Before You Watch Dandadan...

[@oasis_06]

so many shonen and seinen fans claim to be proud to have their fav manga is inspired by shoujo but if you ask them the last shoujo series they read/watched they go real quiet

[@giuseppeagresta1425]

Revolutionary Girl Utena 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@iliadx7495]

I love villainess manga (is still shoujo right?)

[@alanbareiro6806]

​@@giuseppeagresta1425 Truly a man of culture. Favourite of the genre along with Sailor Moon and Sakura

[@reillocb]

Not meeeee I'm in the middle of shortcake cake and red sleeve

[@HarlekinEO]

Thats most likely, because of the weird naming, which is allmost too long to remember. Also I dont draw a line. Its either good anime/manga or bad anime/manga.

[@notationmusical]

List: 1. Please Save My Earth 2. Ceres 3. Sailor Moon 4. Shugo Chara 5. Cardcaptor Sakura 6. Magical Girl Dandelion 7. Magic Knight Rayearth 8. Kamisama Kiss 9. Fruits Basket 10. Nina the Starry Bride 11. Glass Mask 12. Rose of Versailles 13. Sword of Paros 14. Revolutionary Girl Utena 15. Princess Knight 16. Heart of Thomas 17. Claudine 18. From Eroica With Love 19. New York New York 20. Requiem of the Rose King 21. Banana Fish 22. Bloody + Mary 23. Kaze Hikaru 24. Basara 25. Girl Got Game 26. Ouran High School Host Club 27. Hana Kimi 28. In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 29. Red River 30. Fushigi Yugi 31. From Far Away 32. Shinobi Life 33. Crimson Hero 34. Chihayafuru 35. Aim for the Ace 36. Swan 37. Let's Do It Already! 38. Furare Girl 39. Lovesick Ellie 40. High School Debut 41. Lovely Complex 42. My Love Story 43. Kimi ni Todoke 44. Honey Lemon Soda 45. Natsume's Book of Friends 46. Yuzuki's Family Four Sons 47. Gakuen Babysitters 48. Yona of the Dawn 49. Snow White with Red Hair 50. Dawn of the Arcana 51. Gakuen Alice 52. Kodocha 53. Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts 54. Boys Over Flowers 55. Vampire Knight 56. Black Bird 57. 7 Seeds 58. X/1999 59. Library Wars 60. Nana 61. Arisa 62. Limit 63. Sand Chronicles 64. My Girlfriend's Child 65. Mars 66. Dengeki Daisy 67. Tamon's B-Side 68. Mechanical Marie 69. Patalliro! 70. My Love Mix-Up! 71. Skip Beat! 72. Not Your Idol 73. Kageki Shoujo!! 74. Usotoki Rhetoric 75. Tales of the Tendo Family 76. Ooku 77. Angel Sanctuary 78. Prince Freya 79. Descendants of Darkness 80. Bride of Deimos 81. DN Angel 82. Last Game 83. Maid-Sama! 84. Kare Kano 85. The Cursed Prince's Servant 86. In the Name of the Mermaid's Princess 87. The King's Beast 88. The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 89. Colette Decides to Die 90. Madame Petit 91. Children of the Wales 92. Tomie 93. I See Your Face, Turned Away 94. Fall in Love, You False Angels 95. A Condition Called Love 96. Queen's Quality 97. Musashi #9 98. Petshop of Horrors 99. Tokimeki Tonight 100. Sukeban Deka I shall do my homework Colleen. Just you wait.

[@kineticmeow9242]

Add Wolf and Revolver to your list of shoujo to read!!!

[@notationmusical]

@@kineticmeow9242 Alright, I shall add that to my google docs form.

[@AlamNinyoBaKungNasaanYungAmoKo]

Thank you! 💖

[@wernerviehhauser94]

heck.... except for 12, 48 and 49 I haven't read or watched any of them....

[@AlamNinyoBaKungNasaanYungAmoKo]

@@wernerviehhauser94 you seem to like historical romance with medieval/european themes. How about trying Princess Knights? It's one of the mangas that is know to pioneer the shoujo genre. Since you also like ancient historical type-like stories, I suggest Kamisama Kiss and Fushigi Yuugi. What other subgenres do you likeN

[@eggsscott]

The fact that it’s considered normal or even expected for women to read shonen while it’s men who read shojo are outliers and either lauded for the “work” or ridiculed for it is also quite annoying to me. If there is any blurring of demographics then it’s only because it’s acceptable for women to enjoy men’s media but not vice versa so it would be very one sided anyways.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

you get it

[@AluRooftop]

As a guy obcessed with shoujo isekai, there's no real reason for the divide other than the "ew but there's romance. romance is for girls. what are you, gay?" sorta 4rd grade bullshit

[@mimoukilari]

​@@AluRooftopIt's not really an isekai but it has the vibe of that genre so I recommend you to read "The holy grail of Eris" 🫣

[@AluRooftop]

@@demilembias2527 lmao

[@MarchingBand3699]

@@demilembias2527In what world would any of those be girly especially since those are seinen and shonen and also shoujo is not defined by girliness those franchises with girls in them made by mostly men have nothing to do with shoujo

[@zebrother]

the "100 shoujo" quote also comes across like reading shoujo is some big chore (or like it's inherently uninteresting). like "this poor guy had to read THIS many manga before writing his series".

[@retroanimemike]

That reminds me of Mamoru Oshii saying how he read the Ghost in the Shell manga some 20 times to create the film adaptation. Nobody interpreted that as him saying that was some epic chore.

[@dandeliondot]

When in reality it's a privilege I'd kill for (having the time for it, I mean)

[@nadiamalinowska7184]

editors need to gaslight shounen authors more often to read shoujo titles. yeah, i'm talking about horikoshi and kishimoto.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

unfortunately most (male) editors don't read shoujo either to do that lol

[@nadiamalinowska7184]

@@ColleensMangaRecs yeah, unfortunately. at least blue box is a breath of fresh air in shounen jump. i'm kinda sad that this series doesn't get that much recognition considering how good it is.

[@spectraltala6362]

Don't forget Akutami, Special Grade Fridger

[@hyperklathos]

@@nadiamalinowska7184 Blue Box holds a special place in my heart. I genuinely wish I had it in High School.

[@DaviPachecoO]

Put some credit to Horikoshi. I believe Uraraka is one of the best female characters in all shounen jump, even more so after 431.

[@princessjellyfish98]

GREEN YURI SPECIAL EDITION ART SPOTTED

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

YOU KNOW I HAD TO GET IT

[@vitraartist2622]

I spotted it instantly. I am so jealous man.

[@yukimibu7908]

wait what is that (if you don't mind), I can't make out the title

[@paranoiacomplex9680]

@@yukimibu7908”The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All”

[@Junosensei]

There's a special edition version??? What does that have that the regular edition doesn't?

[@wellofhavoc]

as someone who usually uses these factoids to push people to read and watch shoujo, i completely respect your reservations regarding them. there is this twitter comic author (who i will not name) who enjoyed talking with others about what makes a manga a manga vs a comic and such discussions who also was a berserk fan and he talked about how the characters in berserk felt different, to which i brought up the factoid in question only for him to ask "What's shoujo?" : | bruh how are you having manga discussions period without knowing what SHOUJO IS????

[@Angel-Otk]

So you have to be an expert in everything in order to talk?

[@Lovarez]

​@@Angel-Otkknowing demographics doesn't make you an expert. Tf.

[@Angel-Otk]

@@Lovarez that’s what being an expert means… by definition my slow friend…💀,getting worked up over yt comments is cringe asf, so I can’t respect you. Please don’t bother replying anymore🤣

[@wellofhavoc]

@@Angel-Otk yes in order to hold discussions where in you claim to be sharing informed opinions i expect you to have some expertise, firstly. secondly, considering a large group of people who don't read shoujo but are in manga circles know what shoujo IS at the very least. I'm not expecting you to know the common weight of paper that most mangaka draw on or something specific, just one of the main four manga demographics. that's not that much to ask.

[@Angel-Otk]

@ so you’re an expert in all comic book generes then?💀

[@hope3514]

“rose of versailles but if they actually ate p-” audibly laughed, thank u

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

thank you for enjoying that joke!!! its actually the reason why I went with doing little punchline/taglines for each series because I thought that was too funny not to include

[@imaginarylivingbody7154]

The Sword of Paros is great. Honestly feels like it inspired Revolutionary Girl Utena a bit too.

[@hope3514]

@@imaginarylivingbody7154 yeah I adore sword of paros, one of my faves for sure

[@danamytereads5304]

I was drinking water and choked 😂😂

[@shanziburrito9697]

I read an interview that Yukinobu wanted to make Momo the ONLY protag, but Shonen Jump told him he needed to have a male protag, so he added Okarun. I would imagine this is also where the 100 shojo thing came into play. Unclear whether SJ made him research because they wanted a romance shonen, or because Yukinobu was actually interested in strong female leads written by women... As a Dandadan fan I hope it is atleast a little bit of both.

[@jaidenfrost709]

Him wanting to make Momo the only protag makes sense to me because while I’ve been watching the anime I’ve felt like she definitely feels like more of the driving force to the story than him. I haven’t read the manga so I wasn’t too sure what to expect when going in.

[@morbipine]

*jump plus

[@DecafisHere]

Seeing Revolutionary Girl Utena being mentioned makes me way to happy 🚶🏾‍➡️.

[@princessjellyfish98]

I hate how these examples all treat shoujo like it's just a part of the "whole" storytelling that is a decent shonen story. Like it's an expectation that authors should be well read! And by reading shoujo, the author of dandadan could improve his storytelling ability, right?? As someone who hasn't enjoyed a shonen in a long time, I've been enjoying dandadan and I'd say it probably did improve his writing. But the way people talk about it, it's as though shoujo stories can ONLY help shonen writers improve at romance or at writing women. They talk about shoujo like it's just a piece of a greater writing whole, like learning how to use a semicolon or something. We never hear about shonen mangaka going to shoujo to write their male characters better, even tho some of my favorite shoujo manga star male characters!!! And the female characters in shoujo are so much more than love interests. Part of the reason dandadan has been enjoyable for me is that momo is the main character, she is the lead and has a fleshed out personality. The implication these articles and shonen fans make that shoujo=romance implies that momo is just a vehicle for the romance like so many other shonen women, just "done well" when that couldn't be further from the truth! Anyways I hope one day an aspiring shonen mangaka skips over berserk and picks up requiem of the rose king instead. Shoujo isn't like a writing workshop you go to to learn how to respect women, it's a treasure trove of some of the best stories in the medium! and shonen stories + shoujo inspo does not make for a fuller story than a shoujo on its own. it can definitely make for a fuller story! but shoujo is not an appetizer its a full meal!

[@princessjellyfish98]

@@arbitraryify oh totally agree! thats why I'm glad colleen made this video the way they did because I really do think the most interesting part of this whole thing has been the media's reaction to it. tatsu was just doing his job and refining his skills as a mangaka and an industry and fanbase full of misogyny definitely took his quote out of context and ran with it, but the reactions has been very revealing

[@adventurerkate]

I love that Kare Kano made the list. “Do you like emotional damage? How about more! But wait, there’s more!”

[@senpainoticedyou6182]

It's them placing Shoujo as a tool for authors to use to "improve" where then they'll be able to create the greater work of fiction "Shounen" instead of Shoujo by itself, being a great genre with stories worth while

[@TeskoLove]

This right here is EXACTLY why I started following the channel. I saw a giant shoujo-shaped hole in my manga knowledge and I needed resources to go about filling it. Thank you so much for this list!

[@Phy-sy5zj]

Starting my girly girl era against sexism with Infinity Nikki and this Shoujo Manga Reading List. :D

[@kirisque]

INFINITY NIKKI PLAYERS!

[@titoleon3101]

@@Phy-sy5zj Infinity Nikki is truly a revolution in the gaming space. Waaaay more people should be talking about it.

[@kineticmeow9242]

Make sure to buy the manga Wolf and Revolver!!!

[@Katt1721]

Hit the nail on the head with it not being about the author reading/bringing up shojo inspirations (like I would hope professional authors/artists have a robust experience with their chosen media, even if that's clearly not always the case), but the reaction to it from fans of said seinen/shonen authors. Like its such a huge educational hurdle they've overcome? Also the 100 shojo taglines were GOLD (side note what do I need to do to get Swan fully in print??)

[@hanahashi]

After 100 years of training for thousands of hundreds hours under waterfalls reading hundreds and hundreds shoujo manga. I have reached enlightenment. I came back as a new man. Now... **Dramatic close-up** I can finally write my shounen

[@onetrickponysona2613]

- dandadan author, apparently?

[@2000sKingdomHeartzHimefujo]

I'd do this except I finally write a shoujo instead

[@drawnseeker]

I adore your videos and have gotten into more shoujo and josei because of your awesome work. Thank you so much for your passion and persistence.

[@PredictableEnigma]

I was AT the theater and thought he said "100 shoujo" but now I'm second guessing my memory and have no idea anymore I'd love it if in future interviews they asked him what some of his favorite series that he read for that assignment are, that way we can actually give spesific exposure and get insight into his taste! Anyways thanks for the 100 recs! I've read so few shoujo and am trying to check more of them out.

[@cherrydreampalladin9784]

That's what I was saying bc I need more specific answers. Did he focus only on reading fluffy shoujo romances or did he read a variety of genres from what shoujo has to offer? What was his favourite series and which ones would he recommend? Which ones inspired his writing? Etc. It feels criminals and a bit suspicious that he apparently read that many but we haven't gotten any info on specifics

[@kineticmeow9242]

Please check out the manga Wolf and Revolver!!!

[@chyandinii]

I'm a bit infamous on the MyAnimeList forums for posting shoujo topics too much, but I decided to share your video and the 100 shoujo reading challenge there. Thanks for the recommendations, guess I'll make this a New Year's Resolution!

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

You can never talk about shoujo "too much" 😤😤

[@nosuperwoman79]

BTW, very annoying when people are pretending to be breaking down barriers by claiming that genres are blending. Nah, you're actually just ignoring the more marginalized groups by pretending to be above the fray.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

and the barriers they think are breaking down are only focused on shonen and seinen lmao

[@titoleon3101]

@@nosuperwoman79 Exactly. You cant suddenly claim equality without recognizing the bias a society has against a group of people, because then youre only preserving the status quo.

[@maxaroni39]

Love that the opening skit was a Scott Pilgrim reference, that made my day!

[@titoleon3101]

As things are, Colleen could do this video again every month because I swear thats how frequently I read or hear these ignorant takes even from "respected" sites. Sorry, but people should understand they cant talk about shonen-shojo comparisons without acknowledging the tremendous bias and sexism from japanese media producers and in the manga and anime fandom. Although I like Dandadan for the most part, the whole discussion about its "revolutionary romance" or whatever is distancing me from that community.

[@kjarakravik4837]

Yup, I absolutely love the romance between Okarun and Momo, but the people who think an action series with a prominent romance has never been done before haven't even read Cardcaptor Sakura or Gakuen Alice, and those are just the more well known shojo.

[@agirlsrambles]

Thanks for your recs. I love your funny way of explaining the synopsis ❤️

[@MrJ4k3R]

Quite the long game to force us all to read Chihayafuru

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

😈😈😈

[@ellieechoes]

Kanta Kara (From Far Away) is on my lists of must reads. If you haven't read it, you aren't reading peak shoujo manga. It's got old art style but the style is so good! If you've read Red River, and don't mind that art style you gotta give From Far Away a try! The main character is so likeable. She's funny, kind (but not to a fault), strong, cute, and a come back kid. She feels human. And her love interest and her are such a dynamic duo. If you want action, heartbreak, political intrigue, and amazing action scenes you gotta read it. PS: In 2004, the manga won the 35th annual Seiun Award for best science fiction comic. (IMO its a cross between scifi and fantasy. In fact it is mostly fantasy).

[@farhanasafran8124]

My first shoujos were Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Red River and From Far Away 😂

[@19Rena96]

I LOVE it and the art style is so cool!

[@eva5370]

I love this! Also, thank you for listing the series in a document! I wouldn't have minded typing it out, but it made it easy for me to count how much I've already read.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I knew people would need it so I just took out the script and left all the recs lol

[@evi6784]

bruh i just finished writing down all the titles i wanna read

[@eva5370]

@@evi6784 LMAO I’m sorry you had to find out like this😭

[@amylisious1o1]

the ad segway was smooth

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I learned from the best (@mangageekdom)

[@ejl7838]

Omg library wars! I adored that series when I was younger, I can’t remember if I ever finished it but I got at least ten volumes in. So good. I’ve read more of this list than I thought I would

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I picked a lot of bigger series with either manga licensed or anime adaptations to make it somewhat accessible

[@rosem4891]

I do appreciate that you put more controversial picks in your recommendations. If we had to suffer through Black Bird so do they. Also I can say that it's equally hard for me, as a massive Dandadan fan, to see that quote get passed around like a badge of honor. I think it's awesome that Tatsu did that, and the romance is one of the main draws of the series, but it sucks knowing that all of the people praising him won't even give a second glance to the shoujo manga that he read. But I'm glad this video exists to hopefully give them a push.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I am a firm believer that you have to read the trash too for you to be inducted into the shoujo fandom

[@ellieechoes]

DUDE LIKE FOR REAL. I resonate so hard with that black bird comment.

[@ellieechoes]

@ColleensMangaRecs I tell people that I wade through the crap in the Shoujo fandom so I can give the best recommendations. Do I love some of the crap? Of course I do. But not others who I'm trying to get to love shoujo lol. Hot Gimmick (which i don't love) is one that comes to mind.

[@deirdrem4522]

Lol, sometimes it’s fun to read the trashy ones though…

[@hyteclowlife]

​@@deirdrem4522like eating McDonald's when you know you should be having a healthy meal

[@furihreunsicherheit3624]

Omgggg!! The OVA for Angel Sanctuary will never NOT be funny!!! 😂💖

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I cry laughing at that line I included all the time

[@eeveecurry]

IS THAT ACTUALLY FROM THAT MANGA’S OVA I need to force my friends to watch it with me I can’t fucking believe this it’s going to haunt me otherwise

[@lightishredgummi]

The constant conflation between shoujo and romance runs SO DEEP that whenever I try to google "shoujo anime," it just gives me romance (if it's not a result from r/shoujo). You know how in google results, it'll highlight the words that are also in your query? It highlights "romance" despite it not being in my query at all!! I will admit that I _am_ primarily hoping to find a romance series when I search for shoujo, but I _specifically_ want _shoujo_ romance! The combination of those TWO things! But because google seems to think they're one and the same, it gives me a bunch of SHONEN romance, which I'm usually trying to avoid because I don't want some of its specific brand of "iffy" to sneak up on me!

[@alexh4522]

"Read girl comics but only to get better at writing boy comics!" Great video, both the analysis of this rhetoric AND the recs list 💯

[@elizabethnutley8841]

I wasn't sure if I'd read 100 shoujo manga, but as things went along, I found I'd read a substantial majority of the english translated ones here, not to mention a good number outside of your list. Shonen though? Rumiko Takahashi's substantial corpus aside, not that much, tbh. Maybe a dozen or so, and rarely having the energy to finish them. I guess there's a reason I follow this channel. ❤ good on you pointing out that "I don't see gender" too often means women's works "mysteriously" vanish from sight.

[@breezie3313]

I have watched this 3 time and playing it a fourth time now and i so love this! I have never actually thought of the interpretation of the comments about shojo in relation to DanDaDan and Berserk in a negative light, i was always thinking "See, shojo is slept on as a demographic and these huge hits understand that shojo has superior emotional depth and depiction of relationships and human interaction!" Now i can see what you mean and i agree it seems more like they are saying that reading shojo taught them walk so they could run by writing shonen... and that feels really icky. I would love to make 10 additonal shojo suggestions: Love Monster by Riko Miyagi, Silver Diamond by Shiho Sugiura, Moon Child by Reiko Shimizu, The Name of the Flower by Saito Ken, Hands Off! by Kasane Katsumoto, Sugar Sugar Rune by Moyoco Anno, Jyu-Oh-Sei by Natsumi Itauki, Cresent Moon by Haruko Iida, Messiah Knight: The Vision of Escaflowne by Yuzuru Yashiro, and Boyfriend by by Fuyumi Soryo

[@kjarakravik4837]

If we're making additional shojo recommendations, I love Full Moon wo Sagashite, that anime had a huge impact on me growing up. The manga is also really good, but it's differently structured than the anime so I would suggest watching the anime first to avoid spoilers and because of the songs.

[@toribanashii]

I think what’s icky in those articles you showed is that Mangaka HAD to read shojo. Like he was kept a gunpoint to do it. It isn't phrased that he enjoys romance and shojo manga, he HAD to read it and write their story. Like, why are you writing romance if you hate it?

[@sarahtachibana1333]

New colleen drops I watch

[@meekachan]

Chihayafuru spotted! I recommend watching the anime as well simply because there is a certain rhythm and musical tone to the way the poems are read. I keep wishing I could read Japanese so I could play! They make it look so fun :)

[@ahumblecookie8997]

you are doing GOD'S WORK putting this video out there! love the descriptions!

[@invisibleCrystal]

This video thrust me back in time to when i was a high schooler waiting for my mom to pick me up by reading shojo in Borders. Girl crossdressing as guys and giving their crushes gay panics, definitely awoke something in me back then... But yeah, it's honestly really condescending how shojo is used as a prop for shonen. "We used this work written for girls as a tool to add depth to this work for boys so now you don't need to bother reading any of that girl stuff!"

[@EvenstarSK]

I am thrilled to see "Th Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All" on your bookshelf :D

[@senselessplace]

I would also like to know just what 100 Shojo were read. I kept expecting to see a list of them. Because how does he know what was read. this also would have taken a long time....

[@kageyukiaru]

the way i was bobbing my head along for 7seeds like yes that's my child!!! 😭 i love this and the skit hehe

[@pyw3823]

Uggh! I now have so many great manga's to read now... Thank you so much, your mini description sold me !❤

[@seeleunit2000]

Of course sexism is very real and everyone who keeps denying it or either oblivious or they're lying their butts off. Shounen gets too much press. Shoujo and Josei manga need way more attention and more anime made

[@richatdastkey3555]

i'm watching this bc i enjoy your content more than for finding manga but your description of D.N. Angel just answered a question i didn't know i'd had for multiple decades...

[@kineticmeow9242]

There is a new D.N. Angel series that started recently in Asuka.

[@pokemongirl5674]

I have either read or touched 34 of these. Many of these (RoV, Angel Sanctuary and Descendants of Darkness) felt so accurate that I was wheezing. I plan on touching/reading the rest eventually when I have to study how paneling is done. (I want my webcomic to feel like a shoujo title in its presentation). I need to get onto Not Your Idol vol 3 as I read the first 2 volumes earlier this year and its sooo good!!!

[@kineticmeow9242]

Try the manga Wolf and Revolver as well!!!

[@rheanneharkness498]

I love "Princess Knight," and that tagline is dead on. Also, yay, "Kodocha" dub rap!! 😂😍

[@noahdor3142]

I was doing laundry while watching this and then had to stop and actually watch the video when you got the list so I could write them all down lol

[@elizabethgottlieb4831]

Did I sit here with my library reading app open checking out every series I haven't read yet? Yes. Yes I did.

[@fullmetalmasify]

Freya's description really is accurate (the one time a blind read got me really invested in something, thank you pretty art). Guess I'm reading Not Your Idol now so thanks for that recommendation. Thankfully most of my backlog has been cleared up (mostly with the shonen I had been reading) so I can go and spend the next month or so trying to get caugut up on Yona of the Dawn's manga (and Basara, that one's been in my backlog for so long that it's ridiculous)

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Not Your Idol just came back from a pretty long hiatus so you won't have to have the insane cliffhanger wait from volumes 2 and 3 like I have lmao

[@kineticmeow9242]

Not Your Idol and Yona of the Dawn are good! Try Wolf and Revolver as well!!!

[@QuynhNguyen-gp4ti]

I'm laugh-crying because Ouke no Monshou or any manga by Arina Tanemura aren't even on the list because OnM was one of the most prominent isekai historian shoujo manga in history (but yeah they keep milking it and it hasn't even ended) and Fullmoon wo Sagashite was once my lifeline lol. Also I really recommend Life by Keiko Suenobu too considering Dandadan did touch on bullying and Life is one of the most "oh wow what the fuck"in a good way manga about bullying ever.

[@kittenclaws5775]

Oh, I've only read 18 of these! Thanks for the list!

[@enneantley7376]

I agree that it's probably the reaction of the people that end up being distasteful rather than the fact itself. Editors having authors read/watch hundreds of other media seems to be common practice in the industry. Another instance of this happening is with Kindergarten Wars author being made to watch western movies for her manga.. which she didn't really like lol. In her interview, she didn't name what movies she watched either, until she was specifically asked, so in this sense, I think that not naming which shoujo Tatsu was made to read doesn't really hold any ill intent. I agree that the audience also should be more open to other genres. As someone who has always liked the more niche genres like comedy/slice of life/4-komas, and ofc as a shoujo fan, it would also be nice to see more anime of these genres come out.

[@almondy24]

I wish i could scream this sentiment from the rooftops. Thank you for putting it so well. I'm so sick and tired of hearing people compliment shounen series - or even series like apothecary dairies or frieren by putting down shoujo series...

[@jerlocks]

I've been waiting for this one

[@myraccoonhands]

I do LOVE Dan Da Dan, but I completely agree with this rationale. I also dislike there is an "almost" instance of sexual assault within the very first episode. (I understand the abduction trope... But... ugh.) Genuinely, it's in my top 10, however... I was equally rubbed the wrong way by this information. Shojo isn't a mere stepping stone-- It's a complete genre of its own. It deserves far more respect than being relegated to a homogenized resource to study as a means to "improve romance" in shonen.

[@meria2082]

I was surprised by the knowledge that the author read 100 shojo as someone who hasn’t read or watched dan da dan. I’ve heard about the treatment of female characters in that series. There’s a panel where momo is unconscious and getting attacked and the angle just lets you see everything under her skirt. Is that really necessary? I might check dan da dan out once i have more time but scenes like that are kinda discouraging me from it

[@pastelcatnip]

It’s such a low bar, but I’m glad it’s displayed as an extremely negative thing in the snow at least… yes, that is depressing that it’s not the norm, but anime seriously has a problem with SA.

[@titoleon3101]

@@myraccoonhands Dandadan is still shonen, though. Sadly, it still uses fanservice and harem tropes.

[@ladysuperherolove]

@@titoleon3101 Not really seeing any harem tropes? Momo does have a "rival" for Okarun (who's extremely uninterested in said rival), but as of the latest episode so does Okarun for Momo, (Momo is also extremely uninterested in the supposed rival), it's pretty typical romcom shenanigans. I'd be curious what you're referring to, I'm not super familiar with harem anime.

[@titoleon3101]

@@ladysuperherolove Im talking from reading the updated manga, but Aira, who wont be changing her schtick anytime soon, isnt the only pretty girl suddenly fawning over Ken or getting intimate with him for some ridiculous reason.

[@katelynbun7320]

The fact that half of these older ones (2000s or earlier) I read WAY too young at my branch library LMAO A dishonorable mention to Hot Gimmick

[@ChelseaFace_]

Thanks for the awesome reading list 🩷🩷🩷

[@LauraAGrace]

This opening skit is EVERYTHING!! Oh my goodness this VIDEO is everything!! I'm happy to have an AMAZING "excuse" to tell people why I can't watch Dandadan (because I have zero desire to watch it) because I haven't read EVERYTHING that is your fave! Nice homework assignment for 2025! 🤭

[@SunMoon6426]

Thanks for the list

[@elektraskittles97]

Oh this is awesome! I want to try and do this 100 shojo challenge. I was having some similar thoughts about the praise Tatsu kept getting, and wanted to read some more shojo myself so I would even be able to tell the difference (I deadass thought "shojo" was an abbreviation of "shonen jump" for a while because I am a little dumb :])

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

100 shoujo challenge!!!

[@kineticmeow9242]

Don’t forget to buy Wolf and Revolver!!!

[@princessjellyfish98]

the real question is did shinzo abe approve of all the gakuen babysitters yaoi between ryuuichi and kamitani

[@Kodocha1740]

i;ve always downplayed how much shoujo i've read growing up and seeing this list really made me realize how much i've read LOL. this channel really makes me feel good about how much i've loved shoujo/josei growing up so thank you for always speaking out about shoujo and spreading the good word of it all :') i hope one day the misconceptions on shoujo or "feminine" media will finally subside

[@hyperklathos]

15:00 I love Mermaid Princess! Also can we throw Beasts of Abigaile in here with a "Werewolf causes Prejudice" also "has fluffy hair!"

[@kineticmeow9242]

Wolf and Revolver is a werewolf manga!

[@colonylaser4860]

I'm surprised you are not including subversive comedy genre (ok, you did include Pataliro... that's always a plus). I'm thinking of Shouwa Ahozoushi Akanuke Ichiban of course, or anything by Azuki Yu for that matter. Gokuraku Seishun Hockey Club does come close to the kind of out of the box twisted characters I love in shoujo manga.

[@kritterkitkat]

I've read and watched Dandadan......but I've only read 63 of these shoujo... am I going to jail?????

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

yes 🚨🚨

[@fredythesamur7186]

What do you think of dandadan?

[@veryyelloo4130]

Honestly pretty much stopped reading or watching shonen. I no longer care. Thanks for pushing me back towards the shojo side reading it makes me so happy Also CHILDREN OF THE WHALES MY BELOVED

[@kineticmeow9242]

Get the manga Wolf and Revolver!!!

[@Djinn_Entonic]

Colleen why you made this. I should be studying for my uni finals and now I have 50 more manga to read

[@kineticmeow9242]

Add the manga Wolf and Revolver to your list to read as well!!!

[@simpforfiction1771]

Everytime one of my friends tells me to watch mainstream shonen for some bs reason like this, I make them name 5 shoujo in the same genre. I always win.

[@dandeliondot]

I know it's not the main point of the video but i got so excited about the list!! Shoujo, give me them all

[@kapilseshasayee3901]

Those descriptions were hilarious, instant sub

[@sghope]

So many amazing series mentioned in this video and so many new ones for me to read!! Loved this video!! 💕

[@wilhelmina3053]

As someone who’s read hundreds and hundreds of shoujo and Josei series I’m So excited that there are some on this list that I Have Not Heard Of!!! Can’t wait to get into them ^^!!

[@Alex_Barbosa]

You sold me on quite a few of these!

[@retroanimemike]

I read 6 of the 100 and am currently reading Sukeban Deka (it's wild!). I'm such a fake fan. I'm even 50 episodes into Akazukin Chacha without having read the manga.

[@Lalaithlen]

Glad to be a fan of some of the list titles, and discovered some new ones

[@jaidenfrost709]

As someone who is not well versed in shojo but is willing to dip my toes in thank you for this. This task may take me many moons but I will try to live up to it

[@PredictableEnigma]

@@jaidenfrost709 Good luck on your journey!

[@kineticmeow9242]

Check out the manga Wolf and Revolver!

[@aworldincolor1331]

I WILL ALWAYS STAN 7 SEEDS!!! I seriously have no idea why its taken so long to get an official English translation, but we should riot! (also the anime sucks)

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

it's 100% because its a long (30 volumes) non romance shoujo

[@nosuperwoman79]

Bravo! I can tell how much work you put into the taglines for all the shoujo recs there. 👏

[@_xiosa]

Nooo I got major flash backs with the opening 😭😭 sitting on the couch with some man and him recommending shounen series. I

[@A-Ni-MeInspired]

I can’t lie, you really did open a third eye for me! Especially as a non-shojou manga reader! And what about Jousei manga though, and I really liked your video.

[@stevesorensen7069]

I am loving your channel, and I feel that the algorithm gave me a great recommendation, but can't wait for more of your work.

[@MamiK00]

This is weirdly vindicating. I like Dandadan, it's actually tied with undead unluck as one of the few jump battle series that feels like it intimately understands the importance of two characters in a romance actually interacting and developing as a duo even if the sexual assault bait scenes are God awful, but the 100 shoujo thing just always grated on me because it just feels like a basic shorthand for the romance not being dogshit for once instead of any real thoughts on in what ways reading shoujo might have influenced the story. For the berserk quote it's at least easy to see it from Griffith's design, but Dandadan's dynamics don't really have anything that's as easy to point at so the fact that we don't even know any of the alleged shoujo in question just feels weirdly aggravating.

[@shuno3350]

I don't feel like Dandadan conceptually has anything to do with shoujo, it's most likely that editor saw concept was almost there, but the character relationships seemed weak. At the core, Dandadan is like revival for 80-90s Japan's fascination with occult. There are some Silent Hill development documentaries out there, and the director talking about the occult is what Dandadan reminds me of. So the "shoujo influence" there is more of the glue holding it together and allowing you to get immersed in the paranormal.

[@titoleon3101]

I agree. Maybe its because I am used to reading shoujo but that quote always rubbed me the wrong way because I dont exactly see it when reading Dandadan because I still see a lot of shonen harem tropes and instances of fanservice.

[@uwu-cx2yc]

​@@shuno3350 The shoujo aspect is imo surprisingly the emphasis on Ken's inner thoughts & feelings of inadequacy + the self-sabotaging withdrawal behaviors early on (which is rare in battle shonen)- very gender-flipped Kimi ni Todoke-esque. Momo later also has that awe/giddy moments & inner thoughts shoujo romance leads tend to have when their love interest does something especially considerate & sweet for them.

[@jennyo.]

I love Dan da Dan and saw the interview and he said "shoujo" manga so I'm my head that meant the females would be 🔥 and that would improve the romance aspect of the story and they are and it did. Tatsu also said that he always wanted to write a shonen with a fem lead. I def would recommend these shoujo manga to everyone and I would also recommend Dan da Dan

[@PredictableEnigma]

@@jennyo. Yes! Let's lift all of these stories up!

[@tamatron22]

As a fan of DanDaDan and soneone who has enjoyed Shoujo, I kinda wished Tatsu would've at least mentioned a few titles too, or maybe authors.

[@eeveecurry]

14:18 I literally fucking screamed WHAT IS THIS WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS IS THAT SHINJI’S VOICE ACTOR WHAT IS GOING ON I DON’T UNDERSTAND Some of these might break my brain a little too much but there are several that I know I’m interested in reading or that I need to finish… Rose King was. A Lot

[@TrackingShots]

This video is like the dream I sometimes have where I’m still in school and I forgot to do my homework, but it’s real life and I have a ton of homework left 😰 Also, love seeing Green Yuri (The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All) in the background!

[@shineefeels]

I know I’ve read 100 but I’d be hard pressed to make an actual list. That said… you missed “Paradise Kiss” and “Honey and Clover” - quintessential art school stories. 10/10’s! Would also recommend “Full Moon wo Sagashite” which is surprisingly gut wrenching for something that looks innocent on the surface. And “A Sign of Affection” for being genuinely wholesome content.

[@breezie3313]

Yay for the day off to watch Colleen😊

[@ets6505]

At my country there aren't many recent shoujo manga licenses, so I rely a lot on scans. Recently I've been devastated with the few translated chapters online of "I see your face turned away" because I want more but i can't have 😭😭😭😭

[@uwu-cx2yc]

I'd say the earliest more shoujo-adjacent aspect of Dandadan is the way Okarun's arc is genderflipped Kimi Ni Todoke (ie the inner monologues on his inadequacy, the social self-sabotage via spiraling catastrophizing thoughts & the physical withdrawal...). The wholesome moments amidst the low hanging fruit jokes also feel very down-to-earth & tender in shoujo-like ways. & at least 2 of the main cast girls are fans of dark fantasy shojo with forbidden human-"demon" romance (Aira) & the raunchier vampire shojos (a much later character) lol. & I gotta say the standards are beneath the ground so it's so bad that I (a girl) find it refreshing that the Dandadan's main cast teenage boys never even make dirty comments about/stare on any girls' b00bs or other body parts (I know one such comment in DDD but it's a single word & the speaker is closing his eyes), to the point that they only make one quip each about how oddly young the grandma looks but quickly move on, & later only talk about how badass the grandma is and how they aspire to be cool like her- never a single dirty comment or pervy glance at her even while the camera does fanservice angles. Okarun in general grows to be actively considerate, & one guy later pre-emptively helps to keep a girl decent by lending her his pants to prevent upskirting. It's just such a prevalent trope to have horndog main male characters pointlessly prolong the male gaze that when it's not there in a battle shonen with 3 instances of sx predators as threats (all of which are deposed) & dirty jokes it's surprising.

[@crystallewis5902]

I kept score along with your recommendations: I've read at least to the halfway point (most I've completed) of 30 series on this list, read a few volumes of another 10 series, and haven't read but watched the anime adaptations of another 9 series. So altogether, I've read/watched 49 of the series on this list (but of course, I've read and watched many others that weren't included). Some of my favorites that weren't mentioned are Bokura Ga Ita (We Were There), Daytime Shooting Star, Drowning Love, and Io Sakisaka's series. Although it's not one of my absolute favorites, Marmalade Boy is another classic series worthy of mentioning.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Was going to put Drowning Love on the list at first but some had to be changed around because I couldn't think of good taglines lol

[@lizzychurro7701]

Another banger video as always Colleen

[@HiBuddyyyyyy]

Black Bird was in my secondary school library and I ended up reading all of it as they didn’t have much choice of series to choose from. (Like even when they ordered more stuff in and encouraged people to read it more it still wasn’t that much really.) My mum thought it was really weird. I did not at the time. But I get it now.

[@andresfelipemanjarres7061]

Is funny because when i hear that "quote" it was 100 romance manga, i never even asume it was shojo, in fact i have read through the years a lot of those mangas or watch the anime of the list, some of them i didnt knew they where Shojo. But coming back to the quote, at the time i saw it as a very positive improvement because in the battle Shonen space, that im more familiar about, the romance is usually unexisting or very poorly manage, and especially the female character usually are use as tool to develop the main male characters and romance being either toxic or out of nowhere just to have a vanilla "happy ending". And at the very least i like what Tatsu has made with Dandadan, where he have also made very public that he wanted Momo (the female main character) to be the sole main protagonist but when he presented that to the editor he was rejected because that "wouldnt work in a genre for young boys" so he create Okarun (the male protagonist), but everybody that have seen the show instatly notice that Momo IS the main protagonist, she move the plot more than anybody, she has chemistry with every character and is super well written, and more importan to this topic her romance with okarun is an amazing slow burn that make sense and has a lot of thropes of romance manga but always in a mature and logical way (it never gets Rent a girlfriend levels of terribleness). Anyway, it sad that the industry treat Shojo with that level of disrespect and i will read lot of book of this list because like i think you should read something because is it interests you, not because it is arbitrarily assigned a denotation based on your gender or your age.

[@katc3234]

Somebody else loves D.N.Angel?!?!?! I'm not the only one with a soft spot for this dorky little series?!?! Also Petshop of Horrors. God, I haven't read that in years. I wanted to be Count D so bad when I grew up. Also, all my love to WJuliet and Koucha Ouji/Prince of Tea - two other shojo that didn't make the cut for this video. I'm not usually a big one for romance, but both of those are slow enough burns that I kind of adore them.

[@katc3234]

Also, this is the video that made me look up Ranma 1/2 and realize that it's not actually shojo. Totally my bad. I don't know why I always classed it that way in my head.

[@pandax9949]

Actually it always upsets me when people keep including Rumiko Takahashi's works into the shojo category when she's one of the female mangaka who has never been published in any shojo magazine. Her nickname is "the queen of shonen" even if she also made a few seinen. Don't take it personal though, I just wanted to rant a little.

[@shuno3350]

D.N.Angel and Petshop of Horrors were what I grew up on haha. I always associated Leon with Leon S. Kennedy so in my dumb teen mind it felt like they were kind of connected.

[@SariaSchala]

If I can add Alice 19th as a rec, allow me to summarize it like Colleen does: "What if Stranger Things was a magical girl show?"

[@Y2Kikii]

Crimson hero mention??! I loved that manga! I wanted to be a volleyball player for my hs so bad but I was too shy and awkward. So I lived vicariously thru that series

[@harpy5629]

10/10 fashion in this episode. and the HAIR omg.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

oh why thank you