Shoujo Anime, while aptly named due to its demographic being mainly young girls, is a genre that can be enjoyed by anyone. Whether it’s your first time delving into the world of romance, magic, and mystery, or you’re a veteran looking for new recommendations, below is a list certain to fulfill your craving for rose-colored crushes and sweet cliches.
15. Sailor Moon
Any shoujo list would be remiss to leave Sailor Moon off the ranking. This classic anime from the 90’s is a must watch for anyone who loves the shoujo genre. The anime follows Usagi Tsukino, a middle-school student who befriends a black cat one day, and gains the ability to transform into Sailor Moon, a guardian destined to save earth from the forces of evil. Usagi slowly collects a crew of magical girls who work together to protect the planet.
As not only a quintessential shoujo, but also a hallmark of the “magical girl” genre, Sailor Moon is fun and lighthearted with enough plot and conflict to keep the watchers wanting more. Sailor Moon has withstood the test of time, with even casual anime watchers still familiar with the show thirty years later.
14. Ouran High School Host Club
Meet a whole crew of wacky characters in Ouran High School Host Club (OHSHC). Haruhi Fujioka is Ouran High School’s newest student, and she’s in for a real treat. Amidst a student body filled with the richest of the rich, Haruhi is a scholarship student simply trying to make her way through high school unscathed. A series of unfortunate circumstances lead her to the school’s Host Club, where she accidentally breaks a vase. Generously, the host club allows her to join the host club and work off her debt. The twist? Everyone thinks she’s a boy.
OHSHC is a wacky reverse-harem romance for the ages. The characters are flamboyant and well-fleshed out, allowing them to be a wonderful foil to Haruhi’s own no-nonsense personality. The episodes pass quickly as the audience gets drawn into the many ridiculous escapades of the host club’s cast, and becomes invested in the brewing romances within the club.
13. Card Captor Sakura
Sakura Kinomoto is an ordinary elementary school student - until she isn’t. One day, Sakura accidentally releases a series of magical cards into the world, unleashing her own magical prowess in the process. Along with Cerberus, the guardian of the cards, Sakura must find and re-capture the cards before catastrophe befalls the world.
Throughout the show, Sakura meets a crew of characters, some friend and some foe, that liven up the episodes and keep the audience wanting more. Due to the young ages of the main characters, Card Captor Sakura was created for a younger audience, but is still incredibly enjoyable for those of us in adulthood who long for something more lighthearted and simple. While every episode tends to follow the same basic format, it is easy to get immersed in the story line and enjoy the fun-filled adventures of Sakura and her friends.
12. Lovely Complex (Love Com)
Learn about accepting your complexes in this coming of age romance.
Lovely Complex is a sweet and funny romance between a tall girl, and a short guy. Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otaniare often compared to a popular comedic duo, and play the part for their classmates. However, when Risa starts crushing on a new student, she and Atsushi become closer in their pursuit of their respective crushes. The episodes follow Risa and Atsushi as they bond over their love lives, and slowly find love blossoming.
Lovely Complex (or Love Com for short) is a sweet, cute, light-hearted romance drama with a dash of comedy. Taking place in high school, it touches on the insecurities of high school students who don’t fit the mold and how they come to terms with themselves throughout the show.
11. Akagami no Shirayukihime (Snow White With The Red Hair)
In a fictional kingdom lives Shirayuki, an herbalist with distinctive red hair. When the prince of the kingdom demands she become his concubine, Shirayuki flees to the neighboring kingdom of Clarines, where she encounters the Prince of Clarines and his two aides. After saving the prince from a poisoned apple, Shirayuki heads to the royal court to start a new life as a court physician, and maybe find love along the way.
Snow White with the Red Hair is a cute, fun, fairy-tale type romance. Shirayuki is a headstrong and independent main character, while the prince and his aides serve as a gentle love interest and comedic relief. The audience becomes invested in Shirayuki’s success in the court as she follows her dreams and learns to listen to her heart.
10. Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn)
A bratty princess and her guard - what could possibly go wrong?
Yona is the headstrong but spoiled princess of the kingdom of Kouka. She lives in bliss, only concerned about taming her red hair and furthering her love life, until one day she discovers the man she loves murdering her father, the king, in his chambers. Yona has to flee with her bodyguard, Hak, for her safety, and quickly has to adjust to life outside of the castle. Along the way they learn of a prophecy foretelling of the return of the four Dragon Gods to serve the Dragon King and restore order to the world.
Yona is a very likable main character, as her obliviousness paired with her willingness to do the right thing and adapt to her new situations endear her to the audience. As she collects the dragon warriors along her journeys, it is easy to become immersed in their journey and root for a happy resolution to the conflicts between the kingdoms, and hope for Yona’s redemption.
9. Your Lie In April
It’s been two years since child prodigy Kosei Arima has touched a piano. Ever since his mother’s death and subsequent mental breakdown, he’s been unable to hear the sound of the piano at all, and views the world in monochrome. One day, he meets Kaori Miyazono, a wild violin player, who inspires him to begin playing again. Kaori teaches him that playing doesn’t need to be perfect, and encourages Kosei to enter competition once more.
Short and sweet, Your Lie In April is a heart-warming story about two prodigies who love music and find their way to each other through their passion. Be warned - the tissues will be needed for this one. Although short, it is easy to become attached to the characters and become invested in their success. While the ending is bittersweet, it has the effect of catharsis on the watcher, heart-wrenching in the best way.
8. Kimi ni Todoke (From Me To You)
15 year old Sawako Kuronuma has always been misunderstood and bullied due to her appearance - her classmates going so far as to nickname her Sadako due to her resemblance to the character from The Ring. Amidst the rumors, Sawako has all but given up hope of making friends, and lives her life in a lonely cycle by herself. One day, Kazehaya, a popular boy, breaks through this cycle by talking to Sawako, and quickly becomes a ray of sunshine in her life.
Sawako is a sweet main character who endears the audience and makes you want to root for her. Kazehaya is almost equally as sweet, and the interactions between the two are as wholesome and awkward as a teen romance should be.
7. Angel Beats
Angel Beats follows Otonashi and his journey in the afterlife, where he has no memory of his death or how he ended up there. Along with other students at the afterlife high school, Otonashi joins the Afterlife Battlefront, an organization dedicated to fighting the school counsel president - a mysterious figure nicknamed “Angel”. As the students do their best to fight against being sent to the next “level”, Otonashi begins to unravel the mystery of where they are and learns how to move on.
Angel Beats is an incredibly well thought out and intriguing anime. The premise is unique and the episodes are cut with enough filler and humor to balance the dark topic at hand. With a brilliant twist at the end, Angel Beats is another that is sure to have you reaching for the tissues.
6. Skip Beat
Kyoko Mogami has just discovered that her childhood friend and romantic interest has been lying to and using her as a maid and money source while he tries to become a top idol in Japan. Enraged, Kyoko vows to beat him in show business and starts a journey to becoming one of the top actresses in Japan.
Kyoko is a very bright and heartwarming character that draws others to her. As she collects a crew of friends and family, so does she capture the audience’s heart. Kyoko goes through a series of hilarious and wacky adventures to break into show business, and maybe find love along the way. With her up-beat attitude, you’re sure to be cheering along with Kyoko as she strides towards her dreams.
5. Nastume’s Book of Friends
Takashi Natsume is a teenage boy with the unique ability to see and combat yokai, supernatural spirits. One day Takashi finds a book that belonged to his grandmother, holding the names of all the yokai she captured and bound to her will. Takashi makes a vow to release every yokai from the book, and sets about a quest to fulfill his goals.
Natsume is a sweet, kind main character. As an orphan with a strange ability, he goes though life mostly alone. His quest to release all the yokai has the unforeseen consequence of helping Natsume gain friends and learn to accept help from those around him. The show is heart-warming, wholesome, and altogether a feel good anime.
4. Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket follows ordinary orphan girl Honda Tohru who becomes entangled in the secrets of the Sohma family after meeting Yuki, Kyo and Shigure Sohma. The Sohma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and transform into their animal form when they are weakened, stressed, or embraced by a member of the opposite gender.
Throughout the show, Tohru and the Sohma family help each other heal from their respective pasts and learn how to accept help to move forward. The cast is cute, with plenty of humorous interludes and plot twists to keep the audience intrigued and waiting for the next episode.
3. Kaichou wa Maid-Sama! (The Class President is a Maid!)
Class president Mizaki Ayuzawa works hard to make Seika High School friendly for its new-founded female population. Previously an all male academy, the students are rowdy and unruly, requiring a firm hand to keep them in line. Outside of school, Mizaki works at a maid cafe - something she must keep secret lest she lose the respect of the male population at the school. In the midst of her busy school life, teen heartthrob Takumi Usui learns of her secret, but decides to keep it hidden in favor of becoming a regular at the maid cafe.
Maid Sama! is a cute, light-hearted shoujo romance for the ages. This is a classic story trope involving the strong willed heroine and the swoon worthy “prince” who woos her. Even knowing this, Maid Sama! does a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters to give them interesting backgrounds and keep the audience interested in their conflicts and romance.
2. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-kun)
Umetarou Nozaki has a secret - he’s a renowned shoujo manga artist writing under a pen name. When his classmate Chiyo Sakura attempts to confess to him, he mistakes her nervousness for her being a fan, and gives her an autograph and invites her to assist him with creating his next manga.
Throughout the story more people get involved in Nozaki’s career as he remains blissfully ignorant of Chiyo’s feelings for him. This is truly one of the funniest anime I’ve ever watched. The characters play off of each other incredibly well, and something new is always being introduced to keep the material fresh and exciting.
1. Hori-San to Morimiya-kun (Horimiya)
Horimiya follows two students who are not what they seem. Kyouko Hori is popular - always dressed nicely, put together, sociable and friendly. In contrast, Izumi Miyamura is dark and gloomy, with long hair and glasses. However, outside of school they could not be more different. Hori spends her time looking after her younger brother and is a true homebody who enjoys wearing sweats and lazing around. Miyamura’s long hair hides his piercings, and strategic long shirts hide tattoo sleeves from the world. As the two learn of each others’ secret identities, they become more and more entwined into each other's lives and hearts.
Horimiya is a cute and unique anime. The characters are a deviation from the standard shoujo format, and are well-rounded and interesting to watch. Their relationship does develop quite quickly, with less focus on the pairing getting together, and more on how the two navigate their relationship and challenges they have while they are together. Horimiya is a wholesome, fun shoujo to top off this list with, and an absolute must watch for anyone looking for a shoujo recommendation.
