kaichou wa maid sama

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Nulla in mundo pax sincera
"Always go too far, because that's where you'll find the truth." - Albert Camus

Oh! I almost forgot Seirei no Moribito! The heroine is SO awesome. You should try the manga and the anime.

I second Basara. Some ppl don't actually find Sarasa all that cool (and I don't know why!) but give the series a try. You'll find she's one of the most coolest, capable and level-headed heroines out there

Hiiro no Isu (The Scarlet Chair)

If you want a capable heroine, that's Setsu in spades. Although most of the other characters in the series are/were soldiers and Setsu is a largely self-taught sword fighter, she holds her own against them and is the clear hero of the story since she always protects her friends. Setsu is always in the center of the action and very rarely needs protecting--you don't find many heroines like her, unfortunately. The mangaka is a really good writer and has done other good series like Natsume Yuujinchou, so you're unlikely to be disappointed.

Hataraki Man fits your criteria perfectly. :]

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♪MONSTARR~ will eat all your cookies and steal your bishies~♪ Φ_Φ

hmm what about penguin revolution's Fujimaru? she's smart, good at aikido and pretends to be a man to protect her client. And she's pretty tough. The story is cute too.

i second tokyo crazy paradise and kaichou wa maidsama. Grand sun is also similar to tokyo crazy paradise.

maybe [m]akagami no shirayuki[/m] as well? he saves her sometimes, but she does the same thing as well, and she's good at what she does.

and maybe [m]midnight seretary[/m]? she's smart, an amazing secretary and she cracks the shield of her proud vampire boss. And then when she falls for him, she continues to struggle to maintain her dignity...although she does kind of lose it at times.

oh, the main character in ruby doll is pretty tough as well- she's the illegimate grand daughter of this super rich old man who holds a competition between his grandson's to see who is worthy of being the next heir. And so she is trained by her father to be smart, calculating and basically perfect and then enters into the competition disguised as a boy in order to get the money for her struggling family.

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"Fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic." George Bernard Shaw

Although she isn't technically in a superior position to her man (unless you count the fact that he's totally under her thumb without him realizing it), the older sister in Seigi no Mikata fits the "capable woman" description perfectly.

I also suggest Beauty Pop.

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Avatar by tassyn.livejournal.com

Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie

For most that i've found in my lists, i havent found any women with "superior" positions, but mostly equal or close to it =/

Kaichou wa Maid-sama!: The girl isnt exactly in a superior position, but she is still very capable, and so far hasnt been shown to be "weak" and has dealt with problems properly

Dengeki Daisy: Only has a couple volumes out so far, but right now its got potential to have a very capable heroine

Red River: Its a smut, but not shoujo-school-smut. Very capable girl, more of an equal to the guy, but a very good read.

I second Tokyo Crazy Paradise, it was one of my favourites, and one of the reasons was because she wasnt the typical shoujo mess that you usually get

Sorry that none of the ones listed are exactly what you're looking for, but i tried my best from what i've read ^^;

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From the manga: Good Luck, Demon King!

Some of these might suit your taste which is pretty much what i read anyway so check em out

- Crying Freeman - The heroine would rather die than be captured and used againts her loved ones. How bout that for tough, in fact all the female leads are strong as hell, in their own way.

- Immortal Regis - Tough chick with a little sprinkle of goth.

- Claymore - Although the part that indicates romance was very limited, it doesn't change the fact that she is way too capable.

- Psyren - The heroine weren't only strong, she's a bit psycho as well.

And i since you like Aflame Inferno, why don't you check out some of the work by the same manga author like Freezing, Onihime VS and maybe Black God.

P.S.Most of the manga i mentioned weren't 100% focused on romance though

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****You like the things that i HATE, and i HATE the things that you like****

Crimson Hero almost fits, although, I wouldn't say she is in a 'superior position'. She is more like an equal.

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saver
don't judge the manga until you've read a few chapters. It's really good. The lead character is stronger than most of the male character

Second ES and Claymore.
I don't second Hot Blooded woman or Tokyo Crazy Paradise. The woman are strong, physically, but otherwise terribly dense and not in a position of power.

Gokusen type
Running Through the City In the Sunset and Seduction More Beautiful Than Love

Action type
Bloody Cross and Raiders

Stone Cold -- The heroine is a tough-as-nails lawyer, and an innocent, rookie detective is in love with her.

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Avatar by tassyn.livejournal.com

Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie

I've noticed that a lot of the manga geared for guys (such as Rosario Vampire) stars weak guys and strong girls, and a lot of shojo geared for girls stars weak girls and strong guys... it's kind of weird.

Anyway, Alice, the female lead in Pandora Hearts is very dominant, and there is romance between Alice and Oz, although the romance is second to the mystery/horror aspect of it.

Pandora Hearts