you should try koukou debut. i normally don't go for shoujo manga (i couldnt get past vol 3 of hana kimi and totally dropped hana yori dango at some point) but this one goes against the normal formula. it actually has more character development and less pointless angst and pining than most shoujos that i've read. most importantly (to me) it's very funny. other than that gokusen.

7 Seeds. Nana ae my recomendations for manga. Only one is shoujo However, In truth considering all you said you'd probably fair better reading Josei (SP?) These manga's are grwon-up Shoujo and usually don't have that warm and fuzzy fealing that most shoujo like to depict. The romances are grittier and require alot more then OMG!!!! he has an ex-Girlfriend and she's pretty or OMG!!!!! he's and arogant douchebag but i can't get enough of his abuse as a plot device. Basically Josei have more rounded cahracters. So again I suggest nana. It has such an so un ideal take om romance I hate it! and of course love it for being truthful about just how defective we human beings can be.

Here are some that my boy friends enjoyed:
Aishiteru ze Baby (personally, I'm neutral with this manga, but most of my male manga-reading friends have read this)
NANA (read previous comments on this one)
Superior (the scanlated are only up to volume one, though, but I'd recommend this). Action-packed. It's licensed to Square Enix, so that may mean something, doesn't it?

Well, Young Magician is classified as a shoujo. I am assuming this was determined by publication? (I'm not questioning this)
But for description to a Westerner, its anything but!! I'd personally call it seinen, in that there is blood and gore, supernatural/fantasy, no major female characters (side/secondary, yes), no romance that I've read, dark drawings, psychological elements, even a little incest. imo
Anyway, point being, maybe this is a shoujo title that a guy could read! Well, anybody interested.

lol I love the first point!!!! I guess it depends on what shoujo you read. I wouldn't read Card Captor, I always thought it was too girly...the only girly stuff that I actually read and liked was Sailor moon, and that I just recently did!
but you're right...I also think the stories are all the same!!! and I always wanted to know, why is it that the girls are usually thinking they don't deserve the guys they want and in the end the guys actually like them? I don't like low self esteem in characters.

Anyways, to the point...
I've been reading a josei that I would think guys would like too. Gokusen. It doesn't revolve around romance and it's quite funny! Once you get use to the drawing style it tends to grow in you!

Edit by mod: Do not double post.


Agree!! :-) I love Kumiko and her students!

Last edited by Stealth at 3:32 pm, Jul 13 2007

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Hana Yori Dango, I know a lot of guys who liked the live action.

I'm sure a lot of guys actually enjoy reading shoujo, they just don't admit it. They have this stupid thing called a male ego that wouldn't touch anything close to girly...

No. I do not think so, girl's psychology is different from a guys and their way of thinking may differer a lot. Sometimes a guy reading shojo is like a dog reading metapsychics. I like some girly stuff and I am not gay or a widow's child. People are just taught to like something and dislike something from the very beginning.

I'm sure these have been mentioned but I'm seconding

Shoujo
Perfect Girl Evolution ~ Really funny
Beauty Pop ~ I mean it's about hair but it's not the standard fall in love stuff
Fruits Basket - For some reason alot of guys read/watch this so...
Tokyo Crazy Paradise - Is extrememly close to shounen imo
Lovely Complex ~ funny stuff, has your fall in love thing but it's good still

Some Serious Stuff -
Vitamin (SUENOBU Keiko) ~ Best oneshot in existance
Confidential Confessions

Josei
Nodame Cantabile
Gokusen ~ def.
Deep Love - Really good, read them all.


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whatphotoshopmypicswhatliesdoyouspeakof?! >D

Been meaning to start Hana Yori Dango, the name sticks out a lot in my head.
I'm a guy and I read a crap load of shoujo and enjoy them all as well. Admit to it? pretty much, my shoujos go all over the place along with my other manga, so everyone knows they're mine. I was even thinking about subscribing to shoujo beat for a while but the loads of fashion information would go to waste.
Not too many friends to discuss them with though, the girls I know all go towards the shonen route, and the rest of the guys are all mainstream shonen or the berserk type.

Some good ones I've read, probably mentioned already
Hana Kimi great work, worth reading.
Nana josei, but still good.
Skip Beat awesome, picks up really well once you get over the beginning.
Tokyo Crazy Paradise kicks major butt, literally.
Lovely Complex funny and enjoyable.
Koukou Debut good read.
Good Morning Call younger read, but still good.
Can't Lose you surprisd at this one, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ouran High School Host Club funny and interesting.
Crimson Hero good read, volleyball related.
Aishiteruze Baby too cute for words.
Tenshi Ja Nai!! great, some gender bending involved, loved it.
Kare Kano fun all around, lots of characters and all gets taken care of.
Honey & Honey Drops interesting and quite good.
Milk Crown funny, really good, got me reading all of it including the one below.
Milk Crown H! continued from above.


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<3 guys who read shoujo and are not afraid to say so.

Is it that rare..? o.O I think almost every guy here at MU has read at least one Shoujo, and enjoyed it.. No..?

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But he has read a lot and was even thinking of subscribing to shoujo beat... that's rare.

Never heard of Shoujo Beat.. But I'll assume that it's the equivalent of Shounen Jump.. Well, I would read a lot of Shoujo's too..! If I liked the art a little more.. There are few Shoujos with art that I like..

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Yep, you assumed right. You do? Okay, you deserve a <3 too

No dreaded Instant Love, and then unhappy forever after. These series are all funny, or extremely funny.
- Vanilla Ice
- Gokuraku Seishun Hockey Club
- Speical A
- Beauty is the Beast - Despite the name, it's not a manga obsessing about outward appearance. This mangaka doesn't usual write stories featuring people falls in love at first site based on looks.
- Mizuto Aqua---Her Milk Crown Series: Milk Crown, Milk Crown H, Milk Crown Lover
- I Wish

If comedy is your thing, try the above. At least read 1 or 2 volumes before decide. Alot of time synopsis doesn't do a manga justice, or its summary just appeal to one section of target audiences.

The series below doesn't necessary has comedy, but still no instant love.
- Sequence, Nanaki - SAENAGI Ryou's mangas have been described as half Shoujo, half Shounen.
- The Scarlet Chair