Nicole. Three mangas arranged on a fabric.
*Note: This blog post, originally posted February 2024, was updated as of February 2025! New and returning readers, please enjoy! (๑˃ᴗ˂)
What Is a One Shot Romance Manga?
One shot mangas are short, usually 1-chapter mangas that tell a quick story! They are written in all types of genres; romance, action, adventure, mystery, horror, and more. They are complete on their own, but often are made into full-length official serializations if they become popular.
It’s a great way for mangakas to get a feel for how successful an idea may be, and gives them a chance to put their ideas into a full manga series if it is well received by the public. Many popular, long-running mangas started out as one shots. But, even on their own, one shots can be quick, enjoyable stories!
What to Expect in This List:
This list of manga recommendations will include a few types of romantic stories! Since I’ve added quite a lot of recommendations here, I figured I’d organize them into the following categories:
- Actual One Shot Romance Mangas: Mangas that have only 1 single chapter.
- Collections of One Shots: Mangas with multiple one shot stories.
- Short Mangas: Mangas that are short, but with more chapters than a one shot.
- One Shots With Full Serializations: One shots that now have full serializations. Some of my previous recommendations are now full-length, but I thought I should still include them here!
Overall, I wanted to provide some shorter romantic manga recommendations for readers who enjoy quicker yet fulfilling romance experiences! Enjoy!
Actual One Shot Romance Mangas
1. I Still Haven’t Experienced a Kiss Yet
Author: Soragaki Reida
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Kodansha on Comic Days
This adorable story follows Fukase, a high school girl pretending to be familiar with love and relationships around her friends. Like many teen girls, Fukase is actually very inexperienced—and although she puts up that act, she too wants to experience dating and falling in love! This one shot romance manga is super cute and fluffy, and finishes with a satisfying ending.
2. Otome no Itari
Author: Io Sakisaka
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shueisha in Bessatsu Margaret
This cute one shot romance manga is written by the author of the popular Ao Haru Ride manga series! I loved seeing the author’s very recognizable art style in this cute one shot. In this story, we see Kashiwagi, a high school girl who is a total people pleaser. One day, she meets a boy who is the complete opposite of her, and can’t help but to stick around him!
3. Midnight Coin Laundry
Author: Kasahara Chizuru
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
This story follows Suzuki Sei, an art college student who lacks passion. She meets an interesting guy by coincidence at a laundromat late at night, and pretty soon finds the inspiration to create beautiful art. This story is sweet, and makes for a really fulfilling one shot romance manga.
4. About My Month With Aioi Wakaba
Author: Ogata Akane
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shogakukan on Sunday Webry (Sunday Web Every)
Content warnings: SI, bullying, death, loss of loved ones
This bittersweet story follows a character that is a shinigami; a figure in Japanese mythology that guides souls to the afterlife. He becomes interested in a human girl who acts a bit different from others he has seen, and so he decides to learn about her a bit more. This one shot romance manga will likely make you tear up, but definitely won’t leave you disappointed.
5. Honey Latte Girl
Author: Ayu Inui
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Posted on Pixiv
Honey Latte Girl is a very cute and wholesome story about a young barista who wishes to brighten people’s day through coffee. This one shot romance manga has a lovely implied GL romance.
6. Back-to-Back March
Author: Fumi Shibata
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
This one shot romance manga is a cute BL story that focuses on two childhood friends. They both work in food shops that happen to be neighboring businesses, and share a small obstacle to overcome together!
7. Walking With You
Author: Junko
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Kaiosha in Gush Magazine
This sweet one shot romance manga (also a BL) focuses on two boys who have been best friends throughout their childhood and even up to their high school years. When one of them gets scouted for a sports opportunity in a different city, the other struggles to accept the possibility of their important person leaving!
8. Wait Until It Gets Dark
Author: Tsukuba Sakura
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Hakusensha in Lala DX Magazine
This wholesome story has very nice, calm romantic vibes. It shows a sweet meeting between two smart students, who bond over their interest in stars. It’s a natural romance between two youths who seem to be outliers in their school. I think this one shot romance manga would have been even better as a full series, but it was very cute regardless.
9. How Pathetic We Are
Author: Hakuri
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shueisha on Shonen Jump Plus JP
Yukiya Iiyama is a guy with a passion for music. Unfortunately, his passion was replaced by a vicious jealousy, thanks to a girl named Natsumi Souda. These two have a strange relationship, but this one shot romance manga kept things very interesting.
The romance aspects are extremely light, but the story overall is pretty unique. I personally wish it was fleshed out into a complete series, because it could have been a really great enemies to lovers manga story. The title is also incredibly fitting for the two main characters, but I actually really liked that aspect of the plot.
10. Ookami Lover
Author: Momoyama Anzu
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shueisha in Ribon Magazine
This one shot manga is definitely more on the cheesy side, but it still put a smile on my face! A young student, Yuuko Ihara, loves dogs and often stops by a pet shop on her way home from school to visit some fluffy friends.
One day while on her usual visit, she is confessed to by a scary looking classmate, who has some awful rumors surrounding his appearance. However, these two may be more suited for each other than it seems! If you’re okay with an older shoujo story that’s a bit cliche, this one shot is a fun pick.
11. Manin Densha to Watashi to Kare
Author: Temari Suzuki
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shueisha in Margaret
Manin Densha to Watashi to Kare (A Crowded Train, With Him and Me) is a very cute one shot manga showing a fun meeting and some cute interactions between a very short girl and very tall guy. These two attend the same high school and meet by chance one day. This story is short and sweet, and features a rather unique art style and character design!
12. Drifting Into Summer
Author: Tikklil
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published digitally by Viz Media
Content warnings: Themes of SH
This one shot manga tells a story about two young girls with very different perspectives on life and the hobby of swimming. One of them swims just for fun, whereas the other has started to feel like she has no choice.
This story doesn’t necessarily focus on romance, but by the end of it you will see that these two girls clearly have chemistry! Drifting into Summer is short and to the point, but still portrays a meaningful message regardless.
Collections of One Shots
1. Hoteri Hotette First Kiss
Author: Coco Uzuki
Number of Chapters: 1 Volume, 4 chapters
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
This single volume manga is actually a collection of four different one shot romances, all that focus on incredibly cute high school relationships. Each story is unique with different characters and a different premise. This manga includes the follows one shots:
- Special Occasions – A story following two students who do calligraphy.
- Miyabi and Miyabi – Two students with the same given name meet by coincidence.
- Double Glasses – A girl with glasses falls for a stoic classmate after accidentally seeing a different side to him.
- Full of Me, Full of You – A student tries to figure out if her childhood friend secretly likes her the way she secretly likes him.
Each of these were very cute and easy to binge with only one chapter each. Warning: You may finish these one shots wishing they were full stories, due to the high levels of cuteness found within!
2. Katasumi no Heartbeat
Author: Mito Nanasato
Number of Chapters: 1 Volume, 5 chapters
Published by Shueisha in Margaret
Katasumi no Heartbeat (Heartbeat in a Corner) is a collection of 5 one shot romance stories! Enjoy these short and sweet romances that showcase a variety of different love experiences, including:
- A love story for a girl who sees herself as a “side character.”
- A girl finds herself falling for a seemingly grumpy schoolmate.
- A misunderstood student finds somebody who actually understands her.
- A responsible girl meets an easygoing guy.
- A reunion between a shy girl and an extroverted boy.
3. Sugars
Author: Mika Yamamori
Number of Chapters: 6 Volumes, 28 chapters + extras
Published by Shueisha in Margaret
Sugars is another collection of short romantic stories, but this one is a bit fun in that all the characters in each story are connected! Most of the characters attend the same high school, and many of them know each other and interact regularly, so that makes this collection of romances much more fun.
Additionally, the characters who are introduced don’t disappear forever, but are actually featured now and then—or play a role in the other romances. The manga even follows a few of the characters into their laters years!
There are so many cute romances in this manga, so get ready to root for tons of characters in their individual love stories! Each character and their love story are unique, and not every story will be easygoing. It’s nice to see so many different personalities, character designs, and romantic scenarios.
This manga is technically 6 volumes long, but since it is made up of a lot of smaller and shorter romances that each get their own focus, I thought maybe it counts for this list, haha! Sugars is completed, and was published back in 2006—so if you tend to like mangas of that era, definitely check it out!
Lastly, the author of this manga also wrote popular works like In the Clear Moonlit Dusk and Tsubaki Chou Lonely Planet, so if you’re a fan of those series, you may enjoy this one, too.
4. Mascara Blues
Author: Io Sakisaka
Number of Chapters: 1 Volume, 3 chapters
Published by Shueisha in Margaret
Mascara Blues is a short manga that contains three unique romance shoujo one shots. Each of these stories features Io Sakisaka’s lovely art style and ability to portray even the quickest romances in an engaging way! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
- Mascara Blues – A story about a girl who falls in and out of love very easily, making every relationship an unfortunate disappointment.
- Romance no Rinkaku (Outline Romance) – A girl who struggles to express herself properly tries to find the kind boy who helped her in the past.
- Watashi ga Watashi de Aru Tame ni: Nagai Yume (Because I Am Who I Am: A Long Dream) – A girl finds love by chance, but wonders if the other person will accept her for who she is.
Short Mangas
1. His Scornful Eyes Are The Best
Author: Kurotsuki Yuu
Number of Chapters: 2 Volumes, 8 chapters
Published by Kodansha in Bessatsu Friend
This story is about Uta Yoshino, a high school girl who, when it comes to love, has a unique preference than most shoujo leads. She meets a classmate with an indifferent personality, and quickly becomes interested in him! This short romance manga is humorous and great for readers who love tsundere characters.
2. Kimi ni Todoke: Soulmate
Author: Karuho Shiina
Number of Chapters: 3 volumes, 12 chapters
This manga is actually a spin-off of two previous works by Karuho Shiina: Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You and Crazy For You. It’s only 3 volumes long, and follows the well-known character Ume Kurumizawa (also called Kurumi) in her own love story.
*Warning: This description contains spoilers from those two works, so read with caution if you haven’t finished those yet!
This series continues from the end of the original Kimi ni Todoke as Kurumi and Sawako enter university together—closer than ever—and Kurumi decides to attend group dates in an effort to meet someone new.
While at a group date, she is helped by Sawako’s cousin, Eiji, who later offers to date her after only having known her for a very short time! With this simple offer, Kurumi is tested in her abilities to both accept her own feelings and stay true to herself.
I really enjoyed this spin-off series as it focuses on a character I really enjoyed from Kimi ni Todoke. Karuho Shiina has an amazing talent for writing really lovely romances that focus on the characters and the depth of their intense feelings. Definitely don’t miss out on this cute side story series!
3. Pupposites Attract
Author: Hono Natsuna
Number of Chapters: 4 volumes, 47 chapters
This josei series follows two dog-lovers who are complete opposites to their dogs: A small woman and a large dog breed, and a large man with a tiny dog breed. The story follows their daily adventures as they enjoy life with their dogs and eventually meet each other and become friends.
It’s a very cute and sometimes funny series! Although it is ongoing, I’ve included it in this “short series” list because the chapters are rather short and sometimes a little episodic—making it easy to binge quickly! So far, you can enjoy 4 volumes of this cute series.
4. My Sweet and Tart Boyfriend
Author: Hoshimi SK
Number of Chapters: 4 Volumes, 54 chapters
Published Digitally by Square Enix Via Mangaup!
This episodic manga may deceive you with the chapter count! Although this series may look long, it is actually comprised of very short, episodic chapters. It follows an already established couple who live together. The gimmick of this series is that the boyfriend is a super doting tsundere.
He looks stern and says things with a sharp tongue, but is totally doting on his girlfriend. This manga is extremely cute, wholesome, and silly—a great mood booster!
5. My Lover
Author: Io Sakisaka
Number of Chapters: 2 Volumes, 8 chapters
Published by Shueisha in Margaret
This is another recommendation that is by Io Sakisaka, haha. If you’re a shoujo lover and an Io Sakisaka fan, consider reading this earlier work of hers! It is a shorter series of only two volumes, published back in 2002. While it may seem older, Sakisaka’s iconic art style and talent for shoujo romance still shines through!
It follows the young Emi Umesaki, who answers her family house phone and mistakenly hears a confession that was meant for her sister. It turns out that the boy who called was her classmate Junta, whom Emi can’t help but notice more often now. However, poor Emi fears she could never compare with her beautiful sister.
This manga may be short, but it portrays a pretty cute romance alongside a lovely story about family, too. Overall, it’s an exciting story that you won’t regret reading!
6. Is Love the Answer?
Author: Uta Isaki
Number of Chapters: 1 Volume, 6.5 chapters
Official English Kodansha Page
Content warnings: SA, bullying, acephobia, homophobia, mature topics
This story actually isn’t technically a romance; actually, it’s quite the opposite. But, I like to read romance-related stories of all sorts, so I wanted to recommend this very short story.
This manga follows a young student named Chika as she moves through high school and college, wondering what her “normal” is when it comes to love and relationships. She soon learns about asexuality and the spectrum of identities, and meets others who have had similar experiences as her.
There is a fantastic theme of exploring different labels (defining how one identifies to some extent if they choose to do so), different types of romantic, platonic, and other relationships, as well as understanding yourself and others. Although it isn’t really a one shot romance manga, this short story has a great representation of a variety of relationships and opinions on love.
7. Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru
Author: Mori Moyori
Number of Chapters: 1 Volume, 5.5 chapters
Published by ShuCream in From RED
Content warnings: Blood, violence, death, trauma, and mature topics.
Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru (Touching Your Night) is a passionate BL romance following an assassin and a blind man. This short story is absolutely overflowing with emotion and longing, following two characters who have each lost not only something important in their lives, but also something that gave each of their lives meaning.
As their connected destinies intertwine, they begin to see a change in themselves and how they experience life.
This manga features stunning visuals, beautiful characters, and extreme skill in portraying the characters’ emotions and blooming relationship. Every panel of this manga feel intentional, powerful, or delicate—showcasing romance, self-doubt, fear, and more emotions even in just a few chapters!
I’ve truly enjoyed reading this absolutely beautiful manga, and seeing these two characters realize just how alike they truly are.
Previous One Shots With Full Serializations
1. The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All
Author: Sumiko Arai
Number of Chapters: One shot + Full serialization
English publication by Yen Press
This lovely one shot romance manga is a perfect example of popular short stories getting picked up by publishers. This mangaka originally posted this series on Twitter (X), in short 4-page parts (since they were limited by how many images could be included in one post).
Later, their story was serialized through Pixiv Comics, and is now being published in English physical volumes by Yen Press! It has gotten tons of attention, and has exploded in popularity!
The plot of this story involves two high school girls, Aya and Mitsuki. Aya is a gyaru who loves listening to music. She frequents a CD shop, where she begins to crush on the person who works there. This cute and humorous GL story is very cute and actually pretty wholesome as these girls bond over a similar taste in music.
It has a really nice art style, and the author uses a bright green color as a fun accent throughout the series. The look of this manga fits the characters and the overall vibe of the story so well! Be sure to read my full review for this awesome series by clicking the title above (in pink). ( ´ ▽ ` )
2. Megane, Tokidoki, Yankee-kun
Author: Naruki
Number of Chapters: Originally 2 volumes, 8 chapters + Full serialization
English series published by Seven Seas Entertainment
This story, now called Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent in English, is a fun opposites-attract story about a girl named Momose who meets an ex-delinquent at school.
They end up in the same school club, and every day becomes more interesting for the both of them! This fun story was originally a short romance manga with only 8 chapters, but is now becoming a full serialization.
3. Blue Box
Author: Kouji Miura
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter! + Full serialization
Full English series published by Viz Media
This cute and sporty one shot romance manga follows Inomata Taiki from the high school volleyball team. He has a big crush on Kano Chinatsu from the girl’s basketball team, but she’s way out of his league. This doesn’t stop Taiki, though!
I really liked this cute one shot story, and it was actually published into a full manga series with over 8 volumes worth of story! The full series obviously is pretty different from the one shot, but the one shot on its own was very wholesome and sweet. A great choice for a quick, romantic read! And, maybe you’ll jump into the full story, too.
Final Thoughts
One shot or short romance mangas are a great way to get a quick fix for a love story. I tried to include a good variety of romantic stories in this list, but if I missed any of your favorites feel free to share yours in the comments!
