Need a Laugh? 13 Lighthearted Mangas for Instant Comfort

As I get older, I don’t prefer reading something that is too heavy. Life is heavy enough and very real. Mangas that are set in real life but not too realistic, with some outlandish, deadpan jokes are perfect for days when I just want to unwind. These 13 funny mangas do not have any horrors or gores. While some of them are iyashi-kei, they are not the kind that make you smile and go “awww” but make you laugh out, so be cautious where and when you read them!

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki

The Premise: The story starts with Chiyo Sakura trying to confess her feelings to her crush, Umetaro Nozaki, only to discover his secret identity and somehow end up becoming one of his assistants. It mostly revolves around Nozaki and his close group of friends. While the guys all have completely different personalities, every single one of them is pure-hearted and good-natured! As for the girls, there isn’t a single dislikeable character in the bunch!

Why You’ll Love It: It’s a 4-panel (4-koma) manga, but the overarching plot steadily progresses. Along the way, you get all kinds of unique dynamics—height-difference pairs, strong female/dominant vs. submissive tropes, and loyal puppy-dog types—but don’t worry about getting dragged into agonizing romance drama. There isn’t any.

The Fable by Katsuhisa Minami

The Premise: The main plot is simple: the legendary hitman and his partner are ordered by their boss to go into hiding and live as ordinary people for a year. That’s it. Naturally, all kinds of unexpected twists pop up along the way, but deep down, the boss just wants to see if they can actually survive life as regular folks. After all, with technology constantly advancing, even hitmen have to rethink their careers and plan for middle age!

Why You’ll Love It: My absolute favorite! The first time I read it, I couldn’t stop laughing—Akira Sato and Yoko are walking punchlines XD

Anime available on Hulu and movie adaptation on Netflix.

The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono

The Premise: The legendary ex-yakuza member known as the ‘Immortal Dragon’ retires after getting married to devote himself to househusband duties. He takes his domestic life so seriously and works so hard at it.

Why You’ll Love It: Man, I wish I had a husband like thus; I’d gladly bear the burden of being the breadwinner! When I read the manga, I never thought it could actually get a live-action adaptation, yet Hiroshi Tamaki somehow fit the role completely seamlessly. Though, I really didn’t want to see Chiaki senpai’s image destroyed like that!!

Also adapted into anima.

Hinamatsuri by Masao Ohtake

The Premise: I don’t even know how to summarize the plot—long story short, it’s a mix of Yakuza life and psychic superpowers.

Why You’ll Love It: It’s absolutely packed with absurdities, but it is seriously hilarious; I felt exhausted on Nitta’s behalf in every possible way. Toward the end of the manga run, it felt like it lost a bit of momentum, but I’ll give it credit for actually letting time pass instead of keeping everyone in middle school forever.

Yugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga Inai by Jun Sakura

The Premise: The female lead, Chihiro Watanuki, really wants to fit in and make good friends quickly after transferring schools, but she happens to be seated right next to the completely beat-of-his-own-drum Yuji Yugami. I absolutely adore this kind of male lead!

Why You’ll Love It: If you every wish you don’t have to care about what other people think, and just enjoy being yourself, you will LOVE Yugami. He does come off a bit on the spectrum, but what is really appealing about him is that he also works very hard to achieve his own goals, no matter how they might seem silly to other people. Chihiro is also a very likeable character that being rather average, she is kind, works hard, and just like everyone of us, trying to fit in.

If you like this type of protagonist but want to read novels instead, definitely check out The Rosie Project series (Don Tillman) and A Man Called Ove.

Kodai-ke no Hitobito by Morimoto Kozueko

The Premise: A female lead with a wild imagination (she can totally give the delusion-prone detective from Ryuusei no Kizuna a run for his money!), and a story where an ordinary girl lands an ultra-perfect guy—yet it never feels annoying or off-putting at all.

Why You’ll Love It: Highly, highly recommended! A bit of a peasant girl meeting the prince vibe, but with the almost cursed mind-reading power among the Kodais, she really is a bless for him. Wild, wild imaginations she has but never vile.

The live-action drama cast Saito Takumi as Koutamasa and Ayase Haruka as Kie… but honestly, how on earth are you supposed to pull off a contrast between ‘ordinary’ and ‘perfect’ with a cast like that?!

ケンシロウによろしく by ジャスミン・ギュ

The Premise: This is the story of a child domestic violence victim who turns into a massage expert out of pure hatred XD

Why You’ll Love It: Both the art style and the plot are completely bizarre—it feels like everyone’s eyes are perpetually strained—but it is genuinely so funny you won’t be able to stop laughing. As the title suggests, it is a spoofing parody of Hokuto no Ken; I’ve not read much of Hokuto no Ken, but the funny reference still holds.

Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo

The Premise: The best spy adopting a new identity with an assembled family to complete his mission, however things get pretty complicated apparently when you do not have full control of your family, especially when your wife is an assasin, your daughter reads minds, and your brother-in-law is with the intelligence of the opposite side!

Why You’ll Love It: A heavy historical background but the story has such a slice of life vibe to it that it is more lighthearted. I especially like Anya’s school life while she tries so hard to help achieve the mission by befriending the subject’s son while he inevitably thinks she has a crush on him.

Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store by Matsukoma and Hashimoto (illustrator)

The Premise: Not much plot but about the night-shift convenience store workers and their daily encounters with the customers.

Why You’ll Love It: There is no “main plot” so you can read as you go.

写らナイんです by コノシマルカ

The Premise: When a boy who can see ghosts but has been so traumatized by his supernatural power, meets a girl who desparately wants to meet spirits but completely unaware of her unparalleled exorcising power, the story begins. She brings him a new aspect of life, to a group of friends (who are equally crazy if not more), and maybe a bit of crush.

Why You’ll Love It: Most hilarious! Despite the darkest fear and terror imbeded in Kurokiri’s life, the whole Occult club is full of members and a consultant that are more than ready to combat the oddities with their strong characters. Each one of them has their own weird personalities, but very likeable overall.

Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma

The Premise: It follows Yotsuba and her dad after moving to a new home, capturing little slice-of-life moments as she interacts with the three sisters next door and her dad’s friends.

Why You’ll Love It: My top recommendation for a truly iyashi-kei masterpiece. There is no main plot at all—it’s genuinely just a manga about a preschooler playing and having fun every day. Such a simple setup, yet it’s beyond adorable, filled with moments that make you smile warmly and others that make you burst out laughing. It really goes to show that life held so much more variety and fun back when we were young, and before smartphones ever existed.

Barakamon by Satsuki Yoshino

The Premise: Handa, who aspires to become a calligrapher like his father, is sent to a remote island to train. Raised in Tokyo and having spent his whole life strictly following the rules of calligraphy, the young man immediately suffers major culture shock on the island—yet he forms a rare and precious bond with Naru, a neighborhood kid. Every single supporting character is so distinct and well-developed. Super recommended!

Why You’ll Love It: Highly, highly recommended; I’ve probably reread it at least five times now. Also very iyashi-kei. There are some life-affirming and motivational plots but not in a lecture way, just heartwarming.

Adapted into both anima and TV show.

Handa-kun by Satsuki Yoshino

The Premise: The prequel to Barakamon, Handa-kun, covers Handa’s high school years. Because he’s terrible at social interactions, everyone around him wildly misunderstands him, accidentally turning him into a revered leader without him even knowing it.

Why You’ll Love It: The absurd, over-the-top comedy is insanely funny.

Near the bottom, drop a simple table so readers can pick based on what they’re craving right now: