i'd also prefer josei, cuzz the main character usualy has a brain ^^(atleast in the 2 josei a accualy read) i don realy read shoujo mainly cuz i'v read 3 and one was like "love your rapist" theme, one was totaly braindead. but one was accualy cinda cool, but i forgot it's name and coudn't find it again

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"Sanity is for the weak"

I definitely prefer Josei, out of the two. There is more depth, by far.


There are, of course, exceptions. I like Peach Girl more than, say, Spicy Pink (I think that's josei).

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I love shoujo and have read (and still read) tons of it, but now I've gotten to a point where I really enjoy reading josei. I guess the older I get, the more I can relate to them.

I prefer josei because the plot is usually more well-developed and has more depth, but there's some pretty good shoujo out there. Usually the plots have more of a light-hearted feel to it, but it's not always the case, and there's an immense variety too.

Shoujo stories are all pretty much the same, art and story wise. You take a plain, boring girl and a attractive, popular guy, they hate each other at first, stuff happens, they fall in love and end up getting married. The End.

In Josei, however, you get a lot more variety and originality in the plot as well as daring, expressive artwork.

I definitely prefer josei manga. I used to read a lot of shoujo manga, but as I grow older I find myself able to relate more to mature stories. I have also found that josei provides a much wider variety of stories than shoujo manga, and there is an added depth to the characters. The only thing I'm disappointed about is the vast number of shoujo manga as compared to josei manga that has been, or is currently being scanlated .

I dunno what you are talking about dude, Spicy Pink rocked!

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J-SiS.NET - Feed your Josei addiction.

I think pretty much everyone's in that boat just 'cause so little josei is scanlated.

I've read tons of josei (and at least 10 times as much shoujo) and prefer josei for the same reasons as everyone else, but mostly 'cause I find that josei tends to be more mellow than shoujo. I know that sounds strange, but what I mean is that a decent josei title will have the same insecurity, drama, love, etc. of a typical shoujo counterpart, but toned down a notch or two and played less severely. There's not as much "do or die", which makes the characters less frustrating. (actually, good shoujo can pull this off too-but only two shoujo titles come to mind, and a lot more josei ones). Plus, it's nice to read about characters my age/older once in a while, 'specially for anything smutty.

Josei, definitely.... less cheese.

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~Point & Squirt~

Does that mean I can't like both because I like one better?

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Listen here
Livin just to keep from dyin

Wow I didn't expect so many people to like josei

I read way more shoujo than josei but I feel that my interest is changing. :/ Like i used to adore INVU and I waited so patiently for volume 4 But when I got it, i found out that I was not the same girl I was at 14, the story didn't hold the same interest for me. I thought their problems were silly :/ Not that I dislike INVU and i will buy the next volume but I don't have the same anticipation I did.

I guess it's that I can relate more to an office worker than a freshman in hs now XD;;


Also, does anyone find themselves drawn to innocent shoujo? Not the ones really aimed at middle schoolers per say (that can be childish) but stories like Akagami no Shirayukihime and Shiranai Kuni no Monogatari <-- I might sound confusing I am sleepy ~-~


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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ~ Thoreau


whatphotoshopmypicswhatliesdoyouspeakof?! >D

I prefer and just injoy Josei more, but of course I actually read shoujo more because their just isnt anywhenre neir as much josei out there as there is shoujo to read in english, sadly. I wish that Josei would be translated more (I would defently like to see alot more being licnesed).

I don't think it's innocence, more that the stories have substance to them. I adore Akagami no Shirayukihime 'cause well it's got a brain and is really very much about the characters growth and development and relationship growing and romance is very much just a consequence of the above rather than the driving force of the manga. Lovely Complex, Koukou Debut, Ouran (all the good manga) work for the same reason: the characterization drives the plot rather than the other way around. A concrete example is that sex happens because the char's have reached that stage of their relationship, not the reverse of the chars relationship getting stronger 'cause they've slept together (lots of shoujo manga go with the latter as a cop out 'cause it's easier and faster than the former). Manga of this sort tend to be less smutty (or have few to no sex scenes) precisely 'cause that's just not where the focus is.

Actually, that very character driven story is exactly what sets the typical josei manga apart from its shoujo counterpart (and precisely why josei plots tend to be more internally focused rather than shoujo's where the entire school is involved) and it's just a measure of quality. I stress characterization 'cause I think it's kind of the crucial element in shoujo/josei manga 'cause the genre is so relationship oriented that being plot driven is just gonna make the relationships read false.

I was being facetious; of course you can.

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I preffer josei as a whole.
But not so many out there...

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