Solanin - Recommendations

Solanin

If you're looking for manga similar to Solanin, you might like these titles.

What a Wonderful World!

What a Wonderful World!

Life is never predictable, but we can always try to emerge from hardships with hope or acceptance. While Yuriko and others struggle with the reality of becoming an adult, others, such as Kasukabe, must try to balance their work and family life. And though Tae has been lost since her mother died, Hozumi will learn what it truly means to live.

3 votes

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Reasons you might like What a Wonderful World!...

AirCommodore AirCommodore says...

Well of course if you liked either Solanin or What A Wonderful World you would like the other, they have the same mangaka after all. Beyond the inherent similarities in art style and general mood, the first vignette of WAWW essentially was Solanin in miniature, and there were quite a few others that also gave me super-strong deja-vu. Not in a bad way, of course.

sothis sothis says...

Two very moving, seinen titles that will invoke melancholic feelings from anyone who is past the age of 20 and experienced what it's like to grow up.

cotymoteo cotymoteo says...

Same artists and author Inio Asano, the stories are great but the characters are going to grab you and keep you in. Wonderful, unique and completely original concepts on life.

not simple

not simple

Ian is a young man from Australia who has never had an easy life; his mother is an alcoholic who can’t stand the sight of him and his father doesn’t give him the time of day. The only person to care about him is his older sister Kylie, but the pair has been separated with only the promise that when Ian fulfils his goal, they will be reunited. One day he meets a writer named Jim who takes an interest in Ian’s troubled life and decides to write a novel about him. With a life that’s far from simple, will his story have a happy ending?

3 votes

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Reasons you might like not simple...

Lurddoc Lurddoc says...

Both series, Solanin and Not Simple, contain drama and come packed into 1 solid volume for manga buyers out there. These are the only mangas to have ever made me get tears in my eyes.

AirCommodore AirCommodore says...

Solanin and not simple are emotional seinen manga about characters in their 20s whose lives are far from perfect. Highly recommended.

cassiesheepgirl cassiesheepgirl says...

Though the stories are somewhat different, both not simple and Solanin have a similar vibe to them. They're both very well-written tales about young people going through a difficult time in their lives. If you like one, then I'd highly recommend the other.

Nana

Nana

Nana K. is a hopeless romantic who is co-dependent on everyone around her and falls in love at first sight with any and all men, even married ones; Nana O. is a wannabe rock star who has had to break up with the love of her life so that she can find her own path as a singer. As Nana K. boards a train to Tokyo, she longs to finally be with her beloved boyfriend Shouji; as Nana O. boards the same train to Tokyo, she plans to live her dream with only the guitar on her back. The two meet by chance both on the train and in the city - ultimately choosing to live together - and though they are opposites in every way the girls quickly become close friends. Together, Nana and Nana will learn the bittersweet truth about love, loss, and the growth that comes because of it.

2 votes

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Reasons you might like Nana...

sothis sothis says...

Solanin and Nana are two incredibly powerful manga about young adults and 20-somethings struggling to come of age. Heart-wrenching at times and bittersweet at others, both of these manga will appeal to anyone who is experiencing or experienced how hard it is to grow up.  

Zosbiw Zosbiw says...

eu soube da existencia dos dois mangas simultaneamento atravez da wikipedia de weebos femcels eu estou lendo os dois e adorando apesar de muito profundos e de evolução lenta são incriveis

The Sound of Magic: Annarasumanara

The Sound of Magic: Annarasumanara

Yun Ai wanted to be a magician when she was little. But now in reality, she is a high school student who cannot even afford new stockings. Since the day she met a real magician at a fair, she desperately wants to follow her dream.

2 votes

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Reasons you might like The Sound of Magic: Annarasumanara...

sothis sothis says...

Solanin and Annarasumanara are two coming of age tales about the struggles of growing up and finding yourself. Plenty of feels to be had, and a very similar tone/feel overall, though Solanin has no fantastical/magic element. Strongly recommend this pairing.

Yakoz Yakoz says...

Both stories decide to spend time talking about decisions in life that young adults need to make in order to have a successful future. Unfortunately, the society can be too demanding and stressful for some of them, leaving them hanging and trying to break out of an indestructible bubble that can be only open from the outside.

Ristorante Paradiso

Ristorante Paradiso

Located on a small street near the center of Rome, the Casetta dell'orso is a small yet popular restaurant staffed by a group of older, bespectacled gentlemen. Nicoletta is a twenty-one-year-old woman who has just arrived in Rome to meet with her estranged mother's husband, who owns the restaurant. She intends to inform him that not only was his wife married once before, but also that she is her daughter - a secret her mother desperately wants kept. When she arrives at the restaurant Nicoletta becomes enamoured with Claudio, one of the waiters, and begins to spend more time there. Despite the age gap, Nicoletta finds her feelings towards Claudio growing; and after making a promise to keep her mother's secret, Nicoletta begins working at the restaurant as an apprentice chef. Now she is trying her hardest to become a good cook, but can Nicoletta overcome the difference in age and win the quiet Claudio's heart?

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Ristorante Paradiso...

WillMunny WillMunny says...

These are both slice-of-life, coming-of-age stories featuring smart, insightful young women. Both protagonists leave familiar surroundings and strike out on their own, seeking independence, new experiences and a sense of purpose. They are supported in their quest by a dedicated and good-hearted group of friends.

100 Days Dream

100 Days Dream

A young girl has learned to fly, moving from place to place and meeting interesting things. First she observes a bird and chats with it, after which she communicates with a solemn tree that is rooted in the ground, unable to have the freedom that she has found. But ultimately, the girl will have to return from whence she came...

1 vote

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Reasons you might like 100 Days Dream...

sothis sothis says...

While 100 Days Dream is a quick one shot and Solanin is 2 full volumes, I felt the same feeling after reading both of these - Solanin to a much greater extent. Both are about trying to reach one's full potential and experiencing life, with plenty of bittersweet moments to go around.

FLCL

FLCL

Naota Nanbada is a boring young boy who leads a boring life in a boring town. His older brother has left for America, and the closest he comes to any excitement is when his deadbeat dad has too much sake. But things change one day when a bizarre girl zooms up to him on a scooter and smacks him in the face with her guitar. What's more, once Naoto returns home he discovers that this strange woman has arrived ahead of him and moved in! Not only does she constantly engage in perverted activities with Naota's father and flirt with the young man himself, but she also claims to be an alien who is searching for the ‘Pirate King.' Now, Naota must learn to live with this new intruder, deal with an odd government agent who sports exceptionally large eyebrows and the mysterious Medical Mechanica, and come to terms with the fact that there are a variety of robots and weapons emerging out of his head - amongst other things. Perhaps boring wasn't so bad after all...

1 vote

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Reasons you might like FLCL...

keisans keisans says...

Both Solanin and FLCL revolve around the theme of 'growing up' and 'coming of age'. Both works display incredible artistry, and attention to detail. FLCL has much more fun and quirky characters, but Solanin's feel more realistic and grounded (I know, not saying much, but it's something).

Baka and Gogh

Baka and Gogh

Sakai and Shoji are two idiots. Their band, Moozmuz, is eccentric, flamboyant and silly. Gogh, their classmate, is a quiet but intense clothes designer. Watch the friendship between these three artists blossom and suffer.

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Baka and Gogh...

AirCommodore AirCommodore says...

Two coming-of-age tales for people in their twenties. The casts of Baka and Gogh and Solanin want nothing to do with meaningless and mundane office life, so instead set out on their own, despite financial and personal difficulties, to figure out what they really want out of life. Bands figure in heavily in both tales.

Ohikkoshi

Ohikkoshi

"Ohikkoshi" follows the turbulent paths of several twenty-something art students as they fall in love, fall in lust, play in rock bands, ride motorbikes, eat, sleep (together) and try to avoid making life decisions while drunk.

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Ohikkoshi...

AirCommodore AirCommodore says...

Two dramas about love and life of a group of friends in their early twenties who worry about their relationships, their bands, and their futures. Ohikkoshi is more comedic while Solanin is more emotionally gripping, but adult readers will probably find something to relate to in each.

Kabocha to Mayonnaise

Kabocha to Mayonnaise

Miho and Sei are living together. She works at a boutique while he tries to make it as a songwriter and musician. Even though Miho still can’t forget about Hagio, her ex-lover, she is happy in her relationship with Sei. However, all is not well for the young couple. Struggling to make ends meet, Miho decides to take a second job as bar hostess. As she becomes increasingly desperate for money, Miho eventually gives in to one of her client’s sexual advances. When Sei finds out about this he begins to distance himself from her. Things get even more complicated for Miho when Hagio suddenly reappears in her life.

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Kabocha to Mayonnaise...

AirCommodore AirCommodore says...

These two manga start off almost identically: two young women are tasked with financially supporting themselves and their live-in, long-term boyfriend (who really wants to make a living with his music, but hasn't had any success), by working at a job that she despises.The couples argue and worry about fiscal and romantic difficulties.

The plotlines diverge after this, but both maintain a similar melancholy tone throughout.