Shojo manga has a very long history and always
targeted a young female demographic in its readership. These manga have a
strong female character as the protagonist and use the theme of romance as
their focal point to attract female readers. Its counterpart, shonen, has
dedicated itself to the young male demographic by depicting intense action
scenes and humorous plots while following a male protagonist. Even though these
two traditional manga genres started out with a desired audience they were
dedicating their work to, nowadays the audiences have crossed over to explore
the world opposite of the norm.
With the increasing popularity of shojo manga, it is
starting to interest a wider audience. Its roots and defining purpose may be
romance but it has developed into something much more. Many shojo manga have
added subgenres to their work such as historical drama, supernatural and
fantasy to compliment the theme of romance. This adds more dynamic to the
storytelling, welcoming new readers to the shojo genre.
Here are five shojo manga series perfect for newcomers
to the genre:
Hana-Kimi
This classic manga series has become a well-known name
in the shojo genre as it has had multiple live-action drama adaptations in various countries. The
story is about an American high school girl named Ashiya Mizuki, who transfers
to an all-boys Japanese high school to be closer to her track and field idol,
Izumi Sano. Of course, to attend and live in the dorms of this high school she
must pose as a high school boy without revealing her true identity.
Newcomers to the shojo genre will have an easy time
reading this manga series as it is very comical due to Ashiya’s situation. If
you are not too keen on the romance element of shojo manga, this is the manga
for you since it doesn’t have much because the main character is trying to
blend in with the boys to the best of her abilities.
Skip
Beat!
Still on-going, this manga series is great for
beginner shojo manga readers. This series is about a teenage girl named Kyoko
Mogami who follows her crush and childhood friend Sho Fuwa to Tokyo, so he can
pursue his dreams as a singer. She misunderstands his desire for her to come
with him as love when he just sees her as a housemaid. Now, she’s ready to get
even with him. She declares that she’ll be the number one entertainer in Japan.
Kyoko’s journey to become an actress begins, and with many obstacles to face
along the way.
This series doesn’t get too romantic for a long while
because Kyoko shuts herself off from love after her experience with Sho. What’s
great about this series is that it’s inspirational seeing Kyoko start from nothing and working her way up to become an actress. This story is not mainly about
being in love but accepting love from others.
Fruits
Basket
Known for the popular anime, this shojo manga series
is about Tohru Honda, a high school girl who just lost her mother. She becomes
homeless, but certain circumstances as forced her to make the decision to live with
her classmate Yuki Sohma and his family. While living there she ends up finding
out about their family secret, when touch by the opposite sex they turn into
animals of the zodiac. Tohru tries to help the family cope with their situation
and to break the zodiac curse.
The series clearly has romantic elements in it, but the story gets very dark and emotional at times while having upbeat moments.
This gives the story a good balance, making it a great shojo manga series to
read.
Kaichou
wa Maid-sama!
The school president is a maid! The story is about
high school president Misaki Ayuzawa. She seems like the perfect student at
school, but she hides the fact that she works at a maid café to pay for her
schooling and help support her family. As much as she tries to hide this
secret, the popular boy Usui Takumi finds out and helps keep her secret from
the whole school.
This series can get very romantic but is almost always
interrupted by a comedic situation or by Misaki’s stubborn attitude. The story
mainly focuses on the many ways Misaki’s secret almost gets revealed. Beginner
shojo manga readers will enjoy the comedic aspect of this series.
Yona
of the Dawn
Yona of the Dawn is a newer manga series from the rest
of this list. It’s about the story of Princess Yona, who has been framed for
her father’s death and is driven from her home, the Hiryuu palace in Kouka
Kingdom. With her bodyguard Hak, she sets out on an adventure to find the four
dragon warriors to help her save her kingdom and restore it to its former
glory.
This
is more than just a shojo manga. It’s a story about overcoming difficulties and
striving for change. The story can be considered a historical drama while also
being a fantasy piece. This series is great for people who are interested in
political struggles and fantasy adventure. The series is currently on-going.
And there you have it! These manga are a great way for anybody new to the shojo genre to just dive in. As these are shojo manga it's obvious that romance will be in the story up-front and center, but these have other themes in the story to make it easier to digest for newcomers.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and give these manga a try if you haven't already. I also have other manga related blog posts if you want to go check those out too. For more Japan content please follow me on social media and my YouTube channel (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).
