Are there any shojo/josei titles out there that are really popular that you just don't get? Don't like? HATE?! Something everyone else seems to love and you go 'bleck'?


Me - I just DO NOT like Ouran High School Host Club. It's weird, too much going on on every page, and just plain messy.

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Same. I can understand the appeal of Vampire Knight and even some of Shinjo Mayu's works (bad IMO though). But I just find Ouran, Skip Beat, Special A, etc boring. Taste is very personal. I guess what I find boring may be what others find attractive.

Aren't all the harem/reverse harem full of boring cliches? But those are what attract their readers. Why do they like those? Something to do with trauma, maybe.

Last edited by base_coat at 11:50 pm, Apr 12 2009

Nana, Peach Girl, and Wedding Peach (not sure how popular that last one is...). Probably a lot more as well, but those are the first ones that come to mind.

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Vampire Knight. It was alright... the art was really cool and everything, but I just kind of lost interest in it. ):

Pretty much anything related to 'idols' (like Skip Beat).

A good manga has:
- likable characters (that don't do illogical or incredibly stupid things)
- a nice story (if the manga is a serious one, the story should have an actual message)
- some realism (so the readers can identify with char/situation)
- development (char or story, preferably both)
- the art to back the above up. (I personally hate the 'long necks' in manhwa)

Oddly enough, most 'popular' manga lacks at least one of the items in my list. (I admit some points depend on taste).

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I agree with Vampire Knight. It honestly started ok, cliched, but ok. I liked the eyes and how she hid the pale haired vampires hair, kinda wavy, it looked cool. But then it just got weird and I stoped understanding it. I don't like Shugo Chara or anything like it. Special A annoyed me for reasons I don't understand, probably because the character were idiots in a bad way. I liked Ouran High School Host Club, I thought it was funny... but I like reverse harems because I find them amusing, at least before the herione falls in love or takes action on it, then it gets boring.
I really hate anything that is overly "cute". And though I don't think it's that popular, I HATED Orange Planet. I have never wanted to kill a character so bad before.

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I am personally a fan of slightly obscure mangas that might be a little strange, messy, or flawed, but have something unique about them. Still, I do appreciate the "it" factor that makes a manga mainstream and popular. I have never read a popular shoujo (or a popular manga in any genre) that was not halfway decent. Bland and overrated perhaps, but not bad. Even the ones that left a bad taste in my mouth involved a certain amount of storytelling/drawing skill that set it apart from the crowd. The majority is not out of their minds.

Now having said that, allow me to hypocritically trash the following mangas -_-

100% Perfect Girl
Absolute Boyfriend
Bara no Tameni
Haou Airen (and anything by this author)
Honey Hunt (and anything by this author)
Midnight Secretary
The One
Perfect Girl Evolution
Private Prince
Special A

Last edited by Odette at 5:01 pm, Apr 13 2009

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Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie

Shinshi Doumei Cross
Hot Gimmick
Anything "smut"

There's more... but it already took me minutes to remember the titles of those two >__<

Edit:
I'll add Hanazakari no Kimitachi e... both art and plot are awful in my opinion...

Last edited by amaranthine at 1:34 am, Apr 13 2009

I've found a not-your-average smut - Kedamono Damono.

Strange and a bit confusing. Am I reading ecchi or yuri? Not sure whether you think it's good?

Don't know how popular it is, but It's Not Like That Darling totally bored me- it was a big waste of time. I am yet to read a truly good shoujo manga...

Probably every shoujo that has high rating.

The only really popular ones I've enjoyed were Fruits Basket and Koukou Debut, which I've dropped after volume 7... (though I should probably finish it~)

Josei too?
Midnight secretary and Nana. First who come to mind...

Last edited by NightSwan at 10:01 am, Apr 13 2009

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i agree with shinshi doumei cross...dropped it after 4 chapters...it was boring...i never find enjoyment while reading this thing...i didnt even get their puns...i know that its jokes but they arent funny

and also vampire knight...overly dramatic and makes me shit dramatically...

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Perfect girl evolution.
it was really boring

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Koukou Debut was only so-so in my opinion.

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I watched accidentally and liked the first season of Vampire Knight anime. But when I read the manga, it was just meh. I think the reason it has a lot of fans is the decent anime first season. The second season bored me though.