Ammitsu, Volume 4 Cover Art cropped, Ran the Peerless Beauty, Kodansha.
Quick Valentine’s Day Manga Stories
Valentine’s Day is a very popular trope in romance manga. For this holiday in Japan, women often gift chocolates or sweets to friends and perhaps a person of romantic interest. There is also a related holiday in March called White Day, where those who received gifts for Valentine’s Day reciprocate the act of giving.
For Japan, chocolate is the most common gift for this custom; often having a huge variety of different chocolates to choose from in departments stores (although some may choose to take the homemade route).
Of course, holiday trends change and not everyone participates in Valentine’s Day customs. However, when it comes to romance manga, this trope is pretty popular; so I wanted to give some preface. It is especially popular in shoujo, so you can expect many of these Valentine’s Day manga recommendations to be shoujo stories showcasing sweet, youthful love.
Since I usually recommend romance mangas on this site in the first place, many of this post’s recommendations will have a little extra focus on the holiday itself! Whether the actual holiday is involved or just some tasty treats, these romance manga recommendations are full of sweetness!
1. Ai no Tame ni
Author: Kazune Kawahara
Number of Chapters: 3 one shots, 3 chapters
Published by Shueisha in Margaret Comics
Ai no Tame ni, or Everything for the Sake of Love, is a 3-part short story collection, which includes two other separate stories titled: If Someone Like Me Will Do and Chocolate Contest (which is the actual Valentine’s Day manga out of this collection).
This fun manga collection was created in the early 2000’s, so it is very reminiscent of the art style and storytelling tropes from that time. Very nostalgic for me, personally!
The first story, Ai no Tame ni, is about a girl named Akira who loves matchmaking at her school. She has tons of connections, and even garnered a nickname due to her successful couple-pairing skills. But, even Akira wants to be able to date, too! Read this one shot and see how the matchmaking queen’s own romantic endeavors will turn out!
The next story in this 3-part one shot series is If Someone Like Me Will Do. This story follows the sweet but slightly gullible Megumi, a young girl who wishes to be in love. When she gets hit on by a stranger in the street, she agrees to date him! However, this dating experience isn’t exactly what she expected!
And lastly, we have a Valentine’s Day manga story for the last one shot, Chocolate Contest. This story focuses on a boy and his friends, all who really wish to receive Valentine’s Day chocolate gifts. Tension is high for students around this time and the main character, Ichirou, can’t help but expect chocolates from a girl he likes!
2. Valentine’s Day and White Day
Author: Kou Mori
Number of Chapters: One shot, 2 chapters
Posted on Pixiv Comics
This cute Valentine’s Day manga tells a story about two people who only happen to meet for a short time in passing here and there; but love still begins to bloom. However, these two aren’t so great at love. It is very sweet, and shows the nervousness that comes with starting a relationship!
3. Chocolate and Kase-san
Author: Takashima Hiromi
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter! + full series
Kase-san series Seven Seas Entertainment page
This sweet GL story shows the shy interactions among two schoolmates, as they try to muster the courage to exchange Valentine’s Day chocolates.
It is a one shot side story to the author’s Kase-san manga series (Kase-san and Morning Glories and the sequel, Yamada and Kase-san). However, this Valentine’s Day manga is still very cute on its own, and shows a sweet first-crush sort of experience.
4. Amai, Nigai, Amai
Author: Chia Teshima
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shogakukan in Betsucomi
This cute one shot follows high schooler Honoka, who really wants to experience love for Valentine’s Day like all her friends! By chance, she reunites with a friend of her brother’s that she knew from her early childhood. Honoka decides to take advantage of this meeting for the sake of enjoying the upcoming holiday.
Although they each have their own circumstances, the love-themed holiday soon becomes much more exciting for these two! This sweet Valentine’s Day manga shows the importance of compromise and communication in relationships.
5. Dekiai Robot
Author: Kasumi Yuuko
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Published by Shueisha in Ribon Magazine
This lighthearted Valentine’s Day manga starts by introducing the high school student Yoshino, who has a genius scientist and doting worrywart for a father. When she wants to make Valentine’s chocolates for her crush, her dad makes a human-like robot to protect her. This one shot romance is very cute and silly, with a comedic ending!
6. Saving Sweets for After-Hours
Author: Kanae Sato
Number of Chapters: Completed at 5 volumes
Content Warnings: Mature content/topics, partial nudity, fanservice, food, weight loss
Saving Sweets for After-Hours is a super sweet office romance that makes a great Valentine’s Day manga. It follows the 32-year old Reika Fujisaki, a beautiful and successful woman who’s even in the chief position at her office job. She works at a sweets company, so this cute manga often brings in desserts and treats into the story!
Despite the rumors that surround her, she has never been in a relationship. By coincidence, she finds out a handsome coworker of hers has been reading her spicy blog content, and for some reason is using it to blend in with others during love-related conversation topics. Turns out, they’re both newbies to love!
Although this story is not specifically a Valentine’s Day manga, I thought the cute sweets theme was fitting for the holiday! It is a really cute adult-age story about experiencing a relationship for the first time. It’s technically labeled as a shoujo, but the story has rather mature topics and scenes in it (Kodansha has it rated 16+).
The art and story still feels pretty shoujoesque though! Although it is a mature romance story between adults, it still has a nice representation of innocence and sweetness since these characters are new to dating. I really enjoyed it so far, and it has plenty of romance and sweetness to enjoy as a Valentine’s Day manga option.
7. How Our Indifference Fades
Author: Aco Arisaka
Number of Chapters: One shot, one chapter!
Posted on Pixiv Comics
This super sweet Valentine’s Day manga tells an experience of long-term longing and affection. Two classmates who met when they were young seem fated to be together! We get to see each person’s point of view and experience, which makes this story even sweeter.
8. Hana o Meshimase
Author: Keiko Iwashita
Number of Chapters: 4 chapters
Published by Kodansha in Dessert Magazine
Content Warnings: Mention of alcohol, smoking, gambling, abandonment, loss of loved ones
Hana wo Meshimase is a very beautiful and bittersweet story. Most of the Valentine’s Day manga recommendations in this list so far have been mostly lighthearted stories, but this one brings a more real and emotion-packed plot.
Although this story does not involve Valentine’s Day specifically, it does include flowers, flower arrangement, and even the language of flowers. I think this ties nicely into the holiday, so I included it here. It brings a bit more of a meaningful story than the other recommendations, that may even make you tear up!
This short story follows Adachi Shion, a young girl who, due to her family’s circumstances, begins working as a live-in employee at a flower shop. She has experienced a lot of hardship in her young life, but is given another chance to experience happiness by finding a new passion.
This is all thanks to the manager of the shop, Mamyuuda Shun, who gives her a chance. These two each overcome their own struggles in this lovely story.
The art style is very nice, and although there is an age gap in this manga, it isn’t too badly done. The plot overall feels very heartfelt! I especially loved the use of flowers and how they represent emotions in this lovely story, so I truly hope you enjoy this Valentine’s Day manga recommendation.
9. Ran the Peerless Beauty
Author: Ammitsu
Number of Chapters: Completed at 10 Volumes, 40 chapters
Ran the Peerless Beauty is a super cute flower-themed manga I wanted to recommend for Valentine’s Day.
While the story is not extremely specific to Valentine’s, the flower theme is very lovely and heartfelt, so it feels appropriate for the holiday. Also, the Valentine’s Day chapter plays a big role in the story, so it really fits here anyway!
Not only are flowers a running theme in the series, but they bring the characters together in so many ways. For example, the soft romance found in this manga often utilizes the special meanings that different flowers represent (also known as the language of flowers). So sweet!
This is the longest story in this list of Valentine’s Day manga recommendations. Personally, 40 chapters isn’t what I consider long for a manga, but it is a completed story with a satisfying ending! If you prefer even shorter stories, check out my one shot recommendations.
I’ve also done a full review for Ran the Peerless Beauty, so be sure to check it out if you’re interested!
Final Thoughts
Many mangas, romance-focused or not, feature a Valentine’s Day special arc or chapter; but I tried to find some short reads that were a little more focused on either the holiday itself or that were sort-of related in terms of sweets and flowers. Hopefully one of these sweet Valentine’s Day manga recommendations will bring a smile to your face this holiday!
