7 Best Manga to Read During the Holidays

New Year’s Eve lights, cozy nights, Netflix, and… manga time! These are just some of the best things about the holiday season. With more time off work during this period, you have all the time in the world to catch up to the latest chapters of your favorite holiday manga and explore ones you haven’t read before.

Here’s a list of the best holiday-themed manga that all readers should consider checking out during this season!

You’re going to love this manga if you’re fond of adventure, mystery, drama, and historical genres. This delightful story is about Tsubaki Kamui, the granddaughter of a noted antiquarian. She decides to keep the business running after his death. Tsubaki is involved in an intrigue that concerns one of the greatest mysteries of modern history: the disappearance of Anastasia Romanov! One day in her shop, a mysterious and handsome man Sena Takuto comes in. He asks her to carry out an expert opinion on a fragment of bone and claims to be the great-grandson of the last surviving member of the Russian royal family. 

This manga by Saitou Chiho has an entire volume dedicated to Christmas tradition and The Nutcracker ballet that will surely put you in a holiday mood.

In the mood for a Christmas romance? Then this one is certainly for you. This well-written and wonderfully illustrated Christmas romantic story is created by Motoyo Fujiwara (original English novel is by Andrea Edwards). The protagonist of the manga is Merry, a cute girl who works as a waitress. In need of money, she accepts a proposal to pretend to be the girlfriend of Peter, one of her customers. Peter wants to introduce her as his girlfriend to his family over Thanksgiving. The fake relationship turns out to be an exciting love journey that every reader will surely enjoy. 

“Sugar Family” is a manga that will surely tug at your heartstrings. The story revolves around a girl Yuka who lost her mother at an early age. The girl learns about her dad planning to get remarried to a reliable woman who had a son, Taichi. Her stepbrother, a high school teacher, turns out to be as irresponsible as her father. As they aren’t siblings by birth, Yuka is very cold toward him and hesitates to even call him “onii-chan” (the respectful way to address an elder brother) which her family wishes her to refer to him as. The family eventually ends up living an interesting life together.

Haigo Akira, the author of the manga, has crafted a story that shows the ups and downs of an unconventional family, highly appropriate for a season that brings families together.

“Sweet Rein” is a light and short manga series about two individuals meant to spend the Christmas season together.

Kurumi Sagara, one of the main characters, is sad at the thought of spending the day alone. All of a sudden, she bumps into an animated guy Kaito, and an odd Santa-Reindeer relationship emerges. The guy introduces himself as a reindeer and calls Kurumi his Santa Claus. Going past their master-servant relationship, the story turns into a romantic (and mysterious) comedy. The unique and entertaining plot of the book will keep you excited throughout your whole reading journey on how their relationship will grow.

The manga is created by Sakura Tsukuba who enchants readers with her vivid imagination that keeps readers on their toes after every episode. Sweet Rein’s lovable characters and the interesting plot make it easy for everyone to pick it up and read along at any point.

“Chocolate Christmas” is written by Naoko Takeuchi, the maker of Sailor Moon. This enchanting Christmas story is about a Japanese girl and a DJ, namely Ryoko and Choco. The heroine Ryoko Handa loves Christmas to death but usually spends it alone as her parents are always occupied with work. One day, while listening to her favorite radio show, a DJ named Choco catches her attention. Wanting to make him smile, she decides to anonymously bring a cake to the radio station. Through love letters and secret identities, a romantic relationship arises between them.

The manga has a sequel called “Wink Rain”. These short stories were later compiled and released together by Kodansha in a graphic novel titled “Chocolate Christmas”.

This light, one-shot manga follows the journey of a financially-strapped girl who’s been saving up for a long time to get a really expensive pudding. Then here comes Mr. Super Rich who is used to getting whatever he wants. He has his eyes on the same special pudding but she refuses to give it to him, causing a huge argument between the two. The story is brought to a huge twist when the guy shows up the next day and tells her to become his partner.

This adorable story revolves around the dynamics of two interesting characters in a holiday season. It is indeed a sweet love story that will surprise you with its unpredictable developments.

True to the many great reviews of this manga, the Tim Burton classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is indeed a fascinating story anyone can enjoy during the holiday season. 

The Pumpkin King Jack Skellington is the ruler of Halloween Town. He unexpectedly stumbles upon Christmas Town and discovers Christmas. Thereafter, the young patchwork doll Sally with the help of the evil Oogie Boogie tries to take over Halloween Town.

As this is a quintessential Christmas story, “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a manga adaptation by Jun Asuka, lands first place on our list.

Have you decided what to read from our list yet? What’s your favorite manga to revisit during the holiday season? Let us know in the comments below!

If you have trouble with manga translation, feel free to contact CCCI!

Wishing you a great and unforgettable holiday filled with joy, love, peace, manga, and more manga!

Find more about the best romantic manga, K-dramas based on webtoons, manga to anime adaptations 2022, and comics and webtoon to read for Christmas.