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There is always something new to discover and appreciate when it comes to anime. There’s a level of freedom that allows anime to explore types of stories that would be impossible in other mediums and there are many unique genres that fulfill specific interests and demographics.
Shojo content is manga or anime geared towards a younger female audience. Many are quick to write off shojo series, but there are many anime in the genre that defy expectations. Some are very much worth watching in full.
10 Revolutionary Girl Utena Flips Shojo Standards On Their Head
Those that dismiss the shojo genre likely think of the cute magical girl genre that’s dominated with content like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Revolutionary Girl Utena is the perfect alternative for those that aren’t interested in typical shojo girl gender roles. Utena is an excellent female protagonist who longs to take on the role of prince and protect others, rather than be the damsel in distress. Utena almost adopts a shonen sensibility to Utena’s journey and the battles that she readily engages in. RGU a pivotal shojo series.
9 Wonder Egg Priority Asks Probing, Morose Questions Through Its Incredible Adventure
Anime audiences have become so savvy with the medium that programs have taken larger stylistic and subversive risks. Wonder Egg Priority takes a while to fully show its hand. While it initially looks like an unassuming shojo series, it works in psychological horror, fantasy, and heavy questions about life, death, and fate. Ai struggles to get over the suicide of her close friend, and a simple toy that she procures sets her down an unbelievable path. Wonder Egg Priority is constantly unpredictable and perfect for those that want something more adult and challenging than the standard shojo series.
8 Nana Is A Delicate Look At Honest, Flawed Female Friendships
There’s an abundance of shojo material that leans into fantasy and exaggerated storytelling, whether it’s magical girl, isekai, or something else. Nana is a breath of fresh air. It examines an incredibly grounded and authentic friendship between two ladies in their early twenties, both of whom are named Nana, yet have very contrasting personalities.
Nana is such a thoughtful meditation on relationships, figuring out one’s self, and the painful and unexpected directions that life can take. Nana might also qualify as josei material since it focuses on young adults, but it still fits the shojo mold.
7 Glass Mask Breaks Down The Highs And Lows Of Burgeoning Actors
Glass Mask is a 22-episode shojo anime series from the 1980s that often gets overlooked. It’s one of the better series when it comes to slice of life drama and a more humble level of competition. Glass Mask pits Maya Kitajima and Ayumi Himekawa as rivals, but their battle plays out on the stage as they compete for the lead role in the revered stage play, “The Crimson Goddess.” Glass Mask hits the exciting heights of other shojo material, but filters it through the cutthroat field of acting.
6 Vampire Knight Presents The War Against Vampires In A Very Different Light
Shojo series can present a more pacified version of violence or find magical ways to hide death and carnage. Vampire Knight might be the perfect shojo series for those that have never been able to get on board with the genre. Vampires populate plenty of anime series, but this series’ heroine, Yuki, occupies a complicated role that blurs the line between good and evil, human and vampire. Yuki’s unique perspective and the places she visits in 26 episodes presents a very different shojo narrative.
5 Ouran High School Host Club Is Pure Comfort That Feels Like A Warm Hug
Sometimes the best shojo anime are small stakes series that craft a comfortable energy where hanging out with fun characters is enough.
Ouran High School Host Club begins with Haruhi Fujioka’s enrollment at the Ouran Academy, where she quickly befriends a group of charming young men. Haruhi’s energy with the members of this host club are endlessly entertaining. OHSHC is a comfortable spin on the harem dynamic, yet in an incredibly wholesome manner.
4 Yona Of The Dawn Creates A Powerful, Prolific Protagonist
Yona of the Dawn is an incredibly well-structured shojo series that bears a lot in common with the more progressive Disney princess movies. This should be enough to bring in some viewers that are typically skeptical of shojo storytelling. Yona of the Dawn pits enthusiastic princess, Yona, on a dangerous journey that she embarks on with her bodyguard, General Hak. It’d be so easy for Yona and Hawk’s dynamic to become reductive, but Yona of the Dawn uses their bond to strengthen the anime’s storytelling rather than fulfill outdated archetypes.
3 Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Continues The InuYasha Story From A New Perspective
A growing trend in all forms of pop culture, is to reboot classic series with legacy sequels that focus on a new generation of heroes. InuYasha was an important shonen series from the early 2000s that had a lot of crossover with the shojo genre due to its heavy focus on Kagome and Inuyasha’s romance. Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon looks at the offspring of InuYasha’s cast, but Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha are all young women, which immediately gives this sequel a unique point of view on the InuYasha universe.
2 The Rose Of Versailles Turns to Historical Events For Emotional Magnitude
Anime tells stories that would often be impossible anywhere else. The Rose of Versailles is a humble shojo series that uses the backdrop of the French Revolution for the inspiration behind this love story. The Rose of Versailles specifically focuses on Marie Antoinette and Lady Oscar, who has a complex past that’s tailor-made for the type of problems that are faced in the shojo genre. The Rose of Versailles tells an intimate story that uses the past when it needs to, but isn’t needlessly beholden to it either.
1 Puella Magi Madoka Magica Is The Ultimate Magical Girl Deconstruction
It’s the most overexposed types of stories that become the most rewarding to subvert and satirize because there’s such a history behind it all. Puella Magi Madoka Magica should be mandatory viewing for any anime fan, but especially someone who’s been on the fence with shojo series. Madoka Magica tells what initially seems like a conventional magical girl narrative, but it verges into the dark side of it all and presents this transformative experience as a Faustian gambit that threatens the safety of the lead characters. PMMM is a brilliant mix of genres, themes, and aesthetics.
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