Ah, Valentine’s Day–the day for romance and love. But even after February 14th, the odor of romance lingers. It’s the perfect month to celebrate your significant other, to be pampered and to be reminded of how loved you are. Manta is the destination for all things romance and they have the perfect selection of romance comics reads. We’ve paired them with little snacks and drinks for you and your partner to read together.
We have romantasy series like Finding Camellia, high school romances and one-sided love like Heart Stain, and if you’re looking for tooth-rotting sweetness, you have to read Bittersweet Con Panna.
Finding Camellia
Looking for a gender bending series? Finding Camellia is your webcomic to read. Twelve-year-old Camellia had been living on the streets before she was swept away by an aristocratic family, stripped of her identity and must now masquerade as the youngest son Camellius Bale. The main couple Camellia and Claude go through their fair share of struggles with Camellia trying to find some way to regain her identity while Claude having a sexual orientation crisis of sorts when he’s confused why he has feelings for a boy.
SNACK: Freshly baked madeleines
SIP: Chrysanthemum blooming tea
SOMETHING EXTRA: Some gentle piano music in the background
Spring, the Color of Love
Spring, the Color of Love is the kind of story you read when you’re feeling a particular mood. Jiyeon Park adapted Chepali‘s story into a webcomic and is a love story 10 years in the making. Cheongsun and Gonghyeon met by chance in college but their relationship fell apart soon after and the two never saw each other again.
Until they meet again at a hotel that Gonghyeon is the CEO of and where Cheongsun works at. This manhwa is filled with longing and angst because the two have so many unsaid things between them, but by the end of it, it’ll feel like you’re standing under a cherry blossom tree–the pay off is just that beautiful.
SNACK: A strawberry shortcake
SIP: A glass of rosé or sparkling juice if you prefer a non-alcoholic beverage
SOMETHING EXTRA: “Je te veux” by Erik Satie
The Promise Isn’t Mine
SNACK: Charcuterie board with fancy cheese & fruit spreads
SIP: Sparkling elderflower mocktail
SOMETHING EXTRA: The fluffiest, warmest blanket you have
Bittersweet Con Panna
Bittersweet Con Panna is as the title implies: it starts off so incredibly sweet with Songah and her girlfriend Yoonsung happily in love until Yoonsung’s childhood friend enters the picture (but don’t worry, the angst is barely negligible and more sweet than bitter). It’s a lighthearted slice-of-life tale that features not just one but two lesbian couples who just really love their girlfriends. Co-created by Hobaen and Sohn Gaepi, Bittersweet Con Panna is the perfect story to read with your girlfriend!
SNACK: A delicious plate of panna cotta or a slice of cheesecake
SIP: Espresso
SOMETHING EXTRA: A romantic drive at night
The Pizza Delivery Man and Gold Palace
Looking for an opposites attract series? Want a break from the usual relationship dynamic tropes that you see in a BL? Look no further than The Pizza Delivery Man and Gold Palace.
While u-pi‘s work does still have some cliche elements like the two protagonists being on two different spectrums of financial stability, most of the time it’s the “top” who is rich but The Pizza Delivery Man switches it up with Seoan being wealthy but struggles with some mental health issues while Woowon is a struggling pizza delivery man trying to make ends meet. The series is both sweet and spicy–the perfect pizza combo.
SNACK: Spicy pepperoni pizza
SIP: Iced Americano or a black tea
SOMETHING EXTRA: Scented candle with alluring woodsy notes
Shall We Bathe, Your Grace?
Nobody likes stinky things. A throwaway comment that Nadia made on a romantasy series about how “funny it would be if a character was reincarnated and…then tormented by the filth” lands her right in said series. Talk about putting your foot in your mouth.
The world in which Nadia is now living in absolutely hates bathing and Nadia is tormented left and right by the stenches assaulting her. Her only hope? The only man who doesn’t stink: Duke Cartane. Nokan‘s original story, adapted by Manta Comics, is a hilarious lighthearted read for anyone who wants to laugh and also thank the stars that they don’t live in the Middle Ages.
SNACK: Freshly baked goods that just came straight out of the oven
SIP: A cup of black tea
SOMETHING EXTRA: An extra bubbly bubble bath. Throw in your favorite scent and bath accessories
Heart Stain
Unrequited love is rough but when your unrequited love is your high school teacher, it gets that much harder. That’s Heart Stain‘s Woohyun’s problem and he thought he had kept his secret crush, well, secret, but his best friend Doha finds out and instead of outing him…kind of offers him an out.
Doha makes a deal with Woohyun: they’ll date until graduation and if Woohyun falls in love with him, then he wins and if he doesn’t then Woohyun does. Anyone who’s looking for a high school romance with secret crushes on both sides need not look any farther than AG‘s BL story; plus there’s the added bonus of it being turned into a live-action adaptation.
SNACK: Peppero
SIP: Coke or Pepsi
SOMETHING EXTRA: Take a walk down the beach.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
So, what romance webcomics will you be scrolling through? Be sure and let us know in the comment section. And from all of us at K-Comics Beat, Happy Valentine’s Month!
