×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Interest
Here's 32 Shōjo Manga You Need to Read

posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
As picked by publishers Shueisha, Shogakukan, Kodansha, and Hakusensha

Some of manga's major publishers are reaching across the aisle to support one another's work, specifically shōjo manga. Shueisha, Shogakukan, Kodansha, and Hakusensha worked together to create "Shōjo Manga Fair 2018," an e-book event where readers can check out each publisher's recommended works on a special website until March 15.

The recommendations are broken up by editorial team. For instance, the editors Shueisha's Cocohana manga magazine recommended a total of eight works, two from each publisher. Four editorial teams listed their recommendations for a total of 32 manga that genre fans should read right now.

Cocohana Editorial Team's I-san's Picks


Kami-sama no Ekohiiki by Ayumi Komura (Shueisha) The story follows high school by Yashiro who, after visiting a shrine for 100 days to gain the courage to confess to his crush, actually attracts the attention of of the shrine's deity and fox attendant. The two supernatural beings oversee Yasuhiro's confession —to another boy— and he's rejected and then killed in an accident. The two supernatural beings take pity on Yasuhiro and resurrect him, this time as a girl at his request, so he can try gain to win his crush's heart.


Kimi to Wonderland by Kana Watanabe (Shueisha) 15-year-old Nobara has been able to hear the voices of animals ever since a falling accident three years ago. She's become accustomed to her new ability, but one day she hear's a boy's voice that tells her that he can hear here, too.


The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom (Marronnier Ōkoku no Shichinin no Kishi) by Nao Iwamoto (Shogakukan) Seven loyal knights serve their princess led by the female general Barbara.


Cold Game by Kaneyoshi Izumi (Shogakukan) Princess Aruna is betrothed to the king of a neighboring kingdom well known for its violence and bloodshed. Aruna, however, is no shrinking violet. She has her own goals and ambitions in this fantasy world of politics.


Involvement in Family Affairs (Yangotonaki Ichizoku) by Yukari Koyama (Kodansha) Average girl Satsu finds herself married into the well-to-do family when her lover Kenta proposes. Satsu moves into the family's estate where Kenta's strict father Keiichi, hostile sister-in-law Mihoko, and push-over older brother Akito all live together. Satsu's sunny disposition will only get her so far but surprisingly, Keiichi accepts their marriage as part of a larger strategy...


Namidaame to Serenade by Haruka Kawachi (Kodansha) High school girl Hina finds that she's accidentally traveled back in time to the early 20th century Japan. There she meets a melancholic man named Takaaki Hongo and the two begin a fateful romance beyond time.


Mikazuki to Orange by Yuki Fujitsuka (Hakusensha) New high school student Mizuki has no friends. As a last ditch effort, she writes a message on her desk. Imagine her surprise when she finds a reply and from the last person should would think to have anything in common with. This is how Mizuki meets Yōta, a carrot-top guy who is her opposite in every single way.


The Worst Witch in the World (Sekai de Ichiban Warui Majo) by Nari Kusakawa (Hakusensha) Quinta has a reputation, both as a 300-year-old magic user and one of startling cruelty that murders her peers. What most don't know is that Quinta's reputation far precedes her; she's actually just a 16-year-old girl. In a strange twist, she's hired to protect Nestor Gilroy, an accomplished academic with a bounty on his head because of his research.

Cheese!'s Editorial Team's T-san's Picks


Territory M no Jūnin by Touko Minami (Shueisha) Ema finds herself uprooted and moving to Ginnezu when her parents divorce. Ginnezu is her mother's hometown and "Territory M," the new apartment complex where she lives, is full of strange people.


Good Way to Find True Love (Getsuyōbi no Koibito) by Saori (Shueisha) Straight-A student Yuka is a little too honest for her own good and has no friends. She unexpectedly begins dating Haruomi after he helps her out of a difficult situation. The only problem is, Haruomi has a strict policy of dating someone new every Monday.


Namete, Kajitte, Tokidoki Medete by Shin Yumachi (Shogakukan) Haru is bullied by her boyfriend Seishirō. Honestly, Seishirō isn't even really her boyfriend, she just accidentally gave him a love letter meant for someone else, but he refuses to return it and claims that Haruhi is his girlfriend now. He follows her at school, takes her lunch, and insists on physical affection, something that continues even when Haru goes home because he lives with her, too.


Chocolate Vampire by Kyoko Kumagai (Shogakukan) Chiyo's school's gets most of its funding from the Kagarizuki family. The Kagarizukis include four brothers and Chiyo cannot stand the youngest, Setsu. Practically an idol at her school, the rest of the students don't know what Chiyo knows about Setsu; he's a vampire that feeds on her.


The Prince's Black Poison (Ōji-Sama ni wa Doku ga Aru) by Jun Yuzuki (Kodansha) Childhood friends Sōta and Rizu are now in high school. Sōta, according to Rizu, cannot do anything by himself. Rizu has looked after him like a parent since they were young. She finally decides to loosen the proverbial apron strings to pursue her high school life, but Sōta isn't having it. This title is licensed digitally by Kodansha Comics.


Kakafukaka by Takumi Ishida (Kodansha) 24-year-old Aki finds herself newly single when her long-time boyfriend cheats on her. She begins living in a sharehouse with a former classmate and boyfriend from junior high, Tomoya but he has his own personal problem. For the last two years, Tomoya has struggled with erectile dysfunction but finds himself "reacting" to Aki, and so he asks for her help to cure him.


Utakata Dialog by Kaoru Inai (Hakusensha) Utagawa and Katano are high school students working part time at a drugstore in their local shopping mall. Their lives a pretty normal, there's no burning romance, saving the world with magic powers, aiming for a high-school sports championship, or getting summoned into an alternate world to defeat the demon king. Just two students wasting their days at their job with a hint of attraction and a dose of comedy.


Primitive Boyfriend (Genshijin Kareshi) by Yoshineko Kitafuku (Hakusensha) Mito is looking for love but finds herself uninterested in modern, herbivore (i.e. passive, indifferent) guys. Through literal divine intervention, she finds herself travelling back in time. Not to the Sengoku era, not even the Heian period, but back 2.5 million years. There, she encounters Galhi, a primitive man of few words and a gentle nature who might just be the guy of her dreams. He's also covered in hair.

Bessatsu Friend and Dessert's Editorial Team's K-san's Picks


Futsū no Koiko-chan by Nagamu Nanaji (Shueisha) Koiko has accepted her average high school life as the one escape from her overbearing mother. Her relationship isn't passionate, but it's safe, and Koiko is okay with that. That is, until she receives a text from her school's most popular boy, Tsurugi, who reveals that her boyfriend is cheating on her.


Kirameki no Lion Boy by Yoko Maki (Shueisha) Cute high school freshman Miwa doesn't bother with the distractions of the real world. She's more invested in the story lines of her favorite manga than rumors going around school or who her classmates are dating. The one exception is the attractive Kiriatsu who resembles the lead from one of Miwa's favorite manga. Kiriatsu happens to be popular because everyone thinks he's aloof and cool, but in reality he's just an airhead. The two become close when Kiriatsu decides to protect Miwa from her bullies.


Shitsuji-tachi no Chinmoku by Hina Sakurada (Shogakukan) Noble daughter, Kyōka, is the definition of "sheltered." One day she brings home a man she simply found. He's unkempt with a stubbly beard and tussled hair but is otherwise beautiful. Kyōka employs him has her butler, but he breaks one golden rule, something a butler is never supposed to do to his lady.


Seirō Opera by Kanoko Sakurakōji (Shogakukan) In the Yoshiwara red-light district of Tokyo is an orphaned girl named Akane. Despite being descended from a Samurai family, Akane is sold into a brothel as the little sister of the establishment's top lady. There she meets a very peculiar man.


Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight by Rin Mikimoto (Kodansha) Hinana lives a regimented life based on what she ought to do. Every morning she wakes up at the same time in the same position, follows the same routine, and gets the same good grades. But secretly she yearns for a fairy tale love, even if she can't bring herself to tell anyone. Her wish begins to come true in an unexpected way, however, when a popular idol comes to her school to film something and she ends up being an extra. A chance meeting with Kaede reveals that he's nothing like his image – and that he might be interested in her. This manga is licensed by Kodansha Comics.


Lovesick Ellie by Fujimomo (Kodansha) Eriko Ichimura spends her high school days in complete obscurity. Her sole hobby is staring at handsome, smooth-spoken Akira "Omi-kun" Ohmi, and tweeting her daily fantasies under the screenname "Lovesick Ellie." One fateful day, she accidentally bears witness to Omi-kun's true self — and if that weren't enough, he sees her mortifying Twitter, too. This manga is licensed digitally by Kodansha Comics.


Palace Meidi by Banko Kuze (Hakusensha) In an alternate Meiji era Japan, the girl empress Akiko rules over the country. Misono Kimiyori is a 14-year-old noble boy but his family has fallen into debt. He takes up service within the palace where he meets his empress for the first time...


Sacrificial Princess & the King of Beasts by Yu Tomofuji (Hakusensha) Humanity has sacrificed 98 people to the terrifying beast king before Saliphie is chosen. Prepared for a horrible fate, she discovers that the beast king is not anyting like what she expected. All of the previous sacrifices were secretly released and the king himself is actually partially human. Saliphie takes pity on him and decides to become his bride and a source of energy for him. This manga is licensed by Yen Press

LaLa's Editorial Team's N-san's Picks


Fushiginokuni no Arisugawa-san by Akira Ozaki (Shueisha) Sheltered Suzu isn't really interested in romance. She'd rather hang out with her friends from her all-girls school, play shogi, listen to rakugo, and spend quality time with her grandpa. Yes, Suzu is happy to wait until she's 18 before thinking about matters of the heart, but she might change her mind after she encounters a handsome guy on the train.


Where's My Lovely Sweetheart? (Suteki na Kareshi) by Kazune Kawahara (Shueisha) Nonoka has one romantic wish: to watch the New Year's Eve countdown with her boyfriend. She's run into one hiccup, it's December and she still hasn't met anyone despite making her big high school debut. What's Nonoka to do?


Mystery to Iunakare by Yumi Tamura (Shogakukan) A mysterious man with a natural perm. Kumo finds himself in the middle of a mystery when a murder is committed near his college dorm. The victim is a well-known classmate, an arbitrary arrest is made, and in the midst of winter, the evidence begins to pile up.


The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom (Marronnier Ōkoku no Shichinin no Kishi) by Nao Iwamoto (Shogakukan) Seven loyal knights serve their princess led by the female general Barbara.


I'm in Love and It's the End of the World by Taamo (Kodansha) Mahiru Yanase's twin sister, Mayo, has it all—she's popular, cute and sweet. Mahiru, on the other hand, has always been the other Yanase. But no sooner does she arrive for her first day of high school than Aoi Satomi, her handsome, mysterious classmate, takes an interest in her—and by the end of the day, he's already asked her out. Mahiru remembers that every time something good happens to her, something bad comes along to balance it out. If things don't balance out for Mahiru soon, the world's going to come to an end. This manga is licensed digitally by Kodansha Comics.


Dokushin OL no Subete by Mazurin (Kodansha) A four-panel comedy manga about office lady Tamako and her frustrations.


Sabaku no Harem by Mitsuru Yumeki (Hakusensha) A strong-willed girl named Mishe has lived her entire life in poverty. That's about to change when she catches the attention of Prince Kallum. The Prince isn't going to ease Mishe's situation for nothing, and demands that she come to live with him as one of his concubines.


The Tales of the Tendō Family (Tendōke Monogatari) by Ken Saitō (Hakusensha) The third daughter of the Hōjō family, Ran, is set to be married off to the Tendō family when she attempts to kill herself. A girl rescues her from her suicide attempt and the Hōjō family implores her to take Ran's identity and go in her stead. She agrees and sets herself to become a bride but sooner or later, someone is going to discover her deception.

If shōjo manga isn't your thing, don't fret! A similar event for shōnen manga is scheduled to start on Friday.

Source: Comic Natalie


discuss this in the forum (18 posts) |
bookmark/share with: short url

Interest homepage / archives