Just because shojo is targeted towards young woman, it doesn't mean every series features a girl as a protagonist. Although a majority of them do, there are plenty that feature male leads. In fact, early shojo anime and manga was crafted by men before it shifted to mainly woman.

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From romance anime like My Love Story that breaks the usual romance mold to shortform anime such as The High School Life Of A Fudanshi with a male lead that loves entertainment not targeted towards him, here are 10 shojo anime that feature great examples of male leads that everyone can enjoy.

10 My Love Story!! (Takeo Gouda)

Takeo Gouda from My Love Story!!

Takeo is a freshman in high school who was picked on for his looks despite him being one of the kindest people ever. Even after he's confessed to by Rinko Yamato, he thinks she's on love with his best friend, Makoto Sunakawa.

Luckily he's proven wrong and becomes a kind and loving boyfriend who only wishes to make his girlfriend happy. Although Rinko is the perfect shojo heroine, it's not her storyーit's Takeo's.

9 3D Girlfriend: Real Girl (Hikari Tsutsui)

Iroha & Tsutsui 3D Kanojo: Real Girl

Hikari is a coward and a huge otaku who thought badly of Iroha even before he met her. To be honest, he's a pretty hated character when it comes to 3D Girlfriend: Real Girl.

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However, hate him or not, it's way better than him being perfect. What makes Hikari a likeable character is watching him grow out of his low self-esteem with help from his girlfriend, Iroha, and accepting himself. It's usually girls who fill the role of having no confidence in shojo, so it's refreshing to see a male character going through the same thing.

8 Sanrio Boys (Kouta Hasegawa)

Kouta Hasegawa Sanrio Boys

All of the boys in Sanrio Boys are great picksーsince the anime consists of themーbut the male lead is Kouta Hasegawa. A lot of people know the feeling of being bullied for something they like, and Kouta is no different.

With a focus on not caring what others think, Kouta is a high school boy who decided to hide his love of a Sanrio character, Pompompurin, because he's embarrassed to admit it. He began to love Pompompurin after receiving a plush toy from his grandmother. However, with help from friends who all share a common interests in Sanrio mascots, he learns to embrace this.

7 School Babysitters (Ryuuichi Kashima)

Ryuuichi Kasmia School Babysitters

School Babysitters is a wholesome anime with a wholesome protagonist, Ryuuichi Kashima. The main stars are the children he takes care of, but that doesn't make Ryuuichi any less of a great male lead.

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He's dependable, kind, and a great older brother figure to the children he watches over. Being a big brother himselfーand dearly loved by him as wellーit's no wonder he's able to care for the children of the daycare as if they were his own siblings.

6 The High School Life Of A Fudanshi (Ryou Sakaguchi)

High School Life Of A Fudanshi Ryou Sakaguchi

A fudanshi is a male who enjoys reading shonen-ai, otherwise known as boys love. It's the opposite of a fujoshi, a girl who loves shonen-ai. Ryou loves reading shonen-ai and anything that has to do with it, honestly.

The fact that he is able to proudly show off his hobbies without getting pressured to not talk about it is the best thing about him. No one should be shamed about what they enjoyーunless it's something that is suspiciousーand Ryou doesn't care what anyone thinks, he just enjoys it.

5 Merman In My Tub (Tatsumi)

Tatsumi Merman In My Tub

When Tatsumi found a man named Wakasa after he found him washed ashore, he decides to take him to take him to his house to help him. It turns out Wakasa isn't human, and is instead a merman.

As a high school student who doesn't have friends, he is shy and not really talkative. Throughout the anime, his pure actions and personality blend well together with Wakasa's personality. There isn't many shy male protagonists, so Tatsumi is a welcome change.

4 Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san (Honda)

skullface bookseller hondasan

Honda is a skeleton who works at a bookstore, and has a lot of knowledge when it comes to literature because he's been working there for so long.

He's especially well-versed in foreign comics and art books, and doesn't have much luck when it comes to dealing with customers who speak English.

3 I Love You, Baby (Kippei Katakura)

Kippei Katakura and Yuzuyu

Kippei Katakura is a playboy who doesn't look like he would be great at taking care of children, but he's a natural when it comes to caring for Yuzuyu, his cousin who was abandoned by her mother.

Kippei acts as a younger brother figure and a father figure for Yuzuyu, as well as gets along great with her.

2 Hakkenden: Eight Dogs Of The East (Shino Inuzuka)

Shino Inuzuka Hakkenden

Shino is a surviver of the destruction of his village and was born a weak child, but reached age eighteen. Loud, energetic and kind, Shino cares for his allies and does all he can to help them.

Although he takes many actions without thinking and has a sharp-tongue, he means no harm. He can also be fearful of many things such as meat and insects, but does well when the time comes.

1 Natsume's Book Of Friends (Takashi Natsume)

Takashi Natsume

Natsume is more well-known by his last name despite his first being Takashi. No matter the point, Natsume is well-known for being a kind soul who enjoys communicating with youkai, considering he inherited his grandmother's Book of Friends.

He doesn't force any youkai or ayakashi to be his friend, however, and instead attempts to convince themーalthough because of his personality, it isn't hard for him to make friends.

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