Shoujo Favorites
-7 SEEDS- An excellent survival series. I love the writing. It's very beautiful, but there are some issues regarding content. The characters are all very compelling and have interesting backstories. It's particularly remarkable considering there's almost 40 of them. The storylines are also super intense.
-Fruits Basket- This series is one of the most meaningful to me. All of the characters are very beautiful, and I love the way they strive to overcome their trauma and not let their toxic family situation define them.
-Yona of the Dawn- This is probably my favorite adventure series of all time. Yona has such beautiful character development. I'm so excited for the manga to come back in stock so I can continue to collect it. (I only have 2 volumes at the moment.)
-Orange- This was another meaningful series. It really makes you think about how people can give each other a reason to live, as well as the importance of a strong support system.
-The World of Machida-kun- This was just a super cute slice of life series. Machida genuinely inspired me to be a better person. He's so cute! I also loved how natural everything felt.
-Ouran High School Host Club- It's just super funny to me. I actually like it better than the anime. The characters are also deceptively complex.
-Oresama Teacher- Another super funny series. Izumi Tsubaki is a comedic genius. It's just super chaotic, on the level of the Host Club.
-QQ Sweeper- After reading this, I realized that I need to read the sequel, Queen's Quality. It's such a fresh fantasy-action series. I've seen it proposed as the shoujo equivalent of Jujutsu Kaisen. (Though, I feel like QQ Sweeper is a bit deeper.) I also need to read Dengeki Daisy sometime now.
-Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden- It's just really cool. It's nice to read shoujo action series with strong female leads. I've realized that's my weakness.
Shoujo I like but wouldn't consider a favorite
-Prince Freya- It's a good war series. I was not expecting the series to be so intense SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that her love interests sometimes get killed off. It kind of reminds me of Yona with the emphasis on Freya growing stronger and becoming a leader.
-Love Me, Love Me Not- It's super basic, but I like it. It's just cute fluff and makes me happy. I liked the volume of Ao Haru Ride (by the same author) better, but I'm not including series I've read so little of.
-Takane & Hana- I know it's an age gap, but I really like their dynamic. I always forget how old Takane is, since he feels like he's super early 20's max. It's just very funny to me. I've only read 2 volumes, though.
-Zettai Heiwa Daisukan- It was cute, but a bit repetitive at first. Things do pick up towards the end, though. The romance development was deceptively super good.
-The Scarlet Chair- I found it to be a super solid fantasy-action series. It was short, but definitely competently written.
Bad Shoujo
-Anonymous Noise- I could only get through one volume of this, but I found it confusing and highly unrealistic. I didn't like how obsessively she held on to her childhood friend and the way he used to be. She's still not over him moving when they were what? 8? IN HIGH SCHOOL! This really isn't healthy. I also couldn't figure out what was going on with the band either.
-Boys Over Flowers- I could only read one volume of this. So, I knew who the love interest was, and he is the most unforgivable scumbag of the group of bullies. What he tried to do to the main girl was unforgivable in my eyes, and I've heard he doesn't really grow. It was a deal breaker for me. If the male lead is worse than Usui in Maid-sama! (who I hate), I can't give it any more chances. It's a shame because the female lead and the art showed potential.
