熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる [Nettaigyo wa Yuki ni Kogareru]

A gentle, slow-burn manga series from Kadokawa, 熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる (2017–2021) follows two high school girls—one a disaffected loner, the other a relentlessly cheerful classmate—as they navigate an unlikely friendship that quietly deepens into something more. Across nine issues, creator Makoto Hagino (credited in the facts) explores themes of loneliness, emotional isolation, and the fragile warmth of human connection through delicate art and subdued storytelling. This series matters for its nuanced, realistic portrayal of queer yearning and adolescent vulnerability, earning a dedicated readership for its refusal to sensationalize its characters' feelings.