I'm looking for some manga (romance, or at least romantic subplot) where the guy sorta has that autistic savant archetype you see sometimes. Their manner of social ineptitude doesn't need to be similar either; like anywhere between the lead from Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun to the lead from Kimi to Yuriika.

Something like A Method to Make a Gentle World is fine too, but to be honest half the time the guy just comes off as socially retarded as literally any other shounen romance male lead. I'm a real fan of that "suffering genius" archetype, so more dramatic things like ES or Yasha work too. Also, the characters don't necessarily need to be introverted, you can have a manipulative genius who sleeps around or a emotionally fragile genius hiding behind a mask (the later is sorta descriptive of the lead in Karekano).

Basically the underlying theme for what I'm looking for would be a character who appears to go above and beyond the capabilities of a normal person, but as a result is extremely lacking something emotionally when compared with the layman.

Edit: I realize this is very common trope used in mystery manga, but if you recommend some, try to make it something where the genius thing isn't just a gimmick to solve mysteries (like a lot of shounen stuff does /C.M.B., Q.E.D./). You just never get the sense that their cleverness is anything but a skin deep trait for the author to abuse. If you do recommend something from the mystery genre, make it like Himitsu or something similar.

Last edited by Rozzak at 3:46 pm, Jun 11 2016

Ghost Hunt

Subete ga F ni Naru - The Perfect Insider isn't scanlated, but if you don't mind anime, it has an excellent adaptation.

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo (Novel)

There's also Ubume no Natsu and its sequels, but they aren't that strong on the romance front for the protagonist, who's already married. There's romance for other characters, though.

If you're open to novels, you can read 'When He Comes, Close Your Eyes.' (It's also known as 'Love Me if You Dare') It's not listed on MangaUpdates, but it's been fully translated, just google for it. The guy works as an advisor on police cases and is slightly autistic. He falls quite comfortably into the "eccentric genius" type. I have a few more novel recommendations like this, if you want them.

Cheese in the Trap - Manipulative genius but perhaps lacking in "normal" human feelings. (I suspect he's a sociopath.) You can consider it a more realistic and less edgy version of Karekano.


Maybes:

Cat Street - It's been awhile since I've read this, but I believe one of the guys in there is some kind of socially awkward genius/geek.

Torikago no Tsugai - The romantic subplot is razor thin, but it's there, if you consider what motivates the protagonist on his "quest." I don't think the guy is a genius, but more of an introverted smart guy.