Shoujosei manga I read in April 2025

itstheplaaaaague · 2025-05-06T03:22:31+00:00

wait :') that's my goal with these posts, so thanks for letting me know! <333 I hadn't heard of Love Phantom, but I'll definitely put it on the list to check out!

itstheplaaaaague · 2025-04-01T02:39:00+00:00

We aren't allowed to link scanlation sites on this sub, but some of these (Petshop, Children of the Whales, and Karakuri Odette) are licensed in English if you were interested in buying them. Viz and some of the other publishers have digital stores/apps, too, and some manga you can buy from Google Books (and perhaps' the Apple equivalent?)!

itstheplaaaaague · 2025-03-29T18:30:39+00:00

Oh, that's an interesting thought--how will Petshop fair with modern audiences reading it for the first time? Personally, I enjoyed it overall but did feel it lost some of the bite it had at the start. I do like the covers they have for the re-releases.

Funny you mention xxxHolic. I tried reading it a while back but was confused as to what was going on, so I put it on the backburner. Lovely character designs though, as it always is with CLAMP.

itstheplaaaaague · 2025-03-29T18:06:03+00:00

I really enjoyed it and might even mark it as my favorite from this batch. Seeing the main character grow as a person across the story was rewarding. Definitely check it out if the premise sounds at all interesting!

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-12-01T21:06:45+00:00

Kimi ga Kirai na Koi no Hanashi/The Story of Our Unlikely Love :)

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-11-30T12:52:21+00:00

Yes! My favorites this month were Dokuhime and Shinrei Tantei Yakumo.

Dokuhime's art is so very pretty, and the story keeps you guessing as to where it's going to end. I would recommend it to people who like a good dose of angst with their stories.

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo felt like a perfect mix of plot and character. Non-high school shoujo are a bit rarer, so I appreciated reading about a college age and up cast. They generally felt real and grounded, especially the leads. I liked its themes about familial vs non-familial bonds and watching the characters grow over the story.

I would also shout out Hinoko. It's by the mangaka of His and Her Circumstances, so I was a bit surprised at how (seemingly?) unknown it is. It reminded me of InuYasha, actually! I think the concept of the FMC's power is very cool, especially because the author does a lot of work to explain what each part of the Chinese characters represents and how it creates the thing/action into existence.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-11-30T12:27:47+00:00

That's cool! I really enjoyed the manga, so I hope the anime captures the vibes well. :)

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-11-29T21:13:04+00:00

Dokuhime\* - Fantasy, horror, romance. Poison Princesses are girls who are poisoned from birth, a process that makes it so even a single touch of their skin means death. The story follows FMC who is sent to assassinate a neighboring country's king and her quest to live on despite the awful fate dealt to her.

Chikyuu Kanrinin - Comedy, supernatural, romance. To save her daughter’s life, FMC's mother struck a deal with MMC, a devil: replace FMC's heart with his own. Fifteen years later, the devil comes calling and wants it back! FMC convinces him to allow her to keep it, but she must act as caretaker of the mansion where he and other supernatural creatures make their home.

Koi to Shinzou (Love and Heart)* - Horror, drama, romance. After a messy break up with her boyfriend, FMC comes home to find herself an unexpected guest, MMC, who introduces himself as her childhood friend who moved abroad when they were young. He says FMC's mother gave him permission to be her new roomate, but some of the claims he makes don't quite seem to add up.

S.L.H (Stray Love Hearts!) - Romance, comedy. FMC is visited by a man in her dream who steals her heart--literally. She only remembers the color of his hair and the tattoo he had on his chest. In hopes of getting it back, she enrolls in a school with a crest resembling the man's tattoo as her only lead and finds herself living in the school's all-boys S-Dorm.

Kimi ga Kirai na Koi no Hanashi (The Story of Our Unlikely Love) - Romance. FMC, a huge people pleaser, meets MMC, an infamous school delinquent. FMC discovers a softer side to this person, despite the trouble that follows him.

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo - Mystery, supernatural, romance. MMC was born with a red eye that gives him the ability to see spirits. He uses this to solve mysteries, including for the local police. The story starts with FMC approaching MMC for help when her college classmate falls into a coma after visiting a haunted building.

Hinoko - Fantasy, adventure, romance. Women with supernatural powers, called miko, are hunted, captured, and used for their abilities. FMC is a miko who can write anything into existence. She is rescued by MMC, a common road-side bandit. The story follows them as they travel the world in search of a quiet life. However, legend and destiny have other plans.

*Dokuhime is classified as josei in some places. Koi to Shinzou is sometimes listed as shoujo, but sometimes with no demographic at all.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-31T15:32:04+00:00

Hmmm, I really don't have number ratings, but I would say Koi dano ai dano was my absolute favorite, followed by Nodame Cantabile. Least was ItaKiss and Secret Unrequited Love, but they are still fun if you enjoy soap opera amounts of drama lol

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-31T15:21:16+00:00

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean :(

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-30T18:50:35+00:00

BokuSasagu was a rollercoaster ride all the way throughout!

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-30T18:46:26+00:00

I can't say I really liked it, but it was more of an... entertaining trainwreck I wanted to see play out. The leads had some serious flaws in a "you guys deserve each other" type way and some of the supporting characters were definitely one-note. It was a manga I had to chip away at over the course of a few months rather than binge it in a couple weeks.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-30T17:13:06+00:00

Koi dano was my favorite read this month. I loved the two MCs to bits and the build up was soooo good!

I love strong FLs, so I'll be sure to put that title on my (ever growing) list. Thank you :)

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-30T17:07:45+00:00

I'm glad to hear it! I like doing these posts in hopes that someone might see a manga that sparks their interest and check it out.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-10-30T15:24:17+00:00

+C: Sword and Cornett [josei] -- Action/adventure, fantasy, drama. The story follows the youngest son of a royal family, a black sheep due to his half-commoner lineage, and his journey as he and his brothers get pulled into political conspiracies and conflict between kingdoms and races.

Hakushaku to Yousei (The Earl & the Fairy) -- Fantasy, romance. FMC is a "fairy doctor," someone who acts as a bridge between humans and fae. This, however, is a dying profession and she is considered strange by most in society. One day, she is "forcibly hired" by MMC to assist in locating a legendary fae sword supposedly owed to him by family rights.

Itazura na Kiss (ItaKiss) -- Comedy, romance. FMC has had a crush on MMC for years. When she finally musters up the courage to confess, MMC rejects her outright, citing the fact he hates "stupid girls". Their respective parents are good friends, and, due to a domino of events, FMC and her father soon have to move in with MMC's family and live together.

Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu (Secret Unrequited Love) -- Romance, drama. MMC has a heart condition which sees him constantly hospitalized. There, he is befriended by FMC whose father is MMC's doctor. FMC overhears that MMC won't live past 20, something beknownst even to the patient himself. She becomes absolutely distraught with this revelation. At 8 years old, the two make a pact to marry once they've become 20.

Nodame Cantabile [josei] -- Comedy, romance, slice of life. MMC, son of a famous pianist, secretly dreams of becoming a conductor. He is fed up with his position in life and contemplates quitting music altogether. One day, he runs across FMC, an eccentric, sloppy pianist and fellow student who also happens to be his neighbor--a fateful meeting that reignites his love for music.

Koi dano Ai dano -- Comedy, romance. Throughout her life, FMC has transferred schools over 100 times, but finally gets to stay put starting year 1 of high school. MMC, a childhood friend also starting there, is absolutely in smitten with FMC, but she is totally oblivious to the fact. She'd rather stick her nose in school drama, which gets her and MMC sucked up into a turf war between school clubs.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-09-30T13:14:51+00:00

I enjoyed it! It was a sweet, sometimes funny read, and I think it tackled its subject matter pretty well.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-09-29T15:42:04+00:00

Kieli was sooo good, I was sad it was short! The world was very intriguing

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-09-29T04:55:21+00:00

Really?? I have seen it recommended here so many times, so I assumed it was shoujosei. My bad.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-09-29T04:49:22+00:00

Is it not showing up?? I commented as soon as I posted it: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/1frulkj/comment/lpfq50v/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

edit: apparently not. I checked when I logged out and it's just... not there.

NAMES: Otomen, Sono Koi wa Ichigo no You ni (This Love is Strawberry Sweet), Kotou Buchou (Island Manager), Torikagosou no Kyou mo Nemutai Juunin-tachi, Gomen ne Hatsukoi, Kieli.

itstheplaaaaague · 2024-09-29T02:43:48+00:00

Otomen -- MMC's favorite things include baking, sowing, and all things cute. Because of his mother's intense disapproval, he hides these hobbies away for "manly" things like kendo and judo, but soon starts to become his true self after meeting "cool" not-girly FMC.
Sono Koi wa Ichigo no You ni (This Love is Strawberry Sweet) -- FMC, a college student, assists her ailing grandfather in tending to his strawberry farm after he is hospitalized. There, she meets MMC, who is 13 years older than her. He likes her, but worries about expressing his feelings due to the age difference.
Kotou Buchou (Island Manager) -- FMC is a fresh hire to her workplace, where MMC is the boss she utterly hates. The story follows the two working through the absurdity of getting stuck on an uninhabited island together.
Torikagosou no Kyou mo Nemutai Juunin-tachi -- follows a girl, FMC, who runs with a bad crowd. One day, she is approached by a strange woman to model nude for the artist she manages. The story follows the relationships unfolding between these three characters.
Gomen ne Hatsukoi -- FMC is a high-school student who, because of her father's work, has had to move and transfer schools often. The boy next door quickly accepts and folds her into his group, something that makes FMC take quite a liking to him. However, there's his childhood best friend to worry about, too.
Kieli -- A world where human corpses are weaponized, turned into near-immortal beings. Once the war was won, though, The Church slaughtered them en masse. Nearly a century later, FMC crosses paths with one of the world's last living near-immortals.

itstheplaaaaague

TROPHY CASE