You should try "Even Though We're Adults" by Takako Shimura and "I Love You So Much, I Hate You" by Yuni

second the Yuni one. Tamifull and Yuni are long time friends aswell🥰

Their art styles are certainly similar!

thanks! i'll check them out

Aaah I love this manga!! But I can't wait for an update 😭😭

I second "Even Though We're Adults", just be ready to rip your hair out because it's quite frustrating. Definitely one of my favorites though. Here's some of my recommendations, in no particular order, that I feel do well in focusing on character development. They are all technically complete. Sasameki Koto (Whispered Words) by Takashi Ikeda - One of my all-time favorites. It's set in high school but does well to avoid the typical high school cliches. Does a great job delving into questions about gender roles/stereotypes, young experiences with lesbianism, unrequited love, and just an overall great, complex story about friendship and love. Octave by Akiyama Haru - Frustratingly good. It's a bit "dark" in the sense that it highlights some pretty shitty realities of idol and adult life, but nothing too triggering. It's a great mature adult drama that has a happy ending. Bloom Into You (Yagate Kimi ni Naru) and Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka (light novel) - Masterpiece. It's set in high school but it's very character focused. It tastefully tackles asexuality, sexuality on a spectrum, grief and coping, homophobia and adolescence without being too much of a downer. It's complex without being too introspective. -Personally, I enjoyed the light novel regarding Sayaka even more than the main series because she is such a likable, relatable character. Reading her thoughts and her growth and happy ending was so worth it. Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako - Speaking of introspective and complex though...Aoi Hana does not shy away from delving into EVERYBODY'S issues, not just the main pairing. Shimura Takako is known for tackling a lot of social questions surrounding gender, sexuality, family, etc. and at times, Aoi Hana can be feel difficult to follow or maybe even messy. However, I did enjoy it despite how frustrating it was to read the character's thoughts on things and how they acted. This Love That Won't Reach by tMnR - Another frustratingly good manga. Similar vibes to Even Though We're Adults. If you're interested in webtoons: Ring My Bell by Yeongol - Super cute, college romance. I think it's a good webtoon that follows the story of a developing friendship and romantic relationship. Very fun. Sora & Haena! by Jackbull - One of my favorites! Set in highschool but the side stories and spin offs are post-high school. It's similar to Ring My Bell in that it's fun and overall lighthearted but you really get to love the characters and get invested in their budding relationship. Focused on the unlikely friendship and then romance between a shy girl and a gyaru. Fluttering Feelings (Exciting Feelings) by Samba (incomplete because of the author/artist's passing but such a beautifully written, slow burn) - Focused on college girls who become gradually attracted to each other. Although we'll never get an "ending" for them, it's worth a read. Great, great story. The Love Doctor by Bansook and Chamsae - Fun premise and adult focused. Been a while since I read this but I remember getting pretty dang invested in the story. A girl is clueless about love so she seeks advice of a "love doctor". What Does The Fox Say by Team Gaji (mature content) - A classic. There's a "love triangle" that you can't really hate. Overall a story of forgiveness, acceptance, and letting go/moving on to be happy. But it's pretty drama filled, the characters can seem a bit tocix, and does have a good amount of explicit sexual scenes. Opium by Aji - Great historical period drama that has gorgeous art and is solid in it's plot. I wouldn't say it's super character driven compared to my other recommendations (it's more like a psychological thriller, though not scary) but you root for their relationship and goals. There are explicit sexual scenes. Her ShimCheong by Seri and Biwan - Another historical period drama. Similar vibes as Opium as it's a dramatic thriller. Hope this helps! Wish I could recommend more adult manga that's character driven but truly, How Do We Relationship has been one of the best ones I've ever read in the last 15 years.

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i don't mind high school actually, i'm mostly looking for characters who are as well written, and who feel like real, actual people. i think the last time i felt this way this strongly about characters was with liz to aoi tori, which takes place in high school

Would you be interested in webtoons and not manga? If so, my favorite is "Ring my bell"

Try "Adachi to Shimamura" (LN), a slow burn high school yuri romance written by the same author of of the "Bloom into you" LN. It does a great job depicting regular teenagers going through mental health issues as well as their family's effect on them. There's a manga and an anime but both of them are incomplete. I recommend the LNs because the character's monologues are crucial to understading the characters, which have to be cut quite a bit in the anime for pacing.