Shojo is one of the primary categories in comics. Be it Shojo manga or Shojo anime, these series focus on young and adolescent girls. When it comes to the Shoujo series, the story focuses on girls. Female protagonists take the stage in the Shoujo anime series. Let us see the best Shojo series in our listicle.
10 Best Shoujo Series
Shojo is different from the shonen series. In the shonen series, male protagonists dominate the show. When it comes to shoujo anime series, females play the main roles. Here are the 10 best shoujo series of all time.
Sailor Moon
- Genre – Magical Girl
- Volumes – 18
- Magazine – Nakayoshi
Sailor Moon is an all-time classic shoujo manga series. The manga is written by Naoko Takeuchi. Sailor Moon was published between 1991-1997 in Kodansha’s shojo magazine Nakayoshi. It is all about Usagi Tsukino and Luna. Tsukino is a middle school guy who meets a talking cat named Luna. He gives her a brooch which allows her to become a human. As the story moves, Luna saves humans from enemies and she also becomes the Sailor Moon of the world along with other Sailor Guardians. Sailor Moon is one of the highest-selling Shoujo manga series with more than 45 million copies sold.
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You
- Genre – Coming-of-age, Romantic Comedy
- Episodes – 43
- Streaming Networks – Netflix
- IMDb Rating – 7.8/10
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You is based on Karuho Shiina’s manga series of the same name which sold more than 20 million copies. It takes place in Hokkaido, an island in Japan. Kimi ni Todoke follows the journey of freshman Sawako Kuronuma, a 15-year-old high school girl. Her face resembles Sadako, the main antagonist character of The Ring film series.
Sawako Kuronuma gets trolled by her classmates for her looks and everyone is scared of her. She is lucky to have Shouta Kazehaya, her classmate, who supports her every time. Sawako Kuronuma is impressed by his acts and she eventually becomes friends with others. As the story moves, Sawako Kuronuma and Kazehaya become lovers, and enjoy their time together.
Nana
- Genre – Music, Romance
- Episodes – 47
- Streaming Networks – Netflix
Nana anime is based on the award-winning manga series written by Ai Yazawa. The Nana anime is all about two girls who have the same names. Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu reach tokyo after celebrating their 20th birthday. Osaki is a talented musician who aspires to become a successful singer and songwriter. Komatsu visits Tokyo to meet her friends and live with her boyfriend.
Things change when both live in the same apartment. Nana Osaki gets an opportunity to reunite with her boyfriend who is also a guitarist of the popular band in Japan. On the other hand, Nana Komatsu gets cheated by her boyfriend and the couple get separated. As the story moves, Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu meet each other, and a gripping story begins to unravel.
Chihayafuru
- Genre – Sports, Slice of Life
- Magazine – Be Love
Chihayafuru is one of the highest-selling manga in the shojo genre. It has 50 volumes with more than 500 chapters. Chihayafuru is all about Chihaya Ayase who loves her sister more than anything. Ayase’s sister dreams to become a model. One day, he meets the popular karuta player Arata Wataya. She befriends him and aspires to become the best Karuta player of Japan. Karuta is a popular card game and Ayase loves card games more than other games. Chihaya Ayase joins a high school and meets new friends. As the story moves, Ayase becomes a successful taruka player and unites with Arata Wataya.
Natsume’s Book Of Friends
- Episodes – 86
- Genre – Supernatural, Mystery
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 8.1/10
Natsume’s Book Of Friends is a popular shojo anime series. It is all about Takashi Natsume, who has a special skill, that allows him to beat supernatural powers. He finds the Book of Friends, a book left by his grandmother who was an exorcist. When he opens the book, a spirit is unleashed and his life is in threat. Takashi promises the spirit to release all names in the book and befriends the spirit. In the end, he manages to release all spirits and also saves the world from evil spirits.
Fruits Basket
- Genre – Romantic Comedy
- Volumes – 23
- Magazine – Hana to Yume
Fruits Basket is one of the best shoujo manga series of all time. The series written by Natsuki Takaya sold more than 35 million copies. Fruits Basket is all about Tohru Honda, an orphan girl, who lives in a tent in a forest. One day, Tohru Honda’s tent gets buried, but she meets new friends who invite her to their home. She moves to the Souma house and finds the secrets of the family. Souma family members turn into chinese zodiac animals when they hug Souma. Tohru Honda decides to break the curse before her grandfather completes the house renovation. She stays with Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure Sohma, and helps them overcome the curse.
Maid Sama!
Genre – Romantic Comedy
Episodes – 26
Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating – 7.9/10
Maid Sama is one of the top-rated anime series of the last decade. The shoujo anime series follows the journey of Misaki Ayuzawa who studies in Seika High School. When everything is under the control of boys, Misaki Ayuzawa becomes the first female student council president of her school. Her goal is to save all girls and enhance their lives. Misaki Ayuzawa doesn’t speak with boys. All boys call her the Demon President, but she keeps ignoring them.
As the story moves, Ayuzawa meets a girl in the hallway who is crying after a boy rejects her proposal. Misaki Ayuzawa meets the boy and criticizes him. The boy meets her in the maid cafe where she works. Ayuzawa is scared when the boy finds her profession and he frequently visits her restaurant. Misaki Ayuzawa has a huge task and she has to maintain her secret identity which will also damage her reputation in school.
Banana Fish
- Genre – Drama, Thriller
- Episodes – 24
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video, Fuji TV
- IMDb Rating – 8.2/10
Banana Fish anime story takes place in the 1980s in a fictional city in the USA. It is an intriguing action adventure that follows the journey of Ash Lynx, a gangster who tries to solve the mystery behind his brother’s incident. Lynx’s brother was a Vietnam War Veteran who was attacked during a war. His brother is in a vegetative state, but he said the word “Banana Fish” after returning from the war in Iraq.
Ash Lynx is the leader of his own gang, but he is chased by his old mafia head. When Lynx meets new friends at a Bar, his old boss kidnaps them. As the story moves, Lynx begins to find them and he manages to solve the mystery behind the words “Banana Fish”. Banana Fish is an all-time epic shoujo anime series which was praised for its concept and visuals.
Kamisama Kiss
- Genre – Romantic Comedy, Supernatural
- Episodes – 13
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
- Imdb Rating – 8.1/10
Kamisama Kiss anime is based on Julietta Suzuki’s manga. It follows the journey of high school girl Nanami Momozono who becomes a local land god of the shrine after her father left her because of debts. Momozono doesn’t have many friends and her only goal is to study well. She lost her father because of gambling. Momozono gets expelled by her apartment owner and she feels sad.
One day, she meets a strange man known as Mikage in a park. Mikage is chased by a dog and she helps him. Mikage offers his home to her, but she is surprised to see the home as a shrine. She meets Tomoe, Mikage’s familiar who shares secrets about the Land God of the Shrine. As the story moves, she protects the shrine and falls in love with Tomoe.
Kare Kano/His and Her Circumstances
- Genre – Romance, Comedy
- Magazine – Shojo LaLa
Kare Kano was one of the top-rated shojo manga series in the 90s. Yukino Miyazawa, the high school girl plays the lead role as a female representative. She studies well and is the number one sports player. Though she is popular, Miyazawa is jealous of other girls who are successful. One day, Soichiro Arima, the male representative of her class becomes more popular and he steals the show. Miyazawa doesn’t like him and she works hard to beat him. When Miyazawa becomes the first rank holder, Arima congratulates her and this makes her sad. Miyazawa realizes her mistakes.
On the other hand, Soichiro Arima proposes to her and says he has a huge crush on her. Miyazawa doesn’t accept his proposal and leaves home happily. She shares the incident to her family and trolls him. One day, Soichiro Arima visits her home and gives her a CD of her actions. He asks her to complete his student council work and then apologizes for the same. In the end, Yukino Miyazawa and Soichiro Arima become closer, and they fall in love.
