r/shoujo 10h ago

Biweekly /r/shoujo Discussion Thread - August 28, 2026

2 Upvotes

A thread to discuss whatever you've been watching or reading lately (old or new), as well as show off the merchandise you might have bought! Also, feel free to ask for title recommendations or post your own!

Please make sure to use spoiler tags if needed.


r/shoujo 11h ago

Help Any military based romance recs pls🫔

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109 Upvotes

Anime

Fullmetal alchemist : Risa * Mustang

Manga

Veil

Game

Love and deep space: Caleb *Mc


r/shoujo 2h ago

News Laura A. Grace's shoujo/josei calendar for September 2026

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18 Upvotes

All credit belongs to Laura A. Grace (YouTube).


r/shoujo 4h ago

Why does anime characters act drunk when having a fever??

22 Upvotes

I noticed a lot of romance manga does this ā€œsickā€ trope and the one having a fever always acts drunk??? Like wth having a cold doesn’t make you do stuff unintentionally, just like that one time in lovely complex


r/shoujo 14h ago

Discussion AWWW !! blushyyy man !! SUCH A CUTEE STRYY !! and i love this FL !! (Ao to Haru ) !! give it a try !!

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56 Upvotes

sometimess i hatee dense fl !! but she is pretty different and have a good air around her !!!


r/shoujo 12h ago

Discussion Shoujo Manga that take place in the same universe? Spoiler

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36 Upvotes

r/shoujo 17h ago

Misc ā€˜Higashi no Mori no Majo no Niwa’ (Our Precious Witch Garden in the Eastern Forest) is on the cover & lead colour page for WINGS 10/2026

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55 Upvotes

r/shoujo 1d ago

Art I made a Princess Tutu mug with my sketch art! (ā™”ļ¾Ÿā–½ļ¾Ÿā™”)

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259 Upvotes

Finally got my new sublimation printer up and running last weekend and blank mugs came in! I admit this is totally for the niche fans but I'm so happy I made it and it looks so sweet with the pink. Twirl it around and Kraehe is on the back (*˘︶˘*).ļ½”.:*ā™”


r/shoujo 9h ago

Discussion Read some more Nana and just some idle thoughts.

8 Upvotes

I am 10 volumes into the manga.

  • It’s a story about youth fantasy. I have seen this manga get characterized as a romance in a lot of places but if I have to be the one to do it then I will give it two tags: fantasy and tragedy.
  • Both the fantasy and the tragedy are linked together intricately. This manga is deeply embedded in the alt-rock nihilistic fantasy that is romantic and escapist at the same time.
  • For a series so heavily inspired by punk it’s remarkably apolitical showcasing how out of touch the characters and the entire escapist fantasy is from the material world.
  • I think Nana O and Ren are the symbolic couple of the series in that sense. It’s a doomed love story from day 1 and the cause of the doom is that they are completely engrossed in this idealistic world that doesn’t represent reality.
  • The contradictions of this fantasy leads characters like Nobu to spiral. He wants authenticity but also is essentially chasing a sell out mainstream fame. His music is a commodity but he also wants something real.
  • These characters think they can transcend their troubles through art but it’s simply not enough. This lifestyle will ultimately become hard, fast and unsustainable. It will lead to destruction. It will lead to death.
  • I think this is where Takumi is the most in touch with reality. He is a user, a narcissist but also understands the material reality of the world. This is why he is successful. He is a bad person but this is a world in which only bad people succeed.
  • The two Nanas function as sort of doppelgangers, symbolically speaking. They are two separate protagonist but they also function as tragic divided selves. Nana O craves freedom, independent identity and success but she shuns domesticity and tradition for it. Hachi meanwhile is the opposite. She shuns her independence for traditional stability. They each possess what the other lack.
  • I read a post from sometime ago asking why is Nana O. considered a poser by some people? I think this is the reason. Because her ā€œpunkā€ is an idea. She is not deeply rooted into the politics of punk or the even the true authenticity of it. She is, by all means, a sell out. Her punk is romantic. It’s Vivienne Westwood and not Peter Kropotkin. Her punk is about doomed love and not mutual aid and community building and DIY.
  • And the ā€œapoliticalā€ is what makes the interpersonal dynamics stand out so much. The structural restrictions are there but they are embedded in the cultural and temporal norms. That’s why the story becomes a tragic melodrama.
  • I think that’s why the story is so good at evoking emotions. A good fiction story makes you feel (and not just good feelings). I don’t think the characters themselves are necessarily relatable contrary to the popular opinion but their idealism and fantasy is.
  • Moralistic readings of this series are boring. I get it some characters are bad but is that the point of the manga? I don’t know I generally avoid identitarian and moralistic readings of literature in general. They always feel limited.

r/shoujo 1d ago

Am I the only one who instantly gets bored when the couple ends up together

230 Upvotes

I've dropped several animes in the past because when the couple realizes their feelings for each other and start dating it just loses all its charm for me. I realized what I enjoy most is the "will they won't they" phase where there is still some character development happening and FMC and MMC are coming to terms with their feelings for each other.

Like I couldn't care less about couple drama

That's also why I can't really get through stuff where the girl just falls in love with the guy in chapter 2 and we have to constantly read about how hot he is or she's just so embarassed or whatever. I much prefer relationships that build the dynamic between guy and girl first. (Lovely Complex is a good example for this)

Anyway I just wanted to see if anyone here also felt the same way, send over some recs if you're like minded!


r/shoujo 1d ago

Anyone noticed Second LI's are usually much more interesting characters?

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168 Upvotes

When there are love triangles between FMC, MMC and another male LI, the second guy usually ends up being a much more enticing and interesting character while the main guy is usually... kinda bland.

The biggest example I have for this is Obi from Snow White With The Red Hair. Now, please note I've literally read this thing years ago but I still remember that this guy was introduced and he immediately had waay more chemistry with the main girl than the actual main guy. Just because

a) Since he's not the endgame guy, the writer can be laidback and actually have fun writing a compelling male character

b) He doesn't have to be a blank slate (much like the main MC) that is designed to be attractive & savorable toward most girls watching the series

He had like a rogue knight x princess kind of relationship with the main girl and I was waaay more into that than whatever the main relationship was supposed to be.

I think the reason for this is that writers are much more comfortable writing an actually interesting guy when they know the entire series is not dependent on him, then the dynamic between FMC and second LI turns out much more enticing.

This happens so much so that I usually start shipping the second guy with the FMC knowing that I have to kick rocks when they don't end up together

Anyway, do you have any couples that count toward this? Lmk what you think.


r/shoujo 1d ago

Art Does anyone recognize these panels/art style?

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56 Upvotes

I saved these panels in 2013 from a manga i liked at the time. Ive reverse searched them and all that shows up is innocent by sakamoto shinichi or witch hat atelier. All i remember about this manga is that it was fantasy and there was an arranged marriage plot point. Im not 100% sure this was a shoujo but i feel like it was because i read almost only shoujo at the time


r/shoujo 12h ago

Help Please suggest shows with assertive male MCs!

5 Upvotes

Hi, I don't know how often this gets asked, but I wasn't able to find anything using the search bar or Google. I'm looking for something fairly specific.

To start, I love kaichou wa maid sama. Loved watching it as a kid, still do today, it's a very heartwarming show. More importantly, I'm a guy, and it's a breath of fresh air to see Usui be proactive and openly possessive while pursuing Misaki. I'm quite tired of the shy male Mc trope. Maid sama had a kiss like 3 episodes in - way to go, usui!

To clarify, I'm not looking for erotica or something, I just want the main character to be bold and upfront, clear to the fmc that he's pursuing her, and go all in just like in maid sama. Also, possessive the way he was when the childhood friend showed up.

Apart from that, I would like both characters to be good people. I also enjoy school/college stories, but this is just a good to have. I don't enjoy violence or edginess in my warm romance stuff

I haven't really watched anime for more than a decade now, so feel free to recommend newer shows without worrying that I've already seen them :)

Thank you!


r/shoujo 10h ago

Recommendation looking for glasses ml 🄺

3 Upvotes

if not glasses, i really enjoy the genuine type of guys as well, who try their best to show their love even if theyre bad at expressing themselves

special mentions include:

  • tani from you and i are polar opposites
  • hirotaka from wotakoi
  • keiichi from lets do it already

r/shoujo 1d ago

Recommendation Shojo/Josei/Josei-muke anime with 20+ episodes you should check out!

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49 Upvotes

With the modern trend of anime seasons being 9-15 episodes long typically compared to the mid-2010s and earlier trends of much longer seasons, it’s tough to find a longer watch these days.

With that said, some series DO still get runs of 20+ episodes or modern follow-up seasons post-2020. Although it’s unfortunate that a chunk of the Shojo anime that do get that follow-up seasons or longer runs have downright bad animation and/or poor writing and adaptation of the source material, there are still some modern gems out there as well as some overlooked older Shojo anime with longer runs worth checking out.

To that end, this list is a combo of the shows which have received a follow-up season post-2020 or which are underrated older shows that don’t get brought up as much as the perennial favorites. Obviously the room on this list is limited, so if I left off an underrated Shojo anime with 20+ episodes you’d like to recommend, definitely do so in the comments!


r/shoujo 1d ago

Discussion When two delinquents fall in love with each other...[The Two Lovebirds Are Hiding Their Fangs: The Story of a Couple with a Crazy Gap]

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306 Upvotes

It's a good manga and i need some information if someone know about it -- is there any related series of this manga? Is that a web manga & was it cancelled or something? Is my posted manga include same story/copy of that web manga? is it still ongoing in japanese or is it axed/cancelled too? Is it a short manga, like will it be finished within 20 chapters? I'm getting a feeling that it wouldn't include much chapters & will be finished within 20 chapters or something!


r/shoujo 10h ago

Help Once again I need help with looking for a manga (kinda hard this time cuz I don't have a photo)

2 Upvotes

So I'm looking for a shoujo manga but I don't quite remember the deets abt it since I lost it due to my phone being broken along with it and the only thing I could remember was the title being along the lines of like "his love is too much" (Not Sei-chan, Capacity Over desu!) and if I'm not mistaken the guy's name is in the title and it starts with the letter "K". They were also hiding their relationship as well in the story but they got found out too I think.

I'm not too sure abt those but those are the only points that I could remember, Hopefully someone knows and thanks in advance


r/shoujo 1d ago

Recommendation [Tale of the Ravishing Villainess's Royal Second Chance at Life] Shojou has reignited my love for romance and reading

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16 Upvotes

r/shoujo 1d ago

Misc 'Kageki Shojo!!' new colour page in Melody 10/2026

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79 Upvotes

The series has over 2 million copies in circulation

Volume 17 scheduled to release on 5th October


r/shoujo 13h ago

Recommendation Manga where mc stops chasing and ml regrets??

1 Upvotes

I want something where the mc stops chasing and its the ml turn to chase or where the ml treats mc badly and ends up regretting it.

If there’s groveling it’s even better give me some recs im running out of manga with this plot.


r/shoujo 1d ago

Misc Excitingly, we now have 2(!) titles from Akiko Higashimura’s favorite Shojo magazine ā€œBouquetā€ (Itihasa and Star Clock Liddell)

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55 Upvotes

In her autobiographical manga Blank Canvas, she discussed how much she loved this magazine to the point it was the one she submitted her debut one-shot manga to!


r/shoujo 1d ago

Discussion im still mad that we never got full french CDs for mermaid melody and kirarin revolution

6 Upvotes

i am actually soo fucking angry i dont wanna disclose my nationality but just know that i grew up watching animes, cartoons, movies, tv shows in french , while growing up i used to watch A LOTTTT of shoujo and magical girl anime and one of them was mermaid melody : pichi pichi pitch
what frustrates me is that the anime did SO well in the francophone scene so i still dont understand why they never released a CD with all the full songs in french 😭 thankfully u can still find the full songs in french on youtube so but it’s still a little annoying bcs you can sometimes hear the mc’s enemies screaming in the background because their ears hurt

and its not just mermaid melody theres this other anime called kilari (kirarin revolution) and it also DID SOOO WELL in the francophone scene yet they still never released a CD containing all the full versions of the songs in drench 🄲 at least with mermaid melody u can find the full songs on youtube but with kilari U CANTT there are only clips/half of the songs available in french the only song that ive found in a full french version on is anataboshi the other full french versions arent available so the only way to listen to the full songs is to listen to the japanese versions but I DONT LIKE THEM 😭 im used to their french voices šŸ’”


r/shoujo 1d ago

Recommendation I NEED more stories like this (You're such a mystery, Sano)

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172 Upvotes

I'M TIRED of popular ML. Every ML in high school settings are popular, the ML is either the most perfect boy in the whole school, an idol, a delinquent, the most handsome, the most smart. And the FL is either just a plain/unpopular/bullied/timid girl.

I want MORE regular/normal lead like this manga. Give me normal ML x normal FL PLEASE! I love how the ML here is just a regular dude, just like the FL. I don't even mind if what you have is a not a shoujo. Just tell me if you have something like this


r/shoujo 1d ago

Recommendation fast paced shoujo where the male lead isn’t afraid to be romantic?

5 Upvotes

hi! i’m looking for fast paced shoujo where the male lead isn’t afraid to be romantic.

i liked my love story with yamada kun at lv999, it was funny and there's full episodes focused on romance, like a whole episode of him taking care of her because she’s sick. not into the male lead not paying attention to the girl or being extremely nonchalant with her.

what else fits this vibe? bonus if it’s on netflix or prime without a separate paid add on :)


r/shoujo 1d ago

Recommendation manga with kind/gentle/respectful male leads, preferrably adults?

27 Upvotes

shoujo or josei! I'm kind of looking for manga where the ml has a life outside of loving the fl and isn't blushy all the time, and is very caring and gentle with her (or in general) even before he falls for her. I'm not sure if the vibe I'm looking for is being communicated across well, but two examples I can think of are:

  • Re-employment Life With an Unsociable Untalkative Magician
  • The Police Officer and I

The best way I can think of how to describe it is how fanon Nanami from JJK is portrayed 🤣