Shoujo Manga/Anime I Love | Manga Mondays

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

For this Manga Monday, I thought I would talk about my favorite shoujo manga and anime, in honor of the final season of Fruits Basket premiering this past week. I've talked this series to death on my blog, so I won't go into detail, but you all know I love Fruits Basket. It was the first manga I ever read and it still holds up nearly twenty years after it was published. 

Now, I know I read and watch a lot more shounen than shoujo, but I still appreciate cute romance and slice of life anime and manga. Most of the series that I'll be mentioning I haven't finished the anime, only a few I'm fully caught up on, but I still enjoy them. 

Alright, let's get into it!

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Orange

I've watched the entire anime for Orange and I love it! I also own the manga however I haven't read it yet. Orange by Ichigo Takano is about a group of friends in high school who receive letters from their future selves about how they need to befriend the new kid at school and keep him from a terrible fate. I love how it has this little paranormal twist while still remaining a slice of life anime, and I love the interjections of their future selves. The art style is so beautiful, too. 

Ao Haru Ride

This is another one where I've watched all of the anime but have not read all of the manga. I own the first two volumes, however, and there are only 12 volumes. That is definitely something I appreciate about shoujo over shounen, is that they typically are much shorter (I'm still crying over the fact that Haikyu!! is 44 volumes long). Anyway, Ao Haru Ride (English is Blue Spring Ride) by Io Sakisaka follows our main character Futaba Yoshioka, who puts a front up at high school at being this tomboy character who doesn't care about clothes or makeup or cute things, but when her middle school love ends up transferring to her high school, she takes a step back and reevaluates why she acts like this. It's super cute and talks about girl-friendships and solidarity, and remaining true to yourself. I love the watercolor like style of the anime. 

Flying Witch

My first one where I'm completely caught up with both the manga and the anime! I recently binged this entire series a few months ago, and I'm obsessed. This series follows Makoto Kowata, who is a young high school girl moving away from home for the first time to begin her studies as a witch. She lives with her cousin and his family, and every chapter they get up to some new shenanigan with magic. The art style is simplistic but not crude, and it doesn't follow a direct timeline, instead showing little glimpses of Makoto's life. Flying Witch is written by Chihiro Ishizuka. 

Sweet Blue Flowers

I've only watched the anime for this one, but I still think it's fantastic. Sweet Blue Flowers by Takoko Shimura is a yuri manga following two girls in high school as they discover their love for each other. Yes, you read that right, it's gay. Once upon a time, Fumi Manjoume and Akira Okudaira were best friends, but then Fumi moved away and they forgot about each other. Now as they enter high school, they reunite and soon realize that they feel more than just friendship for the other. It's super cute but also deals with some heavy topics, but ultimately it's a soft love story between two girls. 

O Maidens in Your Savage Season

We're switching it up with this one, as I've only read the manga and have not yet watched the anime. O Maidens in Your Savage Season by Mari Okada and Nao Emoto is a bit more mature than other shoujo, as it follows a high school literature club who learn about sex by reading erotica novels. It's hilarious and definitely sparks second-hand embarrassment in some places, but I think it's worth the read. I plan on watching the anime soon. 

Harukana Receive

This anime is about beach-volleyball! Harukana Receive by Nyoijizai follows two cousins as they bond over their shared love for beach-volleyball. I won't lie, I started watching this purely because of my love for Haikyu!! and wanted to watch another volleyball anime. I thought that it was super cute, it focuses purely on female friendships (seriously I don't think there is a single boy in this anime) and the passion one has for sports. Also it definitely felt a little gay in some areas, but I think that's open for interpretation. 

Cinderella Nine

Another sports anime, this one about baseball. Also another series where I've only watched the anime. Actually, this isn't based on a manga at all, but a video game! Cinderella Nine follows Arihara Tsubasa, who starts up a Girls' Baseball club at her high school upon discovering there wasn't one to join. I personally found this anime extremely enjoyable, mostly because I was a softball player for almost all of my adolescent life, and so I have that connection to the sport that I think other players would definitely feel if they watched this show. Again, it is centered around female friendship and teamwork, so if that is something you enjoy I highly recommend this one!

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Alright, that's all for today! I hope you got some new shoujo recommendations, and feel free to leave your own down in the comments! 

Until next time!