Hello all, I'm looking for a couple different types of shoujo manga because I'm looking to get back into shoujo again. I haven't been able to find a good manga mostly because there are just so many out there so I thought I'd give a shot at putting this up. I'm going to come across as super picky or something, but hey... haha. As a heads up, I probably have read most of the somewhat popular to ultra popular series that first started before 2009.

As a heads up, some shoujo authors I like are Usami Maki and Tanemura Arina. But it's because their art styles are very nice and match with their stories, so I'm not trying to find some manga that's just like what they write. Just off the top of my head, popular mangas I didn't like are Vampire Knight, Fruits Basket, and Special A. Popular mangas I did like are Power, Skip Beat (well, up until a certain amount of chapters), and Kimi ni Todoke.

I'd really like a shoujo manga with a normal girl in it. By normal I don't mean she's boring or plain or anything like that --just no heroines that cry over nothing, get Fs all the time on tests (or basically have no redeeming features about them except being innocent and cute), and starts the manga out with no friends (it's okay if it's a special instance like Kimi ni Todoke, or some other thing like that, of course). I especially hate heroines that start with a "tough" image and then end up breaking down sobbing in the second chapter. Please, no faux-strong characters.

I'd also like to find a story with some plot that has a goal to it that is preferably not "finding a boyfriend." Plots that I dislike are smart and talented girls that are only second to the main character male and poor/untalented/innocent/foreveralone girl falling in love with a hot/smart/rich/rude male (it's fine if he's one or two of the four, but all of them at the same time is just...).

tl;dr? Just any shoujo manga with nice art, normal/strong main character, and a sturdy plot, please!

Thanks to all who read this long post!

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Akaku Saku Koe - All of Midorikawa Yuki's heroines are "normal," realistic, and well-developed. She has a unique art style. If you cannot read series without excellent art, you may want to pass over this one: like her stories, her drawings are straightforward (but often heartrendingly beautiful in unexpected ways). I'd also recommend all of her oneshots, The Scarlet Chair, and Natsume Yuujinchou, but the main character in Natsume—despite the fact that this story is shoujo—is male. Her stories are extremely interesting and multi-faceted. I'd absolutely recommend them.

It's mainstream and I don't necessarily really like it, but you might enjoy Dengeki Daisy. The female lead is a durable and interesting lady. I hesitate to say Strobe Edge, but despite having many of the cliche "shoujo heroine" qualities, Ninako still stands out as rather interesting and fresh.

Hana no Namae - The lead was taken in by a mentally-unstable writer and helps him with various things. It's an excellent and touching story, and the lead is unique and realistic.

Anything by Hidaka Banri. Her heroines are never the "I need a boyfriend!" type, and her stories are interesting, engaging, and intelligent.

Also, Kingyo Sou. The main character falls in love with a deaf drummer. Seriously. Cutest thing I HAVE EVER READ.

Issho ni Neyou yo. Unique characters all around, though I can't say they're quite normal. They're all... actually... very quirky. The main character is the most normal, but...

Tsukuba Sakura's works are also usually pretty good.

Hope some of these are of use to you.



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I've read Akaku Saku Koe and Kingyou Sou before and I've definitely liked them; I've also read Dengeki Daisy but it got a little dull. And yep, I've tried Strobe Edge but after pushing through the first few chapters Ninako was really getting on my nerves.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely check out the rest of them, they seem to be pretty good

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Well,
Beauty Pop has a cool, normal, not-interested-in-boys heroine, who even borders on the lazy side.
Eensy Weensy Monster is interesting. Granted I found that it slowed down in the second volume, but there's no stupid blushing, and all romance is very normal in my opinion.
Beast Master though you may have lost interest in how long Dengeki Daisy was, the heroines are always great and I would recommend some of her other works.

Do these work?

Moved to I'm Looking For.

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