Although many viewers confuse it for shoujo, which is primarily aimed at young girls, josei is an anime genre aimed at older teenage girls and adult women. It often portrays realistic romance, as opposed to the sugarcoated versions of love seen in shoujo.
Because of how broad josei manga can be, there have been many series throughout the years, some more popular than others. For this list, we're going to look back at 5 anime from the 2010s that got overlooked and 5 that were way too popular.
10 OVERLOOKED: YONA OF THE DAWN (2014)
Yona of the Dawn premiered during Fall 2014. The story follows the only heir of the Kouka Kingdom, Princess Yona, after the king is murdered by her cousin Soo-Woon on her 16th birthday. After she was forced to flee to Hiryuu Castle along with Son-Haku, her best friend and bodyguard, she's told to seek out the descendants of the legendary Four Dragon Warriors to save her kingdom.
The series draws many inspirations from a mixture of Asian cultures and features a strong female protagonist who learns how to protect herself over the series. Yona of the Dawn was overlooked during its premier season and it's a shame more don't know about it.
9 WAY TOO POPULAR: MY LITTLE MONSTER (2012)
My Little Monster is about an apathetic girl, Shizuku Mizutani, who only cares about her grades and Haru Yoshida, a troublemaker who stopped attending classes after getting into a fight. After meeting, Haru suddenly proposes that he'll be her friend and even confesses to her, therefore turning up the volume on the quiet world she once knew.
Colorful and vibrant, My Little Monster attracted many romance fans and became a hit during it's airing time in Fall 2012. The characters became the product of many memes, especially Haru, and prompted fans to buy the manga to figure out how the story ended, as well as eclipsing other romances that came out during the season, such as Hiiro no Kakera and Kamisama Hajimemashita.
8 OVERLOOKED: CHOUYAKU HYAKUNINISSHU: UTAKOI. (2012)
As with My Little Monster, Utakoi began airing during the hottest season for anime, Summer 2012. This was the beginning of the wildly popular Sword Art Online, a series that hogged the spotlight during its debut. Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu is an anime aimed at a niche audience.
It tells the story of romantic poems from the Hyakunin Isshu ("One Hundred People, One Poem Each") and mainly focuses on relationships. Ariwara no Narihira's affair with imperial consort Fujiwara no Takaiko is one of many stories packed into this 13 episode series. Its roots in obscure Japanese history haven't proved popular, but its fan base is loyal.
7 WAY TOO POPULAR: SAY I LOVE YOU (2012)
Say I Love You was a textbook example of romance anime in the 2010s and the popularity surrounding them. Mai Tachibana spent her high school years alone because she was bullied as a child and she's convinced people will betray each other sooner or later.
When she encounters one of the most popular boys in school, Yamato Kurosawa, he becomes interested in her, pushes her against a wall, and steals her first kiss. Say I Love You follows the "most popular boy falls in love with a quiet girl" trope well, explaining its popularity.
6 OVERLOOKED: CODE:REALIZE ~GUARDIAN OF REBIRTH~ (2018)
Anime adapted from otome games usually garner a lot of hate from fans even before their release. Code:Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth was originally an otome visual novel released in 2014 for the PS Vita. It exploded in popularity in Japan. An anime was announced a few years after a couple of fan discs and a port to the Ps4 and Nintendo Switch.
The steampunk adventure follows Cardia Beckford, a girl whose body holds a deadly poison that rots or melts anything or anyone who touches her. When gentlemen thief Arsène Lupin steals her away one night, her entire life changes, and she shifts from an emotionless doll to a normal girl.
5 WAY TOO POPULAR: BUNNY DROP (2011)
Complicated feelings surround Bunny Drop, especially after anime watchers read the manga and discovered a drastic change in tone. When 30-year-old Daikichi Kawaki's grandfather suddenly passes away, he is left as the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate 6-year-old daughter of his grandfather by an unknown mother.
Because of this, Rin is treated as an outcast by her relative. Although he's single and has never dated anyone, Daikichi decides to raise her on his own. The series then follows the two and Rin's growth into a young woman. Most who have watched Bunny Drop decided to stop after the 11th episode, unfortunately with good reason.
4 OVERLOOKED: A SUMMER SNOW RENDEZVOUS (2012)
A Summer Snow Rendezvous' premise is tragic at first glance. Written and illustrated by Haruka Kawachi, it was serialized between July 2009 to January 2012 and received an anime adaption in Summer 2012. It tells the story of three people: Hazuki Ryuusuke, Rokka Shimao, and Atsushi Shimao.
After Hazuki falls in love with Rokka, the owner of the flower shop, he realizes while working he's the only one who can see her deceased husband. This makes for some complicated drama as he argues with the ghost and vows he won't give up his feelings for Rokka. A Summer Snow Rendezvous may have been overlooked because of the busy television season.
3 WAY TOO POPULAR: PRINCESS JELLYFISH (2010)
Princess Jellyfish, recognized as Kuragehime in Japan, was written and illustrated by Akiko Higashimura is known for other notable josei series such as Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey and Tokyo Tarareba Girls. It debuted in Fall 2010, a season with many other notable popular anime such as Oreimo.
Princess Jellyfish tells the story of the residents of Amamizukan, an apartment where no men are allowed and only otaku women. When Tsukimi Kurashita meets Kuranosuke Koibuchi, a boy who cross-dresses to feel closer to his mother, she hides this fact and they become friends. But when their apartment is scheduled to be demolished, they work together to stop its destruction. Though popular, the idea that Kuranosuke has to put makeup on to attract Koibuchi's attention is a shallow trope.
2 OVERLOOKED: DESCENDING STORIES: SHOUWA, GENROKU, RAKUGO, AND DOUBLE SUICIDE (2016 - 2017)
Although Descending Stories may be popular now, when it first released in Winter 2016 it was overlooked in turn of more popular shows that debuted, such as KonoSuba and Erased. When Kyouji is released from prison, he decides to become apprentice himself to famous rakugo performer, Yakumo Yurakutei.
The story focuses on character backstories and the struggles Yakumo had to go through to become famous, as well as his friendship with fellow performer Sukeroku. Once again, this anime may have been overlooked in the West because of cultural differences surrounding the story, similar to the other Japanese history-steeped anime on this list.
1 WAY TOO POPULAR: ORANGE (2016)
The manga Orange was already a hit in Japan and America when its anime adaption was announced, so its popularity was predestined. On Naho Takamiya's first day of her sophomore year, she received letters sent from herself, 10 years in the future. Listed are her "biggest regrets," mostly centered on transfer student, Kakeru Naruse.
Though Naho doesn't listen to the letters at first, she soon realizes they are real and the stake are high. If she doesn't heed her future self's advice, Kakeru may die. With beautiful animation and a more mature story than most anime targeted at women, Orange was a smash hit during Summer 2016, and even received a movie to wrap up the series.