Finished
“Hikaru starts high school, befriends bold Nene, kisses Michiya, discovers he's a jerk, and loses Nene over shoplifting.”
Looking for Happiness
たらんたランタ
6.94
10,550 rank · 4,722 readers · 13 favorites
Shoujo
School
Drama
Romance
Slice of Life
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Honest pros & cons
Based on your library
Synopsis
Hikaru starts high school, befriends bold Nene, kisses Michiya, discovers he's a jerk, and loses Nene over shoplifting.
The main character is named Hikaru. She misses her dead brother and speaks to him in her mind as she begins her first day of high school. Here she has many ordinary adventures. She becomes fast friends with a girl named Nene, who lets nothing stand in her way and pushes Hikaru to kiss her new crush, Michiya, who reminds her of her brother. He lets her kiss him, which as it turns out is not a good sign. He predictably turns out to be a jerk, whose personality is nothing like Hikaru's brother's. Also, Nene is a shoplifter. When Hikaru understandably gets upset about this, Nene gets angry at her and tells her to find another friend. (Source: Shoujo Manga Maniac)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 3 sampled reviews
7.0
/10
What 3 readers settled on.
100%
recommend
Score distribution
median 7
mode 7
σ 0.00
Agreement
Strong agreement
σ 0.00 · scores cluster tight
The polarity gap
—
Not enough recommend signal yet
Score over time
↑ 0.00
Running avg · Oct 2008 → Jul 2014
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 7 “I truly loved the storyline, the well-drawn art, and the overall enjoyment I experienced while reading this manga. However, the pacing felt jumpy at times, the characters lacked sufficient history,...”
- 7 “The art is above average with detailed character designs, and the background characters are genuinely charming and funny. However, the story lacks focus, leaving key plot points like the...”
- 7 “The characters are dynamic and not flat, featuring a particularly likable and honest heroine, and the art shows noticeable improvement as the story progresses. However, the short length leads to...”
Verbosity
Short · 0%
Medium · 33%
Long · 67%
Read Order & Related
A self-contained story.
No sequels, spin-offs or alternate tellings — Looking for Happiness begins and ends here.
Cast
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A Manga Publication
- Format 12 × 2 ch × vol
- Total read 1h 36m approx
- Published Jan 2006 – ongoing
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M1214 catalog