Shojo manga refers to manga aimed at young, female readers. The term is considered rather broad, as it concerns a whole variety of stories: Comedies, dramas, science-fiction, and even superhero stories have all been considered as shojo manga. And while shojo stories are usually written with a female reader in mind, they sometimes have male protagonists, too.
While anime and manga are often thought to go hand in hand, there are plenty of classic shojo manga that have never been adapted into an animated form— although quite a few of them have come close, inspiring other adaptations and having a lasting influence on the shojo anime genre for years to come.
10 L-DK
Shūsei is a popular boy from his school who is known for rejecting love confessions. Aoi is a classmate that dislikes him after he turned down her friend. However, it turns out that they are neighbors and a fire later forces them to share an apartment.
Aoi slowly starts to fall in love with Shūsei, but he initially doesn't return her feelings. When love eventually starts to show, there's still the issue of rivals on both ends, not to mention the fact that they have to keep the fact that they are sharing an apartment a secret. While the series hasn't become an anime, there was a live-action film released in 2014.
9 Crest Of The Royal Family
This long-running manga has been going since 1976. The plot mostly revolves around an American girl named Carol who travels back in time to Ancient Egypt, where she begins a love story with a handsome pharaoh named Memphis— all the while becoming an important player in history.
Technically speaking, Toei Animation did produce an OVA for the series in 1988, but it wasn't exactly an anime: It was just a series of illustrations alongside voice actors speaking and music. Despite this, the series has seen other adaptations, such as stage shows and CD dramas.
8 Beast Master
Yuiko loves animals, though the feeling is not mutual, with animals often hating and running away from her. A mysterious new boy named Leo transfers to her class who proves to be a study in contrasts. On one hand, he is normally a very innocent person that animals are drawn to, but he can look terrifying, especially when he feels attacked, in which case he can become quite violent.
Despite this, a friendship blooms that might just blossom into love, but there are other forces out to get the couple, including figures from Leo's mysterious past, proving one's family isn't always one's friends.
7 Codename: Sailor V
Known as the manga that started the Sailor Moon manga, this series revolves around a teenage girl named Minako who meets a talking cat named Artemis that reveals to her that she can transform into the superheroine Sailor V who needs to fights the villains of the Dark Agency, among other enemies.
There were plans to produce an OVA over the series early in its run, but the project eventually turned into the classic Sailor Moon series. Despite this, there have been fans who've wanted to see an anime adaptation of the original series. Because Minako and Artemis eventually appeared in anime, and because the series has similar characters to Sailor Moon, some fans like to use animation from the later series to make "fan animation" of an imagined Codename: Sailor V series.
6 Kitchen Princess
Najika Kazam was saved from drowning by a mysterious boy that gave her some flan, inspiring her to become a chef and prepare an impressive dessert to thank her mysterious savior, in addition to finding him. With the help of a silver spoon, she locates a school that might lead her to him and enrolls.
She encounters a mysterious figure who initially claims to be her long-lost prince, but he dies, revealing the whole thing was a lie. To make matters worse, she loses her sense of taste and she has to contend with rivals at the school, but her real prince might be closer than she thinks.
5 Namaikizakari
Also stylized as Namaiki Zakari, this series revolves a girl named Yuki who hides her emotions thanks to years of taking care of her younger siblings. She encounters a rude student named Sho who joins the basketball team she manages, all the while she is in love with the team captain, Kido.
Surprisingly, Sho actually supports Yuki in her feelings for Kido, but he, unfortunately, has a girlfriend. Complicating things, Sho might actually be more interested in Yuki than she realizes.
4 Duck Prince
Again, just because a story has a a male protagonist doesn't mean it can't be a shojo series. Cartoonishly goofy Reiichi is in love with his pretty classmate Yumiko and wishes he could be more attractive to have a chance with her, especially when he has to contend with his popular sisters and school bullies. When he saves the life of a cursed dog, his wish is granted and he becomes beautiful.
However, things aren't as simple as they seem, as the magic dog, who used to be a prince, also has an interest in Yumiko— and his transformation isn't exactly permanent, either. Added to that, Yumiko might have liked the real Reiichi all along.
3 Cinderella Knight
Michi is a young Japanese girl who travels to the duchy of Ballade, a place that seems straight out of a fairy tale, complete with a handsome prince named Emilio. On her way, she encounters a being called Yaaba, a reptilian creature who takes the worm of an old woman and who claims to have been Cinderella's fairy godmother.
With the help of her new friend, Michi is given the power to transform into "Cinderella Knight," allowing her to protect her prince from danger.
2 Dengeki Daisy
Teru lost her brother and one of the only things she has left of him is a phone connecting him to a mysterious figure called Daisy. Then life becomes complicated when she accidentally breaks a window at her school, causing her to become a virtual servant to the school's janitor as punishment.
That said, she still has the mysterious Daisy in her corner, whose hacking skills are enough to protect her from bullies and pedophiles. To make things even more complicated, the janitor and Daisy are indeed one and the same.
1 PQ Angels
From the creator of Sailor Moon, this series revolves around two alien girls who are sent to Earth on a mission in order to find their long-lost Queen. Complicating things, they have to take the form of cockroaches and only regain their humanoid forms when they kiss someone on the mouth. The plot thickens with two neighbor boys they fall in love with, school events, and villains out to get them.
There are rumors that Toei Animation once took interest in developing an anime for the series, with them even having a manuscript, but it did not come to fruition.