No, I don't but there's very little modern Japanese shoujo which I like(published in the 90s and beyond). Most of it contains concepts, storylines, etc. already covered in other genres, often with more sophistication, depth and ingenuity. Not to mention pure market-driven products engineered to the latest tastes/trends: I haven't seen or read anything of this sort that really convinced me of its brilliance.

Eien no With, Eensy-Weensy Monster, Deep Love - Ayu no Monogatari, Vitamin (SUENOBU Keiko) , I Am a Piano and Tamara however, are most of the exceptions that interested me enough.

The rest? The write-up: premise, plot, characterisation, concepts, were enough to make me not want to read it. Or I felt annoyed after having read them.

Now, classical shoujo(stuff published in 70s, 80s and even before...) is a different matter.

Korean shoujo, btw, is interesting but I find a lot of it far too experimental or even overtly complicated in that the writing, plot structure, characterisation is often a mess. And they tend to resolve things by killing/crippling characters or throwing in reasons that run counter to the plot and other elements or screwing up the story by not explaining or finishing properly.

9 faces of love, however, is very good. And maybe a few others like a couple of oneshots and series. Like Let Dai which is BL but listed as shoujo too? Or even Dokebi bride.

I actually like the genre shoujo. Sometimes i find myself reading those shoujos that can be so sweet to the point of giving cavities.

But i'd pick shounen over shoujo anyday :3

I like shoujo, the art is nice and comedy/romance are my favourite genres, but I HATE school life (seems you can't have comedy/romance/shoujo without the school life ). It's just at a point where I don't freakin' care about your school festivals or onsen trips anymore.

No I don't hate it, I just prefer not to read it because the art isn't to my taste. That's the only reason why I don't bother to read them. The plots appeal to me, but if the art is no good, then forget it

I can't say I hate them because I haven't read very many.

I don't hate it, but like StarlightDreams I dislike it more every day XD

My problem with it isn't that it's romantic- I like romance. Romance is good, and I wish I could read more of it.
My problem is that it's cutesy romance for no reason, cliched characters who don't stand out, and reused plots.

"Guy is a dick but she loves him anywa~~~~y!"
"Girl is a stuck-up loser but he loves her anywa~~~y *handsome, determined face*"

Why do these people want to be with guys/girls who are such turn-offs?

I'd like to read a manga where the guy and the girl are nice to each other, and the girl isn't constantly going "EHH~!" every other panel from something "perverted" the guy said. These girls should not be having boyfriends, because clearly they are not ready for even the slightest bit of suggestion of sexuality in their lives. Here's a tip, female shoujo characters- If you wanted to live in a sex-less world, you should have stayed 12 years old. After that, you're gonna have to come to terms with the fact that boys are different down there and sometimes they want to do things.

If that's too much for you, mangaka, then don't make a story involving sex in it at all.

But really, is it so bad for a girl to want to have sex too?

Any time I see the storyline is about the guy wanting to do it and a girl not wanting to, I drop the manga (if I even gave it a try in the first place, which is very rare).
Because it's either going to be the girl having a bunch of thoughts in her head, and them finally doing it for no good reason in a puff of flowers, OR they'll drag it out for a volume or two, as if the mangaka thinks finally seeing these two inscrutiable losers bang is going to blow my mind, so we need to go about it slowly.
No, mangaka. I've seen characters bang before. If there's going to be a lot of inner monologue and a lot of "EHH~!", I'd rather they just get it over with, pathetically, immaturely, and uncomfortably like everyone else. At least that's relatable.

And it sucks because it's not such a bad storyline- whether to give up your virginity and what it means to you. That's a legitimate plot! It could be good! But it never is. Not for me, anyway.

So in the end, I dislike shoujo as a genre, and 99% of shoujo series.
I still look, sometimes, for some hidden good ones, but they will never redeem the genre as a whole.

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I don't mind shoujo. I just find it really difficult to find something that doesn't bore me so much it turns my brains to mush.

Shoujo I've liked:

Beast Master
Otokomae! Beads Kurabu
Akagami no Shirayukihime

So, not that many.

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Lose - Opposite of win, to misplace something/someone. e.g. To lose your way, to lose a fight.
Loose - Opposite of tight. e.g. To have a loose screw, to loosen a jar lid.

^ Not just scanlators, but also company documents are getting it wrong now!

I like shoujo a lot amd even more josei thats more realistic to real life love, even if im a grown up boy i like shoujo a lot, makes me forget that i dont have a wife, gf, girl to love

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that...needed to be quoted. lmao. i couldn't agree more.

nowadays i only read shoujo for the comedy, or the bishies, or a combination of the two ;/ on RARE occasion i'll find a decent shoujo with a working plotline, like kaori yuki's stuff or whatever, but most of the time if i want a story with a good plot i'll go for josei.

if i feel like having cavities then maybe i'll read a super saccharine shoujo. it better be adorable.

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;D

Can't hate shoujo. Depends on the story, characters, and what kind of shoujo it is.

I try to avoid the ones with:

- Super moe style drawn characters. Eesh! Enough with moe!
- Harems
- Maid cafes to the extreme
- Host clubs (Ouran being an exception but I think it's just ok. Even with a female lead who acts indifferent. Most of the story felt like a giant filler of individual stories.)
- Weak girls, who really can't stand up for themselves.
- Beach scenes. =_= Is there anything else they can do in the summer besides going to a beach and it always ends up someone gets seperated!?
- Magic user schools/magician schools. (Gakuen Alice being the exception as it doesn't really deal with "magic" but "special abilities".)
- Non-innocent love. Blegh.. I would've been ok with Kare Kano if it didn't end up being "that way". So disappointed at the end.
- 100% romance.
- 100% comedy.
- Ancient version of a country. I tend to avoid most of these unless their plots do get my attention.
- 100% predictability
- Angel and demon relationships. Over done!!
- Vampires (Vampire Knight is as far as I can go... =_= Even that story is just ok to me though.)
- 100% mahou shoujo with a weak plot line and/or characters.
- Girl is forced to live with her fiance. ("Platinum Garden" being an exception.)
- Brother x sister relationships.
- Girl x teacher relationships.
- Girl x older man relationships.
- Guy "forces" girl to like him.

I can stand certain cliches such as:

- Girl gets locked in a room with a guy. Depending on the mangaka/manhwaga, he/she can usually twist that scene into something different.
- Girl receives bullying object in shoe locker or something is stolen. Can't see how a mangaka can work around that.
- Girl chooses neither guys in love triangle. (I really doon't mind this depending on the story.)
- School plays. These can be kind of amusing.. Most of the time, they're cosplaying but that does give the mangakas some time to make their characters into something crazy.
- Culture festivals.
- Relay races.
- Valentines/White Day. O___O Most of the time, the main character girl will make chocolate/bake good with all of her heart. Never get a chance to give it to her love interest until the very end (due to his popularity). I'm kind of impartial to it, because each mangaka can turn those predictable scenes into something interesting if they're creative enough.
- Girl falls down the school staircase. A mysterious guy comes from behind and catches her. She turns around to thank him but realizes he's..... This kind of scene can be both good and bad.

I can't really stand the cliche: Girl is naked and guy comes into bathroom/bedroom by accident. =___= Ugh...

So, shoujo is always going to be a part of my library. I like some josei too, but I love the good kind of shoujos. I do miss the 90s shoujos very much..... ^___^

Last edited by tgirl at 12:54 am, May 13 2009

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I think this is more of a shounen ecchi harem cliche. And then the guy is usually beaten up or called a pervert. One of the worst shounen cliches ever!

And wow! You are really a shoujo expert.

^
Hehe.. Trust me. I've seen that scene pop up in at least two shoujos. >D Had enough of it after the first one. (Although, I worry that Yuu Watase has a fascination with this kind of scene. She likes drawing naked people get spotted all the time!
)

And naaah.. I don't think so. >D I haven't read all the shoujos in the world to be that much of an expert. I just have a certain preference on what to read.

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i like a lot of shojo but i ussually hate all the generic "becoming a celebrity and finding romance along the way" ones. I adore school life shojo.

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You should have put Sometimes in the poll.
Well, that's my situation. I sometimes hate it and love it with all my heart literary. =D

I mean the idea of a girl acting all girlie and is scare and sensitive and all that comes to mind -weak- is horrible man i can't stand it. Makes me want to strangle them ....>,>

The idea of a girl acting strong, secured [sometimes dense, but that's acceptable], powerful, and not scare of anything and not making her only goal finding a guy -yes- it's completely fine with me. Like hana Kimi or such . pretty awesome girls.


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shuuu~

I don't hate Shoujo manga, I just hate a majority of it. Because a majority has weak female leads who are crybabies and clingy. Then there are those male characters who they always end up choosing, the ones with the disgustingly arrogant attitudes (aka villains). They always sexually harass/feel up the female lead, but she let's him get away with it because he's a damn "bishie". Also, I dislike smut genre of shoujo manga because it also intensify those types of characters more. Haa.......

Here are examples of the type of shoujo manga I like:
Shitsuji-sama no Okiniiri
Oresama Teacher

Good female leads, good male cast and enjoyable story.

Well I can say this: it's rare that I like shoujo.