The Perfect Stories to Give For Valentine's Day

People buy each other manga as gifts for Valentine's day, all the time. It's normal to get home or get to your desk and find that perfect romantic manga to, maybe, set the mood or something. It might not be too far from Christmas, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't expect a light novel under that Friendship or Courtesy chocolate.

There's a story for every kind of relationship. Or, if you're single, we also have a post of Valentine’s Day Stories For The Single Reader.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

Tomozaki is one of the best gamers in Japan, and in his opinion, the game of real life is one of the worst. No clear-cut rules for success, horribly balanced, and nothing makes sense. But then he meets a gamer who's just as good as him, and she offers to teach him a few exploits...

Tomozaki doubles as both a self-help story and a romantic drama. It's a My Fair Lady for the modern, discerning reader. The story of a hopeless gamer who's whipped into relationshape by someone who's winning at the game of life heartpounds and inspires in equal measure.

Give it to: The reader who should gain some confidence and slouch a little less.

Cheeky Brat

I, Yuki, became the basketball team manager for one reason—I had a crush on the captain and wanted to be with him, always. But when Kido-senpai suddenly announced he got a girlfriend, where did that leave me? In the clubroom, crying my eyes out…until this cheeky brat of an underclassman showed up. And now that stupid, pretty playboy, Naruse, seems determined to wiggle his way into every corner of my life…

We can't choose who we fall in love with. Some days you're head over heels for your basketball ace senpai, the next day you might find yourself with an uncomfortable attraction to a first-year student who's kind of an ass but clearly likes you.

If this has ever happened to you - or you've ever considered the possibility that it might - Cheeky Brat might be right for you.

Give it to: A cheeky brat. C'mon.

Sasaki and Miyano

It all started like a typical old-school boys’ love plotline—bad-boy senior meets adorably awkward underclassman, one of them falls in love, and so on and so forth. But although Miyano is a self-proclaimed boys’ love expert, he hasn’t quite realized…he’s in one himself. Which means it’s up to Sasaki to make sure their story has a happily ever after…!

Sometimes all a story needs is surety, what with this crazy, mixed up world of ours. Is there any drama in the BL-loving world of Sasaki and Miyano? Maybe a little. Don't worry about it, they'll be fine.

Give it to: A sweet, perfect muffin.

Unnamed Memory

"My wish as champion is for you to descend the tower and be my wife." Climbing a deadly tower, Oscar seeks the power of its master, the Witch of the Azure Moon. He hopes her incredible magic can break a curse that will kill any woman he takes for a wife. When the prince sees how beautiful Tinasha is, though, he has a better idea-since she's surely strong enough to survive his curse, she should just marry him instead! Tinasha isn't keen on the idea, but agrees to live with Oscar in the royal castle for a year while researching the spell placed on the prince.

This is a storybook romance in the best sense - it hews to a very different set of motifs and inspirations than most of our light novels. A prince in a castle, a witch in her tower, alive as real characters in a splendid romance.

Give it to: That special prince or tower witch in your life.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that's exactly where Sakuta finds one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, a girl one year older than Sakuta, famous at their school for her acting career even though she's currently on break.

To top it all off, it seems like no one else in the library can see Mai at all, no matter what she does or...wears. Wanting to find out more about this mystery and maybe get a little closer to this beautiful upperclassman in the process, Sakuta launches an investigation to discover why an unforgettable bunny girl keeps becoming totally invisible.

If there's one thing I've learned while working at Yen Press, it's not to judge a book by it's cover. No, really - Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is a sensitive, thoughtful drama/romance about teens with problems.

Give it to: The person who feels invisible. Or too visible. Whichever one is the problem.

Thank you for reading our blog! Enjoy Valentine's Day.