The Best Slice-of-Life Manga You Can Read in 2023

Starting the list is Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, a beautiful yuri manga that revolves around Hinako Ueno and Asahi Satou. Hinako is a regular office worker who doesn’t have time for love.

However, after getting pressured by her family, she dives into makeup and fashion in order to fit into the image of a pretty woman.

Unfortunately, she is unable to fall in love and feels like a flawed person who doesn’t understand romance.

Meanwhile, Asahi grapples with her own problems in life, and like Hinako, she too doesn’t find love.

But as fate has it, Asahi and Hinako run into each other and Asahi offers Hinako a bag of doughnuts.

As they share that tender moment, Asahi and Hinako kickstart a beautiful relationship that is filled with kindness and love.

The manga, written and illustrated by Shio Usui, emphasizes the realistic portrayal of the characters’ challenges and growth.

Written and illustrated by Kazusa Yoneda, Danchigai is the story of Haruki and his siblings. Haruki is the only boy in their family.

Since Haruki’s mother lives overseas, he shares an apartment with his four sisters.

Danchigai focuses on depicting the everyday lives of the characters in a lighthearted and comedic manner.

This slice-of-life manga doesn’t have any unnecessary dramatic events or overarching plotlines.

The daily activities and interactions of the siblings are relatable and quite cute.

The manga is a breeze to read because of the light plotline that often shows Haruki and his sisters going to school or doing chores.

Danchigai thrives on the charm of everyday life and presents tiny, relatable moments that will certainly resonate with you.

This romantic comedy manga revolves around Rei, a 17-year-old shogi player. He is highly skilled at shogi and lives by himself in Tokyo.

Sadly, he doesn’t have a real family or friends. But he is acquainted with a family consisting of a young woman named Akari and two young girls, Momo and Hinata.

The manga delves into the everyday life of Rei as he navigates his relationships, personal struggles, and career.

The story pays attention to Rei’s matches, training, and moments of introspection.

March Comes In Like a Lion places emphasis on character development, particularly Rei’s growth.

The manga explores themes of human connection, the importance of relationships, and having a support system.

The story is all about Rei revisiting his melancholic early life and finding the courage to face his problems head-on.

City is a seinen manga from the creator of Nichijou, Keiichi Arawi. This fun, slap-stick-style manga series is about a broke college student named Midori Nagumo.

She is staying in an ordinary city filled with quirky people. Midori is reckless, and her actions brighten up the city.

However, she is in trouble because of a mountain of debt. Moreover, her rent is due and her landlady is after her life.

Elsewhere, Midori’s best friend is unwilling to lend her money because of her antics.

Midori is left with no choice but to find a job but that would mean she won’t get time to have fun in the city.

City is not extremely fast-paced because it slows down and lets the characters and the reader enjoy the small things of city life.

The manga is weirdly funny but doesn’t go overboard while sticking to the slice-of-life narrative.

This is a unique manga that has a generous offering of the slice-of-life genre.

Beastars is written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, and it is a story set in a world of herbivores and carnivores.

In this world, carnivores are looked at as ruthless creatures by the herbivores. And, when an alpaca named Tem is found murdered within the premises of Cherryton High School, all hell breaks loose.

Meanwhile, Legoshi is a student and a gray wolf whose awkward appearance makes him look fearsome.

When the school comes under attack, Legoshi is forced to face the divide between the carnivores and herbivores.

The manga details the struggles of Legoshi as he challenges his inner demons in a society that is unkind towards his clan.

On paper, this doesn’t really look like a slice-of-life manga, but it has elements of everyday life while dealing with the complex nature of animal society.

This is a gentle Boys' Love manga that revolves around a young boy named Kouhei Sugihara who is isolated from the world due to his hearing problems.

The arrival of the loud Taichi Sagawa in his life turns out to be the best thing that happened to him.

Meanwhile, Taichi is the most misunderstood person due to his boisterous nature, but he is pleasantly surprised by Kouhei's liking of his nature.

As the manga progresses, Taichi’s personality rubs off on Kouhei as he starts demanding more from what life has to offer him.

I Hear the Sunspot emphasizes acceptance and the importance of empathy and understanding.

Yuki Fumino’s manga is realistic and provides a heartfelt slice-of-life narrative to its readers.

My Brother's Husband is a heartwarming slice-of-life manga written and illustrated by Gengoroh Tagame.

Its story follows Yaichi, a single father living in Japan, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his deceased brother’s husband, Mike, comes to visit.

The manga is filled with beautiful moments as Yaichi, Mike, and Kana, Yaichi’s daughter, get to know each other.

The trio forms a close bond, and Mike helps Yaichi understand that being gay is absolutely normal.

This manga explores themes of love, family, acceptance, and loss.

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A post-apocalyptic manga with shades of the slice-of-life genre, Girls’ Last Tour follows Yuuri and Chito who are still alive in a dystopian landscape.

In the manga, Chito and Yuuri are shown traveling through the ruins in their Kettenkrad.

Girls’ Last Tour is full of existential and philosophical ideas. It appears abstract and bizarrely slice-of-life.

While the setting is desolate with grim circumstances, the manga shows the day-to-day experiences of Yuuri and Chito.

The story ponders on their interactions and observations, painting a contemplative and quiet atmosphere.

This is a must-read manga because of its unconventional take on the slice-of-life genre.

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Tasuku Kaname is new in town, but things go south when he learns that people around him know that he is gay.

He is contemplating ending his life but meets a mysterious woman who introduces him to a group of people dealing with similar problems.

Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare is a manga that explores themes such as acceptance and identity.

The manga showcases everyday life in a small town while also dealing with an important aspect of the LGBTQ+ community.

It sensitively addresses topics like coming out and the search for a sense of belonging in a place where things tend to be black or white.

Grand Blue Dreaming is a comedy and slice-of-life manga written by Kenji Inoue and illustrated by Kimitake Yoshioka.

The story follows Iori Kitahara, a college student who moves to a coastal town for his studies.

There, he hopes to have a good time on the beach with girls but ends up joining a diving club.

The manga revolves around the comedic and outrageous antics of the diving club members.

Grand Blue Dreaming focuses on their friendship, college life, and club activities.

A lighthearted treat, Grand Blue Dreaming is an entertaining slice-of-life manga.

A coming-of-age tale of a young boy named Punpun Onodera, Goodnight Punpun is far from a traditional slice-of-life story because of the heavy issues it addresses.

Punpun’s life is turned upside down when his father is sent to jail for physically abusing his wife.

Punpun’s mother ends up in the hospital and he starts living with his uncle.

As he grows older and enters adulthood, Punpun starts thinking about what it means to be an adult.

Goodnight Punpun may not be happy all the time, but the story showcases the good and bad sides of life.

The manga tenderly focuses on the main character’s struggles while dealing with themes such as trauma and depression.