform on the first day of school. Himari tells Yori she just loves her, and, to Himari's surprise, Yori says she loves Himari back! But when Himari realizes that she and her senpai are feeling two different kinds of love, she begins to ask herself what "love" really means...

Barakamon, Vol. 1


Satsuki Yoshino - 2009
    "Sensei," as he comes to be known, is a city boy through and through, and has never experienced rural life until now. And by the looks of it, he has much to learn! Luckily(?), he has a willing teacher in Naru, the energetic expert islander, to help show him the ropes. But can Sensei keep up with the plucky first-grader, or will he get schooled?! Here unfolds a heartfelt island comedy about a gruff on the outside, soft on the inside urbanite teacher and his new, unfailingly kind island neighbors!

Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 1


Tomoko Ninomiya - 2002
    Unfortunately, his fear of flying grounds his lofty plans! As he watches other classmates achieve what he has always wanted, Shinichi wonders if he should quit music altogether. Then one day he meets fellow student Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame. This oddball girl cannot cook, clean, or even read a music score, but she can play the piano in incomparable Cantabile style. And she teaches Chiaki something that he has forgotten: to enjoy his music, no matter where he is.

Antique Bakery, Vol. 1


Fumi Yoshinaga - 2000
    Now, some 14 years later Ono, a world-class pastry chef and outed playboy has it all. No man can resist Ono's charms (or his cooking skills!) but he has just found a new position under a man named Tachibana. Can this be the only man who resisted his charms, and if so, will the man who once snubbed the magically gay Ono get his just desserts? And how in the heck did a former middleweight boxing champion wind up as Ono's cake boy? Digital Manga happily serves up the opening volume of Antique Bakery.

Honey and Clover, Vol. 1


Chica Umino - 2001
    But with friends like his, life is never going to be that tame.

Everyone's Getting Married, Vol. 1


Izumi Miyazono - 2014
    After her long-term boyfriend breaks up with her to pursue his own career goals, she encounters popular newscaster Ryu Nanami. Asuka and Ryu get along well, but the last thing he wants is to ever get married. This levelheaded pair who want the opposite things in life should never get involved, except…

Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Vol. 1


Yuhki Kamatani - 2015
    Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own. In this realistic, heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.

Girl Friends [ガールフレンズ], Volume 1


Milk Morinaga - 2007
    She has very few friends, is normally rather shy, and eats lunch by herself. One day, she is approached by the super cute, super popular Akko Oohashi, who claims she wants to be friends. Mari is at first very suspicious of her true intentions, but eventually comes to realize she's not a bad person. After a hair cut and some fashion tips, Akko quickly transforms Mari into one of the cutest girls in the school. In no time, Mari and Akko are best friends, but unbeknownst to Akko, Mari starts to develop feelings that are more than just "friends."

5 Centimeters per Second


Makoto Shinkai - 2007
    Now life seems to move at the speed of light. Our memories are captured and shared with the world on social media platforms. And love, which is already capricious, can feel like it is moving at terminal velocity.In Makoto Shinkai’s defining work, the internationally renowned director and animator unfolds a love story that is as timeless as it is fleeting. Yukiko Seike’s rendition of this modern classic adds a new level of emotion and intimacy that is unique to its source material.

Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu, Vol. 1


Mito - 2019
    But is Otsu as hungry as he is? A sweet and savory BL office comedy!

Maid-sama! Vol. 01


Hiro Fujiwara - 2006
    Unfortunately, most of the students are still male and stuck in their slovenly habits, so man-hating Misaki really socks it to them in an attempt to make the school presentable to attract more female students. But what will she do when the sexiest boy in school finds out that after school, Misaki works in a maid cafe.First published in Japan in 2006 by Hakusensha Inc., Tokyo.

Wandering Son, Vol. 1


Takako Shimura - 2003
    The threshold to puberty, and the beginning of the end of childhood innocence. Shuichi Nitori and his new friend Yoshino Takatsuki have happy homes, loving families, and are well-liked by their classmates. But they share a secret that further complicates a time of life that is awkward for anyone: Shuichi is a boy who wants to be a girl, and Yoshino is a girl who wants to be a boy. Written and drawn by one of today's most critically acclaimed creators of manga, Shimura portrays Shuishi and Yoshino's very private journey with affection, sensitivity, gentle humor, and unmistakable flair and grace. Book One introduces our two protagonists and the friends and family whose lives intersect with their own. Yoshino is rudely reminded of her sex by immature boys whose budding interest in girls takes clumsily cruel forms. Shuichi's secret is discovered by Saori, a perceptive and eccentric classmate. And it is Saori who suggests that the fifth graders put on a production of The Rose of Versailles for the farewell ceremony for the sixth graders, with boys playing the roles of women, and girls playing the roles of men. Wandering Son is a sophisticated work of literary manga translated with rare skill and sensitivity by veteran translator and comics scholar Matt Thorn.

Citrus, Vol. 1


Saburouta - 2013
    Fans of Morinaga Milk’s Girl Friends will find themselves enthralled with Citrus’s unique blend of comedy, melodrama, and secret desire between girls.Aihara Yuzu, a high school girl whose main interests are fashion, friends, and having fun, is about to get a reality check. Due to her mom's remarriage, Yuzu has transferred to a new, all-girls school that is extremely strict. Her real education is about to begin.From day one, happy-go-lucky Yuzu makes enemies, namely the beautiful yet stern student council president Mei. So what happens when a dejected Yuzu returns home and discovers the shock of her life: that Mei is actually her new step-sister who has come to live with her? Even more surprising, when Mei catches Yuzu off guard and kisses her out of the blue, what does it all mean?

Seaside Stranger: Umibe No Etranger (Seaside Stranger, #1)


Kanna Kii - 2021
    One day, he meets Mio, a high school student who recently lost his own parents and now spends his days sitting by the sea. The two young men begin to open up to each other...until Mio reveals that he's leaving. Three years later, an adult Mio returns to the island to confess his true feelings, but is Shun ready for a relationship?