While starting up a response to a comment, I decided to make a full blown post on shoujo anime instead.
Shoujo basically means “young girl” in Japanese, and when refering to anime, it refers to a genre that targets…. *drum roll*….. young girls! Oh, what a shocker! Of course, it’s not JUST for young girls, but it primarily targets that group. Just as shounen (young boy) isn’t only for…. *drum roll*… young boys! Another shocker! It’s just a general classification, and many titles under both shoujo and shounen appeal to both genders and all ages.
With that worthless mini-Japanese lesson out of the way, let’s begin my lil recommendation of shoujo anime.
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In no particular order, except alphabetical:
Aishiteruze Baby
Fruits Basket
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (English title: His and Her Circumstances)
I’ll break down each one in a bit. These three titles are, obviously, shoujo titles that I have seen over the years and have immensely enjoyed. Each one has a different flavor but they all revolve around character development and interaction, something I’m more keen on than anything else when watching anime. I’ll refrain from writing up a synopsis and provide ample links to descriptions. I will jot down a bit of how I enjoyed the series’ though.
Aishiteruze Baby
Short descriptions: AnimeDB AnimeNFO AnimeNewsNetwork
Longer description (may contain minor spoilers): Strictly Shoujo
This was about the cutest anime I’ll ever watch. Good humor with fun characters and that’s easily something that’ll keep me watching. It’s one of the few shoujo animes I’ve seen that has a male main character (though he co-stars, so to speak, with a female character). The humor was what kept me most interested in this one. If possible, I’d actually recommend the manga over the anime. The pacing in the manga flows better and it actually ends. Without spoiling too much, the anime ended before the manga finished so you don’t see the “true” ending in the anime. The first volume of the manga will be released in April so it’ll become more accessible. For those interested, if you watch this series, be sure to read the last two volumes of the manga (6 & 7) to complete the Aishiteruze Baby story.
Fruits Basket
Short descriptions: AnimeDB AnimeNewsNetwork
Longer description (may contain minor spoilers): Strictly Shoujo
Full review of volume one (contains many spoilers): AnimeonDVD
This one is a very laid back series with some intense, serious storylines. A bit of a contradiction but it’s the best way I can describe it. Once again, it’s the characters that really drive this series and that’s why I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tohru, the main character, is truly a girl no one can ever hate. Sometimes, in shoujo or shounen, you wonder why all these guys/girls, respectively, like the main character. I never once wondered that in this one. A main character like Tohru is rare among anime, even though she has no incredibly outstanding features. As bland as she was compared to all the characters around her, it really was her character that really kept me watching.
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou / His and Her Circumstances
Short descriptions: AnimeDB AnimeNewsNetwork
Full review of volume one (contains many spoilers): AnimeonDVD
This was the most entertaining series of the bunch and the only one that would be classifed as a romantic comedy. Yukino is a very entertaining main character, to say the least. She’s also quite unique. If you read the descriptions, you can see why. Her personality is not one that is very common as a main character for any type of anime and that’s why I loved it. The story of KareKano is not just one about Yukino either and the many other characters that are featured in this anime keep things more interesting. This one is one of my favorite romantic comedies among all genres and not just in shoujo.
These next two titles are one’s I’d recommend but I don’t regard them as highly as the previous three. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed these series but just not as much as the one’s above.
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Full Moon wo Sagashite
Short descriptions: AnimeDB AnimeNewsNetwork
Longer description (may contain minor spoilers): Strictly Shoujo
All in all, this was a fun watch. The main plot was intriguing and that’s what kept me in. Honestly, I actually haven’t finished watching this series. I’m still interested to find out how it concludes (probably have around ten episodes left) but it was just a bit too cute and childish for me. This is definitely meant for younger girls but it’d still appeal to all ages. I have to note that the music is great. Many of the songs from this anime are in my current winamp playlist, hehehe.
Maria-sama ga Miteru
Short description: AnimeDB AnimeNFO AnimeNewsNetwork
Unlike the previous series’, this one features no male characters. Well, there are male characters around but they hardly take any screen time. This series is also classified as what’s called “shoujo-ai.” Basically, it’s “girl love” anime. No, don’t be thinking no dirty thoughts now, it’s not like that. Another classification, “yuri,” is what would be more into what your dirty mind is thinking but even then it’s not as bad as you think. Being a shoujo-ai, you do get hints of yuri but it’s nothing like that. Any form of love is pure so get those dirty thoughts out of your head.
Oh, but I digress. The series itself is a nice watch. It’s more of a slice-of-life anime that just follows the daily lives of Yumi and the friends around her. It’s purely a character relationship anime. No real plot or magic or anything unbelievable happening. Basically, what a slice-of-life series would be like.
The following series’ are one’s I haven’t seen or have only partially seen. I can’t personally recommend them but I know that they are all highly rated among other fans and I felt it’s worth it to list them. For more information, look them up at the sites I’ve been using throughout this entry.
Fushigi Yugi
Futari wa Pretty Cure
Kodomo no Omacha
Paradise Kiss
Peach Girl
I intend to watch Kodomo no Omacha eventually. It seems a bit childish but it looks like it’s really funny.
Peach Girl is a slight exception to what I said about these series. I watched the first few episodes and although it looked like it would’ve been a good romantic drama, the angst level was too high for me. My head felt like exploding and I didn’t have the patience to continue. I can’t handle too much angst so I failed to follow this one but some others may tolerate more then I do.
This next title is a slight exception but due to it’s popularity, I wanted to mention it.
Hachimitsu to Clover (English title: Honey and Clover)
This series is not shoujo. It’s more directed towards older girls/women, probably young adults, say 18-28 years of age but it still appeals to shoujo fans and that’s why I’m mentioning it. I plan on checking this one out eventually simply due to how highly it’s rated on various sites even though I passed on the manga in the past. I’ve liked many series that I’ve passed up on but tried simply due to popularity, so I figured this one would be worth a shot as well.
Lastly will be recent series’ done by the manga group called CLAMP. This group comprises of women who create/write/draw/etc. manga. They are unique since many of their manga are done by one person and occasionally, two (one to write, one to draw). How they distribute their resources and who specifically does what manga are things I don’t care to waste my time finding out but for the purposes of this entry, they are CLAMP and they create manga.
Many of the manga they create are shoujo but not all are in that genre. Even so, a lot of their shounen or other mangas have qualities that appeal to shoujo viewers. Due to this, I’ll just list some recent series’ by CLAMP that I have enjoyed with the exception of one title.
Angelic Layer
Card Captor Sakura
Chobits
Tsubasa Chronicle
X TV
Card Captor Sakura is the exception. I have not watched this series and I can guarantee that I never will. I list it because this is probably the most well-known series created by CLAMP and is highly regarded among fans of the “magical girl” genre.
I have seen both Angelic Layer and X TV in their entirety and I would recommend both to shoujo fans, even though neither are completely shoujo. Angelic Layer might actually be a bit more shounen. In any case, both were entertaining in their own respect. NOTE! I recommend watching X TV, and not X The Movie. The movie has too many flaws and holes in it’s story that it’s not worth watching, even if the animation was incredible. You get a much more thorough and intense story watching the TV series so definitely pass up the movie. Oh, I also have to note that the character designs in X are some of the best I’ve ever seen in any anime. Absolutely stunning, to say the least.
I’ve only partially seen both Chobits and Tsubasa Chronicle. It’s been quite a long time (three years?) since I watched Chobits and though I intend to finish it one day, I can’t say for certain if it will be any time soon. It was definitely entertaining and very funny but I just kept putting it off to the point where I’d have to rewatch it from the start now. Still, it’s rated relatively high among fans so it’s worth mentioning. I should note that Chobits is shounen and not shoujo. Tsubasa Chronicle is CLAMP’s most recent title and I’m still following it. It’s been on hold for a few months but it’s a great series. It’s very story driven and I will definitely keep going… just gotta get some time to catch up on other things.
Well, there you have it. It’s not the most exhaustive list but it is MY list so screw you if you don’t like it. Damn. This took me A LOT more time then I had planned but it was fun. I really have to admit that. It was a complete waste of my time but it was fun nonetheless and hell, most things that are fun are a complete waste of time anyway. Yeah yeah, I’m just justifying myself, shut up.
Well, since I did such a thing for shoujo, maybe I’ll do one for shounen sometime. I’d have a lot more fun with that since, being a guy, I enjoy shounen more then I do shoujo (even though the three titles I fully recommended are among my favorite titles for all anime).
For reference, here are some great sites if you’re looking for any info on anime. As you can tell, these are the sites I go to if I need info. Among them, there shouldn’t be anything you can’t find.
AnimeDB
AnimeNFO
AnimeNewsNetwork
AnimeonDVD
This last site isn’t spectacular but if you’re looking for something to watch based on titles you’ve already enjoyed, it can help you find something. It’s not very thorough but it can at least give you some ideas.
And……………………………………….
FINI!
