Japanese comics in the editorial subgenre known as “shoujo manga” are geared toward young adult and adolescent female readers. It is one of the main editorial subgenres of manga, along with josei manga (targeting adult women), seinen manga (targeting young men), and shonen manga (targeting adolescent males). Shoujo manga is generally published in specialized manga publications, many of which focus on a specific reader demographic or storytelling style. It is a great style of manga to explore if you are looking to get a different taste of entertainment. We bring you a list of the Must-Read Shoujo Manga Series for you today. They are;
- Vampire Knight
- Say I Love You
- My Little Monster
- Last Game
- Daytime Shooting star
- Horimiya
- House of the Sun
- From Me to You
- Dengeki Daisy
- Lovely Complex
- Ouran HighSchool host Club
- Kamisama Kiss
- Nana
- Yona of the Dawn
- Fruit Basket
- Ship and Loafer
- Ao Haru Ride
- Love me, Love me Not
- Nichijou
- My Love Mix-up
- Orange
- Snow White with the Red Hair
- Maid-sama!
- Missions of Love
- Hibichouchou
- Cheeky Brat
Best Shoujo Manga Series
Vampire Knight: One of the Must-Read Vampire Shoujo Manga Series
Being one of the best Shoujo manga you can get your hands on, the plot centers on Yuki learning that her childhood buddy Zero spent the previous four years attempting to thwart his metamorphosis into a vampire before giving up.
While Yuki attempts to aid Zero in overcoming his bloodlust and regaining her own lost memories, she also harbors suspicions that Kaname may be concealing information. Yuki’s earliest memory is of being attacked by a scary vampire and saved by Kaname Kuran, also a vampire.
Say I Love You
Next on our list of Best Shoujo manga is ‘Say I Love You’. In the plot, the understated and quiet Mei Tachibana (main character) did not have any boyfriends or pals during her time in high school.
Because of a childhood episode in which her pals turned out to be toxic and shallow, she developed a fear of disappointment and became overly careful around others.
She meets Yamato Kurosawa, a popular kid who shows interest in her, and it is through their nascent friendship and developing romance that Mei eventually starts to reach out and make friends with other people.
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My Little Monster
The story centers around Shizuku Mizutani who solely cares about her grades and is uninterested in her classmates. She meets Haru Yoshida, a violent troublemaker who quit attending school after getting into a fight early in the school year, and this encounter causes her icy perspective on life to start to warm.
However, he is not much different from her in that he lacks friends and also has little understanding of human nature. Shizuku is shocked when, upon meeting her, he declares that she will be his buddy and quickly admits his emotions for her. It is deserving of its place on our list of Must-Read Shoujo Manga Series.
Last Game
In this anime, Naoto Yanagi, the heir to the Yanagi corporate group, is invincible. During his primary school years, Naoto was idolized for his athletic and intellectual prowess, good looks, and riches. Then Mikoto Kujou, a plain-looking transfer student, arrived.
Naoto was at first indifferent to Mikoto because of her precarious financial situation. But even though she was a new student at his school, she absolutely outclassed him, frequently earning top grades on examinations and winning competitions.
Naoto was astonished by her during their brief argument, and he resolved to outdo her at any cost.
Daytime Shooting Star
Daytime Shooting Star is really scrumptious but gratifying, and one of the Must-Read Shoujo Manga Series out there. The protagonist of the novel is a 15-year-old girl named Suzume Yosano who relocates from rural Japan to Tokyo; after being sent to live with her uncle, Suzume encounters a stranger on the first day of her stay who turns out to be more than just a stranger—he’s her homeroom teacher! Mamura is a kid in Suzume’s class who, for personal reasons, avoids girls at all costs.
However, Suzume manages to win Mamura over and become friends with him. Suzume must now make an effort to settle into her new city life, make friends, and—most importantly—find her daytime shooting star. It is a great romance manga and if you like manga like this, you should check out these great Romance manga for boys.
Horimiya
The main characters of the novel Horimiya are the titular Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura, two high school classmates who fall in love very rapidly.
Hori-san is a well-liked honor student who also runs her family’s home because her parents are “busy” raising her younger brother. Miyamura-kun, who portrays the withdrawn and lonely otaku at school, is actually a hot himbo with tattoos and piercings. It joins our list of Must-Read Shoujo Manga Series.
House of the Sun
The Nakamuras’ and Mao Motomiya’s struggles are at the center of the narrative. Mao Motomiya, a high school student, feels as though she doesn’t fit anywhere after her mother abandoned her and her father remarried.
She is discovered one evening by her childhood friend Hiro Nakamura eating cheap food from a convenience store. He offers to take her to a restaurant.
From Me to You
Because of how much Sawako Kuronuma resembles the ghost girl from The Ring, she is misunderstood. But becoming friends with her, Kazehaya, the kindest boy in the class, altered everyone’s opinion of Sawako. Nevertheless, she would face challenges in the future.
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Dengeki Daisy
The main character of Dengeki Daisy is the orphaned girl Teru, who has a hacker guardian named “Daisy” who keeps an eye on her, especially at high school where she is ridiculed for being poor, though she manages to hold her own rather well. Her phone—the final relic from her deceased brother—is her only means of communication.
Lovely Complex
The tallest student in her class, Risa Koizumi (the main character), is teamed up with Atsushi Tani, the lowest student in the group, on a regular basis by cruel fate.
Their friends, on the other hand, have different views about how the two should interact, and so they wind up being cast as the uncooperative leads in a romantic comedy. It is widely recognized as one of the Must-Read Shoujo Manga Series.
Ouran HighSchool host Club
The humorous series centers on Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Bunkyo, Tokyo’s famous Ouran Academy, a school for wealthy children. Haruhi discovers the abandoned Music Room while searching for a peaceful spot to study.
Here, the Ouran Academy Host Club, a group of six male students, meets to amuse female “customers” with treats and tea. Haruhi unintentionally damages a priceless vase during their first encounter and is forced to serve as the club’s messenger in order to pay the debt.
The Hosts initially mistake her for a male student due to her short hair, slouchy clothing, and gender-ambiguous face. However, they quickly realize her true gender and the fact that she is a “natural” at entertaining girls, elevating her to full-host rank.
Kamisama-Kiss
Next on our list of Must-Read Shoujo Manga Series is Kamisama Kiss, this series is a great romantic comedy/thriller. In the plot, after her father leaves town to avoid paying off his gambling debts and the debt collectors evict Nanami Momozono from her apartment, she is left homeless and alone.
She seizes the chance when a man she just saved from a dog gives her his home. However, it transpires that his home is actually a temple, and Nanami has unintentionally assumed his role as a local deity! Nanami is faced with a variety of new obligations and hazards that she is oblivious to.
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Nana
Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu, two ladies who relocate to Tokyo at the age of 20, are the centerpiece of the series. The plot revolves around Nana O’s quest for fame and Nana K’s pursuit of romance. All while Nana O and Nana K struggle to keep their friendship together.
Yona of the Dawn
Being the lone princess in her country, Princess Yona enjoys an idyllic life. She treasures the time spent with the person she loves, Soo-won. She feels pampered by her father, the king, and protected by her devoted guard, Hak.
But when she sees her father’s murder on her 16th birthday, everything is suddenly different!
If you also like watching Shoujo anime, you should check out good romance anime on Crunchyroll to watch.
Fruit Basket
Fruits Basket has one of the most devoted fanbases of any shoujo manga.
This is a series that was previously adapted into a passable anime adaption and has recently undergone the “brotherhood treatment” with excellent outcomes.
The heroine of Tohru Honda, a young woman who lost her mother and now lives in a tent in the woods, is the subject of the legendary shoujo manga by Natsuki Takaya.
Tohru is undoubtedly having bad luck, but she still manages to smile. She clings to hope as much as her strength will allow her to and is the personification of the “glass half full” attitude.
One day, Tohru discovers her classmate Yuki Soma’s residence, a traditional and remote Japanese household. Shigure, Yuki’s older brother, is a chill novelist who stays at home and invites Tohru into their home. However, the Soma family’s dark secret is soon revealed, and Tohru is forced to accept the fact that each member of the family is ruled by a different animal from the Chinese zodiac.
Members of the Soma clan abruptly change into their animal form when caressed by someone of the opposite sex, frequently leading to uncomfortable and amusing circumstances.
The most appealing and fascinating part of the ensemble of this shoujo manga is the cat character, Kyo, who travels to some extremely bizarre and terrible places.
Fruits Basket is a beloved classic of the shoujo manga subgenre and a reverse-harem slice-of-life romance comic for the ages.
Skip and Loafer
Charm is one of the essential components of a successful shoujo manga. Where shoujo is concerned, charm triumphs over even romance.
Charm oozes from every crevice of Skip and Loafer. Our protagonist has a wide-eyed tenderness and a goofiness that is emphasized by her unusual features. Iwakura is shown differently from the other characters in the cast; she has a blanker, more understated look that is evocative of Mob Psycho 100.
It’s endearing that even her face makes others laugh (but not in a mean or insulting way). The emphasis on friendship over romance is another factor. Shima, another one of our main characters, is a charming himbo whom every female fancies and he has decided to make friends with Iwakura on her first day of school.
Given that she was raised in the country, today is actually her first day in Tokyo. Shima is available to offer assistance (although he’s not very good at it) when things go awry.
The slice-of-life and romance genres are combined in this shoujo manga to create a fun, heartfelt story.
Ao Haru Ride
This shoujo manga is also known by its English title Blue Spring Ride. To provide readers with a romantic story with actual weight and substance, it incorporates grounded, frequently harsh and grim, themes and experiences. One of the most popular romantic mangas, especially in Japan, is Ao Haru Ride.
The narrative centers on sixteen-year-old Futaba, whose first love has returned after spending a considerable amount of time in Nagasaki.
Kou, though, is not the boy she recalls; he is now distant and wary. We quickly discover that Kou’s mother passed away when he was living in Nagasaki, which is why.
Ao Haru Ride is a sophisticated and hard-hitting shoujo narrative that brilliantly illustrates how hurdles to happiness are frequently created by us because of naivete, self-destructive inclinations, and the inability to predict the future or read the past.
This is a romantic manga that is highly recommended with a lot of twists and turns that are worth seeing firsthand.
Love Me, Love Me Not
Although the most well-known shoujo manga of this author is Ao Haru Ride, her more recent series Love Me, Love Me Not is refreshingly original among shoujo manga.
Love Me, Love Me Not stands out thanks to its true and relatable situations and characters as well as its famous effervescent, fluffy, and (at this point) outdated design.
Yuna and Akari are our two main characters. They had each said farewell to a best friend who had moved away when they first met, and they were preparing to enroll in the same high school.
Although the most well-known shoujo manga of this author is Ao Haru Ride, her more recent series Love Me, Love Me Not is refreshingly original among shoujo manga.
Love Me, Love Me Not stands out thanks to its true and relatable situations and characters as well as its famous effervescent, fluffy, and (at this point) outdated design. Yuna and Akari are our two main characters. They had each said farewell to a best friend who had moved away when they first met, and they were preparing to enroll in the same high school.
Nichijou
Nichijou is a masterpiece of shoujo manga that plays with the idea of “slice-of-life” in a highly meta and incessantly funny way.
The series is set in the town of Tokisadame, centers on two major casts of characters: a trio of teenage schoolgirls and an eccentric ensemble that consists of a young professor, her custom robot, and a talking cat. The three schoolgirls in this slice-of-life manga are equally as bizarre, despite the second trio’s oddness being obvious from a distance.
Nichijou is a masterpiece of shoujo manga that plays with the idea of “slice-of-life” in a highly meta and incessantly funny way.
My Love Mix-Up: One of the Must-Read Love Triangel Shoujo Manga Series
What we commonly refer to as a “love triangle” is actually one person trying to decide between two others rather than a triangle at all.
You should read My Love Mix-Up! if you want to see a real love triangle. This cute and amusing shoujo manga about high school crushes is proud of how ridiculous and endearing it is. Aoki likes Hashimoto, but he shortly discovers that she has her sights set on Ida.
Ida learns through an awkward misunderstanding that Aoki, not Hashimoto, is the one who likes him. He’s never had a crush on someone before, but he’s open to the possibility. As a result, he starts to develop a close bond with Aoki, who he continues to believe has a crush on him.
As a result, Aoki is currently crushing Hashimoto, who is crushing Ida, who is in turn crushing Aoki. A true love triangle exists there.
As this entertaining relationship grows, there are also quite a few twists and turns, and we get to enjoy these endearing archetypal characters (especially the lovely himbo Aoki).
Orange
Orange crosses many genres, including slice-of-life, romance, and even the occult. It’s also a brief manga that you can finish in two enormous volumes over the course of a weekend.
Because of this, Orange is a satisfyingly thorough and narrowly focused manga experience. Naho Takamiya, a high school student, serves as the story’s primary character. Orange follows this circle of friends carefully.
A letter from a person claiming to be Naho’s future self arrives at the beginning of a new school year. The failure to save the life of a youngster named Kakeru Naruse, says future Naho, was her greatest regret.
The fact that the letter arrived on this specific day coincides with Kakeru’s arrival at their school in Matsumoto from his previous life in Tokyo. Kakeru joins Naho’s group of buddies as their sixth member quite fast.
There is a long list of specific instructions on how to save Kakeru’s life in the letter Naho got. Every day, Naho must choose whether or not to believe and adhere to these directives.
In the meantime, ten years in the future, Naho and Hiroto are married, and we are sometimes taken into their lives as they reflect on their high school days and their now-deceased friend Kakeru.
The moving, sobering novel Orange is about love, friendship, mental health, and the obligations we have to and for one another.Yes, it is a romance manga, but it is also much more than that.
Snow White with the Red Hair
Snow White with the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayukihime) has been published for a very long time. Going into something like Snow White with the Red Hair is a big task if you were drawn to Orange in part because of how brief and condensed it is. But many people find it worthwhile.
This fantasy shoujo series centers on Tanbarun kingdom herbalist Shirayuki (literally Snow White). The Snow White fairy tale serves as a very loose inspiration for her story at first.
Shirayuki, the novel’s female protagonist, rejects the overtures of the local Prince Raji in a refreshingly confident and self-aware manner. She mocks him, cuts her hair, and runs away, whereupon she meets Prince Zen of the next kingdom.
She installs herself as an herbalist in Zen’s royal court after saving Zen from a poisoned apple that Prince Raji had intended for her. To no one’s surprise, a relationship between the two eventually develops.
Maid-sama!: One of the Must-Read Maid Shoujo Manga Series
Another wildly popular classic romance manga with a unique concept is Maid Sama! (Kaichou wa Maid-sama! or The Class President is a Maid!). The series’ name undoubtedly conjures up a specific image, but closer inspection uncovers a much more somber love story.
Misaki Ayuzawa, the titular president/maid, serves as the main character. Misaki has a lot to prove as a student at a school that was originally exclusively for male pupils. She succeeds and is elected president of the student body.
Misaki is a student, though she works part-time at a maid cafe to assist her ailing mother. Takumi Usui, a popular boy, keeps the information to himself after learning the truth. Usui is drawn to Misaki, and the two quickly develop feelings for one another.
Missions of Love
Third-year junior high school student Yukina Himuro is well-known. Her classmates call her the “Absolute Zero Snow Woman” because of her icy glance and bearing. Yukina is a well-known novelist as well.
Yukina overhears Shigure Kitami, the student council president, rejecting one of the females who professed his love for her. Kitami is well-liked by girls and has good manners. Yukina observes that he makes a note in a book. Shigure is forced to accept Yukina’s “Mission” when she approaches him later.
Hibi Chouchou
Every time Suiren Shibazeki passes by, everyone looks at her and enjoys her charm and sweetness. She actually avoided boys in elementary school because they paid her so much attention. Even though she attends an all-girls high school, she still feels choked by her classmates’ attention.
Suiren returns to a coed school after graduating from high school and becomes the lead once more. One day, she is rescued from a group of males by Kouha Kawasumi, a talented and silent karate student. Thus, a sweet romance between the two soft-spoken young people begins.
Cheeky Brat
Yuki Machida is a basketball team manager at the school in his sophomore’s year. She meets Sho Naruse, a witty student who is a year younger than her and joins the basketball team, at the welcoming ceremony. Sho consistently puts her patience to the test with his lusty and self-centered remarks.
Kido, the leader of the basketball team, has acquired a girlfriend, but Yuki is in love with him. Sho discovers Yuki’s affection for Kido one day. After the final game of the season, Sho confesses to Yuki that he loves her and vows to win her heart. Finally, Yuki tells Sho how she feels, and the two start dating.
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