Shojo-Mangaka Nozaki-kun

Nozaki-kun follows the daily life of Chiyo Sakura, a high school girl who confesses her love to her aloof classmate, Umetarō Nozaki—only to discover he's a celebrated shōjo manga artist who mistakes her confession for a request to become his assistant. This ongoing series from Cross Cult, running since 2019 across 15 issues, is a warm, meta-comedy that lovingly skewers the conventions of shōjo manga while celebrating the creative process behind it. Written and illustrated by Izumi Tsubaki, it’s a charming, self-aware romp that matters for its clever inversion of romantic tropes and its affectionate look at how manga gets made.