So I'd like a manga where the two main characters are male and female, and they're really close, but they're NOT IN LOVE.

Something like Fairy Tail would work, with Lucy and Natsu, though I'd prefer something like Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro where the main emphasis is on their relationship.

Either way, though, I'd like their friendship (though I guess they could also be siblings) to be the most important relationship they have.

Note: I don't care if there's an age gap between them, but their relationship should be that of friends or siblings, not as a parent and child.

Thanks.

I guess Liar Game? Might become romance later on, though. For now, they're just close friends.

Dogs: Bullets & carnage - Some people insist that the two MCs are romantically linked, but there have been no open expressions to that effect yet.

Early days still so this is not 100% certain, but Reinouryokusha Odagiri Kyouko no Uso might be heading in that direction as well.

Edit - Shin Angyo Onshi should be right, even though I'm just going by what others have told me about it.

Vampire Juujikai might fit, but it really depends on who you consider to be the secondary protagonist.

Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna - There are slight implications in the last volume which hint towards their having ended up together, but there's next to no romance between the two leads during the actual course of the story.

Peacemaker - This one might just end up being like Until Death Do Us Part (in which case it definitely wouldn't fit), but for now...no romance.

And I definitely second Monster.

Last edited by calstine at 9:47 pm, Feb 9 2011

Liar Game does kind of fit. The main emphasis is on the plot, but a huge part of the plot is dependent on the two leads relationship and trust in each other. It's not completed, so whether something develops between them romantically way late in the series is beyond our ability to know, but you should check it out.

Also Monster has many close pairs between the 5 or 6 main characters that are hugely significant but non romantic, though once again it's more about the plot.

There's also the important non-romantic relationships category: http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?page=1&orderb y=rating&perpage=30&category=Important+Non-Roma ntic+Relationship%2Fs

Hope that helps at all.


________________
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I can't think of any right now, but I remember tartufo's older request thread: Best Friends of the Opposite Sex

Hmm... I have encountered some shorter works, but I think that they're rather underdeveloped...

Last edited by hobbitelf518 at 2:56 pm, Feb 10 2011

Vampire Game mostly fits what you're asking for. The relationship between the main male and the main female is the most important one in the manga, but a romance never develops between them. The main female is in love with someone else throughout the entire manga; although the main male does develop feelings for her, she never reciprocates. (To be honest, I really, really wished she would have because they had a lot more chemistry than the main female + the guy she loved.)

@ calstine:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've been meaning to read Liar Game FOREVER, so I'll be sure to check that out. Dogs: Bullets & carnage also looks really interesting, and Shin Angyo Onshi and Monster have also been on my list for awhile.

So what's the deal with Until Death Do Us Part? Cuz I started that awhile ago, and dropped it. do they end up together or what?

@ geanime54
Thanks. I actually created the Important Non-Romantic Relationships category, but I feel like a lot of the manga that get added to that list have important non-romantic relationships, but even more important romantic relationships. I want a manga where the most important relationship of all is non-romantic.

@ hobbitelf518:
I'll check out that thread (though I think I've looked at it before), but thanks . . .

@ brid:
I've read Vampire Game! And I also wish that she had reciprocated his feelings. They were way better than her and that knight guy.
Thanks, though.

Any others?

Sengoku Strays
Ciel
Code Breaker
Oumagadoki Doubutsuen
Kuragehime
Dorohedoro


________________

I'm quite fond of this story, but... doesn't one of them start developing feelings for the other later on?

Really? I guess I haven't read far enough.

________________

Have you seen the anime? It's so cuuuuuute! XD

Ties of compassion

So far.

30/1?? chapters translated

Last edited by Thouarttammy at 10:03 am, Feb 11 2011

I'm pretty sure that hasn't actually happened yet, though I stopped reading it myself after the 2nd volume. But it seems obvious to me that the blind swordsman and the little girl will end up together once the girl reaches an acceptable age. It looks like she has a crush on him, anyway; and she has a vision of them getting married or something (she has precognitive powers).

I must clarify, though. It wasn't UDDUP I was recommending to you; it was Peacemaker. This has a similar setup, but with the swordsman replaced by a gunfighter. PM has less romantic implications than UDDUP does, but the mangaka might decide to make it head that way somewhere along the line (since only 3 volumes have been scanlated so far, and the series is ongoing).


Edit - Seconding catandmouse's recommendation of Yumekui Kenbun. I'm surprised I didn't think of it myself...

Last edited by calstine at 10:38 pm, Feb 10 2011

Nightmare Inspector,maybe....The main boy and the girl he lives with share no romantic interests with each other....

Thanks everyone, especially for the suggestions of Ties of Compassion and Nighttime Inspector. Ties of Compassion looks really good, and Nighttime Inspector has been on my wish list for quite some time.

Got other suggestions?

Dragon Eye - Girl and guy are good friends but nothing romantic. And there hasn't been any romantic hints yet either.
Zombie-Loan - The two guys are good friends with the girl but none of them really fall in love with each other
Cat Street - The main character does end up falling in love with someone at the end, but she maintains a close friendship with her other guy friend. This doesn't fit perfectly but I think you should read it anyway, it's one of my favorite mangas because of the friendship between the four main characters.