In this article, we will create a complete guide to Shoujo Animes and recommend to you readers the best shoujo animes of all time and also share a complete list separated by subgenres.
I want to make it clear that before we recommend the best Shoujo animes, we will talk a little about this genre, about my experience with the genre, and how it is today. If you want to jump straight to anime recommendations, just use the table of contents below:
Table of Contents
What are Shoujo Animes?
For those who are unaware, Shoujo Animes are Japanese cartoons aimed at a female audience, where most of the time the main character is a girl and the story is usually a romance or romantic comedy.
The word shoujo [少女] literally means girl or young woman. The animes are aimed at girls aged 12 to 18, but they also prevail among adult women and even male fans.
In these stories, boys are usually gentle and girls are refined, most take place in schools, and some completely break the clichés mentioned. Remember that the fact that the anime is shoujo does not define a genre, but rather a target audience.
There is no official indication to categorize an anime as Shoujo or Shonen; it all depends on how the anime is perceived by people and which audience it is most successful with. Some are always successful among everyone, regardless of gender.
My experience with Shoujo Animes
Shoujo has been one of my favorite anime genres for many years. Unlike shounen, which focuses on the male audience, shoujo animes tend to be more realistic and are not always categorized as fantasy and action anime.
The shoujo genre can be quite broad, as it encompasses any anime aimed at women. Even though I am a man, I enjoy shoujo animes because I have always liked realistic stories without fantasy and with plenty of comedy and romance.
I think my first shoujo animes were the same as most people’s, Kaichou wa Maid-Sama and Toradora. Both are romantic comedies that are popular among both sexes.
Although we haven’t even started recommending shoujo animes yet, since some of you already know the vast majority, I will leave a list of my favorites below. Throughout the article, you will see comments about them.
- Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii;
- 3D Kanojo: Real Girl;
- Ashita no Nadja (was part of my childhood);
- Nana (falls into the josei genre);
Unfortunately, I believe that nowadays they no longer make Shoujo animes like they used to. However, fortunately, there are some animes that are not categorized as Shoujo but are focused on romantic comedy, which I think are very good.
The Most Popular Shoujo Romance Animes
Let’s start by making a list of the most popular Shoujo animes of all time, using their popularity on MAL. In this list, we will focus on shoujo animes that truly interest the majority looking for the genre, the romance animes.
I am not very good at describing synopses, partly because I am afraid of giving spoilers, so I hope you are attracted by the name and also by the images. I assure you that the stories are much deeper than described in the synopses.
It is worth mentioning that practically most of the animes mentioned in this article have romance. So this is not the only list that contains the best shoujo romance animes. You can find these animes in other categories as well.
Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
Without a doubt, one of the best Shoujo of all time. In this anime, we follow the story of a student council president who hates boys and works part-time in a Maid Café. The most popular boy in school falls in love with her and starts making his moves in this very funny comedy.
Kimi ni Todoke
One of the cutest and most innocent romances of all time. In this story, you follow a girl named Sawako who suffers bullying because her name reminds people of the girl from the movie The Ring (Sadako). People are afraid of her, but soon she manages to improve her circle of friends and has a slow romance with one of the most popular students in school.
Ao Haru Ride
Another very popular and cute anime that tells the story of two young lovers, but things do not go very well. After reuniting, the girl tries to get closer to him, but he seems to have indifferent feelings.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
This anime shows the story of a studious girl who only cares about her grades and a boy who is a troublemaker and messy. This anime is very cute and quite popular in the Shoujo world.
Sukitte Ii na yo
A very cute anime that tells the story of a girl who is afraid of men and has social problems that will be overcome with the help of one of the most popular boys in school.
Itazura na Kiss
Tells the story of a clumsy and silly girl who is in love with an extremely popular and intelligent guy who rejects and despises her. After an incident, she ends up living in his house. A great anime and manga that has led to several Japanese and Korean dramas.
Lovely★Complex
One of the most popular and classic romantic comedies of all time. It shows a romance between a girl who is insecure about being very tall and a short and grumpy boy.
See below other Shoujo animes with romance or romantic comedy:
- Ookami shoujo to kuro ouji;
- Skip Beat!;
- Watashi ga Motete Dousunda;
- Bokura ga Ita;
- Brothers Conflict;
- Fukumenkei Noise;
- Hana yori Dango;
- 12-sai: Chicchana Mune no Tokimeki;
- Ashita no Nadja;
You might find more comedy and romance animes in our other article about the best romance animes.
THE BEST Shoujo Animes with Fantasy and Action
The list of shoujo animes below focuses only on animes with a bit of action or fantasy.
Akatsuki no Yona
A girl who lives a life of luxury ends up being chased by problems that occur in her kingdom. She flees with a friend in search of a solution after a tragic assassination attempt by the person she loves.
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
Tells the story of a red-haired girl who dreams of being an herbalist. She is requested by a king to become his bride against her will, but soon a prince appears to save her.
Sakura Cardcaptor
One of the most popular animes among girls that helped grow the Mahou Shoujo genre. I don’t want to describe much about these magical girl animes, for that read our article about Mahou Shoujo.
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii
This anime tells the story of a rain princess who has the power to make it rain by singing, where she enters into a relationship with a much younger boy who is the sun king.
Below is a more complete list of popular Shoujo animes with fantasy or action:
- Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R;
- Orange;
- Tokyo Mew Mew;
- Kamigami no Asobi;
- Fruits Basket;
- Special A;
- Versailles no Bara;
- Hotarubi no Mori e;
- Donten ni Warau;
- Shounen Maid;
- Vampire Knight;
- Natsume Yuujinchou;
- Kamisama Hajimemashita;
- Vampire Knight: Guilty;
- Diabolik Lovers;
- Ghost Hunt;
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica;
- Shugo Chara!;
- D.N.Angel;
- Banana Fish;
- Shoujo Kakumei Utena;
- Tenkuu no Escaflowne;
- Donten ni Warau;
- Full Moon wo Sagashite;
- Kamichama Karin;
- Kyuuketsuhime Miyu;
Shoujo Animes where the protagonist is male
Of course, all Shoujo animes have male protagonists, but the animes below show the anime from the perspective of the male character instead of the female as usual, often a reverse harem. This way, girls get a deeper insight into the minds of boys in Japan:
3D Kanojo: Real Girl
Tells the story of an antisocial Otaku, where in the first episode he receives an invitation to date one of the most beautiful girls in school. The anime has a very deep story with other couples, is beautiful, and ends completely with two seasons.
Ore Monogatari!!
Tells the story of a super giant and disproportionate guy compared to the other characters who has never had success in love, but soon meets a super cute girl. He also has a friend who is super popular but has no interest in relationships. (Very comedic);
Nijiiro Days
A short anime with a super fun romance that shows the relationship of four boys with girls of different personalities. I found it quite nice and think it fits into this subcategory.
Ouran Koukou Host Club
A girl who studies at a rich school but is poor to the point of wearing pants and being mistaken for a boy, ends up breaking an expensive vase and is forced to work in a Host Club.
Other animes that show a lot from the perspective of a male protagonist, to the point of not even remembering a Shoujo (some are not but resemble shoujo animes a lot):
- Toradora;
- Golden Time;
- Sword Art Online (shonen);
- Kimi no Na wa;
- Clannad;
- Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo;
- ReLife;
- Hachimitsu to Clover;
- Nodame Cantabile;
- Uta no Prince-sama;
I don’t know whether to mention or not, but many animes I found in the shoujo list show the relationship between 2 boys. If you want to see a list of boy love animes, read our article on yaoi and shonen-ai animes.
The best shoujo mangas
Besides animes, we will also share a list of popular shoujo mangas. Some have already been mentioned above, others that have not received adaptations into animes.
The mangas will have links to access on Amazon, where you can see more about their description and details. By accessing one of the volumes below, you will probably find the others.
What is happening with shoujo animes?
Many years ago, Shoujo animes were so popular worldwide, but we rarely find a recent Shoujo anime on My Anime List with a good score or many fans. Is the Shoujo industry dying?
In recent years, the only animes in the Shoujo category that appear in these seasons are about Idols, or most are low-budget. In 2018, we had only 3D Kanojo Real Girl, 7 Seeds, Banana Fish, Fruits Basket, Gakuen Babysitters, Meiji Tokyo Renka, and other Mahou Shoujo or Idol animes.
Apparently, Shoujo manga magazines are becoming increasingly childish. Not to mention that many works that could be classified as Shoujo currently appear in Shonen or teen magazines, while the shoujo magazine has become increasingly childish.
Japan is probably also aiming at a younger audience as the West has done with Calarts, unlike the 90s when cartoons had more action and the characters seemed more adult.
That is why we see a huge loss of quality in the world of animes, not only in the works themselves but in the adaptations and studios that seem to be becoming more generic and full of clichés.
Shoujo animes are not disappearing. We have this impression because we have already watched many shoujo animes over the years, and today romance animes end up being redirected to both audiences, especially works focused on the male audience like Nisekoi, Kaguya-sama, and other popular harems.
I hope you enjoyed the recommendations for Shoujo Animes. If you liked the article, don’t forget to share and leave your comments. Do you know another Shoujo anime to recommend?
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