What is Shoujo? It is considered a genre in the world of anime and manga. Typically, it focuses on a certain age-group. Shoujo in Japanese language means “girl” and it is a popular genre for girls and boys who are 10 to 18 years old. This genre mainly focuses on the main lead being a girl and carrying the whole story through her perspective. 

Magic is an important component when it comes to Shoujo manga or anime. Since such stories depict action and spells. Normally, if we read a manga with slice-of-life and romantic story, we consider it shoujo. But the truth is, this genre is vast. It doesn’t have to be cornered into the romance or slice-of-life genre. Magical manga are truly magical, aren’t they? 

A big thanks to Tezuka Osamu who created shoujo stories with powerful female leads with magical abilities. This proves that Shoujo manga carries powerful female leads or heroines as we know it “magical girls.” Sailor Moon is considered to be the most iconic recommendation relating to the Shoujo Manga. But let’s not just stop here! We’ve got 42 BEST Shoujo Manga Recommendations for you guys! Without further ado, let’s get started! 

MANGA WITH THE SHOUJO GENRE 

42. ReLIFE 

This is a school-life and slice-of-life story which might also add up to the shoujo genre. It revolves around 27-years-old Arata Kaizaki who bounces from one job to another. Due to this behavior, he is considered a hopeless loser by everyone. However, this doesn’t last for long! Something shocking awaits him. Arata Kaizaki gets offered to change his life however he wants through Ryou Yoake who is a member of the ReLife Research Institute. He offers Arata that he’ll be able to change his life with the help of a pill. After taking that mysterious pill, Arata Kaizaki wakes up as his 17-year-old self. WHOA! That is such a turning point for him. Now, we will see how he changes his life by going back to his past! 

41. Beauty Pop 

Kiri Koshiba is a good hairstylist who’s just a high school student. Whenever other students are getting bullied for their appearance, Kiri Koshiba is there to help them. She does some sort of “magical makeover” that brings about their internal beauty. At her school, the three second year students decide to make a popular Scissors Project. This project will choose one of the best female students to do a makeover and bring amazing results every time someone is in dire need of a makeover. This is such a huge opportunity for Kiri. Let’s see how she does on this project. A female student protecting other students by giving them a makeover? Sounds like a total shoujo manga to me! 

40. Tomie 

I know what you guys are thinking right now but hear me out. Tomie manga might be popular for its horror and supernatural aspects. But trust me, among girls, this manga is super popular. Go to pinterest and search Tomie right now, you will see a lot of girls going crazy and cosplaying the main female lead of this manga! It’s just… the creator of this manga made the main female lead very attractive. She’s a ghost but that’s another thing. 

Now, let’s talk about the story! The story of Tomie revolves around some students who are mourning over their classmate’s death. But the thing is that she isn’t dead? She’s super confused to hear that. All the students were terrified when a girl who’s lean, and has a beauty mark under her eye walks in the class and apologizes for being late. Yes… it was Tomie! 

32. Orange 

One day, Naho receives a letter in the mail. The letter claims to be Naho’s future self. This letter explains some series of events in her life that are supposed to happen that very day. At first, she thought it was a prank but it wasn’t. The letter mentioned that a transfer student was going to show up, and he did! What could this all mean? As Naho reads the letter, she tries to be careful with every step she takes towards her future. 

38. Skip Beat!

 Kyouko Mogami along with her childhood friend and crush supports him while they go to Japan. Her childhood crush has a dream to achieve, it is nothing more than to become a top idol in the entertainment industry. Kyouko Mogami comes across the fact that Shou doesn’t feel the same for her. She decides to get her revenge by beating Shou at his own game. How? Well, she entered the entertainment industry and became a top idol. OMG! What A typical Shoujo story that is! 

37. InuYasha 

Now, we have my personal most favorite Shojou manga of all time. It’s InuYasha. This manga is considered a Shoujo because of its fantasy, adventure, and romance aspects. The story of InuYasha follows an average high schooler who goes to a different world when she falls inside a well. There, she meets a half-fox human named Inuyasha who’s got a bad temper. He was head-over-heels for a girl named Kikyo. 

At first, Inuyasha was very rude towards Kagome Higurashi since he thought it was Kikyo. Slowly, after she caused some troubles, Inuyasha started getting worried about her not knowing much about the world she entered. Altogether, the story is really nice! You will enjoy reading it! 

Our main female lead named  Kagome Higurashi looks a lot like Kikyo which confuses Inuyasha. This is the story of Kagome and Inuyasha’s adventures who are trying to collect the scattered pieces of the Shikon Jewel. Romance and Female Lead along with magical powers? Sounds a lot like a Shoujo Manga. 

36. Last Game 

Naoto Yanagi is an heir to the Yanagi Business. He’s highly respected and idolized for his athletic and intellectual competence. Naoto Yanagi has everything he needs to be idolized. During his elementary days, Naoto literally lived like a king. After some years, he entered Ikoto Kujou where he started to look gloomy and plain. What circumstances could have affected him? 

Mikoto was one of Naoto’s classfellow who wasn’t very rich. She outsmarted Naoto in every way. She was athletic, smart, and nice. So, a competition started between the two of them. There are a lot of hilarious moments between them and slowly their bittersweet relationship changes to a sweet relationship. The transition from being competitors to being a couple is a very “Shoujo thing”. 

35. High School Debut 

Next off, we have High School Debut. The story of this one revolves around Haruna Nagashima, who joined the softball team wishing to find romance. Since she’s new at school, she wants to find the perfect boyfriend for her. However, there’s only one problem, she has no idea where to begin! Aww, the Shoujo part in this manga is when this girl bumps into the most popular guy and asks him to coach her about “love”, with one condition. The condition was to not fall in love with him. 

34. Cheeky Brat

Love Triangles? Definitely a Shoujo aspect! The story of this manga focuses on Yuki Machide who’s the eldest kid in her family, she has to make a lot of sacrifices which is why she tends to hide her true feelings. Machida becomes the basketball club manager. She hopes to bond with her crush. However, a very handsome man joins the team and starts liking Machida. 

33. Hibi Chouchou

Wherever Suiren Shibazeki walks by, everyone gets appalled by her beauty. In her elementary school days, boys paid so much attention to her that at some point, it started making her uncomfortable. That’s why she started attending an all-girls middle-school. Changing schools didn’t change things for her, that’s why she’s seen expressionless most of the time. 

We all need someone to understand us, right? That’s what our MC wanted. She wanted someone like her. When she joined high school, it was again changed to a co-ed. A lot of people again started paying attention to her. A boy named Kouha caught her eye and was a karate student. He remained as silent as her. Let’s see how things go for both of them. The slice of life and romance in this manga makes it a Shoujo manga. 

32. Don’t Worry, Be Happy 

Anzu is a broke yet hopeful girl who always aims high. Her first goal is to be the student council president. But that chance is destroyed to bits when an equally passionate student joins. That’s where our MC has to settle for being the vice-president. This is one of the typical high school shoujo stories. 

31. Switch Girl!! 

The genres Comedy and Romance do play a vital role when we’re talking about the Shoujo Mangas. There can’t be a manga without romance or comedy which can’t be considered shoujo. Anyways, let’s talk about the story! The story of Switch Girl revolves around Tamiya Nika who’s an extroverted and a popular girl. She can be considered everyones’ friend. She does all these efforts to fit in with these students. On the other hand, nobody knows what her true self is at home. 

30. Lovely Complex 

There’s no Shoujo without “drama”. The story tells us about the tallest girl named Risa Koizumi who constantly gets paired with the shortest guy in her class. Their friends have many other ideas to set them up constantly by making a romantic-comedy duo between the two of them. Isn’t the story cute? Make sure to read Lovely Complex if you want to see an awkward yet bittersweet relation between two opposite people. 

29. Vampire Knight 

With the shoujo aspect, this story begins with two separate classes inside an elite school where Yuuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu are prefects. They’re responsible for the interactions of humans with vampires. If anything goes wrong, Yuuki and Zero will be held responsible. Anyways, Zero acts as a prefect for the night classes and Yuuki handles the day classes. This story includes mysteries, supernatural abilities, and whatnot! 

28. Daytime Shooting Star 

Suzume Yosano spent most of her life in the countryside. One day, her parents decided to move overseas. She had moved with her uncle to Tokyo. This was a very big change for her since she lived in the countryside for fifteen years. She gets lost and faints eventually. The life-changing events are also very important when it comes to the Shoujo stories. Isn’t that right? Just like that, if you want to see how she adapts to her move in Tokyo, read Daytime Shooting Stars! 

27. Wolf Girl and Black Prince 

Erika Shinohara firmly believes that one’s life can be decided in two months in high school. This belief brought Marin Tachibana and Erika together. Marin, along with Aki Tezuka, keep on chattering about their boyfriends. Erika didn’t have a boyfriend. She’s forced to somehow fit in with her friends. It’s always sad when you’re the only one lacking a boyfriend in a trio. If you have a trio where only you lack a boyfriend, I feel your pain. 

26. Love So Life

All the genres of this manga make up Shoujo. The story of this manga is about Shiharu Nakamura, a high schooler who is affectionate towards children. She lives in an orphanage. She’s passionate about running an orphanage. One strange day, a young handsome man comes rushing to pick up the twins. However, they don’t want to go back home and keep playing with Shiharu. Is the guy destined to end up with Shiharu? To find out, read Love So Life.

25. My Love Mix-Up 

A confession between two men takes place and heats up the moment but this is not how it looks! A guy named Souta Aoki is a good boy whose heart gets stolen by Mio Hashimoto who is his female crush. Unfortunately, she likes somebody else and this is where the love triangle begins. That’s one major component of Shoujo stories too. These types of stories are highly enjoyed by girls. 

24. Ghost Hunt 

Next on the list, we have Ghost Hunt. There’s a psychological theme in this manga along with Shoujo. This story is all about hunting down ghosts. The first year high school student named Mai Taniyama gets involved with Shibuya Psychic Research and its young manager named Kazuya Shibuya. 

23. Kira-Kun Today

An awkward girl named Nino has to look over the class joke, Kira-kun, who holds a terrible secret that he has never told anyone. However, as the story progresses, he learns a thing or two from Nino. Can the two of them rely on each other as the mysteries unfold? 

22. Banana Fish 

Now, we have Banana Fish on our list. It revolves around Ash Lynx who’s a beauty and a smart murderer. He has been raised by one of the mafia bosses who made him into a dangerous murderer. This story is pretty intense but it’s light too. The adventure, action, and drama in this manga makes it pretty fun to read. 

21. Waiting For Spring 

This shoujo story is about a soft-spoken freshman at highschool. Her sole goal is to make a lot of friends. This light story is quite similar to Say, I Love You and From Me To You. Many people are absolutely in love with this manga. It’s simply about a girl who enters high school and aims to make new friends there.  

20. Absolute Boyfriend 

Imagine crushing on a lot of people and getting rejected by them all. How would you feel? That’s what our MC went through. Each time she got the courage to confess to her crush, she was rejected right at that moment. After one more rejection, she breaks down and takes a stroll at a nearby park. At that park, she sees a lost phone and decides to find its owner. 

The owner turns out to be a salesman who offered the girl to accept one of their products as a reward. She gets flustered and says that she wants a boyfriend. Then, finally the salesman introduced her to a website called love figures where you can buy a boyfriend for yourself! 

19. Your Lie in April 

This manga is rather sad but it’s surely a shoujo manga because of the dramatic aspects and the romance in it. It revolves around a girl who plays violin and a guy who plays piano. The story tells them about their individual skills and then later, their romantic life. 

18. Snow White With Red Hair 

This is truly a Shoujo manga considering the fact that it carries the dreams of every girl hoping to find a prince. Shirayuki is a friendly girl who has red hair. Due to her red hair, she catches the attention of a prince named Tanbraun. This prince wanted to make her one of his concubines. This led Shirayuki to chop her hair off. She also flees to another country where she meets another prince who is actually very nice. That’s where her true love life starts! 

17. House of the Sun

 After getting abandoned by her parents, Matomiya feels like she doesn’t truly belong anywhere. One night, her long lost childhood friend meets her eating cheap food at a convenience store. He offers to take her to their restaurant. This interaction leads Matomiya to move in with her. That plot resembles Fruits Basket in some ways. Isn’t that right? 

16. Missions of Love

Yukina Himuro is a popular cell phone novelist but secretly. Nobody around her knows that she’s a novelist. All they know is her cold demeanour. That’s why she’s given the nickname of “Absolute Zero Snow Woman”. So, everybody tries to avoid talking to her. Lately, writing has been really tough for her since all the ratings have gone down. She has no experience of love that’s why she can’t incorporate that theme to get the ratings back up. That’s where the Student Council President comes in and she blackmails him to teach her about love. 

15. Puella Magi Madoka Magica 

A 14 years old girl named Madoka Kaname sees a weird dream where a girl is in trouble. The very next morning a peculiar girl named Homura Akemi gets transferred to her class and she turns out to be the same girl Madoka saw in her dream. Homura Akemi comes across a magical creature named Kyuubey who offers to grant these girls any wish but in exchange, they will have to become the magical girls. The magic aspect makes this manga one of Shoujo Mangas. 

14. Say, I Love You 

This manga tells us the school life of a quiet girl who’s very shy. She’s been bullied during her childhood. That’s why she thinks she doesn’t need any friends. Little did she know she would get involved with the most popular guy at her school. That’s where a new door opens for Mei Tachibana! 

13. My Little Monster 

The main female lead of this manga is a study bug. She doesn’t care about her class fellows and strives to become very successful. However, her whole world changes when she encounters the class delinquent, Yoshida Haru. Despite their intense interaction, this guy thinks that they’re friends and ends up confessing his love for her too! 

The boy is quite rash in this manga. He’s impulsive and sort of intimidating too. But at the same time our female lead is brave on the outside even if she’s dying a bit on the inside. Seeing them quarrel is the best thing you can experience. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try reading the manga? 

12. From Me To You 

From Me To You is a typical Shoujo manga which revolves around a fifteen years old girl named Sawako Kuronama. Everyone gets terrified of her due to her hair hanging on her face. That’s why everyone stays away from her. She truly wants to make friends and she likes Shouta Kazehaya who’s the most handsome/popular guy in her class. Sawako starts spending time with Kazehaya and their bond deepens. 

This manga also has a really sweet and sour story. It will raise your standards and will make dating in real life quite hard for you. But don’t lose hope, who knows you might end up finding someone like Shouta Kazehaya? 

11. Yona Of The Dawn

Akatsuki No Yona or Yona of the Dawn revolves around our female lead Yona. As the only princess, she lives a lavish life. She’s deeply in love with one of her cousins named Su-Won. In fact, she has a bodyguard as well. Her peaceful life turns upside down when her beloved cousin murders her father. Now, she’s left with nothing but betrayal. Yona is forced to escape with Hak by her side. Although she’s surrounded by tons of enemies yet she has to save her kingdom. Saving a kingdom after being betrayed? Seems like we’re going to see a huge character development. The main lead is a female which is why it is included in Shoujo Manga list.

10. Strobe Edge 

Ninako Kinoshita thinks that everyone around her knows about love except for her. Even if she liked her childhood friends, it’s always her friends telling her that she’s in love. That’s why a drop of doubt remains within her. One day, a popular guy breaks Ninako’s phone charm by accident on the train, he apologizes and says that he’ll compensate her for it. Ninako gets confused if that’s what true love feels like. Looks can be deceiving too! Let’s see what’s coming up for Ninako. 

9. Ao Haru Ride 

This manga has everything it takes to be called a Shoujo manga. While every girl dreams of having millions of admirers, Futaba is different. She attracted many boys in middle school and couldn’t make friends. That’s why she starts to act differently and allows herself to make some friends. Little did she know that her life will take a huge turn when her first love shows up after disappearing for a long time. 

Imagine meeting your first love after a long time. Despite your own character development, would you still feel the same for them? If you want to know how Futaba reacted after seeing her first love, read Ao Haru Ride. It is truly a comforting story! 

8. Kaichou wa Maid-Sama!  

Come on! Who hasn’t heard of Maid-Sama? This manga revolves around a poor girl named Misaki Ayuzawa who’s working at a maid cafe to make money. She’s the student body president at her school. A handsome boy named Takumi Usui ends up finding her secret of working at this cafe. Misaki asks him to not tell anyone, that’s exactly where their bittersweet relationship starts! 

7. Ouran HighSchool Host Club 

Ouran High School is an elite school where handsome guys and beautiful girls study. A poor scholarship student transfers to such an elite school. There’s a Host Club in this school and our scholarship student is 0% interested in joining such a club. However, fate had other plans for her. She ends up breaking a valuable vase in the club which forced her to work for the club. And yes! Everyone mistook her for a guy. How crazy is that! 

6. Fruits Basket 

Tooru Honda is a girl who has nowhere to go. She lives inside a tent but not for long. Not until she comes across her childhood friend. The Souma family takes her in but she doesn’t know the secret they hide about themselves. These family members can change into the animals of their specific zodiac when hugged. The magical and zodiac aspects make this manga one of the best Shoujo Mangas of all time. 

5. Kamisama Kiss 

This manga revolves around Nanami Momozono who’s a highschooler with a lot of things going on in her life. She’s been chased after by debt collectors. As Nanami thinks about her future, she sees a man hanging on a tree. She rescues the guy from the dog and tells him about her situation. The guy offers her to live at his home. WHOA! Who saw that coming? 

4. A Sign of Affection 

This is a story about a girl who’s been living in a silent place for a long time. She hasn’t interacted with others a lot since her birth. But she does have a childhood friend whose multilingual friend meets Yuki. When he hears about her impairment, he gets the urge to hold her and protect her. That’s where they begin to form a bond. 

3. Nana 

Nana deserves to be in the top 3 in the category of Shoujo Manga. It’s a very popular manga which tells us about the lives of two girls named Nana Their last names are different. They’re very different from one another but this manga tells us about their love lives and dreams. You’re going to love reading Nana! 

The story of Nana is diverse to be honest. Our main female leads are very pretty! Many girls around the world try their best to cosplay Nana and if you look at them, you’ll go crazy due to the resemblance. Anyways, the story tells us about two Nana(s) living under the same roof facing different challenges everyday. Nana is a top-pick for shoujo manga readers! 

2. Beast Master

This is the story of a 17 year old girl named Yukio Kobuzuka who has an undying love for animals. She can do anything for them! One day, she came across a stray cat who was struggling up on a tree. She decided to save her. But it turns out that the cat was her classfellow the next day as it transformed into a human! 

1. Sailor Moon 

Sailor Moon surely deserves the first rank for being the best shoujo manga. Isn’t that right? It’s very popular and has an amazing storyline too. Sailor Moon revolves around magical girls and their everyday problems with guys. It’s surely a perfect shoujo manga. If you haven’t read this, you have read nothing! 

Sailor Moon’s characters are on next level. Their long hair, magical dress evolution will leave your mouth opened! So, I recommend you guys read Sailor Moon asap! For some people, Sailor Moon is a childhood. While, some people don’t even know about it! 

Conclusion

This was our list for BEST Shoujo Manga. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this blog and I hope you guys found the perfect recommendation for you. Make sure to let us know which Manga you will read next! Also, share it with your friends! 

It’s always good to see some anime characters who can relate to you. Why do we read manga anyway? Is it because we want to live as the characters? YES! We surely would want to live like a magical girl or some overpowered badass female MC. The chances of being reincarnated into the anime/manga world are countless but never zero! So, let’s just hope to get reincarnated into anime/manga world! 

Shoujo is an interesting genre because it has magic, action, slice of life, comedy, and literally every other genre in it. So, if you’re confused about reading any manga, pick Shoujo manga. You won’t regret it. Anyways, See you guys on the next blog!