I'm looking to get more into shoujo & josei because I like what I have read a lot more than the shounen & seinen I was into as a teen. to give an idea of my tastes, my favorite manga ever is Kanata Kara. I'm wanting to make a LARGE reading list so if you suggest something I'll probably add it.
kilerrhc
28
4d
- Lovesick Ellie (If you like stupid characters)
- Kiyoku, Yamashiku, Modokashiku. (If you like even stupidier characters)
- Perfect World (If you like drama)
Seconding Perfect World! It's wonderful
I got to know last year by chance and loved right away
Perfect world was one of the first josei I've read. Sadly I dropped it about volume 8 and now I can't find volume 10 and 11 in German anymore. (TT ^ TT)
I will give u my top 5 because I cannot decide which of theese is my top 3. My holy grail mangas and nothing else I have read have been this amazing.
Not in order:
Nana
Skip beat!
7 seeds
Yona of the dawn
Basara
Bro basara is actually so satisfying. That shit is so long but bro it just comes together so clean
I normally get turned off by long manga but yeah this one was so good. And it somehow got even better after the .
Hell yeah! Yumi tamura is a GOAT. I read 7 seeds and Basara every year.
7 Seeds mentioned. One of my faves
Nana paradise kiss fan here the art 🤍
Chihayafuru
Chihayafuru
Chihayafuru
Found the hoejo lol (nah fr this shit is tuff)
perfect
Uramichi Oniisan
Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
Tokyo Tarareba Girls
I had no idea uramichi was a Josei! I’m so glad to know!
The comment section has got a lot of great recs so I wanna mention something that hasn't been said yet-
•Namidaame to Serenade
•Colette wa Shinu Koto ni Shita
•Cipher
Colette Decides to Die is sooooo good. It’s one of my go-to recs.
It is, right. It's like my THE comfort read.
- Akatsuki no Yona (eng: Yona of the Dawn)
- Kamisama Kiss
- Beauty Pop
this is the first time i've seen someone mention beauty pop ! it was my first manga and has a place in my heart
I'm happy to see another Beauty Pop lover! It was one of the only mangas at my local library growing up, so it was one of my first shoujo mangas, and holds a special place in my heart too ❤️
Kanata Kara? Then Red River, Yona of the Dawn, and Basara. I gobbled up all of them along with Kanata Kara when I was on a shoujo fantasy kick
- Tsubaki Chou Lonely Planet
- Dreamin’ Sun
- Namaikizakari
I have so many more but these ones had me HOOKED.
Ooh, I definitely need to read the third because Tsubaki Chou and Dreamin’ Sun are top tier for me
saaame. something about the cohabitation trope for me. maybe the forced proximity? (i understand its weird tho, and inappropriate irl.)
Tsubaki Chou is hands down my favorite shoujo manga I’ve read
I really liked Drwamin' Sun alot, except for the end-game. It gave me an ick-feeling from what I remember.
yeah the whole thing with zen and saeko was kinda rushed, so i get that. i liked zen a lot :(
Shoujo: Skip Beat!, Kageki Shoujo!, and Fruits Basket
Josei: Princess Jellyfish, Tokyo Tarareba Girls, and Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen
Children of the whales
Natsume’s book of friends
My broken Mariko
I also love Natsume— that story is able to convey emotions so well!
I don't think natsume is that good !
Well I think it’s really good, so that’s 1-1!
My top 3:
- Rengoku ni Warau/Laughing in Purgatory
- Ouran High School Host Club
- Natsume's Book of Friends
Bonus: Ghost Hunt
I second Rengoku ni Warau. Always here to help you advocate!
I appreciate the support! 😁 Such a great series!
1 Gokusen 2 Given 3 Nodame Cantabile
taiyo no ie, namidae to serenade, ao haru ride
I've read quite some shoujo, but one honourable mention has to be Firefly Wedding!! Absolutely love that manga
Give it a couple more years for people to try it out and that one is going to be on more people's top lists.
Fully agree. I love this manga
- Ouran High School Host Club
- Kimi ni Todoke
- Full Moon wo Sagashite
The three of them have in common that their respective animes don't tell the whole story (Full Moon even changes its whole plot tbh, manga is a lot better). Enjoy x
Full Moon is so good! Arina Tanemura is such a good mangaka
•Last Game •Risouteki Boyfriend •My Sweet Girl
Kamisama Kiss The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World My Gently Raised beast
chihayafuru, last game and basara 😭
The Twelve kingdoms and a vision of escaflowne are my two favs
My sweet girl (shoujo)- A very interesting premise where the FL has massive body image issues as she is in her own words ‘a bag of bones’ but the most popular guy just falls for her, and its such a healthy relationship.
Takane to Hana (shoujo)- Hana has to be one of the wittiest, sassiest FLs. Its an age gap story but honestly, it has been dealt with so cleverly that you won’t even notice it. I love the banter between the leads.
Will you marry me again if you are reborn? (Josei)- A tear jerker but an absolutely beautiful story which I feel everyone should read atleast once.
Honourable mentions!
Koukou Debut (Shoujo)- An early 2000s manga, but my absolute favourite, so much nostalgia associated with this one.
Midnight secretary (Josei)- Its a classic!
YES. I love koukou debut 🙌❤️💯
I read Takane to Hana and I loved it.. but I will say the age gap was super noticeable because of how often it was brought up and referred too. The chibi faces and small Takane really made me love it 😂
Banana Fish
Honey and Clover
Glass Mask
I don’t have a “favorite”, but these are among my top loves. I absolutely adore From Far Away (Kanata Kara) as well, and love that it is your favorite! It’s truly excellent with well written characters, realistic and interesting world-building, and an engaging plot! Both characters and plot avoid the terrible Shoujo manga cliches that plague so many other Shoujo series. I wish more Shoujo manga were like this one.
Can I thank you a thousand times for mentioning Glass Mask… it has a chokehold on me
Your taste is awesome
You have the staples! Glass Mask is one many ppl think its underrated. I rewatch it every four years and read the manga
Skip Beat
Wallflower
Maid sama
MAID SAMA MENTIONED
Karneval
07-ghost
Kakuriyo: bed & breakfast for Spirit
The story of saiunkoku
Honey and Clover
Kageki Shojo!!
Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey
Nana Paradise kiss Fuckin Nana (nothing will ever beat nana omfggg😭)
Rainbow days
Hi, I'm a witch and my crush wants me to make a love potion
Yuugure Light
These are mostly josei but
-Tomorrow, I’ll be Someone’s Girlfriend (it has a drama available on Hulu or Disney+)
-Nana or Paradise Kiss
-Kimi wa Pet (English title: Tramps like Us)
-Pink by Kyoko Okazaki
-In Clothes Called Fat by Moyoco Ano Note: mostly anything by Moyoco Ano is pretty good, but please check trigger warnings before reading
-Yakuza Fiancé or Haru’s Curse by Asuka Konishi
It was haaaaard to choose just 3, so I listed down my top 5 favourites as of writing, in no particular order:
- I love you baby (Komori Mikko)
- Shujinkou Nikki (Yoshinaga Yuu)
- Unmei no hito ni deau hanashi (Anashin)
- Tonari no stella (Ammitsu)
- Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru (Mashiro)
Honorable Mentions: - Arisa (Andou Natsumi) - Ageha 100% (Takeuchi Kozue) - Nekota no koto ga ki ni natte shikatanai (Oouta Rie) - Koori no Joou (Rikachi) - Called Game (Izumi Kaneyoshi) - Houkago Love Age (Mamiya Rin) - Tonari Wa Nanu o Kuu Hito Zo (Fujitsuka Yuki) - Love Love Shock (Kurahashu Erika) - Dice (Shiina Ayumi) - Men's Life (Watanabe Ayu)
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Akatsuki no Yona
Chihayafuru
If Kanata Kara is your favourite, you might find Akatsuki no Yona similar to it. Happy reading!
KONO OTO TOMARE
This is so shoujo coded. It’s a disservice that it’s shounen 😭
ahh now that i think about it, it does centre around chika and takezou more. But i still love chika x satowa moments 🥺
Koudaike no Hitobito
Machida-kun no Sekai
Lovely complex
Stepping on Roses (shoujo with soap opera drama 😌)
Boku ni Hana no Melancholy (because melancholy > ao haru)
Amaku Shibirete Nukenai (current fave)
Stepping on Roses is one of my top faves aswell, but I do believe it should come with a warning, it can be bit triggering if you have some certain trauma (I'm trying not to spoil)
Yukarism
Kamisama Kiss
Black Bird
Bara no Tame Ni
Yume no Shizuku, Kin to Torikago
Princess Jellyfish
Any of Moto Hagio’s works. There are compendiums for it.
Kaoru Mori’s works are also great, but I think her works technically fall into seinen instead of Josei
Piece :Kanojo no Kioku Nana X1999
- Skip Beat
- Basara
- Please Save my Earth (Trigger Warning!)
Mine would this ... This is my fav recently read highschool mangas
Hatsu*Haru
My Sweet Girl //Kimi wa Kawaii Onnanoko
Kore wa Ai de, Koi Ja Nai
But the og shoujo manga are
Maid sama Kamisama kiss Special A
emma: a victorian romance
bronze no tenshi
beauty pop
Fruits Basket, Ouran Koukou Host Club, and Kaichou wa Maid-sama
Omg 😭😭💀💀 you’re gonna make me choose!!! Ahhh! 😱😡😔💔
I’ll do my best but my answer will likely differ in let’s say a year from now or the next minute really 😭😌🤣🤭
Mr Fredward’s Duck
Gakuen Alice
Skip beat or Glass mask
- Gakuen Alice
- Skip Beat
I am keeping it classic with my picks.
1) Sailor Moon
2) Fruits Basket
3 Full Moon O Sagashite
Basara
Fushigi Yuugi (and its prequel)
Clamp’s X
Fruits Basket Kamisama Kiss Legend of Basara
Hard to pick just 3, but here goes ...
- Yona of the Dawn
- Everyone's Getting Married (Josei)
- Blue Spring Ride
Honorable Mention An Incurable Case of Love (Josei)
Mairimashita, Senpai! Sekirara ni Kiss Piece by Suga Mizuho Orange
i love tear jerker romance dramas with angst!!!!!!!!
- Ao haru ride/blue spring ride
- Nana
- kaichou wa maid-sama
shoujo:
Cat Street (my no. 1) - Drama
Oresama Teacher - comedy
Skip Beat! – Career/show-business
josei (I've read <20 of these, unless you count manhwa/manhua):
Chihayafuru
Kimi no Sei (except the last arc of first series sucks. But sequel is good so far but unfinished tl)
The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
7 Seeds
Happy Marriage?!
Neighborhood Story
-Keishicho Tokuhanka 007 -Skip Beat -Dengeki daisy -Love so life
Top 3 Shoujo is hard... 1. Rose of Versailles 2. Cardcaptor Sakura 3. Yona of the Dawn
Top 3 Josei 1. Pink by Kyoko Okazaki 2. Gokusen 3. Chihayafuru
AKATSUKI NO YONA 🔛🔝 - Kami-sama kiss - hunter x hunter
Children Of the Whales
Yona of The Dawn
Karneval
My absolute favorite
1.Sand Chronicles -Hinako Ashihara 2. NANA-Ai Yazawa 3. Bokura Ga Ita -Yuki Obata (this taught me the complexity of relationships)
These all left a deep impression on me and by deep I mean I read these when I was 15-23 years old and I'm 30 now. I STILL reread or think about these manga. They were that powerful.
Honorable mentions 👏 🎖 Happy Mania- Moyocco Anno Helter Skelter-Kyoko Okazaki Pink- Kyoko Okazaki Dengeki Daisy Pieces-Hinako Ashihara Honey and Clover-Chica Umino Glass Mask-Suzue Miuchi (the anime is so good too!)
• Somethings Wrong with Us • Tsubaki-Chou Lonely Planet • Kamisama Hajimemashita
I can’t narrow it down the three 😂 Kimi ni todoke, skip beat, the fragrant flower blooms with dignity, and I can’t decide which of Mika Yamamoris works is my favorite!
Ouran High School Host Club
Chihayafuru
Basara/Fruits Basket
kono oto tomare
namaikizakari
nana / paradise kiss
Metamorphosis
Are you talking about Metamorphose no Engawa? It's actually not demographic coded afaik. Nonetheless a great read. Highly recommend.
Chihayafuru Nana Kimi no Todoke