Vol 11 Futari De Koi Wo Suru Riyuu, Vol 3 of Tiger and Dragon, and Vol 5 of Hinata no Blue. Shueisha.
What Type of Love Triangle Is in This List?
The shoujo love triangle trope is typically thought of in two ways:
- A scenario where two individuals both like the same person (Person B and person C both like person A).
- Or, a literal triangle where three individuals all like one another, but with nobody liking the same person (Person A likes person B, who likes person C, who likes person A).
Truthfully, I rarely see the latter in romance shoujo manga, and it is almost always the first scenario. Some readers, however, consider love triangles differently so for the sake of clarification, the following recommendations feature a love triangle that is defined by the first listed item above.
All of these recommendations are shoujos specifically in which the main person of interest is a female heroine.
You can read my full review for each series by clicking the manga titles!
1. Love in Focus
Author: Yoko Nogiri
Number of Chapters: 3 volumes, around 14 chapters
Status: Completed!
The first recommendation on this list is an easygoing and short shoujo romance. The female lead, Mako Mochizuki, is a high school student who enjoys photography.
Therefore, she moves away from home to attend a high school with a photography club. She stays in a boarding house, which is filled with all sorts of personalities—cold and reserved, welcoming, energetic, or even just weird, haha.
This series is a very uncomplicated romance and simple story that doesn’t take too long to finish, so if you need a quick and easy shoujo love triangle romance, Love in Focus is a good pick!
2. Waiting for Spring
Author: Anashin
Number of Chapters: 13 Volumes, around 56 chapters
Status: Completed!
Kodansha Waiting For Spring page
Waiting for Spring has not only a love triangle but also a childhood friend trope. The heroine, Mitsuki Haruno, is having trouble making friends during high school.
She seems to remember having one very close friend at a young age, but now that she’s a teen, she can’t seem to make connections with others. However, she is pulled aside one day by the basketball club for a confession!
The confession turned out to not actually be for her, but this lead to a unique friendship between Mitsuki and the club. Just as things begin getting comfortable, her old childhood friend shows up suddenly, with intentions of reconnecting!
3. Peach Girl
Author: Miwa Ueda
Number of Chapters: 18 Volumes
Status: Completed!
Peach Girl is a 90’s-2000’s shoujo manga that features an iconic shoujo love triangle. This one feels less like a competition between the two male leads, and more like a question of who is truly going to make the main character happy.
It’s very hard to tell who is going to end up endgame, as the author wrote this manga with a very melodramatic tone. Every moment feels incredibly important, and there is tons of drama!
If you love drama-filled romance, like soap-opera level drama, be sure to check this one out.
4. Hinata no Blue
Author: Amu Meguro
Number of Chapters: 24.5 chapters
Status: Completed!
For #4, we have another easygoing and soft shoujo love triangle manga recommendation: Hinata no Blue! This super fluffy, super soft romance follows the very shy high school student Hinata Naru. Hinata is struggling a lot to stand out and make friends in school, but luckily meets the school’s student president, Sora, who helps her build confidence.
The second lead in this story is my favorite type of character, so I had a really hard time when choosing who to root for. It’s pretty obvious who Hinata will end up with, but both of the male leads in this manga will capture your heart. Overall this one is super cute and sweet, and an easygoing romance to enjoy.
5. Strobe Edge
Author: Io Sakisaka
Number of Chapters: 10 volumes, around 39 chapters
Status: Completed!
Strobe Edge is another 2000’s manga that’s almost like the second shoujo love triangle type mentioned earlier—the main heroine, Ninako, likes a guy who has a girlfriend, and a secondary male lead also likes Ninako (not sure what shape that makes, haha).
There’s a lot going on and a lot of characters with complicated emotions, but it is well written and easy to keep track of. It is a cute love story with surprisingly mature character backstories. Additionally, this story has Io Sakisaka’s iconic, bubbly art style that’s just so cute and makes Ninako’s emotions seem so pure.
6. Tiger and Dragon
Author: Mizuki Hoshino
Number of Chapters: 25 Chapters
Status: Completed!
Seven Seas Entertainment Tiger and Dragon page
This love triangle manga is great for readers who want a less serious and more humor-focused read. The story follows the main character Usa Konomi, who is obsessed with meeting her early childhood first love. She believes they are destined to meet, but her friends tell her she’s a bit too positive.
Therefore, she tries a date with a friend who is actually present and interested in her: her neighbor, Tatsuomi. This date goes pretty well. However, not too long after their date, guess who shows up…the childhood first love (of course)! This series is pretty goofy and has a really fun sort of humor throughout.
It’s a little less focused on the romance than the other recommendations in this list—or perhaps is just more comedic. Either way, it’s a fun and lighthearted read!
7. Futari De Koi Wo Suru Riyuu
Author: Hiro Chihiro
Number of Chapters: 72 chapters
Status: Completed!
Lastly, we have the manga Futari De Koi Wo Suru Riyuu. This manga has not two, but three love interests! Or two and a half… depending on how you look at it. It’s a very engaging story filled with drama and emotion as the poor heroine chases after love—which finds her at every corner!
I wouldn’t say it has the vibe of a harem, as the plot feels more like a shoujo love triangle with an additional person. If you like drama, angst, and having lots of options, you may really enjoy this series. It’s a cute shoujo with a lot of likable (or unlikable) characters, haha!
Final Thoughts
There you have it—lots of different shoujo love triangle manga recommendations for you to explore! I tried to include a variety of love triangle “types” as well as a mix of older and more modern series.
I know this trope isn’t something all readers enjoy, but I personally think it is fun to see how different or unique the author can make their character designs, as well as how deep or entangled their characters’ emotions and relationships can become. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Many images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Chihiro, Hiro. Futari de Koi wo Suru Riyuu, Margaret Comics, Shueisha, 2018. Hoshino, Mizuki. Tiger and Dragon, Margaret Comics, Shueisha, 2022. Meguro, Amu. Hinata No Blue, Margaret Comics, Bessatsu Margaret, Shueisha, 2019.
