Shojo is a genre of anime with a target demographic of a younger female audience, with stories that typically focus on romantic relationships. Marketing purposes aside, the distinction is dated, and “shojo” should be understood as a genre without arbitrary barriers. The shojo genre first appeared on the scene in 1902 when the first-ever shojo magazine was released. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s and the 1960s that shojo became popular in the anime industry.
Since then, the shojo genre has produced some of the most popular series in anime history, such as Sailor Moon and Ouran High School Host Club. However, not all shojo anime can become a hit with anime fans. There is a plethora of anime within the genre, so it’s easy for fans to overlook some of the good ones.
10 Kamisama Kiss Is A Popular Manga That Got An Anime With Only Two Seasons
Kamaisama Kiss was an extremely popular shojo manga with the potential to have a hit anime series like Fruits Basket. Still, there are only two seasons, so what little there has sadly been forgotten by and large.
This shojo follows the story of Nanami Momozono, a homeless high school girl who one day is gifted a rundown shrine by a strange man. It turns out that this man has sent Nanami to this shrine to be his God replacement. Rather than running away from this predicament, Nanami immerses herself in her newfound divine duties.
9 Peach Girl Is A Story Filled With High Shcool Drama And Heartbreak
Peach Girl follows the story of Momo Adachi, a gorgeous girl with tan skin and long bleached hair. Momo is in love with Kazuya Toujigamori, a baseball player who reportedly only likes pale-skinned girls. Despite her attempts at winning his heart, her jealous classmates have begun spreading rumors about her being promiscuous and “easy to get with.”
As it turns out, Sae Kashiwagi, Momo’s close friend, was the one spreading the rumors about Momo. Peach Girl is a forgotten gem that fans of drama and romance should seek out.
8 The Rose Of Versailles Tells The Story Of Marie Antoinette And Her Royal Guard
Released in the 70s, The Rose Of Versailles tells the story of Princess Marie Antoinette, who is sent to France to be wed to Crown Prince Louis XVI. The marriage is arranged in an effort to strengthen the alliance between both countries.
Upon arrival in France, Marie Antoinette meets Oscar Fançois de Jarjayes, a Commander of the Royal Guard who is in charge of protecting Marie. It turns out that Oscar is actually a female who was raised as a boy, but desires to live her life as a woman.
7 In The Wallflower, Sunako Nakahara Is A Girl That Hates Beauty Surrounded By Beautiful Boys
Fans of the iconic shojo series Oran High School Host Club should give The Wallflower a chance as the two share some similarities. In The Wallflower, Sunako Nakahara is a shut-in who embraces all things occult-related and hates beauty.
Sunako is sent to live in her aunt’s mansion, which she’ll share with four very handsome boys her age. The boys have made a deal with Sunako’s aunt: in exchange for living rent-free, they are to turn Sunako into a beautiful lady.
6 Honey & Clover Follows Five Friends On A Journey Of Self Discovery And Love
The same artist who wrote the popular manga March Comes In like a Lion also produced this anime which is, unfortunately, lesser-known by fans. This anime follows the story of Yuuta Takemoto, a sophomore at an arts college who shares a cheap apartment with two seniors.
At first, Takemoto does not know what his future will hold until one spring day when he meets Hagumi Hanamoto and falls in love with her at first sight. This series tells a beautiful story of five friends dealing with self-discovery and love.
5 In Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Ryousuke Falls In Love With a Flower Shop Owner
Fans should not sleep on Natsuyuki Rendezvous’s unique plot. In this anime, Ryousuke Hazuki falls in love with the beautiful Rokka Shimao, who owns a flower shop. In order to get closer to her, Ryousuke decides to get a part-time job at the shop, but before he can make a move on Rokka, something gets in his way.
This “something” happens to be the ghost of Rokka’s late husband, who has been quietly watching over her. Thus the battle between the two begins about whether Rokka should be able to move on with her love life.
4 In Mysterious Play, Miaka Get Isekaied Into World Similar To Ancient China
Fans of the series Inuyasha should give this other 90s shojo anime chance. In this series, Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo find a strange book with a red light that suddenly sucks them inside an unfamiliar world resembling ancient China.
Now, in a strange world, the two immediately find themselves in trouble, but are saved by a young man with a Chinese symbol on his forehead. Suddenly, Yui is taken away by a red light, and Miaka must find a way back home with the help of this mysterious man.
3 I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying Follows the Story Of An Unusual Married Couple
I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying is a shojo anime that features short episodes, which can be hard for fans to latch on to, but this series is worth the effort.
In the anime, Hajime and Kaoru Tsunashi are a married couple where each partner is the other’s opposite. Hajime is an otaku who stays inside and makes money working on his blog. Meanwhile, Koaru is an average hardworking office lady who is secretly an out-of-control drunk. As a result, the unlikely couple finds themselves caught up in several outlandish situations.
2 In Actually, I Am… Asahi Must Keep His Crushes Secret Or Else
Actually, I Am is a shojo anime with a supernatural twist. One day at school, Asashi Kuromine accidentally discovers that his crush Youko Shiragami is actually a vampire. However, Youko’s father’s rules state that once her secret is discovered, she must quit school to protect her family. Asashi doesn’t want this to happen to Youko, so he promises her that he will keep her secret so she can stay at school.
As expected, Asashi is extremely easy to read and can hardly keep a secret, so this task will be more challenging than he imagined. Fans often overlook this vampire series in favor of other vampire series, such as the popular anime Vampire Knight.
1 Snow White With Red Hair Follows The Story Of Shirayuki, Who Works As An Apothecary
This forgotten about shojo anime follows the story of Shirayuki, a redhead girl working as an apothecary at a herbal shop whose name means “Snow White.” Shirayuki’s simple life is forever changed when the prince of her country, Prince Raji, tries to pursue her and force her to become his concubine.
With no desire to become a concubine, Shirayuki cuts her hair and escapes into the forest, where Prince Zen of the neighboring country rescues her. Shirayuki hopes to repay him someday by pursuing a carer as a court herbalist in Zen’s palace.