✎┊ RECS [pt.3]

Hello! ♡

I've always had a soft spot for birds so I'm honestly really excited about this theme! There are honestly so many different ways mangaka include birds in their stories: some are adorable, some are funny and some are definitely unexpected. And since this is a looong list, I'll try my best to keep my yapping relatively short this time... emphasis on try (๑˃ᴗ˂)و I just have too many little birdies to talk about! Moreover, I wanted to specify that I'm going to divide the recommendations into two sections: the ones you can find on Mangago (although many chapters are missing) and the ones that aren't available here (the most part m'sorry!). For the latter, you can look for them on other reading platforms or, of course, can simply buy them if you'd like to support the authors!

[Available on Mangago]

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Hatoful Kareshi by Hato Moa
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hatoful_kareshi/

A romance manga where the boys are pigeons?? How could I possibly make a bird themed list and leave this out? The whole idea is exactly as ridiculous and adorable as it sounds: you're surrounded by handsome(?) dateable(??) birds each with their own personality and little story. Yes, they are birds. Yes, you can fall in love with them. Yes, I think that makes this absolutely perfect for this list. You have school life, friendships, crushes, drama and then you remember that everyone around you is a bird. It's such a bizarre concept but somehow memorable.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Penguin Kissa wa Kyou mo Seiten by Yo
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/penguin_kissa_wa_kyo_mo_seiten/

Imagine a little cafe full of penguins with their own personalities, getting through their very busy little workdays. So cute! In fact this story takes place at a popular cafe where cute penguins work alongside some handsome human employees. A college student ends up joining the cafe as a part timer and from there we get to watch him deal with all the penguins. It's a soft, silly slice of life manga that is perfect if you need something light and comforting.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Penguin Shinshi by Ueno Kishi
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/penguin_shinshi/

Ladies and gents, I present you penguins dressed up as... handsome gentlemen?? The manga takes place in a secret social club where these elegant gentlemen working there are actually penguins disguised as humans. They might be wearing fancy tailcoats and acting all sophisticated but their actual penguin habits keep showing through. And I have to say this because I LOOOVE the art in this one ♡ Just… oof!! I wish there were 1000 more chapters available.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Penguin & House by Akiho Ieda
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/pento_hausu/

Pen is a penguin who lives with his favourite human, Hayakawa, and honestly... Pen is basically the most devoted little househusband ever! Pen absolutely loves taking care of the house. He does the laundry, goes shopping, cooks and generally tries his very best to make Hayakawa happy. And the funniest part is that they can't actually communicate with words so Pen has to show his love through all these tiny acts of service instead. Live love laugh Pen! He has this whole little personality and spends his days trying to make Hayakawa's life better even when Hayakawa is basically a sleepy university student who doesn't always realise just how much his tiny penguin is doing for him. No, I'm definitely not jealous... I say with gritted teeth. Anyways! The series gets even sillier as it goes on. Pen ends up going on trips, meeting other penguins, getting into ridiculous situations and even getting caught up in things like a haunted inn and a time loop involving a baby chick. Thank you Kodansha for making this available globally!

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Taka no Shisho, Kari no Ojikandesu! by Gomakichi
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/taka_no_shish_kari_no_o_jikandesu/

Okay this one is a little different from most of the bird manga I'll write about. This is a manga about falconry, following Gomakichi's life with a goshawk known as "Shisho" (master). The whole concept is learning how to live and hunt alongside a bird of prey which is fascinating. It gives you a completely different look at the relationship between humans and birds. There are so many little details about birds and falconry that make this one feel surprisingly educational alongside the cute animal moments. Big kudos to whoever uploaded it since they added little notes and extra information at the bottom at the end of each chapter. I think it's a nice touch for a manga like this because there are so many things about falconry and birds that I wouldn't necessarily know on my own.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
A Budgie's Life by Muffin Girl
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/a_budgie_s_life/

This one is SOOOO cute! It follows four budgies and their doting owner, showing all the funny, chaotic and sweet moments. This series is actually based on Muffin Girl's real pet birds. The whole idea is basically looking at everyday life from the budgies' point of view: their thoughts, their relationships, their little adventures and all the ridiculous things they get up to. And their owner is just there trying to keep up with all of them. I genuinely appreciate that the creator has described the series as a way of sharing her love for her birds and showing that birds really do have their own personalities. The og series ran for three years and reached aroundish 400 episodes and it has since returned in a remastered version on Webtoon (go support her there!!). There are also physical books collecting the stories and I so recommend buying them!

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Penguindrum by Kunihiko Ikuhara, Isuzu Shibata & Lily Hoshino
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/penguindrum/

Basically a twisted copy of Sailor Moon who went to Antarctica and came back with three penguins. Go watch the anime!!

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
The Summer of Penguins by Won Young Lee & Ahyoung Woo
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/the_summer_of_penguins/

This one is for the people who look at a penguin and immediately think "I need to know EVERYTHING about you!". Because our main character Hyunwoo genuinely loves penguins so much that he ends up travelling all the way to Antarctica to study them. He is an animal behaviorist and his love for penguins is basically what drives the whole story. But once he actually gets to Antarctica, things aren't exactly as dreamy as he probably imagined. Anyways... it's really lovely seeing a character travel so far because of something he cares about so much. I feel like that kind of enthusiasm is contagious. It's also a little more adventurous than some of the other bird manga on my list with the Antarctic setting giving it a completely different atmosphere.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Pippira Note by Fumiyo Kouno
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/pippira_note/

This one is probably one of the sweetest bird manga on my list. Pippira Note follows Kimiko, a young woman who takes in a little lost bird and names her Pippira. From that moment on this tiny ball of fluffiness slowly becomes such a big part of Kimiko's everyday life. Pippira is a small budgerigar but she has such a huge presence in Kimiko's life. I think anyone who has ever lived with a small pet will understand that feeling of somehow having this tiny creature completely take over your heart and your daily routine. And something I found especially lovely is that Kouno based the manga partly on her own experience of having a budgerigar while writing it. That makes all those little details about Pippira feel even more personal to me.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Moukin-chan by Makoto Akui
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/moukin_chan/

Okay this one is a little different because the bird is actually the girl. Moukin chan takes place in a strange town where birds can secretly transform into human beings and live among people. Our main girl, Rui Moukin, is actually a Blakiston's fish owl even though she spends her everyday life looking like a high school girl. And Rui is honestly not very good at pretending to be human. She can turn her neck 180 degrees, jump down from ridiculously high places without getting hurt and has all sorts of little habits that make it very obvious that there's something unusual about her. Then she meets Yu Kotori, a human boy, and the story slowly turns into a cute romance about the two of them getting closer despite the fact that they literally belong to different species. It's funny at times but I'm not entirely sure about the romance part without a part of me thinking this could be considered zoophilia? I genuinely don't know since the romance is innocent...

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Shiina-kun no Torikemo Hyakka by Shiya Tootsuki
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/shiina_kun_no_torikemo_hyakka/

This one is for anyone who likes their bird manga with a little bit of science and animal nerdiness mixed in. We read about Ryou Shiina, a young university assistant professor who works in zoology and spends his days surrounded by animals, researchers and students who are just as fascinated by wildlife as he is. And yes, there are a lot of birds! The title itself uses "torikemo" that is a playful reading of the characters for birds and beasts.
What I really like about this one is that it doesn't treat animals as just cute decorations. The characters actually study them and care about understanding them properly. Shiina himself is also such an interesting character because he's incredibly serious about zoology but then his everyday life is full of all these strange situations involving his colleagues, students, childhood friend and the animals around them. I love that contrast between his very serious academic side and the slightly ridiculous things that keep happening around him.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Okoshiyasu, Chitose-chan by Yukiko Natsume
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/okoshiyasu_chitose_chan/

This one is basically a tiny penguin wandering around Kyoto and I honestly cannot think of anything more adorable. Chitose is a baby emperor penguin who lives in Kyoto and spends her days wandering around the city, looking for tasty food and fun things to do. She meets people, gets into little situations and somehow always ends up making the day a little cuter. As I've just writeen, Chitose absolutely loves food. She gets to try all sorts of things while exploring Kyoto which makes this feel like a tiny combination of a travel manga, a food manga and a very soft penguin diary. There are also other penguins who become part of her world including an adult emperor penguin named Yukinosuke and an Adélie penguin named Harukuni. So Chitose isn't the only little birdie around, even though she is definitely the star of the show. I think this is probably one of the most relaxing manga on my list. There's also an amazing anime adaptation so if you end up completely falling in love with this tiny Kyoto penguin, you have even more Chitose to enjoy!


[Not available on Mangago]

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Parakeet Club

Inko Kurabu is an anthology series so instead of following one big continuous story, you get different little stories centred around parakeets and the people who live with them. I actually really like that format because every story can show a different side of life with these tiny birds. And I think anyone who has ever lived with a parakeet will understand why this kind of manga can be so entertaining. They're tiny but they somehow have SO much personality. Affectionate noisy curious fluff balls ♡ This is a very old manga series so it can be a little tricky to find nowadays. You'll probably have better luck looking for used copies on eBay or in old bookstores. I actually have physical copies myself which is one of the reasons I wanted to include it here. The artwork and the way the birds are drawn have that lovely old school charm.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Tori no, Isoji-san by Mie Washio

It's about Yae, a young manga artist who ends up taking care of a little cockatiel named Isoji. Isoji is such a funny little character because he's curious and mischievous. A lot of the manga is told from his perspective so you get to see ordinary things around Yae's home through the eyes of this tiny bird who thinks he has a very important job to do. I appreciate that it focuses on the actual little behaviours of having a cockatiel. Isoji gets curious about things, makes trouble, explores his surroundings and tries to help Yae while she works. It has that very specific feeling of living with a bird where they're technically tiny but somehow they are involved in absolutely EVERYTHING.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Inko Samazama by Sachiko Tojo

This manga isn't available globally and there honestly isn't much information about either the manga or Sachiko Tojo online. I don't want to make up details just to fill the space when there's so little reliable information available but I still wanted to mention it because I actually wish I could get my hands on a physical copy of this one. It's exactly the kind of rare bird manga I'd love to have sitting on my shelf, especially because it's so difficult to find information about it in the first place.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Itazura Oumu no Seikatsu Zakki by Rou Kainushi

aka "I live with an playful naughty cockatoo and somehow decided to turn my daily suffering into a manga". It's a slice of life manga about Kainushi and their sulfur crested cockatoo, documenting all the ridiculous things that happen when you share your home with a bird who apparently considers everything to be a potential toy, snack or opportunity for chaos. I also love that this started from the author's actual life with Rou rather than being a fictional animal story. There's even an official blog where Kainushi has continued sharing moments and photos of Rou which makes this feel less like a manga about having a bird and more like a giant ongoing record of "look what my parrot did today".

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Ohayoumu! Rocco-chan by Rena Cocco

It's a full colour comic about Rocco (a male african grey parrot) and his life with his human family. It focuses on how intelligent african greys can be. The manga plays around with his ability to understand and communicate with people, which makes his little interactions with his owner even funnier. The author admits that Rocco learns and comes up with new things faster than she can draw them.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Torifuru: Naisho no Riachou Seikatsu by Birdstory

This is a one volume josei slice of life comedy centred around the everyday life of a riachou (Java sparrow). The title is basically playing with tori (bird) and furu (full) which already feels like a pretty good description for a manga that is all about the little everyday moments of living with birds.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Tori Junkies by Kaili Sorano

I don't have much information on it yet but even from what little I've seen, I already know I want this one in my collection. I seriously can't wait for it to be released over here so I can finally get my hands on it.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Dibetagurashi: ahiru no seikatsu by Yuka Matsuda

This manga is basically about a little duck just living his life and to be specific, it follows the everyday lives of a whole group of birds with our little duck Ahiru being right at the centre of it all. We get a duck, an old grey owl who is apparently rather nihilistic, a very hungry parrot and plenty of other birds. There's also an anime adaptation from 2013 which I think is really sweet considering how small and cosy the original manga is. Absolutely recommended!

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Anthology: Tori Kessakushuu by Tezuka Osamu

This one is such a perfect fit for my bird list because it's literally an anthology of stories involving birds. There are 12 different stories collected in this one volume so you get quite a variety rather than just one single story. The collection looks at birds in completely different ways: there are stories ranging from science fiction to shojo manga with birds being connected to both nature and the human world. So it isn't just a collection of cute bird stories: Tezuka uses them for some pretty different ideas and settings. And of course I can't talk about Osamu Tezuka and birds without thinking about Phoenix (Hi no Tori). For those who don't know, Phoenix is one of Tezuka's most famous works and was considered his life's work. It was already receiving major recognition in the 70s too, including the first Kodansha publishing culture award for children's comics in 1970. In few words, it was really big back then. What I find really interesting is that Phoenix was still being recognised decades later. In 2006 for the 10th anniversary of the Japan Media Arts Festival, Phoenix placed 1st! It really shows how long Tezuka's work has continued to be appreciated. So finding a whole Tezuka anthology dedicated to stories involving birds feels especially fitting to me. The Phoenix is obviously a very different kind of bird from the ones in this collection but I love that birds show up in his work in such completely different ways.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Satsuma to Kainushi by O-Ji

This is a manga about the everyday life of Satsuma and his caretaker. I really like this one because it doesn't just show the cute side of having an owl. The manga also talks about owl behaviour, food, caring for them and even owl cafes so you get a little more of an idea of what living with one is actually like. The whole series came from O Ji's s life with this owl so it has that personal feeling that I always love in animal manga.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
Amatou Penguin by Kenji Sonishi

This one is so adorable, I promise!! You'll read about Penta, a popular penguin living at a zoo in Sapporo who has a very important secret: he absolutely loves sweet things. Penta has a little habit of sneaking out of the zoo to visit cafe Inoguchi where he can enjoy his beloved sweets. And apparently he doesn't even bother being subtle about it! He goes there regularly to eat his snacks and just live his best life.

_____________________-`♡´-_____________________
And that's everything for today. See you next time!