I’ve been reading Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun lately. Since it’s 4-koma, it’s a great little manga to pick up and read a few pages here and there whenever I need a laugh. I’m having a great time with it. And because of it, I have been thinking about Shoujo anime more and I wanted to remember the ones I liked.
So I went to my AniList, sorted by rating (which means nothing because past Irina has weird tastes in anime that I don’t always recognize) and decide to go from the top-rated and pick my top 5 shoujos.
And let me tell you, I really don’t watch much shoujo at all. In fact, I gave up and added some Josei just to be able to come up with a top 5. But it’s not entirely my fault. Almost nothing is Shoujo. Even Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is actually a shonen, apparently. Whaaaa??
Anyways, after sifting through a lot of stuff these are the top 5 anime on my watched list that other people also consider as shoujo (or Josei…)
5. Revolutionary Girl Utena
The demographic on this one seems debatable. I have seen it listed as shoujo, josei and shonen. But the manga seems to always be considered a shoujo so let’s go with that. Besides, Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of those anime that really made me think about femininity and what it means to me and as such leaving it off this list just seems wrong.
Also, why isn’t it higher? See what I mean about past me having no taste in anime?
In any case. Revolutionary Girl Utena has made a very strong impression on the anime watching public and pushed the boundaries of what a shoujo could be. If you haven’t seen it yet, give it a try. It’s weird and also quite wonderful.
4. Given
The first Josei on my list. Why is it considered for older audiences when there is nothing spicier than kissing in the entire manga and anime? I’ll give you one guess.
Given was my surprise hit of the season. Having been at best indifferent to the manga, I wasn’t expecting much out of the anime but I fell in love with it. All of it. The characters, plot and even sappy love story all drew me in. I would watch another season any time and I am happy to include it on my list of favourite shoujo (and Josei) anime!
3. Ouran High School Host Club
I was so relieved to see this was in fact a shoujo. I think it would have rocked my world if I found out it was a seinen or something. Ouran High School Host Club is one of the first anime I remember watching as an adult well before I started this blog. And it sort of embodies everything I think of when I think of shoujo.
A strong and well-defined female lead. A bevy of pretty boys embodying a lot of the stereotypes traditionally considered attractive in boys. A light and breezy love story and just a bit of drama here and there.
What I’m saying is the Ouran didn’t do anything revolutionary at all, it just did what it did quite well. And for that, it’s one of my favourites.
2. Sarazanmai
The second Josei on my list and after seeing that Penguindrum was a Seinen I did not expect this one to make the cut. And once again, I’m not sure why it did. Anime demographics are a mysterious thing. That’s why I enjoy looking them up once in a while. It’s always full of surprises.
I do believe that the exact same story could have been put together with three girls instead of three boys and nothing would have been lost. And I really loved Sarazanmai. I sort of wish they would release the gender-bent version. I want to watch that show.
1. Natsume’s Book of Friends
To the great shock of everyone, Natsume’s Book of Friends is my favourite shoujo. I recently read through xxxHOLiC and because the two were so similar I thought that it would be one too but no, it’s a seinen. This tells me that young men would probably really enjoy Natsume’s Book of Friends! Yup that’s what I got from that.
Natsume is an experience and a comfort. I love it dearly. It is the only manga that I collect and read as it gets published. I’m not even sure what I would do with myself if a new season of the anime got announced. I would probably just radiate pure happiness in the form of disco lights and vanilla scent for a month or so. You may think I’m exaggerating but I’m pretty sure that exact thing will happen. Go ahead and prove me wrong Shuka!
So you may be wondering what all these anime have in common. And I am wondering that as well. One thing I’m starting to notice is that shoujo anime may just not be what I think it is.
Do you have a favourite Shoujo? Is it this shoujo? Actually, that should have been my number 1 pick as well. But if you have a beloved shoujo that is not on my list (Yona comes to mind) do let me know. I was a little disturbed by the lack of shoujo on my watch list…
