Ok, so basically just name every female lead that comes to your mind. It can from every genre, she can be the main character or just the female lead, she can be protagonist or the antagonist, the manga can be told from her POV or not. The any restriction is that she has to be intelligent/smart/calculating/manipulative/anything along those lines. Other than being intellingent, she can be kind, cold, selfish, narcissistic, whatever, I don't care. She just has to be smart. The smarter, the better.
Oh, and please mention both the character and the manga she's from. Thank you.

[img]http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4466/princesswallpaper2560x1.jpg[/img]

"In a world where most people would be crazy, then it would be normal to be crazy and crazy to be normal... but then again, if you were normal, then you would be crazy... isn't it crazy what a paradox a little craziness can create?"

from koi dano ai dano, kanako chan 🙂

man, that kind of saddens me. only one i can think of off the top of my head out of all the manags i've read

9 Banme no Musashi
Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang (ignore the name = =;; no one bothered to translate it yet, but fits perfectly)
Arachnid
Red River
Higaeri Quest
Ichi (forgot... maybe)
Koi Dano Ai Dano
Rasetsu no Hana (kinda)
Until Death Do Us Part
Skip Beat! (kinda... she can be pretty dumb)
Teppu (more physical than mental?)
Kaze yo, Banri wo Kake yo
Shissou Holiday
Warau Kanoko-sama
xxxHoLic

Bloody Monday (some of them)
Vampire Juujikai (some of them)

花嫁 which isn't on MU yet, someone add it?

Perhaps Kimi wa Petto (I only watched drama)

There's more... just someone in the back of my mind refusing to surface ><

Saver <333

Spice and Wolf Main female lead (Holo is so wise and cute she makes you wish that wolfgirls like her really existed haha)
Billionaire Girl Main female lead

Kurozuka Main female lead

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) - "Man is more ape than many of the apes."

Jean-Paul Sartre - "You are--your life, and nothing else."

Henrik Ibsen - "The majority is always wrong; the minority is rarely right."

Girls of the Wild's - the webtoon mainly focused on fighting, but I'm pretty sure the female lead is smart. At least I'm sure Queen is.
7 Seeds - Hana
Bakemonogatari (Novel) series - Hitagi Senjogahara, Tsubasa Hanekawa
Knight Run - the main character
Sword Art Online (Novel) - Asuna
Annarasumanara - main lead, forgot her name
Dengeki Daisy - Teru

jormungand koko!

Suppli Fuji - She is like the modern day ass kicking chick. She isn't perfect but she's smart, ambitious, and courageous.

[img]https://www.yourgimmick.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/banner1.jpg[/img]

Really lalalarry? No smart female leads? What have you been reading, there's plenty! Also try the "smart female leads" tag.

Basara Strategic, high emotional intelligence. Born leader.

Ghost Sweeper Mikami Manipulative, "business"woman, always has the upperhand.

Tenma no Ketsuzoku Can think and act for herself, even in an age where women should be submissive/obedient.

Kisshou Tennyo Just try this one. Perhaps the most unique and strangely charismatic female lead I've read about. Very intelligent, knows how to play with minds. Dark, creepy ambiance.

Gokusen Street smarts 😎

Eternal Sabbath Very smart. Has gone through high levels of schooling. Problem solving skills.

Cheese in the Trap School smart.

Special A School smart.

Akujo Seisho Also dark, creepy ambiance. Manipulative.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro Later volumes. Main female lead really grows up. Smart about understanding people below the surface.

And many more! All these series I HIGHLY recommend, btw! Well maybe all except Special A. I believe I read that when I was like, 12.

Most of these are only 'intelligent' though. Generally not a push-over but don't seem to be the 'calculating' type you're looking for.

Ouran High School Host Club: Haruhi; only smart though, not the cold, calculating type.
Warau Kanoko sama, Koi Dano Ai Dano: Kanoko; smart, calculating mischievous type.
xxxHolic: Yuuko; um, she's smart but I dunno if that's the kind you want. Witch, more mysterious.
Mirai Nikki: Yuno; she's smart I suppose, a pervert, maniac, murder and psycho.
Kimi wa Pet: Sumire; working female woman.
Soul Eater: Gorgon Sisters, Maka (?); the witches are generally quite cool : )
Skip Beat: Kyoko; maybe.
Saiunkoku Monogatari: Shuurei; became a government official among a society full of men.
Jormungand: Koko; probably the only one that actually fit your taste accurately. Firearms seller, smart, calculating, mischievous and also a bit comedic.

yeah, unfortunately so. i've read a few, most of them disappointing though. i gave up searching for a while. now i lurk in the forums.....

i'm picky with what i read i supose!

but i have to disagree with the special A one, she was annoying and quite thick.

Lalalarry- yeah, like I said, I read Special A a long time ago and I listed it as "school smart."

Try the other series I suggested! You'll be surprised! I am really picky with my series too, having gone through thousands. These series are good though.

bump~

[img]http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4466/princesswallpaper2560x1.jpg[/img]

"In a world where most people would be crazy, then it would be normal to be crazy and crazy to be normal... but then again, if you were normal, then you would be crazy... isn't it crazy what a paradox a little craziness can create?"

thank you for all the recommendations!
anyone know anything else?

[img]http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4466/princesswallpaper2560x1.jpg[/img]

"In a world where most people would be crazy, then it would be normal to be crazy and crazy to be normal... but then again, if you were normal, then you would be crazy... isn't it crazy what a paradox a little craziness can create?"

Sayoko from Kisshou Tennyo
Sachi from Umimachi Diary
Miriam from Miriam
Nausicaa from Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
several characters from Taiyou no Ijiwaru
several characters in Oooku
Anne from Akage no Anne (anime is better)

[img]http://oi50.tinypic.com/1p7xj6.jpg[/img]