Heya,

I'm an older female manga reader - and manga like ones by Arina (yes gorgeous art!) or Yuu Watase don't appeal to me at all!!!!

Yes I like cute stuff.... but that's kinda too childish for me

So I guess what I'm looking for are
Josei
Mature-ish Shoujo
Smut <-- not a problem
Scanlation <-- complete or being done by an active group (in other words not a dead end)

I sure as hell don't mind smut at all - but PLZ don't recommend me any Shinjo Mayu since I'm pretty much predicting each and every manga by her = "innocent virgin with giant breasts, every girl is a **** out there to get her and the experienced playboy" <--- her formula... and there are so seriously lame smut manga out there with super childish stories and a few minor smutty scenes - not into that either...

Pretty much - give me anything ogher than something silly/childish

I would appreciate ANY recommendations I can get and thanks.

Emma - seinen, but it kinda feels like josei anyways...
Itadakimasu - silly/smutty josei manga that's not really stupid like Shinjo Mayu's stuff
Undercurrent - brief, simple, mature story
Hyakkiyakou Shou - great Japanese folklore/supernatural manga
Bara no Tameni - rather unusual (girl is chubby/kinda ugly)
Usagi Drop - nice father/daughter manga
Seigi no Mikata - very amusing josei manga
Ashita no Ousama - pretty good manga about an aspiring stage director/scriptwriter
Clover - OL romance

Um, You want romance, right?

You could try those threads:
Best Josei
Mature stuff.


I'd recommend (with romance):
Anything by Yoshihara Yuki. Nobody writes smut like her, and it's all josei, like Itadakimasu, for exapmle.

Nodame Cantabile- you can read my comment on it and see why I like it.

Kimi Wa Petto very cute and funny, but releases are quite slow and irregular.

You could try Mars and other titles by Souryo Fuyumi for mature shoujo and josei. She's really good.

Bara no Tameni very good, very funny, the releases are slow for now...

Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yumewomiru it's yaoi. But you should try it. :3 (especially if you like yaoi).




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And if the world were black and white,
you would be my rainbow in shades of grey.

Click 'n Play!

If I had a fantasy self, it'd be a tentacle monster.

I also reckon that you want romance. I would suggest: the Other Side of the Mirror. It's licensed in English.

These are seinen but I think you could give them a try:
Baby Leaf
Sakuran

Last edited by base_coat at 12:35 pm, Jun 13 2009

Some that haven't been mentioned:

Hotaru no Hikari
Yume kara Samete mo Koishiteru
Renri no Eda
Otona no Mondai <--slight BL
Shuukatsu!! - Kimi ni Naitei
Hana no Koe

Paradise Kiss and Nana might appeal to you. Both have that mature/smut factor without being ridiculous.

I also second Kimi wa Pet.

Last edited by Odette at 12:32 pm, Jun 7 2009

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Avatar by tassyn.livejournal.com

Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie

Well I personally enjoy Josei more than Shoujo these days, so I'll give you my picks!

- Solanin
(this one is actually seinen, but it's basically the same age-demographic as josei. The main character is a young adult female who most of us can relate to. The plotline is good, it's a "slice of life" romance tragedy that leaves an impression on you that lasts long after you've finished the series. The characters are well developed and enjoyable)

- Cm0
(professor/college student romance. The story flows nicely, and the plot is enjoyable. Romance is not the prominent theme until more than half way into the series, and there's no corny lines or those over done scenes)

- Kimi wa Petto
(definitely agree with everyone else on this one, it's one of the better Josei series out there with regards to the "natural" feeling you get while reading it. Dialogue and plot line is well written)

- Kimi Kara no Resume
(the art takes some getting used to but it gets better throughout the series, but I definitely enjoyed the story, it was mature and a refreshing take on a "slice of life" plot)

- Heptagon
(In the beginning I was doubtful about this series since the main character seemed a bit annoying, but by the end of it I was glad I read the whole thing. You enjoy the main character's personality transformation by the end of the series. The main character revisits her highschool days, but even with the time-travel theme, the plot line was good and it flows well.)

- Spicy Pink
(it's about a mangaka in her late 20s who has litte interest in having a boyfriend, even though she writes those lovey-dovey shoujo manga series. She goes to a goukon set up by one of her friends and meets a very annoyingly arrogant doctor there. And the story goes from there. The art is nice and the story is interesting and quite humorous)

The One
First Girl or any other works by her SAITO Chiho like Lady Masquerade or Honoka ni Purple or Ice Forest

Midnight Secretary which has one more chapter til completed or any other stuff by [m]Ohmi Tomu[/m]

Hope it helps...

All the ones I listed below are non-childish
1. Once again-Manhua
2. Ashita no ousama
3. Ingenuo
4. Chang ge xiang
5. Cheese in the trap
6. Daughters of Armian
7. Scarlet palace
8. Dash (Seinen)
9. Absolute witch