Most shojo stories contain some element of romance. Many of them follow the classic boy-meets-girl or girl-meets-boy narrative that sweeps the audience off their feet. Unfortunately, some shojo love stories received a bad reputation for glorifying toxic dynamics and having controversial male love interests. However, not all of them are unhealthy.
There are plenty of legendary shojo romances that depict healthy dynamics and built their relationships on mutual respect. That's just the bare minimum. Many of the greatest shojo love stories are defined by what the characters went through together and how they've helped each other grow through the story.
10 Futaba & Kou Have A Healthy Relationship
Blue Spring Ride
Futaba and Kou actually didn't start out on the right foot in Blue Spring Ride. They used to butt heads a lot but eventually came to respect and even love each other. Their past never soured their current perceptions of each other.
Kou tends to make fun of Futaba a lot, but it's all good-natured and never intentionally harmful. His jokes never overshadow how much he actually cares about her. Blue Spring Ride does a great job of portraying a teenager's first love through their relationship without all the needless drama viewers became accustomed to in other shows.
9 Haruhi & Tamaki's Relationship Is Built On Respect
Ouran High School Host Club
Haruhi and Tamaki seemed like polar opposites in Ouran High School Host Club after they first met. Haruhi kept to herself and never wanted to stand out, despite being the only "commoner" in an elite school for snobby rich kids. Tamaki embodied every stereotype of the people around Haruhi.
Overly flamboyant, arrogant, and used to having everything on a silver platter, being around Haruhi was a humbling experience for Tamaki. She never fawned over him the way the other female students did. They grew to respect each other and fell in love by the end of the series.
8 Mamoru & Usagi Loved Each Other In All Of Their Past Lives
Sailor Moon
In Sailor Moon, Usagi and Mamoru didn't seem to have anything in common at first. They constantly bickered over the smallest of issues and made fun of each other for ridiculous reasons.
However, neither of them could explain the bond between them. It was always there but never fully fleshed out until they found out the truth about their past lives. It turns out that Usagi and Mamoru loved each other in all of their past lives. They eventually fell in love again during their current lifetimes.
7 Machi & Yuki Understand Each Other
Fruits Basket
In Fruits Basket, it initially seemed like Yuki and Tohru would end up together, but something didn't seem quite right about their relationship. It almost seemed like Yuki was trying too hard to make his love for her romantic when it was just platonic. In truth, Yuki loved Tohru as a friend and even saw her as the mom he never had growing up.
Enter Machi Kuragi, someone equally as lonely and traumatized as Yuki. They both helped each other understand themselves more and overcome their respective issues. Yuki was the first person who made an effort to understand Machi's compulsive destructiveness, even offering to make footprints in the snow with her and breaking a piece of chalk from a new box.
6 Hak & Yona Have Each Other's Backs
Yona Of The Dawn
In Yona of the Dawn, Hak was Yona's bodyguard when they were kids. After her father's death, they basically became fugitives. Yona used to be out of touch with everything going on in the world, but her father's murder made her realize it was time to grow up a bit.
Though Hak is still dedicated to protecting her, he offered to help her learn to fight by shooting a bow and arrow. Hak and Yona came from totally different backgrounds, but they're equally as strong-willed and have amazing chemistry in the series.
5 Zen & Shirayuki Have An Enemies-To-Lovers Dynamic
Snow White With The Red Hair
In Snow White With The Red Hair, Zen and Shirayuki start off on the wrong foot. Their relationship follows the popular enemies-to-lovers trope that fans can't get enough of. Zen initially looked down on Shirayuki since she was not royalty but eventually fell in love with her and came to respect her abilities.
He's quite protective of her. In return, she uses her medicinal know-how to heal him after a rough battle. They always encourage each other to improve their skills. Though they always had chemistry, their relationship flowed naturally and never felt rushed.
4 Yamato & Mei's Love Story Exceeded Expectations
Say "I Love You"
In Say "I Love You," Yamato is the most popular boy at his school. However, he's not like most fictional cool guys. He's not an arrogant jerk, but getting close to him is definitely challenging since he has a legion of fangirls surrounding him. Mei isn't popular, but Yamato fell in love with her. Unfortunately, this makes her a target for bullying.
The amount of cliche teenage drama in the series seems like it'd be enough to break their relationship, but Mei and Yamato exceeded expectations. Yamato helps give Mei the confidence boost she needs. Meanwhile, Mei's always there to give Yamato a reality check when necessary.
3 Kazehaya & Sawako Accept Each Other No Matter What
Kimi Ni Todoke
In Kimi Ni Todoke, Kazehaya and Sawako's relationship is built on a mutual understanding of each other. Sawako is constantly misunderstood and picked on at school because of her resemblance to The Ring's protagonist. However, she's actually soft-spoken and shy.
Kazehaya's one of the most popular students at their school. He was also the first person to show Sawako kindness, so she immediately grew attached to him. Kazehaya always encourages Sawako to be herself and they accept each other no matter what.
2 Tomoe & Nanami's Time Travel Romance Is Legendary
Kamisama Kiss
In Kamisama Kiss, Nanami and Tomoe's relationship had a rocky start. Nanami basically forced Tomoe to become her familiar by kissing him during a life-threatening situation. Tomoe begrudgingly obliged, but it took a while for him to respect her as the new land god. Nanami caught feelings for Tomoe early on, but it led to a misunderstanding.
Tomoe was apparently in love with a woman named Yukiji, but that wasn't the case. Nanami had to go back in time to save Tomoe's life but wound up pretending to be Yukiji because of complicated circumstances. It turns out that Tomoe was always in love with Nanami, but misunderstood her to be Yukiji. Their love story spans 500 years.
1 Tohru & Kyo Went Through A Lot Together
Fruits Basket
In Fruits Basket, Tohru's the only one who can get to Kyo's softer side. He may be short-tempered and even a bit violent with everyone else, but he's super apologetic if he even slightly hurts Tohru. He's always been protective of Tohru, but their relationship runs deeper than anyone initially expected.
They've been through a lot together. Tohru was the first person who truly accepted Kyo's true form and didn't look at him as a monster. Plus, Kyo helped Tohru start putting herself first instead of prioritizing everyone else to run from her own issues.