Shojo anime has always stood out amongst other genres for its focus on relationships and feelings, usually highlighting female characters, their struggles, and growth. Strictly speaking, the term shojo refers to the target audience comprised mostly of young teenage girls, but anyone can enjoy these stories filled with melodrama, romance, and the occasional magical elements. Some of the most well-known anime like Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, and Card Captor Sakura are all examples of the shojo genre.
Unfortunately, shojo is also one of the genres with the most single-season anime series. Whether it's an original animation or an adaptation of a light novel or manga, this often means an incomplete storyline or an open ending, which no viewer enjoys. Anime fans are still eagerly awaiting for many of their favorites to come back with a second installment, even if it's been years since the original season aired.
10 Special A Has A Lot More To Offer
A staple of the enemies to lovers trope, Special A follows hardworking student Hikari Hanazono in her quest to beat Kei Takishima at, well, everything. Their feud started after she lost a wrestling match to him when they were both 6 years old, and has continued well into their high school life, especially once they join their school's elite class, Special A.
The anime series premiered in 2008 with the standard 24 episodes that roughly covered 7 volumes of the manga, and left many storylines unfinished given the short run. There are still 10 volumes of adaptable material any studio could pick up, though!
9 The My Love Story!! Characters Deserve It
My Love Story!! has won many awards in Japan (including the highly regarded Kodansha Manga Award) for its wholesome story and characters, and for breaking the stereotypes for male leads in shojo content.
The 24-episode anime adaptation recounts kind, muscular Takeo Goda's struggles to communicate with his crushes, who all end up falling for his conventionally handsome friend, Suna. However, things seem to be looking up when a petite girl called Rinko Yamato falls for Takeo after he saves her from a molester one day. The anime covers most of the manga, up until volume 10, but the last 3 volumes could easily be extended into a short second season. These sweet characters deserve it!
8 The Story Of Ao Haru Ride Is Not Even Halfway Done
Hailed as one of the best shojo anime of 2014, Ao Haru Ride is a story about overcoming grief, finding comfort in friendship, and personal growth. It follows Futaba Yoshioka, a 16-year-old girl who reunites with her first love after not seeing each other since middle school. Noticing his abrupt change in personality, Futaba does her best to slowly get him to open up and reveal his past, lending him a helping hand along the way.
The anime series, adapted from the manga of the same name, only follows the story up until chapter 14. Considering there are 49 chapters in total, a fan-favorite like Ao Haru Ride definitely deserves to get a second season, if only to see its main characters stop dancing around each other and finally together.
7 The Gakuen Alice Anime Barely Scratches The Surface
With 31 volumes to its name, Gakuen Alice is one of the longest-running shojo manga with magical elements, for sure. Mikan Sakura's journey from country girl to magical schoolgirl at Alice Academy was adapted into a 26-episode Anime back in 2004 when the manga was still nowhere near done.
Over 100 manga chapters later, Gakuen Alice has slowly transcended from a lighthearted and whimsical slice-of-life series, into a plot-heavy manga that kept readers at the edge of their seats with every new episode. A second, third, and even fourth season could easily lead Gakuen Alice to become a classic of the magical girl genre.
6 There's So Much More To Skip Beat!'s Manga
A classic from the shojo manga anthology magazine Hana to Yume, Skip Beat! combines romcom elements with a revenge story as the protagonist, Kyoko, climbs the showbiz ladder towards success. Despite its status as an iconic manga series and its enormous collection of 46 volumes, the anime adaptation of Skip Beat! consists of no more than a single, 25-episode season. With so much unexplored material, the second season of Skip Beat! could go further into Kyoko's turbulent career and her relationship with the other colorful characters in the series.
5 Anime Fans Need More Lovely Complex Humor
Lovely Complex stands out amongst other high school life shojo anime for its unique sense of comedy, which varies from chuckling-inducing to outrageously hilarious at some points. Its premise is simple: tall girl falls in love with short guy, short guy doesn't know how to feel about it, chaos ensues.
But Koizumi and Otani's love story is far more than just that, it's also about self-love, learning to look past the exterior, and being unapologetically yourself. The anime adaptation stopped at volume 12 of the manga when the protagonists finally got together, but there are still 5 volumes left to delve into. If not a second season, then a couple of OVAs, but fans need more of LovCom's signature comedy!
4 The Journey Of The Akatsuki No Yona Characters Isn't Over
Mixing the shojo staples of comedy and romance with thrilling, action-heavy adventures, Akatsuki no Yona is the total package. The story centers around Yona, the princess of the nation of Kouka, who gets her world turned upside down after the shocking murder of her father at the hands of her first love.
It's one of the more detailed, plot-oriented stories within the genre, with distinct worldbuilding that resembles that of Avatar: The Last Airbender or Naruto and could easily go on for many more episodes. It currently sits at 35 manga volumes and counting, so a new season might still be on the horizon.
3 Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama! Has More Surprises In Store
As one of the most popular manga series from the mid-2000s, Kaichou wa Maid-sama! was bound to get picked up for an anime. The 26-episode anime adaptation premiered in 2010 and brought fans the story of School President Misaki Ayuzawa, who unbeknownst to the rest of the school, moonlights as a server at a maid café.
She's eventually discovered by the popular and aloof Usui Takumi, commencing a love story that expands over more than 80 manga chapters. Taking into account that Misaki and Usui eventually get married and have children, a second season should be a no-brainer!
2 My Little Monster's Sweet Story Should Go On
My Little Monster provides a different kind of romance between a seemingly cold-hearted girl named Shizuku and Haru, who despite being classed as a troublemaker, remains quite innocent when it comes to relationships. Their initial friendship is awkward, but as they get to know each other better, they trudge together through school life, friendship, and drama. The 2012 anime series, which was also streamed on Crunchyroll, is criminally short with only 13 episodes and an OVA that covers less than a third of the original manga.
1 Please Give Ouran High School Host Club Fans What They Want
This one has been on every anime fan's wishlist for years. Considered by many to be the anime to recommend to people who might be wary of the shojo genre, Ouran High School Host Club has amassed a large number of fans since its first publication in LaLa magazine in 2002. It gained cult-favorite status when the anime adaptation premiered 4 years later and is still going strong more than a decade later.
Fans have been asking for a continuation of Haruhi's comedic adventures with the Host Club for so long that it's a miracle no studio has picked it up for a second season. Ouran High School Host Club, with its kooky characters and over-the-top situations, definitely deserves it, and so do the fans!