Read this when times are tough: The top 3 best-selling 'relatable' manga from June."

This time, we're focusing on "empathy-inducing" manga—the kind that just sinks into your heart when you're feeling down. I'm bringing you a Top 3 ranking based on sales data and reader reactions from June 2025. From my (Osamu's) perspective, I'm going to passionately tell you about the points that really hit home!

It's for those nights when you feel like, "I can't take it anymore..." or "I just want someone to understand." This is a book that quietly sits with you. It doesn't shout, but the more you read, the more it sinks in, and you think, "This is... this is my story."

Here are three titles from June's best-selling "empathy-inducing" manga that might just lift a weight off your shoulders.

No. 1: A Sign of Affection (Yubisaki to Renren)

By: suu Morishita

■ What's it about? It's a love story between Yuki, a university student who has a hearing impairment, and Itsuomi, a handsome guy who loves to travel. But hey, this isn't just a romance.

■ The Empathy Point:

• "I want you to understand, but I don't want to explain."

• "I'm a little scared of getting close to people."

These feelings come across so clearly in Yuki's expressions and gestures. For example, the nervous way her hands move when sending her name on LINE for the first time, or the profile of her face as she gently turns away when she can't find the words. Her actions become her emotions.

🔹Reader Voices: "As someone who struggles to talk to people, this gave me hope." "A work filled with such kindness."

No. 2: Do Not Say Mystery (Mystery to Iu Nakare)

By: Yumi Tamura

■ What's it about? This is a story about a university student, Totonou Kunou, who unravels cases and people's hearts with his sharp observations and gentle words.

■ The Empathy Point:

• Totonou's dialogue pierces your heart without blaming anyone.

• There are so many moments that make you realize, "Ah, I get that..." or "I've thought the same thing before."

For instance, a line like, "Getting angry actually takes a lot of energy." When you're so exhausted you don't even have the energy to be mad, that line just feels... saving. And Totonou's perspective, you know? He doesn't push people away; he quietly comes alongside them.

🔹Reader Voices: "I was blaming myself too much, but I feel a little lighter now." "The words I needed someone to say were right here."

No. 3: The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikari ga Shinda Natsu)

By: Mokumokuren

■ What's it about? It's a story about two middle school boys in the countryside, their unsettlingly beautiful friendship, and a love that borders on madness. Sales are skyrocketing with the 2025 anime adaptation announcement.

■ The Empathy Point:

• "As long as one person understood me, that was enough."

• "Even if everything else is broken, I'll be fine as long as you're here."

...These kinds of extreme, but genuine, emotions just stab you in the heart.

Especially the look deep in Yoshiki's eyes as he tries to accept Hikaru, even after "what's inside" him has changed, saying, "I'm okay with that." It's insane, yet pure, and it hits a breaking heart hard.

🔹Reader Voices: "I love the scariness of it, how it validates loneliness." "It just puts all those painful emotions right out there."

Honorable Mention: A Quietly Effective Read for Right Now

Skip and Loafer

• Whether you're shy, trying too hard, or just clumsy, this story smiles and tells you, "That's perfectly fine."

• It's a work that makes you want to cherish the "little bits of happiness" in everyday life.

🔹Reader Voices: "It made me feel like I don't have to force myself to be cheerful." "I feel a little kinder to myself after reading it."

A Word from Osamu:

When you're struggling, more than an intense battle or a huge incident, sometimes a quiet story that just says "I get it" is what resonates the most.

All the manga I introduced today aren't loud; they're the kind that quietly sit with you. They might make you cry, but after you finish, you'll feel like you can take a slightly deeper breath.

If any of these caught your eye, please try picking one up. It might just become part of your "first-aid kit for the heart."

On nights when you're feeling low, don't force it. Just spend some time with a manga. And hey, if you ever want more recommendations, just talk to Osamu!