I'm looking for a manga where love confronts duty, and duty wins (at least temporarily).

Basically, a manga where the protagonist is in love, but willingly sacrifices/limits/suppresses that love in the name of duty, since they think that duty is more important. Maybe love does win in the end, but duty has to win for a significant portion of the manga. I wouldn't mind it even if love does actually lose in the end.

Sample scenarios (optional reading, don't worry!):

A teacher is in love with a student, but because the teacher knows that it is immoral to take advantage of the student, the teacher completely hides his/her love even when the student confesses, and rejects them unequivocally so that there is no way the student can even hope for a relationship. Years later, they meet again, but this time the student is an adult... Will things be different?

A young woman is in love with her poor childhood friend, who also loves her, but chooses an arranged marriage into a rich household in order to save her family from poverty. Maybe there is an expensive medical treatment for a parent/sibling that she needs to be able to pay for, and so she chooses a marriage of duty over a marriage of love...

A prince is in love with a lady/maid in his court, but, again, accepts a political marriage to a foreign princess because it will save his country from war with that princess's country.

Two people are in love with each other, but mutually agree to part ways for the greater good (maybe social/political reasons) or even each other's good (say, gay lovers in a conservative society, who realize that they can't stay together without ruining each other's lives, or incestuous lovers who come to the same conclusion). Basically: duty wins, and both sides agree that it does.

A boy is in love with a friend's girlfriend, but decides to honor his duty as a friend instead of going after her, even though he fell in love with her first.

A guardian falls in love with their charge, but doesn't want to interfere with their charge's normal development as a teenager. So they completely suppress/repress those feelings to play a perfect parental role, only to watch the one they love grow up and marry someone else...

A man breaks up with his girlfriend, whom he really loves, when his ex-girlfriend from a few months ago reveals that she's pregnant with his child and that she's keeping the baby. Since he doesn't want the child to grow up fatherless and also doesn't want his ex to face social condemnation, he decides to take responsibility and marry her, instead of the woman he's really in love with now.

Examples:

Emma, where the male protagonist temporarily chooses familial duty over love (although love does win in the end!).

Or Strobe Edge, where a guy dutifully stays with his girlfriend even when he has started to develop feelings for someone else...

More like these, please? Anything in which duty wins for some time, or even for all time!

Any genre EXCEPT ecchi is welcome.

Last edited by tartufo at 7:14 pm, Nov 9 2010

would Love in the Mask apply? the main charachter has to supress her feelings...it's not complete

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I don't know if you want it to be a lengthy manga, if so, this isn't for you, but the only one that I've read is Cappuccino that involves two duty conflicts. The first one is duty v.s. affection, and then along the lines of duty v.s. truth, I'd say. You'll see where the love part comes into play with duty.

Love in the Mask
Hana to Akuma(in the middle-ish...)
Akuma to Love Song
The One(Probably...)
Hana no Kishi
Idol Shopping

There's probably more, but that's all i can think of for now

@Nisaku, thanks for the rec! But I think that while Cappuccino has duty vs. love, duty never actually wins (even temporarily!). So I don't think it counts... That guy is just a douchebag, lol. He doesn't even try to stay faithful. :eyeroll:

I'll try 'Love in the mask', thanks chaos7angel! Haven't read it so don't yet know if it counts - but I'm willing to give it a try.

@starfield, I'll give those a try, thanks!

And could someone remind me of the title of this yaoi manga? Recently scanlated (2010), I think... It had this teacher who keeps meeting up with a former student for drinks/meals. This is the student whose confession he had once rejected because of duty, but now that his student is an adult, the teacher hopes to start a relationship, but doesn't know how, since he still feels awkward about how he'd rejected his student in the past... A soft, quiet manga with calm art, if I recall. Does anything spring to mind?

Adding Dengeki Daisy.

Vampire Juujikai? I think it fits very well.

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What I like in Trivial Pursuit style. Pick your category:

Gunslinger Girl (It isn't there initially, but it develops later on?)

Ur avatar & signature remind me of Paradise Kiss & Nana which might fit what tartufo finding here. (maybe she already read those... nvm them )
Anyway, subscribe this topic.

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Is it Sora to Hara? I haven't actually read this one, but the synopsis makes it sound a bit like what you described.

I don't have a recommendation, though...Sorry!

Edit - On second thought...does Kagetora fit? I read only one volume long ago so I can't really be sure - but it might go that way.

Last edited by calstine at 1:31 am, Nov 10 2010

Thanks, calstine! No, Sora to Hara isn't it - this teacher was a dark-haired uke, and totally not into anything remotely like the 'clubbing' scene (a very quiet, shy, dutiful sort). BUT there are definitely themes in Sora to Hara that make it qualify for this thread! So I'm grateful for that anyway! The teacher in StH is sooooo cute, all adoring-yet-proper with his ex-student... <3

I'll try Kagetora! It certainly looks like it fits! Yay!

Btw, I think Hana no Namae counts (lol, I'll take any excuse to recommend that manga - EVERYONE should read it!) because the male guardian strongly resists developing feelings for the young girl in his charge, because she's so precious and pure to him, and he wants to protect her as a dutiful guardian... He only surrenders at the very end, and even that, only after a drawn-out battle with his conscience and her quiet, dedicated persistence. GORGEOUS.

And Kaze Hikaru, too (another manga I'll take any excuse to recommend!). Both the guy and the girl place their duty as 'bushi' (samurai) ahead of any potential romantic relationship between them. So their love, while strong and pure, remains unsaid and unresolved... The girl initially wants something to happen between them, but then calms and matures and realizes the importance of fulfilling her duty as 'bushi' - with the realization that this is also what he would like to do. So, by mutual agreement, duty wins. (Or is winning at the moment, anyway! I'm up to volume 13, and still no sign of love making a triumph. But for some weird reason, it's even more beautiful and intense that way - their joint duty becomes an expression of their love, and their mutual respect.) The other romances in this story also place emphasis on duty, like the character Yamazaki, who does you-know-what and completely sacrifices his romance with his beloved courtesan, all for the sake of doing his duty and obeying his conscience. Very much a samurai manga, I guess!

Last edited by tartufo at 4:52 am, Nov 10 2010

Bumping because I want to know what the title of this is too ):

Tsuki no Waltz -- the oneshot that the anthology is titled after, even though it's apparently second in the anthology itself? lol (though it's the only one scanlated)
Ninohime no Monogatari -- this is a really great one-shot...


I'd love to see more suggestions as well, I like angst-y duty v. love stuff XD

Tsuki no Shippo *sigh*
and you also just gotta read Tsuki no Toiki Ai no Kizu <3
Doll Garden- the last chapter
Angel's Coffin: Ave Maria- ...
and sadly i cant think of anything more. i used to know lots of assassin who fell in love with the people they are suppose to kill but its kindda bleak now.. i really have to go to school again to sharpen the old nut..

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The sweeter the apple, the higher the branch. The quieter the fart, the nastier the smell.
GUESS WHO??

Maybe Love SOS?

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Sad Love Song
Can't Lose You
Bronze no Tenshi
Orpheus no Mado

Kago no Naka what I like is how you can see the struggle between love and duty so I'm going to recommend it anyway eventhough love wins eventually

Last edited by cliff at 12:03 pm, May 25 2011

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Help! I'm looking for... manga with dangerous guys http://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=39874&pa ge=1#post594033