I'm looking for a manga with some sort of feminist character, portrayed in a positive light, or something that has a gynocentric focus. The women in the story shouldn't have marriage as their only option for happiness, romance shouldn't be their number one obsession, and I would like for them to have a dream of their own or something else that they focus on. Romance and marriage are acceptable, but just so long as they aren't made out to be her only way to be happy in life. The friendship of women should be a positive, and stereotypical flat, mean girl, jealous, petty, weak, and shallow tropes of typical shoujo manga would be best avoided Shoujo as a genre is acceptable, but just not that kind. It would be great if the males in the story genuinely respected the women as human beings instead of marginalizing them and their dreams and making them out to be ridiculous, or constantly tell the woman she is in desperate need of a male to protect her or to complete her, unless of course it's proven wrong later in the manga. She doesn't necessarily have to outsmart and outdo all of her male peers, she just has to have some sort of backbone and be able to stand up for herself and be independent, or maybe dependent on female friends would be ok..., but would prefer independence. Thanks

Please NO ECCHI, though I have no idea how an ecchi manga representing women as sex objects could ever be considered "feminist," just please no ecchi. Don't mind if it's mature, but would like to avoid adult/hentai/smut mangas. Yuri/shoujo ai is fine, but I would like to see if there are any heterosexual couples out there in your regular manga that would roughly fit this description.

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Ciel

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Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie

Stone cold: she is a brilliant attorney, there is no romance.
Beauty pop: shoujo, the female lead is quite cool towards affection. The male lead look at her as rival (but well eventually falls for her, although he doesn't want to admit it).
Gokusen: maybe you've read it, but I think it's fits because she pursues her dream as teacher. She is independent too.
Haikara-san ga Tooru: old shoujo, she is a reporter in taishou era.
Dark Seed
Rash!!
Subaru

Last edited by p3pelepe at 12:09 am, Nov 17 2011

Kisshou Tennyo
Since you don't mind GL -- Moonlight Flowers

Hana no Kishi
Saver
The one
Skip beat (later)
Arachnid
Ichi
1/2 prince maybe?
Crimson Hero
Gokuraku Seishun Hockey Club
Sengoku Strays
Special A?
Crimson Empire
Kimi wa Boku no Toriko Nare
Superior
Some aren't exactly what you would label as "feminist" but most have strong female leads... in my opinion.

These are exactly what you're look for:
Glass Mask (though I recommend the anime instead of the manga since it has better art)
Ashita No Ousama
Akagami No Shirayukihime (the art is really pretty as well)
Gokusen
Ciel (I double-reccomend)
Song of the Cloud (the female lead isn't the main focus of this manga but she's still a strong female main character who is focusing on her dream instead of romance)
Seirei no Moribito (anime)
Claymore (recommend the anime)

Don't really fit because the plot isn't about a girl pursuing a set career goal, but the main female character still have a backbone, don't consider marriage to the epitome of happiness, and is independent (though I wouldn't describe it as having a gynocentric focus):
Cheese in the Trap
Orange Marmalade

Anime where girl wasn't independent and strong but as the story progresses becomes more independent, assertive, and strong as she pursues her goals:
12 Kingdoms (also called Juuni Kokuki)

EDIT:
Warau kanoko-sama also fits your criteria. The female main character is very self-assured and her main focus is definitely not on getting a boyfriend. (It's actually the exact opposite of what the cover implies.)

Last edited by crumpets_and_tea at 1:19 pm, Nov 23 2011

Teppu
Dorohedoro
Appleseed

Thank you all so much these are wonderful, please suggest more Some of these I've already read and loved, but there are some great new stories here too. Any more suggestions?

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This might help:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=22721&hl =shojo%20heroine%20goals

There are a lot of those I would recommend (especially Gokusen and Seirei no Moribito)
I think I'd add Tokyo Crazy Paradise (though there is romance... hum, if you don't like it, don't mind me)

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Sorry to jump in but I'm desperately seeking feminist-friendly (or at least non-cliche or non-stereotyping) manga for my step-daughter. Ideally without a romance theme.

Are any of the suggestions above suitable for a 14yr old reader?

Thanks

You might wanna try Saiunkoku Monogatari. There's also an anime adaptation of it

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I disagree with many manga posted ITT. Actually, I have quite a lot of beef with manga that look feminist friendly or start out that way but then just... isn't. Gokusen, for example, was doing fine until Shinwhatshisname just started saving Kumiko all the time. Skip Beat was empowering until it suddenly used that fangirl cliche. Anytime a guy comes rushing to save a girl in a shojo, you know the manga was never feminist friendly to begin with.

The only good "feminist" one that comes to mind is Witch Craft Works, which reverses many of the popular stereotypes cleverly and yet doesn't have its head up its own ass so much that it forgets to be compelling. It is a romance, though reversing the romance tropes is integral to its central premise. Quite kid-friendly, I think.

"Feminist friendly" is easier to find:
Teppu (the protagonist just kicks ass and is all kinds of awesome)
Gekka Bijin (I love the way the princess plunges head-on into any problem, pushing away advice and help from her male subjects)
A Lollipop or A Bullet (not a romance, but deals with death, so be warned)
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (is a romance, but it reverses the tropes quite wonderfully in that the protagonist always comes to her love interest's rescue, and the times he's trying to rescue her, he accidentally punches her instead)
Tista (tragic female super sniper xD)
Cat Street (can skip the romance at the end since it's indulgent anyways, but the beginning has some very positive message about "your love rival is not a mean scheming slut")
Oresama Teacher (about a delinquent girl, but instead of finding out that she has a feminine side after all, she tries to be an ultra shiny girl super feminine girl and finds that she just can't avoid trouble, also views girly girls not as shallow but as angels)
Carat! (the ultimate kid-friendly one I think. Funny, quirky, with powerful magical girl lead)

If you want good female role models, you really can't avoid romance. The bulk of manga with female protagonist is shojo, and the bulk of shojo is romance xD

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How come nobody has recommended Shutter Love by OKAZAKI Mari and Yaneura no Majo by ISOYA Yuki yet? It would be a shame to leave them out. They're both great Josei.
The first one traces artfully how three women come to stand up for themselves; so it gives off a very bold independent feeling. Whereas the second one is more delicate but not less realistic, as it explores women's love-affairs by interpreting the ancient stories of Eve, Lilith, Venus and Pandora in a modern way.
Read them! They're worth your time.

I'd also recommend Kimi wa Pet by OGAWA Yayoi. It fits your demand, but to a lesser extent. A major theme is the protagonist's struggle to bring together her modern work ethics as a career woman and her traditional view of an ideal husband (tall, older, educated and providing). The execution is dramatic, yet realistic in regard to its characters, and I found its conclusion to be quite satisfying.


Last edited by Tripitaka at 9:55 am, Jul 21 2013

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He can't understand that they end in him, but they don't end with him."
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To be savoured:
- Blood Alone by TAKANO Masayuki
- Otoyomegatari by MORI Kaoru
- Gangsta. by Kohske
- Seishun Kouryakuhon by AKIZUKI Sorata

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