In the manga Cat Street, we follow the story of former child actress, Keito Aoyama, a young girl who lost interest in acting after a terrible childhood incident impacted her life. This tragedy influenced her tremendously over the years. Now as a teen, she continually drifts through life without a singular purpose, passing her time full of ennui. However, this routine of hers changes one day when Keito meets a certain set of individuals, placing her in an environment that offers her life a newfound perspective.

Keito and Sana are two child actresses who must overcome a great and challenging obstacle. Keito, a former child actress, must defeat stagnation, and for Sana, a current star, the issue is bullying. We’ve all heard the statement that life is filled with the unexpected. Accordingly, throughout the unfortunate circumstances that these girls face, with the help of supportive friends aiding them through their trial, Keito and Sana are able to achieve success and happiness. Both are feel-good, manga, if you enjoy one, you’ll most likely enjoy the other!

Uru Takamura often gets mistaken for a young girl, but in actuality, she is an energetic, cheerful, resilient, and abnormally strong-for-her-size young woman. After her mother remarries, she decides that it is time for her to leave the nest, taking on independence and living on her own. Longing for a greater purpose, perhaps finding romance like her mother, she begins working at Café Bonheur, a famous Pâtisserie, in hopes of running into her special someone. In her journey, Uru starts her first shift working with two peculiar guys, Ichirou Nishikawa and Satsuki Shindou, who at first glance appear like individuals to avoid on a dark street. Nevertheless, these fellas begin to change her, starting her on the path to happiness and romance.

Both manga present a female lead character that has an incredibly bright and optimistic personality, beaming upon everyone she encounters. Displaying a dynamic cast of characters, each one has a unique quality that brings excitement to the story, impacting Uru and Sana’s lives in some shape or form. Even though the stories are set in different environments, the SoL element is greatly emphasized in both, as their plots can occur among everyday folk. With that being said, life messages emanate from each story’s development and ending, providing readers with the feelings of anticipation and delight.

“You make me feel like I’m living a teenage dream…”

Drowning Love shares the story of a beautiful sixth grader named Natsume Mochizuki. Natsume has a sense of maturity well beyond her age and is able to handle a blossoming modeling career despite her father’s opposition. Natsume is a city girl at heart, but a sudden change moves the family to rural Japan. There, she meets two boys named Kouichiro Hasegawa and Katsutoshi Ootomo, who both profoundly change her perspective on modeling, relationships, and overall living.

Drowning Love and Kodocha both introduce readers to two young ladies, Natsume and Sana, who are talented celebrities in their respective fields, modeling and acting. Demonstrating striking personalities above all others in their class, the gals gain the attention of the token bad boy of their stories, Katsutoshi and Akito. In their relationship, each couple develops and learns a little more about themselves, individually. Additionally, Drowning Love has more adult themes than Kodocha, but nonetheless, offers an engaging story.

Rockin’★Heaven follows high school student, Sawa Konishi and her crazy adventures at Heaven’s Wing Academy. Previously an all-boys school, Sawa applies thinking that new female applicants would receive a warm welcome. Additionally, Sawa is obsessed with the school’s uniform and is looking forward to wearing it! At the start of the year, things take a turn for the worst, as many in her class bully, tease, and ultimately make her life terrible. On one occasion, Sawa gets her shoes thrown into the water and accidently falls in, but unexpectedly gets saved by Ran Matsuyuki, one of many who made her life hell. However, his uncovered kindness sweeps her off her feet, and she finds herself intrigued by him. From this moment forth, how will the rest of the school year play out?

Rockin’ Heaven and Kodocha offer readers the message of personal refinement and progress, especially when one is entering their young adult years. Our girls, Sawa and Sana, are victims of bullying, a cruel method for oppressors to assert dominance, and never acceptable in any circumstance. Also at this age, it is easy for some to sway under the influence of the masses. Nevertheless, our girls continually keep their chin up, remaining positive no matter the difficulty. As a result, they are able to see kindness through their tormentors, helping them shed their skins of cruelty and unveiling a gentler image.

It’s a climb to the top of the popularity chain! Blacks versus Whites versus Greys, every school has their own cliques and Hina Mishima’s school is one of them. This clique thing has become commonplace, but Hina is not used to such a hostile environment after being away from her home town for quite some time. Where does Hina belong in all of this? It’s difficult to say, but only reading further will you be able to determine where her loyalties lie!

In Penguin☆Brothers and Kodocha, Hina and Sana share similar personalities, as they are both bright-eyed, giddy, and passionate girls, creating a significant effect in their newly placed environment. Shifting the unbalanced norm at school, Hina and Sana are able to turn the other cheek to those who have been unkind, rude, and thoughtless to them initially. Containing warm, lighthearted and dramatic themes, these manga are super enjoyable.

Mizu no Yakata is the side story of Kodocha written by Miho Obana. It centers on the story of a boy, Hiroto Suzuhara, whose parents died in a car accident and how he suddenly remembers that he has an older brother, Masato, whose whereabouts are unknown. On a journey to locate his brother, Hiroto by chance finds himself at a mysterious mansion where the spirit of Masato’s girlfriend, Mako, haunts them. A story muddled with secrets and riddles, see how this narrative is connected to Kodocha.

Mizu no Yakata is mentioned numerous times in Kodocha, as Sana portrays a character for the film of the same title. Dialogue and scenes from Mizu no Yakata are referred to in Kodocha’s story, adding many similar elements and qualities. Those who find Kodocha intriguing will want to check out Mizu just for fun.