Seiichi Hayashi produced Red Colored Elegy between 1970 and 1971, in the aftermath of a politically turbulent and culturally vibrant decade that promised but failed to deliver new possibilities. With a combination of sparse line work and visual codes borrowed from animation and film, the quiet melancholy lives of a young couple struggling to make ends meet are beautifully captured in this poetic masterpiece.
Uninvolved with the political movements of the time, Ichiro and Sachiko hope for something better, but they're no revolutionaries; their spare time is spent drinking, smoking, daydreaming, and sleeping--together and at times with others. While Ichiro attempts to make a living from his comics, Sachiko's parents are eager to arrange a marriage for her, but Ichiro doesn't seem interested. Both in their relationship and at work, Ichiro and Sachiko are unable to say the things they need to say, and like any couple, at times say things to each other that they do not mean, ultimately communicating as much with their body language and what remains unsaid as with words.
Red Colored Elegy is informed as much by underground Japanese comics of the time as it is by the French Nouvelle Vague, and its cultural referents range from James Dean to Ken Takakura. Its influence in Japan was so large that Morio Agata, a prominent Japanese folk musician and singer songwriter, debuted with a love song written and named after it.
"I wanted to live like Sachiko and Ichiro; to have aspirations even while living stoically and humbly." --Morio Agata
Red Colored Elegy has finished publishing and it has 13 Chapters. It is also Known as: 赤色エレジー, Akairo Elegy
Genres: Thriller , Slice of Life , Drama
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Top 5 Manga Like Red Colored Elegy (Sekishoku Elegy) [2026 List]
- 5. Hikari no Machi
- 4. Subarashii Sekai
- 3. Genshiken
- 2. Planetes
- 1. Kamisama ga Uso wo Tsuku.
5. Hikari no Machi
The city of light is a town above a hill, called that because it's surrounded by the sun, but it hides an obscure side. There, lives Tasuku, a young kid who works as a 'messenger' for a mysterious group who organizes suicides on the phone. At the same time other youngsters like him are trying to survive the everyday's life: Satoshi changes one occasional job after another, Momoko is the daughter of a prostitute who abandoned her. Finally there's Hoichi who is always involved in dirty business, among which is the suicidal group, but at least he has a dream: earning enough money to buy the whole place and turning it back into the country village he was born in.
City of Light has finished publishing and it has 9 Chapters. It is also Known as: ひかりのまち, Sun Village, City of Light
4. Subarashii Sekai
Twenty-three-year-old Yuriko Togawa dropped out of college six months ago. In the past, her classmates envisioned her as a reliable and independent person even though she saw herself as the opposite. Yuriko wants someone to provide for her needs, not the other way around. Thus, when she meets her former colleague Horita Tomotsugu, she hopes that romance will spark between them.
Horita had a great ambition of debuting his band together with Yuriko. However, as time progressed, he slowly succumbed to reality and became an office worker instead. Encountering Yuriko reminds him of what was once his dream, and he aspires to reignite it with her. Despite the two having different motives, Yuriko decides to lend him a helping hand after going through a myriad of events.
Yuriko and Horita's story is just one of the compelling narratives in Subarashii Sekai. Entwined with their tale are several other short stories, each depicting the arduous, painful, and realistic hardships of mundane life.
What a Wonderful World! has finished publishing and it has 19 Chapters. It is also Known as: 素晴らしい世界, WaWW
3. Genshiken
It's the spring of freshman year, and Kanji Sasahara is in a quandary. Should he fulfill his long-cherished dream of joining an otaku club? Saki Kasukabe also faces a dilemma. Can she ever turn her boyfriend, anime fanboy Kousaka, into a normal guy? Kanji triumphs where Saki fails, when both Kanji and Kousaka sign up for Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.
Undeterred, Saki chases Kousaka through the various activities of the club, from costume-playing and comic conventions to video gaming and collecting anime figures—learning more than she ever wanted to about the humorous world of the Japanese fan...
Genshiken has finished publishing and it has 127 Chapters. It is also Known as: げんしけん, The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Genshiken Nidaime, Genshiken: Second Season
2. Planetes
Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job.
Planetes has finished publishing and it has 27 Chapters. It is also Known as: プラネテス ΠΛΑΝΗΤΕΣ, Planetes
1. Kamisama ga Uso wo Tsuku.
It’s the summer when Natsuru is 11. Ever since he’s turned one of them down on Valentine’s Day, the girls of his class have been constantly ignoring him. This changes just before summer break, when Suzumura, the tallest girl in the year, suddenly talks to him. Later, Natsuru meets Suzumura again outside school and finds out she has a secret.
The Gods Lie has finished publishing and it has 5 Chapters. It is also Known as: 神様がうそをつく。, Kami-sama ga Uso wo Tsuku., Gods Tell Lies, Our Summer Holiday
