I don't know what type of manga you would prefer, but if I have to choose some manga to relieve stress, in my mind these ones come to mind:
*Sakamoto desu ga?
*Gakuen Babysitters
*Kawaii Hito
*Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu
*Machida-kun no Sekai
*Mikado no Shihou
*The Best Smell (this one is BL --> shonen ai)
*Tomo-chan wa Onna no ko!
*Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
*Yu Yu Hakusho
*Fullmetal Alchemist
*Nan Hao & Shang Feng
There's a bit of everything. When I think of something to relieve stress I would pick comedy or fluff without drama, or Yu Yu hakusho and Fullmetal Alchemist, which are a classic (at least imo). Hope it helps! 😊
i like these because they are lighthearted, not a bunch of drama and funny. Not saying they are high quality but kind of a feel good entertainment for when you just want something distracting to read. The arcs aren't so long that you feel like you've aged 10 years by the time the arc is over.
isekai
https://mangadex.org/title/21055/tondemo-skill-de-isekai-hourou-meshi
https://mangadex.org/title/45945/salaryman-ga-isekai-ni-ittara-shitennou-ni-natta-hanashi (hilarious, about a salaryman that is isekai'd, not some young gamer)
light romance but funny
https://mangadex.org/title/26630/yancha-gal-no-anjou-san
Also I would search for a lot of one shots if you are looking for lighthearted.
Not comedies, depending on your personality some might not fit:
interesting story
human girl in a word where humans are persecuted and virtually extinct meets a golem. What I've read is good
https://mangadex.org/title/17782/somali-to-mori-no-kami-sama
not a sports fan but I liked this one about a guy playing tennis. Didn't complete it but read until one of his first major wins. It was interesting to read how he approached training so it worked as a good distraction.
https://mangadex.org/title/42/baby-steps
i second the Gakuen Babysitters and Machida-kun no Sekai recommendation by @afofafaj . For me it was one of those out of type reads for me but still enjoyed it.
Remembered these too.
Office romance, kind of slow moving but fun. https://mangadex.org/title/23825/senpai-ga-uzai-kouhai-no-hanashi
An isekai with a dungeon nursery, thought it was fun but you will have to read elsewhere. https://mangadex.org/title/23004/dungeon-nursery
Reading some feel-good food manga usually works for me.
https://mangadex.org/title/32437/gohan-no-otomo
Short, cute, and heartwarming. This is easily my favorite in the list. The art is especially nice and each chapter is somewhat intertwined with each other.
https://mangadex.org/title/21443/maiko-san-chi-no-makanai-san
About a caterer in a maiko (geisha apprentice) manor. I find the little tidbits of geisha here and there pretty interesting.
Neither of these are food related, but Karagai Jouzu no Takagi-san and its sequel always managed to warm my heart.
Also checking one shot tags time to time always give me some nice surprise.
For me my ultimate de-stressers are Hakumei to Mikochi and Hidamari Sketch. They both get a slow trickle of chapters now and then, but I can always go back to random older chapters (especially in Hakumei and Mikochi's case) for my fix.
https://mangadex.org/title/21443/maiko-san-chi-no-makanai-san
About a caterer in a maiko (geisha apprentice) manor. I find the little tidbits of geisha here and there pretty interesting.
Seconding this. It's kind of like those newspaper cartoons but in manga form, but also with overarching story/time progression, so it's not entirely episodic. Super comfy overall.
^ I had put this on my reading list and then forgot about this. Your other recommendations sound great as well!
To Mysteryota,
thank you very much for the heartfelt recommendations!
Reading about delicious food can certainly be distracting and I do not know those manga yet; I am very happy!
To PantsMan,
you too I thank for the cute recommendations! Barakamon especially looks very relaxing
To bigtiddyoneesan,
ooh, this sounds perfect for many short reads before sleeping. Thank you for your advice!
To RundownImplication,
thank you for the recommendation!
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I am very happy to see such a big response. This is a much needed list, thank you all once more!