SUPA KAWAII!: The Top 10 Most Adorable Comics & Manga

Men have a hard time peeing in my bathroom. They come out shuddering, looking pale, and generally rolling their eyes in my general direction. No, it’s not some filthy pile of half used makeup or rife with framed pictures of the pain olympics on the wall – it’s hot pink and full of some of the cutest things imaginable. While the rest of my house is fairly classy (albeit full of toys), my bathroom is an explosion of pink and girliness. It’s the home to all of my Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Lisa Frank, unicorn artwork, shoujo manga, Japanese fashion magazines… And because I choose to decorate my bathroom this way, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I REALLY. LOVE. CUTE. STUFF.

While I love Batman just as much as any other huge comic nerd, there’s a part of me that melts into a wobbly puddle when I see cute comic book and manga art. It elicits the same feelings in me as looking at baby bunnies does – a pure gasp of “awwwww!”, followed by some sort of wiggle dance. So tonight I turned to my shelves of comic and manga and I found the cutest, most disarmingly adorable comics for your persual and enjoyment. Have your limited edition Tokidoki bag nearby, because you’re going to be puking rainbows any minute now.

Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa

“Kawaii” (the Japanese word for cute) and Lolita fashion kind of go hand in hand. Lolita fashion is a style very popular in Japan in which girls dress like little dolls – flouncy dresses, big bows, lots of pink and cuteness. Paradise Kiss dives headlong into the intense fashionable culture of Lolita and focuses around a core group of characters who design Lolita clothing or are involved in the sub culture in some way. It’s delightfully dramatic and well written, but it’s also rich with BEAUTIFUL outfits. It’s like a fashion bible for the comically inclined.

 

Chi’s Sweet Home by Konata Konami

This is probably the third list on ifanboy that I have included Chi’s Sweet Home In, but that’s just because it is honestly the cutest thing I have ever, EVER had the pleasure of reading. I’m getting giggly just thinking about it. Seriously, in lieu of anti depressants this comics should just be prescribed instead. It’s the perfectly precious story of a kitten who gets separated from his mother and his litter and is found by a Japanese family. But they aren’t allowed to have cats in their rental – so it partly focuses on them trying to keep Chi and half focuses on Chi’s adorable kitty adventures. I’m going to have to go get my Chi fix after I finish writing this article.

 

The Carmine Vault by Fafi

French graffiti artist took the street art world by storm when she surfaced with her incredible, highly sexualized but somehow statement making art of incredibly feminine women. She quickly gained critical acclaim, catching the interest of fashion designers and art blogs worldwide. Finally, she released her first real comic – the Carmine Vault – and it is rife with her bold, colorful, incredibly cute style.

Anything by Junko Mizuno

Anything isn’t the name of a comic – you should just really pick up anything by Junko Mizuno if you want a cute fix with a bit of WTF mixed in. The best way to describe Mizuno’s artwork is “grotesque cute” – she renders zombies with their guts spilling out as somehow adorable. Her bold lines and bright colors misrepresent the dark undertones of all of her stories – rife with self aware pose feminism and social commentary. But I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve ever picked up by Junko – and on top of being super adorable, her comics are intelligent and insane reads.

 

Korgi by Christian Slade

The internet has two kryptonites: Cats and Corgis. Thus, as a true resident of the internet, when I stumbled across Korgi at San Diego Comic-con I immediately pounced upon it in a ferocious rush for cuteness. It did not disappoint. This is one of the sweetest, most wonderful comics I have ever read. It’s the simple adventures of a girl and her dog in a glade – all illustrated by former Disney animator Christian Slade. The art is good enough to eat, and the stories are heartwarming. Please pick up this publication yesterday.

 

Seedless by Corey Lewis

A delightful purely WTF comic by the pop “Comix” artist Corey Lewis, Seedless is definitely one of my favorite comics to flip through when I’m needing a unique art fix. It’s the story of grape warriors. Very hyperactive, it’s inspired by Japanese manga and video games, rife with epic combat and silly dialogue. I love this comic.

 

Anything by Camilla D’Errico

Camilla D’Errico doesn’t actually have a comic out – but her art books are worth picking up. She specializes in soft, wide eyed girls with anime influences, usually drawn alongside cute animals. There is a sort of innocent sensuality in her art that I purely adore – and apparently other people do, too, as her booth at any given convention is always mobbed by fans of her beautiful art work.

 

Happy Happy Clover by Tatsuyama Sayuri

If you aren’t prepared to puke rainbows, puppies, and unicorns, avoid this manga. But if that’s your thing – dive right in. Happy Happy Clover goes up to 11 on a scale of cuteness – it’s the story of bunnies who travel around a forest together getting in and out of trouble and being generally precious. The art is so gag worthy it’s commendable, and thus I love it.

 

DiGi Charat by Koge-Donbo

Digi Charat is 3 things: very Japanese, VERY fan servicey, and very, VERY adorable. It follows the hyper active adventures of a cat girl and her two anthro friends – a bunny girl and another cat girl – as they befriend random people at the store they work at/are involved with: Gamers.

 

Owly by Andy Runton

And finally we have Owly, the adorable, simple children’s comic about the good natured and gentle owl Owly and his adventures with his other forest friends. It is full of heartfelt messages and very lovely artwork – it definitely belongs on this list.

What other cute comics/manga have you read? Let us know in the comments below!

Molly McIsaac’s favorite ice cream flavor is coffee, and she likes to have dance parties with her dog. You can follow her occasional rants and constant weirdness on twitter.

Comments

  1. Andy Runton is the nicest guy on the planet. He’s almost like the comic-book version of Mr. Rogers.

  2. Is it possible to overdose on cuteness and if so what are the side effects?

  3. ‘Hero Bear and the Kid’ by Mike Kunkel was adorable. Like a superhero version of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ by the guy that did ‘Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!’

  4. I finally know what kawaii means. Korgi looks really good

  5. I find the OZ books of Eric Shanower and Skottie Young quite adorable.

  6. Yotsuba!