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Are you looking for romantic manga to read but don’t know where to start? This guide to manga erotica gives you a crash course in ecchi and hentai, and shows you the difference between these two categories – it can be more subtle than you think! – and give you some great places to start reading manga with sex scenes.
Manga Erotica: A Beginner’s Guide to Ecchi & Hentai
What is the difference between ecchi and hentai? If you’ve been in the manga and anime fan base for a long time, you are likely already familiar with either or both of these terms. You may even have heard that they are used interchangeably.
The truth, however, is that ecchi and hentai exist at different ends of the erotic manga spectrum. Depending on how much erotic content you regularly consume, the differences between the two can seem incredibly subtle or obvious.
Let’s start with hentai. You heard that term. It was mentioned in The Office and Workin ‘Moms, and “tentacle” jokes have become part of the English lexicon. If you look at manga from a pornographic perspective, hentai is hardcore. When it comes to romance novels, it’s hot with a capital HAWT. Hentai isn’t necessarily just porn, not a plot, but the porn is generally inseparable from the plot.
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Now for those tentacles. Yes, the spirit of Hokusai’s dream of the fisherman’s wife lives on in many erotic manga and anime series today. But not all hentai is full of weird aliens, horny monsters, or other weird creatures that moan at night, so we’ll keep track.
With all that out of the way, let’s talk about ecchi. You may have heard that this Japanese term is defined as “perverted” or “lustful” or a euphemism for hentai. The truth is that ecchi manga is a lot tamer than hentai. It’s the softcore porn of the Japanese comic book world, and romance readers will find that these series end up on the cooler side of things, usually somewhere between cute and black.
But wait, do you say there is a huge difference between a sweet romance and one that goes black!
That’s correct! It can be helpful to think of ecchi like this: All ecchi have exciting content, but the purpose of that content and how central it is to the plot will vary. Where explicit sex is a big part of all hentai series, an ecchi story can use sex as a plot tool, fan service, or comedic relief. Where one ecchi manga has a slow romance with lots of secret glances and fear, another uses upskirts, flashings and – um – tent pants as the basis for comedy.
The bottom line is: there is a wide world of erotic manga out there, and there really is something for everyone. Keep scrolling to find your new favorite erotic manga series.
Best manga erotic for new readers
Note: Since so many manga with sex scenes feature underage main characters, these suggestions tend towards the sweeter end of the erotic manga spectrum.
Chobits from CLAMP
When it comes to mangas that have lots of fan service and little explicit sex, it’s hard to beat a classic like Chobits. In a world where “persocoms” – anthropomorphized PCs – are the norm, this cute series revolves around Hideki, a college student who finds a persocom named Chii in an alley. Persocoms are not supposed to be able to feel emotions, but Chii seems somehow different and Hideki cannot deny his own developing feelings either.
Saburouta citrus fruits
When her widowed mother’s remarriage forces her to change schools, Yuzu finds difficulty navigating an ultra-strict girls’ school, where she clashes violently with student body president Mei. When she returns home, however, Yuzu learns that she and Mei will be forced to spend a lot of time together … because Mei is her new stepsister … and they become roommates.
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma by Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki
At first glance, Food Wars doesn’t seem like the kind of manga that has sparkling elements. After all, it’s about a cooking competition. But this cooking contest often resembles the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally, with dishes so good they are downright orgasmic.
Dear Hina from Ken Akamatsu
Ken Akamatsu’s Love Hina is a harem manga that follows the antics of Keitaro Urashima: a young man who fails his college entrance exam forces him to move into his grandmother’s pension. Without knowing it, Hinata House is now a women’s dorm and he is the new owner! Keitaro is still determined to get into his dream school thanks to a promise he made to an unknown girl as a child. Well, why does one of the boarders look so familiar to me …
Love stage !! by Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou
While filming a commercial together as children, Izumi walked out of the set with stage fright, but Ryouma fell in love with his co-star. Now, a decade later, the two are reunited and Ryouma discovers that the “girl” he longed for for so many years is actually a boy! This is not a problem for the hot young actor, because he is in love with Izumi, regardless of gender.
Mars by Fuyumi Soryo
A Good-Girl-meets-Bad-Boy classic, Mars is about high school students Rei and Kira – a brooding motorcyclist and a shy artist – who step into each other’s lives at just the right time. When Rei saves Kira from an abusive teacher, he promises: “I’ll lend you my body whenever you want.” It should be an invitation to sex, but Kira accepts his offer for a completely different reason: She wants him as a model for their next art project.
Merman in my tub by Itokichi
A well-meaning high school student brings a stranded merman home to live in his bathroom in this noisy ecchi series. Saving Wakasa was meant to be a good deed, but Tatsumi soon becomes host to a revolving door of other, less traditional aquatic people – including those who resemble jellyfish, sea slugs and – yes – cephalopods.
Monster Musume: Everyday life with Monster Girls from Okayado
Three years ago, the Japanese government revealed the existence of mythical creatures – known as “Liminals” in Monster Musume – and devised an integration program that would allow centaurs, lamias and other non-human creatures to live in human inns. Kimihito has never signed up to host any liminal house guests, but after the arrival of a lamia named Miia, his home quickly begins to fill up with other liminal ladies in this harem manga series.
My lesbian experience with loneliness from Kabi Nagata
Unlike the other erotic mangas on this list, Kabi Nagata’s My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness is a graphic treatise that touches on issues related to mental health, self-harm, and body image in addition to the author’s sexual awakening. Though My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness is technically a story in its own right, Nagata has written three follow-up volumes, including My Alcoholic Escape from Reality from 2021, so fans can rest assured knowing there’s more where this is coming from .
Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi
Ranma 1/2 from the creator of Inuyasha and Maison Ikkoku is a shonen comedy series about martial arts, arranged marriages and shapeshifting. Teenage martial artist Ranma fell on a bloody spring while training with his father in China. Now when cold water is poured over him, he turns into a girl. Ranma’s father promised the boy’s hand to one of the daughters of another prominent martial arts family. It’s a shame she hates men. If you’ve ever wondered what rhythm gymnastics, competitive dining, and ice skating would be like as martial arts fights, Ranma 1/2 offers a noisy look at a world filled with kung fu … and boobies.
Looking for more quick, sexy reads? Check out this list of erotic short stories and novellas!
