Shoujo Manga Recommendations

Shoujo manga recommendations and reviews. Some may not be strictly shoujo, but have similar themes. Also include shoujo anime and general shoujo recommendations. Yes, this is a shoujo manga page, the sidebar image is fan art for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, because I'm happy so many of my followers are Zelda fans!

[shoujomangarecs]

Hey everyone (And a goodbye for now)

So it’s been forever in so many different ways. 

First off I wanted to thank everyone who’s sent messages, followed, liked or even visited this blog over the last 2 years now. It’s been a blast, and I’ve had a lot of fun meeting and chatting with some of you, and just in general recommending some really awesome shoujo series

Just to let everyone know as well, I recently completed my professional goals and was accepted into medical school! Finally, I won’t be passively-aggressively complaining about school and stress on the internet anymore!

However, after going through the processes required to get in, I’ve also taken the opportunity to mature and re-evaluate who I am. I’ve realized that manga/ anime, things that used to be my favourite pastimes, do not really hold the same meanings they once did to me. I still enjoy the gorgeous art, the great and epic stories and all of the wonderful characters, but I’ve spent less time on it as a hobby and more on other pursuits. So I’ve made the decision to not run this blog anymore.

I’ve decided to leave this blog up, so that people can continue to browse through the reviews/ recommendations (as well as my incredible formatting skills *sarcasm*). However I wanted to say goodbye, as well as thank you to everyone. It’s been a great journey and I’ve really appreciated it.

P.S. I’ll leave my PM box open for the time being, and I’ve enjoyed chatting with you guys, so feel free to give me a message if you want my patent sarcasm! Or advice about pre-med stuff, or manga, or whatever.

[shoujomangarecs]

Nanohana no Kare

Title: Nanohana no Kare

Status: Ongoing (7 Chapters)

Tags: Shoujo, School Life, Slice of Life

Summary: Nanoka is a cute and quiet high school freshman. But she is not going out with anybody after a really unhappy relationship in middle school made her reluctant to try again. Her boyfriend had used her to brag in front of his friends, and now she isn’t so sure if she can handle such insensitivity any more. One day, by what can only be described as fate, she meets a boy who represents the complete opposite of what she has feared about relationships. Will she be able to overcome her past hardships?

Art: The art is very modern and very pretty. It suits the dream like mood, being very airy and cutesy. Character models suit their personalities and are welcomingly distinct. I also like how there are modern references in terms of brand names and other accessories that are subtly integrated into the story/ background, it really aids in the immersive quality. Text is well balanced and panels are free of distracting clutter, which aids in the flow and progression of this rather simple story. I also like that despite the fact it is rather cutesy and modern, the manga still has it’s own original style and the proportions are stil kept pleasantly normal. All in all it’s a very good looking and well put together series.

Plot: Only 7 chapters so it’s difficult to say whether it can keep its momentum. I am liking the soft and more sentimental approach it is taking thus far. It’s still rather dramatic, and it has recently added an element that certainly adds a lot of tension to the latest chapters, but it is difficult to assess how these shall all play out. 

I like how the characters are not one dimensional. The main female lead is very much understandable in her fears, and how she finds it difficult to keep up with other relationships in her life as well. Yes, there is a fair amount of cheese sprinkled as well (the fated meeting, the star struck looks etc) but what’s romance with out a little bit of cheese? In all seriousness however, I like that the series does have those cliche moments however the key here is that it handles these moments respectfully and with respect to the characters. Thus what could have been unbearable is actually pretty heartwarming/ wrenching depending on the mood presented.

It’s a pure love story, with darker undertones at its foundation. There is no hint of rom-com yet either, at least, so far. But the side characters and other threads to the story, while predictable, are definitely very enjoyable.

Notes:

-Honestly, this reminds me of Kimi Ni Todoke in a way. I think if you’re looking for a cute shoujo that isn’t so Rom-com, you should definitely check this out. 

- I have a feeling guys would like this one too. Its a universal story and it’s actually really touching.

[shoujomangarecs]

Happy 1k followers giveaway!

Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in like forever, but it's been busy. I've recently noticed that I've surpassed 1000 followers! Thanks so much to everyone, I really appreciate. I decided to plagiarize every other blog out there and do a giveaway! I'll post more details about the contents a bit (I'm thinking have a set of like starter shoujo manga? Plus candy, because well, candy is always good) Anyways this is a belated thanks to everyone!

[shoujomangarecs]

Public Service Announcement about Manga Recs!

Hey all, thanks for the messages!

After going through my mailbox I've realized that a lot of people would like specific requests. Because most of them are honestly pretty similar, I think I'm going to have to change how I approach them. 

If you want a recommendation, then please PM me with your username displaying, NOT as anonymous. As of now I am really sorry, but I won't respond to anonymous requests.

No, I'm not going to stalk you, it's just so that I can answer privately without clogging up the blog with similar requests. If someone would like there answer to be published, or if it's a different request that I think people could benefit from, I'll ask the user before posting it up publicly. I will only post it up with that user's explicit consent. 

I'll put this in the general page as well, so hopefully it'll reach everyone, Have a great Black Friday everyone, and try not to get hurt or hurt someone else

[shoujomangarecs]

Hi, I just want to ask. Do you know some sites where I could read raw versions? (Don't suggest Raff, please) Thank you. Have a good day.

Sorry, I really couldn't tell you. I just use plain old Google to find stuff. I would ask on mangafox forums or something similar, they would probably be able to help you more, especially if it's a specific manga that you are looking for.

[shoujomangarecs]

Hi this is going to be a weird question to ask/describe, but none of my sisters nor I can remember the title of this manga. The official art shows the couple, boy lying down, girl over him, both eyes are closed. He has dark hair, she has pink hair with front bangs and a flower crown? o god idk how to describe this. i wanted to read it for awhile and i bookmarked it but i lost it haha OTL any help would be so appreciated but i can totally get if you can't answer this lol

Pink hair with bangs reminds me of Hana to Rakurai. But that’s probably not it…

I went through my manga list to see if anything matched pink hair with bangs. This is what I got

Possibly, Boku No Robot (Pink hair+bangs)

Mada Amanogawa ni Ikienai (Lying down, long hair multicolored. No guy though)

Shinobi Life

Barajou No Kiss

Desire Climax (not pink haired, but everything else fits? Kind of brownish pink)

Gokuaraku Seishun

Hana wa Knife wo Mi Ni Matou

Hanatsukihime (this one fits your description really well)

Hatsukoi ni Obereta

Junjou Drop

Kamisama no Sonata

Karakuri Odette

Faster than a Kiss

Koe No Katachi

Koko No iru Yo

kuoorihime to kawaki no ou

Mashikaku Rock

Mielino Kashiwagi

Moe Kare

Renai Shijou Shugi

Sakura Hime Kaden

Suits no Kuni no Mahoutsukai

Torikagosou no Kyou mo Nemutai Juuintachi

Shoujo Kakumei Utena

Nadeshiko Club

Are those the only details you remember? Long hair, short hair? Was the manga in a particular art style close to another manga you know? Anything about the story maybe? 

And btw, to everyone who sent in messages about recs and stuff, I’ll try to get through them, but I have finals and medical school interviews is why I haven’t done them. I’m not ignoring you purposefully XD

Sorry if it’s not here. I know it sucks to have a manga all ready to read, and then find out your computer broke or something (I’ve been there) I use myanimelist to keep track of what manga I’ve read, want to read etc. Something you can look into if you want. What I used to do was make a word doc that I would back up on a hard drive as well, that way you don’t have to sign up for a website if you don’t want to. I’ll post some of my old so if any of y’all are looking for a template, feel free to use it! If anybody wants the entire document, just message me. It's old and not up to date, my up to date list is all on MAL.

Anybody else following the blog or otherwise who has an idea what it is?  Please message me or reblog with your answer :)

Also, anon, let me know if you find it!

Here was my old list for my stuff

Title

Status

Rating

Comments

Fruits Basket (Anime/ Manga)

 Genre: Shoujo, RomCom, School Life, Love Triangle

Completed

★★★★★

 -Plot: ★★★★★

 Tohru discovers a family’s secret; they turn into the zodiac animals when hugged.

-Artwork: ★★★★

-Appropriate: Yes. G.

-Pros: Funny, good love triangle, well done emotional scenes

- Cons: Anime is too short

 Ouran High School Host Club (Anime/Live Action/ Drama)

 Genre: Shoujo, Reverse Harem, RomCom, School Life, Rich School, Gender Bender

Completed

★★★★★

-Plot: Poor girl at a really rich school.

-Artwork: Excellent

-Acting: Not very good. Didn’t translate well to LA.

-Appropriate: Yes. G.

-Pros: Hilarious, Haruhi is likeable and relatable, several insider jokes, and artwork is stunning.

-Cons: Anime is too short

Inuyasha (Anime/ Manga)

Completed

★★★★★

-Plot: Modern day girl goes back to feudal Japan. Meets demon.

-Artwork: Very good

-Approproate: Yes

-Cons: Can get repetitive. Some filler.

Skip Beat (Anime/ Manga/ Live Action)

Completed

★★★

-Plot: Girl decides to get revenge on former crush who is an idol.

-Artwork: Good

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: Cheesy at points. Charcters very 1-D

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya (Anime)

Completed

★★★★

-Plot: Crazy girl who sets up a club, full

-Artwork: Excellent

-Appropriate: Frequently makes bad jokes. Caution.

-Cons: Too ecchi.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (Anime)

Completed

★★★

-Plot: King of Games

-Artwork: Good

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: Uber cheesy

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Anime)

Completed

★★

-Plot: King of games, high school.

-Artwork: Good

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: Even cheesier

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds (Anime)

Season 2

★

-Plot: Card games on motorcycles

-Artwork: Good

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: =__=

Pokemon (Anime)

Diamond and Pearl

★

-Plot:  Wants to catch em all

-Artwork: Acceptable

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: Repetitive

Kimi Ni Todoke (Anime/Manga/ Live Action)

Completed/ Chapter 50

★★★★★

-Plot: Girl who is treated like an outcast finds friends through persevering

-Artwork: Excellent

-Acting: Excellent.

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: None. It ended.

 Ghost Hunt (Anime)

Completed

★★★★★

-Plot: Special psychic agency investigates supernatural mysteries

-Artwork: Excellent

-Appropriate: Yes

-Cons: Anime is too short TT_TT

[shoujomangarecs]

I love your blog! I was wondering if there was a manga where the guy falls for the girl first (not the typical girl who has a crush on boy and would do anything to have him) but kinda boy loving girl? Thank you sweetie!

Thanks for the kind words! They mean a lot! And I do know a couple, but again it all depends on your taste and what else you look for in a manga.

- Sekine-kun No Koi is a REALLY good one that fits your description well and it's a manga that I personally adore. I've made a recommendation for it on the blog before here

- Cheese in the trap is another great one that fits the description. I've recced it here 

- Honey is another good one with an "untypical" hero protagonist.

- The classic Kimi Ni Todoke is all about the guy who's struggling to have his crush notice him

- Last Game. One of my favourites. This fits the description to a TEE. Plus we've gotten to a point in the manga where it's starting to get very satisfying (I've been following this series for years now, and I won't spoil, but I am very happy with it right now)

- Nijiiro days has a bit of that. I've recced it here

- Ore Monogatori! Love this series. Rec is here

- Film Girl, rec here

- Hana Ni Arashi rec here 

- The classic Hana Yori Dango

- Another classic, Ouran High School Host Club. As Tumblr has agreed, the series is all about Sempai trying to get noticed XD

- Sakamichi No Appollon

-Shinbunbu No Komatsu san. Rec Here

Hope this sort of helps? Honestly I like this trope as well, so I've already recommended those that I felt were really good XD

[shoujomangarecs]

Hi! Hello, I'm so, so, so, so sorry for bothering you, but I'm a newbie in this and the first manga I read almost obsessively was Hirunaka No Ryusei, and I wanted to know if there was another manga similar to it? Also, if there's any other hero like Shishio, because I think I am in love with him! < 3

Shishio is awesome! I'm not sure what you mean by similar tbh. Do you mean in the sense of teacher student? Or in the art? Plus the manga is actually a very typical "shoujo" series at heart, so a lot of different manga have very similar stories to it. One that I would immediately recommend is "Koi Wa Beniro". I don't know about this particular recommendation, because the story is very different, but maybe something like "Annarasumanara" as well. It's an AMAZINg series, and it has the whole age gap as well as interesting main male lead as well. (Actually I think I may just re-read that tonight)

I always tell people this, but the best place to find a manga similar to "X" is to look at myanimelist. People have compiled a list of recommendations and also explain how the manga are similar, so it's a great resource for finding something new if you feel like you're going through withdrawal after reading a particularly good manga. This  is the recommendation page for Hirunaka No Ryusei in particular. Out of the list, Hibi chouchou, Horimiya, Heroine Shikkaku, Last Game, Kimi Ni Todoke, Taiyou No Ie, Faster than a Kiss and Yumemiru Taiyou are ones that I personally enjoy. Boku to Kimi to de Niji Ni Naru also might work.

A hero similar to Shishio? He's pretty unique, a chill and relaxed guy who's not a complete dope unlike most shoujo manga male leads. The landlord from Yumemiru Taiyou comes to mind for me. Jung from Cheese in the Trap is pretty similar imo, plus that series is absolutely amazing. The male lead in Chikutaku Bonbon has that feel as well. Dengeki Daisy is also another good recommendation for people who liked HnR imo, it's got a similar dynamic between the leads.

And as always, feel free to check out myanimelist. I've usually rated the manga, and it's always nice to see what else I've read and see if it sounds interesting to you.

[fanie-mei]

[shoujomangarecs]

So I'm sure that many of you guys know that Hirunaka No Ryusei is ending soon in Japan. Thank you to "Damn Feels" scanlation group who have translated this wonderful series for international fans with such dedication. I recommended this series on this blog a while back, and I had no idea that it would end this soon. 

To those of you unfamiliar, it's a about a young girl who is from the country who moves to the big city and how she adjusts. It's really sweet and lovely, and the art as you can see is breathtakingly beautiful. My original review can be found here. 

[shoujomangarecs]

i don't know why but i always root for the second lead. so do you have any manga recommendation with a winning or at least satisfied second lead character?

YES. For sure. I know the second lead syndrome very well. The one that comes to mind immediately is Cat Street. I recommended it a while ago on this blog. It's frequently considered one of the best shoujo manga of all time as well. 

[shoujomangapictures]

ahhhh yeah yeah I made it!

I created my ongoing manga recommendation page!

Have a look, it’s awesome :3

At the moment there are like 75 mangas, I could add more and I’m not completely satisfied with some pics but I want to finish the complete manga rec. page first!

[cladicollections]

This is a great recommendation page for people who have been wanting more fluffy/ relatively more stereotypical shoujo series to read. It’s got a lot of the good ones on here. I myself really like Boku to Kimi to de niji ni naru, Hana to rakurai and Honey and I  see a lot of others that sound very promising as well. Also, give the OP’s page a go as well! I just started following her on my personal blog as well, because she posts amazingly well cleaned and coloured screen caps, and is incredibly talented.

[shoujomangapictures]

Omg your comment though I’m speechless, this means A LOT to me, seriously

I can’t properly express by words how I feel and my gratitude but really, thank you so much for your splendid words with all of my heart !!!

[shoujomangarecs]

Thank YOU for the awesome recs and for your amazing blog!

[shoujomangarecs]

Yep, totally serious (I logged in this time). It's funny because I tend to be pretty limited about shows/characters that I like so it's pretty awesome to find a twinsie. :)

Damn that is cool. I'll follow you on my personal blog, because you sound like an awesome human being. 

[shoujomangapictures]

ahhhh yeah yeah I made it!

I created my ongoing manga recommendation page!

Have a look, it’s awesome :3

At the moment there are like 75 mangas, I could add more and I’m not completely satisfied with some pics but I want to finish the complete manga rec. page first!

[shoujomangarecs]

This is a great recommendation page for people who have been wanting more fluffy/ relatively more stereotypical shoujo series to read. It’s got a lot of the good ones on here. I myself really like Boku to Kimi to de niji ni naru, Hana to rakurai and Honey and I  see a lot of others that sound very promising as well. Also, go through the blog itself! I just started following her on my personal blog as well, because she posts amazingly well cleaned and coloured screen caps, and is incredibly talented.

[anything-shoujo]

[shoujomangarecs]

I submitted a post to your onehallyu thread like you suggested. But I just realized: you like Seto Kaiba (my favorite character of all time), Yugioh/YGOTAS, Contestshipping, Ouran, Ghost Hunt AND Liar Game!? Are you...me?

DAMN. Are you serious? I actually can't believe it O.o I have NEVER met anybody who liked all of those! And yes, Seto Kaiba is my fav character of all time too!

[shoujomangarecs]

The coolest

B) 

[shoujomangarecs]

how can i get the code to your shoujo anime page. io really want to make a list of manga/anime for my blog. my current one is sucky. thx

Hey there. Actually I can't seem to find the one that I used O.o I can send you the code to it via PM if you would like the exact one that I used. ( I had thought it would be with the trademark on the code I used, but it's not there)

http://theme-hunter.tumblr.com/tagged/codes%3A-movie-table

This is a good blog if you are looking for themes/ codes. I just modified a generic film table template. Hope this helps!