Shoujo, translated as “young woman”, is a demographic aimed at teenage girls.
The most iconic and influential Shoujo character designs come from the early 20th century, where girls and boys alike were drawn with huge eyes. Shoujo is the counterpart of Shounen, a demographic aimed at boys and young men.
Here is our list of top 10 best shoujo anime of all time.
10. Itazura na Kiss
This series possess a lot of traits that are characteristic of shoujo anime. There’s the ditzy but well-meaning heroine, her uninterested crush who’s totally out of her league, a never-ending supply of drama and misunderstandings.
What is notable about this series is that it integrates these characteristics from general shoujo anime, and does this exceptionally well.
9. Lovely Complex
This anime will give you feels. Yes, feels. While offering an engaging plot that will keep you guessing at every turn, another feature of many successful shoujo series, Lovely Complex offers a healthy dose of comedy to boot.
8. Fushigi Yuugi
Fushigi Yuugi is notable for being an early shoujo series that successfully integrates elements of fantasy with romance, something that has become a common combination.
As a pioneering, highly enjoyable shoujo anime that has served as inspiration for so many other series, Fushigi Yuugi comes in at number 8 on this list.
7. Kimi ni Todoke
A main purpose of shoujo anime is to evoke feelings in the viewer. For this reason, captivating characters and their development and emotional depth are one of the most important components of this genre, and this series certainly achieves that.
This series is a positive portrayal of romance, but goes far beyond being just a love story and falling flat as some other series do.
6. Nana
Nana revolves around two young women with the same name who accidentally meet of a train while moving to Tokyo to follow their dreams. The characters in Nana are brilliantly develop and compelling and the show is one of the grown-up anime titles.
5. Full Moon wo Sagashite
This series has an art style that is particularly reminiscent of 90’s shoujo manga. Because of this, it’s very aesthetically enjoyable for fans of classic shoujo in general.
Most notably, the song “Eternal Snow” is one of the most evocative songs in a shoujo score. This series tells a very sad story that is also quite beautiful which puts it at number 5 on this list.
4. Akatsuki no Yona
Akatsuki no Yona, or Yona of the Dawn, is about the story of a young princess who witnesses the murder of her father. It combines a lot of things that are great about modern anime with elements and style from older anime, like humor, action and lots of drama.
3. Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
The premise of a shoujo herione being blackmailed by a handsome is not a new innovation to the genre. However, this series is widely regarding as one of the better shoujo anime that have come out in recent years for it’s strong story, art and popularity as a romantic comedy.
2. Sailor Moon
This was the first shoujo anime to be syndicated in North America, drawing a lot of interest to large number of people who followed it.
The anime centers around Usagaji Tsukisho, a.k.a serena, who changes into a Sailor Moon and a soldier of love and justice. However,in her day to day life is just a clumsy cry baby.
As a sailor moon, Usagaji is joined by her four colleagues who each represent a planet in the solar system. The five girls are seen to fight the dark kingdom.
1. Ouran High School Host Club
Ouran High School Host Club has every element that is needed to make a classic series. It’s widely known as the “gateway drug” for people who wouldn’t normally touch shoujo anime.
The fact that it can successfully appeal to such a wide audience is what makes it so good – plus the story, the music, the characters, the art, the voice acting and everything in between.
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