As titled I want a really GOOD shoujo/josei romance that will make your heart wrench. I know there are many other posts out there, but I want people to tell me WHY it's really good, so that I will read it (since I'm a chronic procrastinator lol). Things that I want and don't want are:
+ Pretty art (I prefer shoujo-esque)
+ No whiny protagonist
+ I prefer female protagonist
+ MUST have romance
+ I prefer if it's completed
+ I like psychological stuff
+ I also prefer if it's short
+ I like it also if the male falls in love first or that they both fall for each other for the same time (I'm sick of girls chasing guys at this case)

- Please, not too angst-like (depressing)
- Hentai, yaoi, yuri, shojo/shounen-ai
- Shounen and seinen (seinen I like, as long as it fills most of my + request)
- Harem (I don't mind reverse harems) or ecchi (I don't mind those shoujo smuts though)
- Asshole-type guys (I don't mind if they change for the better)
- Manhwas and Manhuas
- Mecha and sports manga

Btw, Thanks in advance

Last edited by theLettuceGarden04 at 10:45 pm, Aug 3 2012

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I'm in idol hell T.T

Can I recommend Kingyo sou
I don't know what age range you would prefer. In the beginning she is in secondary school but there is a bit of time progression.
It's not a long manga and I'm not sure a lot of people would say it was a masterpiece.
But I thought it was perfection. The romance is so sweet but not in an annoyingly sweet way.
There is angst I think because of the love interest's situation but the couple overcome every obstacle and it's so nice to read a manga where there isn't any annoying love triangles where one woman is a schemer.
I just loved reading it and had to buy the series myself so I can read it whenever, wherever.

And now that I've written this enormous paragraph, I sincerely hope you haven't already read it. You didn't have any public lists on your profile.

Oh, yeah, I figured it out now, my list is now public. Thanks, I'll consider this one.

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I'm in idol hell T.T

We Were There although im not too fond of the male character..
Dengeki Daisy Psychological and Heartwarming (ongoing)
Sakamichi no Apollon amazing anime&&manga

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lιvιɴɢ ιɴ α yαoι woɴderlαɴd
-QaF-

My top 4 Shoujo Manga:
- Kare Kano - One of the best shoujo manga ever.
- Red River - Girl gets pulled back in time to ancient Anatolia to be used as a sacrifice. Gets involved with the third prince of the hittite empire.
- Mars - Really great psychological romance.
- Skip Beat - Really slow romance since the girl has sworn to never fall in love again after being betrayed by her childhood friend. She then tries to get revenge through showbiz. Ongoing.

A few more awesome titles:
- Bitter Virgin - This is Seinen but it has a great romance. It's very serious and heart wrenching.
- Basara
- Cat Street
- MeruPuri - A very cute short and sweet romance.
- Tokyo Crazy Paradise - Same author as Skip Beat.
- Kimi no Sei - The guy falls in love at first sight with a girl he used to bully in elementary school.
- Nana - On hiatus but still totally worth it. About the lives of two very different girls both named Nana who meet and become best friends.
- Last Game - Ongoing with a male protagonist. Really cute, about a boy who is rich good looking intelligent and athletic. He is always number one until a plain looking poor girl shows up and beats him in academics and sports.
- Hajimari no Niina - Onging, little girl has the memories of older guy's lover who died.
- Shi ni Itaru Yamai - Another seinen, really good psychological romance. Depressing though.

Well, there's two shoujos that i would like to recomend, though neither of them are complete.
Taiyou no Ie The art is lovely, and the story is touching. I like the female lead, she is original, and has funny tastes. The male lead is a really good person and he really cares for the persons he loves, he is attentive and is somehow cute in a mature way.
Ao Haru Ride I think it would be great if there were other mangas such as this one. The female lead is totally awesome, she does what she has to do and faces the problems she has directly -> straightforward and frank. The male lead is just great. He's kind of an idiot, but not in a way that is bothersome, more like a cat or something like that. On the other side, the author did great picturing the characters in the way she wanted, and the art is beautiful too.
I hope my ode to this manga fulfills its purpose, and that you enjoy both stories.

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Ganbare Seishuu! Ganbare Seishuu!

since you've read a few of Reiko Shimizu's short works, checkout Moonchild, it's the best of her work I've read.

Ooku - it's by arguably the best shojo/josei manga artist working today. Everything about it is exquisite - the writing, storytelling, characters and their emotions.

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Hm, first off I would like to second Ao Haru Ride and Dengeki Daisy. As for the reasons, I will use this time a quote, since I just wrote them down here a few days before .... ^^"



It's taken from the thread Best romance manga ever, which will probably be helpful and my posting there includes any other Manga, that I would like to mention this time, like Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji or the completed Strobe Edge. So, maybe you want to take a look? =)

As I come to think of it, even if the following ones are still onging, they are in my eyes worth a look, too:

* Hirunaka no Ryuusei, Principal and Yume Miru Taiyou - Those Mangas are seriously cute, have got appealing artworks and combine rather unique characters with the well-known settings, so that everything ends up in a refreshing way.

* Kore wa Koi no Hanashi - The age gap may let you hesitate at first, but till now (I'm still within the first chapters...) it seems like even the awkward moments are pretty well-handled by the author and well-placed to get to know the male main character some more. At first it reminded me a bit of Shi ga Futari o Wakatsu Made, but it's more focused on the feelings.

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"It's like love is a bonus in your life. Even without it, I'm just fine. I don't feel like pointlessly searching for it. You don't have to make yourself unhappy." (Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji)

"Why does it rain?" - "To create drama." (Drops (Andou Yuki))

Thanks for the reply everyone, but I think this will do for now, you all got me convinced to read!

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I'm in idol hell T.T