Hi! So recently I've been focused only on "serious" shoujo manga. I've read Mars, Immortal Rain, From Far Away, Red River, Cat Street, Bokura ga Ita, Ao no Fuuin, and several more I can't think of right now. I was hoping someone could recommend me more series like these. I hate gag series and episodical series. Shounen and seinen are not my thing, but shoujo and josei are. Thanks in advance!

Also, tragedy is a very touchy subject for me. If it's so heartbreaking that I'll cry, I don't want it. If it's like Bokura ga Ita where all the death happens BEFORE the series starts or just barely glazed over, I'm cool with it.

Last edited by lambchopsil at 9:57 pm, Nov 6 2014

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She's in a long black coat tonight
Waiting for me in the downpour outside
Singing, "Baby, come home" in a melody of tears
While the rhythm of the rain keeps time
- Fall Out Boy, "Jet Pack Blues"

Basara and 7 Seeds, both amazing and tragic pieces by the same author. Different but beautifully written and incredibly touching

Sakamichi no Apollon is also wonderful

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wine baths?

Do not bump your topic until a week has passed. If you would like to add something, please use the edit option.

I don't quite get that serious part... anyway
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Bokura no Kiseki
Taiyou no Ie

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in need of romance?
uncommon, sad, sweet

I'm guessing what you mean by 'serious' as more heart-felt, and less goofy. If so, here are some recs.

Yajirobee
Hakuji
Orange (TAKANO Ichigo)
Bread & Butter (edit: actually rereading this, it's a little goofier then I remember, but still a solid read)
Chiisai Hitsuji wa Yume wo Miru
Cheese in the Trap
Nineteen, Twenty-One
Udon no Onna

Last edited by roguewolf at 6:30 pm, Nov 7 2014

Yes, by serious, I mean more sincere and more intense. Not that light, over-dramatic, biggest-problem-is-the-stupid-love-triangle shoujo manga. Josei is great, too, but all the fantasy ones I've found seem to be more shoujo than josei. Thanks for your recommendations so far! I'll check them out!

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She's in a long black coat tonight
Waiting for me in the downpour outside
Singing, "Baby, come home" in a melody of tears
While the rhythm of the rain keeps time
- Fall Out Boy, "Jet Pack Blues"

A random but good selection of ALL topics follows: Nana/Paradise Kiss, Piece/Sunadokei and Torikagosou no Kyou mo Nemutai Juunintachi.
Honey and Clover and Kare Kano get there.
True Love (SUGIYAMA Miwako) caught my attention last week but the ending could be a fakeout.

With fantasy elements: Boku no Chikyuu o Mamotte, X(tv anime is better), Tenshi Kinryouku, Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori(the rare sho-comi/smut thing i could tolerate).
Sakamichi no Apollon is magic but josei(arguably justified).
If you like an author then always they other things by them.

Thx roguewolf. Kind of a shame. The manga was Koi Kazeing it very bravely. Maybe editorial stepped in. All the 1/10 for nothing.


Last edited by residentgrigo at 3:41 pm, Nov 8 2014

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

If you are talking about True Love (SUGIYAMA Miwako) then...

Hmmmm...

Eden no Hana
Reimei no Arcana

I can't think of anything else right now that hasn't been mentioned...

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"The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." - from Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

shoujo:
Aishiteruze Baby - heart warming
Hajimari no Niina
Oooku - very unique and mature, more like josei

seconding Piece

josei:
Ashita no Ou-sama - personal favorit
Hapi Mari - contains smut
Haru Koi - 4 short stories compilation
Kimi wa Pet - personal favorit
Midnight Secretary - also with smut
Oishii Kankei
P.A. - episodic, art is old-fashioned
Shigeshoushi - episodic, dark ambience

Last edited by annebel at 7:27 am, Nov 9 2014

Bitter Virgin
Emma
Nana - unfinished
Deep Love - tragedy
Paradise Kiss
Princess - unfinished
100% Perfect Girl
Hana yori Dango
Zettai Kareshi
Ayashi no Ceres
Akatsuki no Yona - ongoing
Sekai no Hate
Rec - Kimi ga Naita Hi
Chang Ge Xing - not exactly romance
Saver - not exactly romance similar to Kanata Kara
Superior - don`t mind the shounen tag. Nice romance/adventure
Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan - not much of romance but plenty of drama/tragedy
Otoyomegatari - don`t mind the seinen tag
Orange Marmalade - webtoon
Joou no Hana
Hanatsukihime
Kami-sama Hajimemashita
Absolute Witch
The One
etc...

There are a couple more titles that you may like but I didn`t:
Reimei no Arcana
Cheese in the Trap
Bride of the Water God
Ciel
Hapi Mari
P.A. - so-so
Midnight Secretary
True Love
Angel Sanctuary
God Child
Rure - it`s good but the whole translation nightmare -.- Similar to Kanata Kara, Red river


From the recs so far I second:
Kimi wa Pet
Honey and Clover
Kare Kano
Please save my Earth
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Basara
7 Seeds
Very few of the titles has the comedy tag. There is relative seriousness toward them. If you can`t find what to read now you are lost cause