February is the month of love, and one of the most beautiful and heart-warming holidays of the year many certainly look forward to is Valentine’s day. It’s a day when time seems to pass slower, and the air seems to smell a little sweeter than usual.

If you ever had the chance to be in Japan on Valentine’s day, you’ve probably noticed how different and special it is for them. Aside from Valentine’s, they also have “White Day,” which is very much related to Valentine’s and is celebrated exactly a month after. 

The 14th of February is recognized as a significant cultural and religious celebration of love and romance honoring Saint Valentine. On this day in many countries worldwide, people give heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to each other as a sign of appreciation and especially love.

In the land of the rising sun, the holiday is a chance for young girls and adults to gift the men in their lives “Giri-choco” (obligation chocolate) or “Honmei-choco” (sweet love) to show their affection. Of course, this can apply to either familial, romantic, or platonic relationships, or the lack thereof.

To impress and win the man’s heart, the lady needs to hit the kitchen and make the chocolate by herself. The amusing part is that exactly one month later, on the 14th of March on “White day,” if the guy feels the same for the girl, he is supposed to hand her white chocolates in response.

The White day tradition has also proliferated to other East Asian countries; in fact in Korea, a Black Day is observed exactly 31 days after White Day by people who were unsuccessful in finding a partner.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Japan could’ve had a typical kind of Valentine’s if not for a translation faux pas. When the holiday was first introduced in Japan in 1936, an executive member of a chocolate company Morozoff reportedly misunderstood and mistranslated the gift-giving tradition to be done primarily by women.

The translation failure, fortunately, turned out to be something good for business; the idea spread to the public, and soon enough other chocolate makers followed suit.

This was a lucky mistake, however. Almost always, translation misses can be a little messy and costly for companies. Read more about famous brands’ unfortunate mishaps here.

Flowers and chocolates are still the staple gifts during Valentine’s in Japan and in most parts of the world. In recent years, nonetheless, people have started to give well-thought-out and more creative gifts, be it matching clothes, books, handmade jewelry, and yes, in extreme cases, a bouquet of bacon.

To help make this special day of the year more unforgettable for you, our team at CCCI has listed the best romantic manga to either give as a gift to your beloved ones or simply for your cozy reading.

Among fans’ most recommended romance manga list, you’ll most certainly find “Fruits Basket.” The manga holds an intricate story that perfectly fleshes out every character.

A compassionate girl Tohru Honda, after a family tragedy, has been forced to camp out in the forest. Under some circumstances, her school friend Yuki Sohma invites her to stay in his place. Due to a family curse, a strange thing happens if someone from the opposite gender hugs him; he turns into the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The girl’s kind and strong heart may just help Yuki in his struggles.

The mysterious episodes and twists in the characters’ relationships make the “Fruits Basket” one of the romance bestsellers of all time.

The beautiful full-color illustrations of “High School Debut” tell the story of an athletic girl Haruna. The heroine of the romantic manga has devoted herself to baseball in middle school. This hardworking and not-so-feminine girl attempts to be viewed as attractive for boys but unfortunately can’t. In pursuit of an ideal boyfriend, she encounters Yoh Komiyama, one of the high school’s most popular upperclassmen. Finally, he agrees to be with her, only on the condition that Haruna won’t fall in love with him under any circumstances․

Funny, cute, and with fascinating art along with a heart-touching romantic manga tale, “Love Me, Love Me Not” makes it to our top 5 list.

Childhood friends Yuna and Akari are two high school girls with opposite views on life and love. Yuna is a dreamy girl, while Akari has a rather pragmatic perspective. Meanwhile, two boys with also very different thinking named Rio and Kazuomi come along their way. The story of these four classmates will show you how complicated both love and relationships can get and will surely satisfy your cravings for romance flicks.

If you’re a fan of slice of life, tearjerker manga series, then “Will You Marry Me Again if You are Reborn?” is for you. The story revolves around the memories of a deeply in love husband and wife, now an elderly couple, reminiscing their past. Each chapter shows how the happily married couple built their relationship over twenty years. Regrettably, the husband is now in poor health and the wife stays beside him in the hospital. 

This one-of-a-kind and heart-wrenching story shares the immense power of love. We recommend bringing some tissues with you while you read this amazing piece! 

This wonderfully-illustrated romantic manga will fill your Valentine’s Day with love and cuteness. A pretty 15-year-old girl Suiren Shibazaki is highly popular among her high school peers due to her stunning appearance. She doesn’t let anyone close to her, except Taichi, a quiet boy and a karate champion. The two of them try to exchange words but fail, as they are both extremely shy. Eventually, an adorable romance unfolds between them.

Romance manga are the perfect must-haves for this love-filled time of year. So cuddle with your loved ones and get a hold of these lovely manga this Valentine’s day!

Want your romantic story to be read by the world? We can help. CCCI translates and localizes manga, graphic novels, or comic books into 30 and more languages. Send us your project today.

For our beloved readers, may you be filled with love during this Valentine’s season as we leave you with “I love you” in 25 beautiful languages: 我爱你 (Chinese), 사랑해요 (Korean), Je t’aime (French), あなたが大好きです (Japanese), أحبك (Arabic), Ti amo (Italian), Te amo (Spanish), Ich liebe dich (German), Kocham Cię (Polish), Eu te amo (Portuguese), Я люблю тебя (Russian), دوستت دارم (Persian), Minä rakastan sinua (Finnish), Seni seviyorum (Turkish), אני אוהב אותך (Hebrew), Anh yêu em (Vietnamese), ik hou van je (Dutch), Szeretlek (Hungarian), Σε αγαπώ (Greek), Miluji tě (Czech), jag älskar dig (Swedish), მიყვარხარ (Georgian), Ես քեզ սիրում եմ (Armenian), Phm rạk khuṇ (Thai), and मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ (Hindi).

Find more about the best manga to read during the holidays, K-dramas based on webtoons.