Best Romance Sequel Manga

Key takeaways

• Writing romance sequels is challenging because they explore life after the “happily ever after” ends.
• Popular manga such as Fruits Basket, Spice and Wolf, and Cardcaptor Sakura have successful romance sequel manga.
• Sequels like UQ Holder and Teasing Master (former) Takagi-san explore new stories with familiar characters.

Writing romance stories can be tricky, as writers have to make two leads fall for each other in new, more interesting ways while keeping things relevant and engaging enough until the end. But eventually, its love interests will usually get together and live happily ever after. So, how do they write a sequel to that?

Not every romantic story gets a sequel, because they're often about what happens to love once it's caught. But this is done with manga. Whether they're following the genre's biggest hits or their cult classics, these are some of the best romance sequel manga.

10 Hana Nochi Hare: HanDan next season

MyAnimeList Score: 7.13

• Producer: Yoko Kamio
• 15 volumes, 113 chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media's Shojo Beat

The story of ordinary girl Tsukushi is overtaken by the elite Flower Four Hana Yori Dango An iconic romance manga. It caught on across Asia, receiving many adaptations on the continent, such as in Taiwan Meteor Garden and of India How are you guys?. However it took eleven years after its ending to get an official sequel.

Hana Nochi Hareaka Boy Over Flowers Season 2Follows a new set of bullies at Eitoku Academy's Correct 5, who push the poor students around. Their leader, Haruto, would do the same to Oto if she hadn't discovered his secret: he buys a fake self-help tat to try and be less squeamish. The two agree to keep each other's secrets, while slowly warming to each other.

9 Fruit Basket: Next

MyAnimeList Score: 7.14

• Producer: Natsuki Takaya
• 4 volumes, 23 chapters
• Available in English through Yen Press

original Fruit basket It was like an inverted harem Ranma ½ With its transformation and romance. Instead of a gender-changing lead, it had a shape-shifting supporting cast. The male members of the Soma Clan suffer from a curse that transforms them into Chinese zodiac animals when embraced by girls. Some found their newest addition, Toru, first hand.

The manga saw two different anime adaptations and an in-print sequel, Fruit Basket: Next. This time, new school student Sawa gets things wrong and gets on the bad side of people. Desperate and down and out, it takes Mutsuki and Hajime, members of the Soma Clan, to help him. It's an okay strip, if somewhat underwhelming, as it was made for a collector's edition rather than an actual sequel.

8 Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice and Wolf

MyAnimeList Score: 7.21

• Creators: Isuna Hasakura (writer), Hidori (art)
• 2+ volumes, 14+ chapters
• Available in English through Yen Press

Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice and Wolf is a sequel of sorts Spice and Wolf. It takes place after the events of the original manga and light novel but follows different characters. This time, the tot colonel drives the plot when he leaves the Spice and Wolf Bathhouse in the Winfield Kingdom to repair the crumbling church at their request.

At first it seems simple, as he says his goodbyes and departs, only to find someone in his luggage. Daughter of Muree S&W Leads Lawrence and Hollow, also wants to go with the Colonel and, when he says no, decides to take matters into his own hands. Unable to send her back, the Colonel reluctantly takes her on a trip, where the two embark on a new adventure.

7 Showa Otome Otogibanashi

MyAnimeList Score: 7.32

• Producer: Sana Kirioka
• 5 volumes, 48 ​​chapters
• Fan translations only

Taishou Otome Otogibanashi (Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale) saw the death of his mother and a rich boy, Tamahiko, brought up by his crippled hand, rediscovering the meaning of his life through Yuzuki, a woman his father had made his bride. The “Taisou” part of the title refers to its setting during the reign of Emperor Yoshihito (1912-1926).

Therefore, it is only fitting that the sequel be made during the time of his successor, Hirohito. Shouwa Otome Otogibanashi. It follows a new couple, Tokio and Jintaro, who promise each other as children to be together until the end. Reuniting years later, their burgeoning romance is threatened by their abusive families, traumas from their pasts, and complicated family deals. TaishoTamihiko.

6 UQ Holder!

MyAnimeList Score: 7.46

• Producer: Ken Akamatsu
• 28 volumes, 193 chapters
• Available in English through Kodansha Comics USA

Nejima! Magister Negi asked was a popular magical romcom that saw his child wizard Negi search for his missing father while trying to protect the many students of Mahora Academy from magical threats such as the vampire Evangeline. So at first, UQ Holder Doesn't seem like a direct sequel, as it's set generations later, and follows Negi's (possible) grandson and his dream of seeing the place from the great tower of Shin-Tokyo.

But it doesn't take long for his connections to be revealed as he is mortally wounded by a bounty hunter in an attempt to earn the privilege of visiting the city from his patron Yukihime. He is saved from death by Yukihime, who reveals herself to be Evangeline and leads Touta to join the UQ Holder organization. There he learns to protect humanity with other immortals and work out his complicated relationship with Evangeline.

5 Life is very happy

MyAnimeList Score: 7.74

• Composer: Kade Koichi
• 4 volumes, 22 chapters
• Fan translations only

Love is life was a strange romance as it saw two children brought together. Although she had always wanted to take care of children, when Shiharu babysat for the Matsunaga twins she never expected to become part of their family, as she soon found herself little more than a sitter for their single father, Seiji.

However, before she officially became their stepmother, Life is very happy Follows things from the twins' point of view as 5th graders, living with their father and grandmother from their late mother's family. As Shiharu continues his studies, the twins put what they learn from him into practice as they face new encounters and experiences in life.

4 To-Love-Ru: Darkness

MyAnimeList Score: 7.82

• Creators: Saki Hasemi (writer), Kentaro Yabuki (art)
• 18 volumes, 100 chapters
• Available in English through Seven Seas Entertainment

Interference with alien girls has become something in demand Urusei Yatsura. To-Love-Ru Just one of the most popular, as Rito becomes the cover partner of Lala Satalin, an alien princess from Planet Deviluke. Unable to accept his crush, Haruna, he must now teach Lala the ways of Earth, lest he incur the wrath of Lala's father and his galactic empire.

To-Love-Ru: Darkness He finds himself a victim of his indecision as his heart is torn between Lala and Haruna, with Lala's sister Momo also vying for his affection. She aims to establish an official harem for Rito in order to secure a place for herself. It only becomes more difficult when space assassin Yami falls for her as well, much to the anger of her sister Mi. If only Rito had made his choice sooner.

3 Rascal doesn't dream of little devil Kouhai

MyAnimeList Score: 7.85

• Creators: Hajime Kamoshida (writer), Tsukumo Asakusa (art)
• 2 volumes, 12 chapters
• Available in English through Yen Press

Rascal doesn't dream of a bunny girl senpai An unusual strip saw Sakuta trying to help his upper classmate Mai recover from “adolescence syndrome”. It's a strange, magical condition that affects teenagers in a variety of ways. In Mai's case, it makes her look like a bunny girl. This was not the end of Sakuta's problems.

Rascal doesn't dream of little devil Kouhai Sakuta sees a recovered Mai convince him to go on a date with him, only to repeat the day Groundhog Day– Style and reset your progress. The only solution for her is to pretend to be Tomoe's lover, another girl with adolescent syndrome. This is the first of many sequels where “Rascal” encounters various mysterious girls.

2 Cardcaptor Sakura: Blank Card

MyAnimeList Score: 8.05

• Creator: CLAMP
• 16 volumes, 86 chapters
• Available in English through Kodansha Comics USA

original Card Captor Sakura was an old-school shojo classic that saw Sakura trying to track down all the missing Claw Cards before Tomoeda could wreak havoc across the city. So, what happens when all the cards are picked up? One would think it would lead straight in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chroniclewhere Syaoran and the other CLAMP characters join forces to help Sakura regain her memories.

But there was a more direct sequel to Sakura's adventure. Cardcaptor Sakura: Blank Card Sakura sees her work as Cardcaptor complete. Everything was going well until he saw a dark figure in his dream. When she woke up, she discovered that her cards had been rendered transparent. Now she must become Cardcaptor again to restore her powers and find out who the dark person in her dreams is.

1 Teasing Master (Ex) Takagi-san

MyAnimeList Score: 8.08

• Producer: Mifumi Inaba
• 23 volumes, 319 chapters
• Fan translations only

Teasing master Takagi-san It became one of the most popular romance manga, where schoolgirl Nishikata tries her best to overcome the teasing of her classmate Takagi, only to be outdone by him at every turn. It is one of the few series to try and continue after a happy ending.

Teasing Master (Ex) Takagi-san Now the two look grown up and married, complete with a daughter named Chi. Unfortunately for Nishikata, the little girl follows her mother in her love of pranks, with her often on the receiving end of them, as her mother is still too sharp to take a joke from her daughter. Still, he puts up with it because it ultimately makes his family life all the happier.