Book picks similar to
She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai


manga
graphic-novels
graphic-novel
comics

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.

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 1


Nagabe - 2016
    The girl and the beast should never have met, but when they do, a quiet fairytale begins. This is a story of two people--one human, one inhuman--who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.

Mars, Vol. 1


Fuyumi Soryo - 1996
    Rei is the school delinquent. Kira is shy and studious. What they see in each other is a mystery to their friends. What they find in each other is a miracle to themselves. With a style that is artistic and chic, this tale of restless and confused high school love will appeal to young women everywhere.Kira and Rei might as well be from different planets. She's a shy art student, afraid of boys and hated by her classmates. He's a rebellious motorcycle racer with girls dropping left and right just to talk to him. Their lives become intertwined when Kira asks Rei to model for her and, to everyone's surprise, he agrees. As these two battle their personal demons and the pressures of their classmates, they learn not only to love each other, but themselves.

L-DK, Vol. 01


Ayu Watanabe - 2009
    Although she initially hates him for this, when Shuusei moves in next door to Aoi, who lives alone, she starts thinking that he might not be such a bad guy after all...

The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1


Kazuo Umezz - 2019
    Out of nowhere, an entire school vanishes, leaving nothing but a hole in the ground. While parents mourn and authorities investigate, the students and teachers find themselves not dead but stranded in a terrifying wasteland where they must fight to survive.

Full Moon o Sagashite, Vol. 1


Arina Tanemura - 2002
    However, Mitsuki's life turns around when two shinigami appear to grant her a temporary reprieve from her illness--and give her singing career a magical jump-start.

Doubt, Vol. 1


Yoshiki Tonogai - 2013
    In it, players are rabbits who must uncover the wolf in rabbit's clothing before falling prey to its mistrust-sowing wiles...as well as its teeth. When a group of teen players decides to meet offline for fun, the last thing they expect is to lose consciousness and wake up trapped in an abandoned building, mysterious bar codes tattooed on their bodies, and a corpse strung up in front of them. To stay alive and find a way out, they have but one option-to sniff out the lying wolf in their midst. Will these virtual acquaintances be able to pull it together in the real world and figure out what's going on in time to avoid ending up as the wolf's dinner?

Otomen, Vol. 1


Aya Kanno - 2007
    But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Ryo Miyakozuka, on the other hand, is a girl who can't sew or bake a cake to save her life. Asuka finds himself drawn to Ryo, but she likes only the manliest of men! Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to the girl that he's falling for?

The Book of Human Insects


Osamu Tezuka - 1970
    A modern-day Michelangelo, this twenty year-old is already an established international stage actress, an up-and-coming architect, and the next recipient of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize as Japan's best new writer. Her actions make headlines in the papers, and inspire radio and television programming. And like many great talents, her troubled past is what motivates her to greatness. She has the amazing ability to emulate the talents of others.Toshiko is also the mastermind behind a series of murders. The ultimate mimic, she has plagiarized, blackmailed, stolen and replicated the works of scores of talents. And now as her star is rising within the world of the elites and powerful she has amassed a long list of enemies frustrated by the fact that she has built critical and financial acclaim for nothing more than copying others' work. Neglected as a child, she ischallenging the concepts of gender inequality while unleashing her loneliness upon the world as she climbs the social ladder one body at a time.One of Osamu Tezuka's most wicked tales, The Book of Human Insects renders the 70's as a brutal and often polarizing bug-eat-bug world, where only those willing to sell their soul to the masses and become something less than human are capable of achieving their wildest dreams

Flying Witch, Vol. 1


Chihiro Ishizuka - 2013
    Prepare to be Bewitched! Makoto Kowata, a novice witch, packs up her belongings (including a black cat familiar) and moves in with her distant cousins in rural Aomori to complete her training and become a full-fledged witch.

Blame!, Vol. 1


Tsutomu Nihei - 1998
    He wanders an endless labyrinth of cyberdungeons filled with concrete and steel, fighting off cyborgs and other bizarre silicate creatures. Everyone is searching for the Net Terminal Genes, but no one is quite certain what kind of power they contain. The answer may lie hidden among the scattered human settlements of this vast and desolate future world.

I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vol. 1


Okura - 2019
    While he's away at work, mom Tomoko and her two beloved sons Hiroki and Yuri go about their everyday lives--going to school, making dinner, doing homework, etc. But now that Hiroki's in his first year of high school, his thoughts are turning ever so slightly to sex and romance...and his mom can't help but notice his slips of the tongue when he's talking about who he likes. Supportive Tomoko has an inkling Hiroki might be gay, but she's going to let him figure it out for himself. Unfortunately, Hiroki has little talent for keeping his "secret," so he might die of embarassment before all is said and done!

Akira, Vol. 1


Katsuhiro Otomo - 1984
    The science fiction tale set in 2019 in Tokyo after the city was destroyed by World War III, follows the lives of two teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, who have a consuming fear of a monstrous power known as Akira.

Red River, Vol. 1


Chie Shinohara - 1995
    Meanwhile, she starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it! One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water. She emerges from the water to find that she has been transported to an ancient village somewhere in the Middle East. She is then captured by armed troops and taken to the queen's palace, where she learns that the queen had her kidnapped so she can offer her blood as part of a ritual that will kill two princes in competition to inherit the kingdom.

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Volume 1


Fumi Yoshinaga - 2007
    While the pair navigate the personal and professional minefields of modern gay life, Kenji serves as enthusiastic taste-tester for Shiro’s wide and varied made-from-scratch meals.Fumi Yoshinaga’s slice-of-LGBT-life series was nominated for the first Manga Taisho Award and received a jury recommendation at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards.