The world of anime often feels like it's directed primarily at the male portion of the fandom. Despite this bias towards the masculine demographic, there are still a lot of female fans out there who appreciate a good anime when it's not buried under layers of gratuitous fan service. For these female viewers, many may have gotten their first kick into the Japanese animation world through a shojo anime.

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These shows are essentially those that are aimed at the young teen female demographic and can cover a variety of narrative styles from historical drama to science fiction. There is also often, but not always, a focus on romantic relationships and the character's internal emotions. Here are some of the best of shojo anime, according to MyAnimeList.

Updated on June 16th, 2021 by Brittanie Maldonado. The shojo genre of anime and manga is a long-lasting staple in the medium and dozens of new shojo manga are released every year. Moreover, there's always the possibility that a shojo series could become even more popular over time. It's been almost a year since this article was first published, so it's a good time to reassess where the old ones stand and what new ones should be added.

15 Kodomo No Omocha Features A Sweet First Love Story (8.04)

Sana Kurata and Akito Hayama from Kodocha

This series is classic from the '90s. It follows sixth-grader Sana Kurata, a child star on an in-universe TV program that's also called Kodomo no Omocha, or Kodocha for short. Sana's life seems perfect, but she soon clashes with her homeroom troublemaker at school, Akito Hayama.

Sana is unwilling to let Akito run the classroom with his gang of boys and openly challenges him, resulting in the pair becoming closer as the series progresses.

14 Yona Of The Dawn Is A Coming-Of-Age Series For A Princess (8.04)

Yona from Yona of the Dawn

Let's face it, royalty is typically sheltered from the realities of the lands they rule over. This is no different from Princess Yona of the Kingdom of Kouka. After the murder of the king, Yona's life is threatened by the betrayal of her cousin Su-won.

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Yona flees the palace with the help of her childhood friend, Son Hak, only to find the seemingly peaceful kingdom is rife with poverty and corruption. It's up to Yona to restore Kouka to its former glory.

13 Maid Sama! Revolves Around The Main Character’s Double Life (8.04)

misaki takumi usui maid sama

Misaki Ayuzawa is the first female student council president of her once all-boys school, meaning she's got her hands full managing a bunch of unruly teenage boys. And it doesn't help that Misaki's leadership style is excessively disciplinarian, earning her the nickname "Demon President." Still, Misaki puts her all into protecting the girls of the newly co-ed school.

But she lives a double life as a part-time worker at a maid café in order to help her struggling family. Takumi Usui, the most popular boy at school, happens to stumble across Misaki's secret— but will he ruin Misaki's reputation or keep her secrets?

12 Lovely Complex Is A Well-Done Modern Romantic Comedy (8.05)

Lovely Complex Koizumi And Otani smiling

Nearly 15 years after it first released, Lovely Complex is still a high-ranking shojo romantic comedy. It centers around the unusual pairing of Risa Koizumi (a girl who stands at 172cm tall) and Atsushi Otani (a boy who stands at 156cm tall).

The pair are frequently treated as a comedy duo, and they play along, much to their friends' delight. But as they become close friends and develop an attraction to each other, they'll need to cut through the jokes, drama, and their mismatched height in order to realize their mutual love.

11 Glass Mask Contains A Rivalry Between Two Girls From Different Walks Of Life (8.08)

main cast from glass mask

Maya Kitajima feels as if she'll be stuck forever helping manage a crowded restaurant alongside her mother. One day, she's scouted by the legendary diva Chigusa Tsukikage, who recognizes Maya's formidable acting skills. On the other hand, Ayumi Himekawa has always gotten what she wants due to her rich and famous parents.

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But Ayumi has always wanted to be noticed for her own talents and skills. Both girls want the coveted role of The Crimson Goddess in a play of the same name, meaning they'll have to pit their talents against each other.

10 Skip Beat! Is A Charming Pop Idol-Based Romance (8.11)

Skip Beat Video Game

Skip Beat! stars the diligent and naive Kyoko Mogami. She works hard to support the dreams of her childhood friend and long-time crush Shotaro Fuwa.

Despite the fact that she's toiled away at countless part-time jobs to help her friend, he still sees her as nothing but a servant. Enraged by this realization, Kyoko decides to enter the world of entertainment herself and the show follows the trials and tribulations that follow.

9 Cardcaptor Sakura Is A Classic '90s Shojo Series (8.16)

Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura.

Cardcaptor Sakura is a classic magical girl show that most anime fans know of by name even if they haven't personally experienced the show. It follows the fourth-grader Sakura Kinomoto as she discovers a mysterious book containing a set of cards that are blown across the world by an untimely gust of wind.

These cards turn out to contain incredible powers so it is up to Sakura, who becomes bestowed with the power of the Cardcaptor, to journey around and return them all to the book from whence they came.

8 Kamisama Kiss Mixes Elements From Fruits Basket & InuYasha (8.17)

Nanami and Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss.

Kamisama Kiss follows Nanami Momozono, a high school girl who happened to be kicked out of her house because her father is swimming in debt.

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One day she helps a man being bothered by a dog and is bestowed with a rundown shrine to live in. As she immerses herself in shrine-like duties, she finds herself sealed in a contract with a fox familiar named Tomoe. From there she embarks on a path of godhood and the threats and challenges it entails.  

7 Ouran High School Host Club Is A Parody Of The Harem Genre (8.19)

ouran hosts

This show is the rare reverse harem where rather than a boy surrounded by a gaggle of girls, the main focus is instead on a girl surrounded by a cadre of cute boys. Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran Academy, finds herself indebted to the Host Club after breaking a valuable vase.

As a result, she must work for the club to pay off her damages, and in doing so she finds herself occupying a host role due to her natural charm and boyish demeanor. Before long, Haruhi is drawn into the intrigues and excitements of the host club and the people within it.

6 Revolutionary Girl Utena Contains A Shojo-Ai Romance (8.20)

revolutionary girl utena

Revolutionary Girl Utena is yet another perennial classic in the anime world, one which some fans say was an early precursor, in theme, concept, and surrealist imagery, to Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The show follows Utena Tenjo, a girl who is dead set on becoming a prince.

She ends up attending Ohtori Academy where she is drawn into a game of violent duels, the ultimate goal of which is to win the Rose Bride Anthy Himemiya. Utena sets out to free Anthy and discover the secrets behind the academy, the only way she knows how: by revolutionizing the world.

5 The Rose of Versailles Features Real Historical Figures (8.33)

the rose of versailles

This historical drama takes place in the 1700s and stars the familiar figure of Marie Antoinette, a lady born to a royal family and destined to become the future queen of France, arranged marriages, and all.

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Running concurrently to her life is a girl who is raised as a boy to lead the Royal Guards, named Oscar. This show depicts the fateful meeting of these two and the subsequent effects on history and the revolutions that followed.

4 Nana Is A Great Shojo Series Featuring Adults (8.47)

nana and her band members

Nana is another shojo classic. It follows two Nanas, Nana Komatsu, and Nana Osaki. Where Komatsu is helpless, naïve, and clingy, Osaki is fiercely independent, and a punk rock queen to boot. Their fates converge as the two meet on a train to Tokyo where both are hoping to start a new life.

Eventually, they end up sharing an apartment and from there a deep friendship begins as they support each other through the trials and tribulations of romance, music, and all the other youthful challenges that await.

3 Banana Fish Contains Tense Mafia Conflicts (8.50)

Banana Fish's Ash and Eiji back to back against a photo collage of moments.

This oddly titled show brings viewers along to see the exploits of teenage runaway Ash Lynx, who is plucked off the street raised by a mafia godfather. Jump to Ash at the age of 17, where he's the boss of his own gang.

Interesting developments begin to occur when he gets his hands on a new drug called Banana Fish, a name that matches the phrase that his brother has been muttering since his return from the Iraq War. So begins an investigation into this mysterious substance, as mafia forces conspire to stop Ash from discovering the truth.

2 Fruits Basket Has Several Romances To Indulge In (8.55)

Anime fruits basket 1

This show is another one that is ranked by the highest appearing of its two seasons. Fruits Basket, odd grammar aside, follows Tohru Honda, a destitute girl living in a tent because of a past tragedy. Fortunately for viewers of the show, this tent turns out to be on a property belonging to the esteemed Sohma family, leading to the intertwining of their lives.

The family offers to take her in and as a result, she learns that they transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when they're hugged by a female. From here, an enjoyable supernatural romance begins.

1 Natsume's Book of Friends Has An Easy-Going & Enjoyable Narrative (8.68)

natsume from natsume yuujinchou

Natsume's Book of Friends is an immensely popular show and as such had to be ranked the highest, as many of the top ranks of MyAnimeList are populated with this show and its iterations. It follows the eponymous Takashi Natsume, who after his grandmother's passing comes into possession of a book of friends, which is, in reality, a book of contracts binding spirits to his control.

These spirits want their freedom and the show's episodic plots follows Natsume as he deals with these yokai while coming to understand the spirit world.

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