OK so, I've read my fair share of Shoujo manga and the thing that bothers me the most is the freaking insta-love. I mean seriously, it's like...girl how can you be in love with sensei in 2 days and confess. Anyways, forgive my rant and please help me find something decent to read...

I'd really like to find something where there is a romance that slowly develops between best friends or childhood friends, i wouldn't mind if the lead was rather tomboyish but that's not super important. i don't mind if there is tragedy or if it is light-hearted but please no insta-love,

tried looking online for some recommendations but couldnt find any decent ones. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated otherwise i shall wallow in utter misery...(not really but i'll be super bored )

I'd name a few joseis as well but since you specify shoujo which already has such a terrible wrap for the insta-loves and being too idealistic...here's some gems but you may want to branch out to mangas not focused on romance to find that sweet story of love. Anyway, here is a list of shoujo with one josei

Nekota no Koto ga Ki ni Natte Shikatanai.
They, Too, Love
Cipher
Cheese in the Trap(josei though)
Bokura wa Itsumo
Bambi to Dhole
Takane to Hana
My Shining World
Love so Life
Kare Kano (not surprised if you read it)
Pink Lady Quite moving; two artists you know? I won’t divulge anymore as that’d be a spoiler
Venus Capriccio (childhood friend aspect)
V.B.Rose
Kodomo no Omocha (not surprised if you read)
The Sleepy Residents of Birdcage Manor
Lovely Everywhere it’s been awhile since I’ve read it so my memory isn’t that fresh. I don't think it's insta-love...

Not all I've listed are "childhood into adult" slow love but still qualify as not instant love; they're all slow growing in their own way.

Here are some that are kind of supernatural; gender bender; historical - slow growing
Chang ge xing
Ame Nochi Hare
Orange Chocolate this has that childhood friend element
Shinigamihime no Saikon Supernatural and great wit
Savage Garden Historical European West/Gender Bender

Last edited by mysstris at 10:54 pm, Mar 10 2016

You have something against reading the Josei demographic?
The surreal and naïve portrayal of romance is specifically a thing that
Shoujo romance thrives on. If you don't like a childish approach,
my best bet would be reading something that is aimed at people who
already know how love works and how gullible juvenile infatuation is.
Personally I don't read romance, but ones that had a relatively patient approach
to it were Kimi wa Pet and Love So Life. Only the latter one is
shoujo, the first one josei, so only the latter one doesn't have a grown woman
as a character if that's your thing to avoid.

I'm just going to list off a few of my fav shoujos that pop up when I search for slow romance or friends become lovers

Dengeki Daisy
Kodomo no Omocha - don't let the age throw you, this manga is awesome!
Fruits Basket
Love Com
Cat Street
Anti-Gravity Boy
Taiyou no Ie

and I second Love so Life, Kare Kano, and Takane no Hana

There's always Skip Beat if you want something on going and kind of frustratingly slow.

Other on going manga

Horimiya - my only gripe with this one is its starting to feel like its dragging and a little stuck
Principle
Platinum Garden - super slow on updates, but throwing it out there because I do really enjoy it. I've put it on hold until it's more active.
14-sai no Koi - is adorable but sadly seems to be inactive but another to watch for.

Definitely Cat Street and Taiyou no Ie. and yeah, Skip Beat too but it's so popular it's hard to believe someone who read shoujo hasn't sampled it

thank you so much, i'll defnitely give those a try. i didnt think about josei at all but i wanna try now. any suggestions for josei??

@Mamsmilk
no i dont have anything against, i just didnt think of that at all. i'm pretty new to reading manga though i have a read a few and ive only ever been suggested shoujo by friends and family. to be honest, i was getting a little sick of the high school insta love nonsense. so thanks for mentioning it. any that you personally like in the josei genre?


Last edited by lambchopsil at 8:14 am, Mar 11 2016

For josei, you should check out:
Nodame Cantabile
Bread & Butter

For slow shoujo romances, try:
Akatsuki no Yona
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Ookami Heika no Hanayome

ooh a manga newbie!!! I love introducing people to new things!!! So all of my lists are public if you want to browse those for suggestions. I mostly read shoujo and josei and generally focus on series that have some romance in them (I've read some good and some bad stuff so it might be hit or miss)

You should totally check out Mars (that was one of the first series I read and remains one of my favs) [m]Cardcaptor Sakara[/m], Chobits ...

High School Debut
Nodame Cantabile actually I watched the anime for this one first because it revolves around music

Some older josei
I love her and Sensei if you don't have anything against Student Teacher relationships
Oishii Kankei
Ashita no Ou-sama
Fukuyadou Honpo
Kiss

I'd vote Bread & Butter too, its been on my to read list since they started scanlating it.

ooh web comics!
Nineteen, Twenty-One
[m]Orange Marmalade[m]
[m]Untouched[/m]
American Ghost Jack
Naui Binaneun Segye

I really like Beauty Pop
Some people might say the romance is practically non-existent, but it's there, it's just not really the main focus.
I wonder if Kimi ni Todoke might count?
Honey Bitter?

Akagami no Shirayukihime is a good one

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