I Forced Myself to Read Shoujo Manga

You thought I could only talk about manga targeted at teenage boys?
○ Written Review:
docs.google.com/document/d/1j...
○ My Art Accounts:
/ ninjamushiart
/ ninjamushi
○ Plain ol' Twitter:
/ ninjamushi_
○ My anime/manga databases:
anilist.co/user/ninjamushi/
myanimelist.net/profile/NinjaM... (out of date)
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
○ Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
1:13 - Kimi ni Todoke
5:29 - A Sign of Affection
10:08 - Yona of the Dawn
14:37 - Sailor Moon
17:54 - Fruits Basket
22:35 - And that's it!
○ Sources:
Hirohiko Araki, Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga, 53
○ Music:
#manga #anime #shoujo

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you for all the love and support in the comments for this video! I'm happy that you all seem to have really enjoyed seeing me explore shojo for the first time. I may not reply to every comment but I read all of them and am making note of all your recommendations. Feel free to keep giving me more shojo you think are worth checking out! :)

[@amygalindez8529]

Hey there! You can try watch magic knights rayearth ❤

[@bituinl]

The wallflower, Princess tutu, I heard Nana was good too, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Snow white with the red hair, Kodocha, Cardcaptor Sakura, Gakuen Babysitters, Ouran Koukou Host Club, Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon Kyoudai, My love story, I’m the vileness so I’m taming the final boss. Good reads. I mostly read Korean comics so that’s all I’ve got.

[@bituinl]

Oh yeah there is also Higeki no Genkyou tonaru Saikyou Gedou Rasubosu Joou wa Tami no Tame ni Tsukushimasu, Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!, and The One Within the Villainess are pretty great shojo mangas as well

[@DariaElGrellPozina]

"Pacing is too slow"- my man, you will never know the pain of a teenage girl at the beginning of 2000s reading 15+ volumes of manga FOR A SINGLE KISS IF THAT because all the available series we could find were like that 😂

[@carlanash1129]

I waited for 2 years , and still was so impatient

[@m1lkbiscuit]

Skip beat fans still waiting with half a foot in the grave

[@sonickhable]

I'm a simple man. I see yona, i click

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thanks for clicking 👏

[@elyon_moon]

YES. maybe we will get season 2 adapted 😭

[@titheproven954]

@@elyon_moon I will donate to this

[@theloverofnothing7120]

Same. A woman tho but same

[@mayraalejandragonzalezeraz5886]

I'm a woman and I also did it

[@KaiseaWings]

People seem to finally be discovering Yona. The growth of Yona is such a great thing to see. Unfortunately the story gets much better right where the anime ended, when all the dragons are together and they start focusing on the politics more. It's not bad in the beginning! Just a little more formulaic. Su Won is also a more complex character than he initially appears.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I remember when the anime came out and being caught between two friends arguing over if Yona was good or not. During that time, I didn't think much of it, but it kinda put me off. Though my girlfriend ended up being a big fan of Yona, so I knew I had to check it out at some point. I'm glad I did too! Very excited to read more

[@thinguyenhoang5004]

Try Red River . It’s similar, but the girl is send back decade later from modern Japan and she is not weak kind

[@witchqueen1296]

@@thinguyenhoang5004 is it a manga or an anime?

[@thinguyenhoang5004]

@@witchqueen1296 it’s a manga. It’s old, but classic. They tried to make a live action but I think it’s bad. I like it much better than Yona, I Reread it 3 times. I can’t finish Yona, it’s take so much time. Red River is quick , to the point, kinda realistic, harem for Yuri (MC), slight smut, and she actually stand up for others and working hard to help the poor. She is not a princess or anyone just normal teen Japanese girl

[@licas3214]

​@@NINJAMUSHI you should try to read Kamisama hajimemashita it interesting too

[@ashleypenn7845]

Yona is one of the best-written female characters I've ever encountered. Whenever people talk about what an ideal female lead in an action/fantasy story should be... Yona is the one I always point to.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

that is very fair! I am excited to see where her character goes from here!

[@leoniek6351]

The strongest character development would have to go to 12 Kingdoms, but Yona is pretty good as well. That one moment of her with the bow (you know what I'm talking about) was a very nice change of pace.

[@ashleypenn7845]

@@leoniek6351 I'm not familiar with 12 Kingdoms. I'll have to look into it.

[@Ash_Wen-li]

@@ashleypenn7845 It's based on a book series not manga but it has multiple very well developed female characters

[@witchqueen1296]

I actually based some of the traits of the main female character of my novel on Yona. I wanted Saoirse to be like her. OwO

[@PinkNymphetamine22]

Shoujo/Josei really is just as versatile as shounen tbh. Wish it wasn't so discriminated against on the basis of demographic, there's gems like Prince Freya, Ooku The Inner Chambers, Burn the House Down, Something's Wrong with Us, Yuria's Red String, Children of the Whales, Basara... there's a lot of diverse things to be read if you're willing to try.

[@Tea_princess]

Ooku is such a great example for how diverse shoujo/josei can be. I absolutely loved the anime and started reading the manga ❤

[@shyguy5473]

Watched the live action for Burn the House Down. It's actually pretty decent.

[@meimeioma5477]

That’s so true! I just discovered a psychological shoujo manga called Top Secret which involves murders and scanning victims brains for memories to solve crimes and about invading the victims privacy seeing as they can view a few years worth of memories and such. It sounds really good and definitely going to check it out! Edit: I should have given a twigger warning for gore for the shoujo I recommended lol

[@AnnePackrat]

It’s interesting that you mention Beserk in your Yona segment as the Beserk mangaka was a huge fan of Yona and even created art of the characters to promote the manga.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I forgot about that! That's super rad!

[@WoodwindBuddies]

Miura also went on record to say that Berserk took a lot of inspo from shoujo (specifically Rose of Versailles)

[@melancholicotaku]

Shoujo is a demographic that I haven’t had that most experienced with,besides Fruits Basket, so taking a chance and reading stories like Nana,Honey Lemon Soda,Orange and especially Yona of the Dawn has made realize how special manga can be.

[@carlanash1129]

Nana is not shoujo, I think is seinen

[@thinking_of_username_lol]

@@carlanash1129 I remember it being josei a.k.a for adult women --- tho u were close

[@saraha.3057]

​@@carlanash1129No. Nana is published in the Cookie magazine under Shueisha. It's a shojo/josei title.

[@az639]

Honey Lemon Soda needs to get an anime.

[@Yona550]

@@carlanash1129your right is not a shoujo it’s a Josei it’s for older woman

[@nyankitocat]

Melts my heart when people love yona of the dawn. Personally love how the creator takes her time writing the love between yona and hak, and not her jumping from su-won to hak instantly, and its amazing how yona grow as a person

[@nyankitocat]

Like I could go into crazy depths about yona of the dawn, that even as certain things come out in the plot it wasn't out of no where and there were hints of it through the manga and in special chapters

[@laurenmellen654]

I came for Yona and was not dissapointed. I'm so happy there's a new fan jumping on the bandwagon. Yona's fanom may not be the biggest, but we are devout and growing!!!

[@NINJAMUSHI]

heck yeah! I remember when the anime came out and it felt like a very small series at the time. Seems like more people have been really enjoying it these days!

[@sophisticatedtwat9160]

Fruits Basket doesn't have romance as a focus, that's true. And Natsuki Takaya knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote Tohru Honda that way. Btw, if you look for new Fruits Basket art she did, it's gorgeous ❤

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I will continue to read it and see how I feel! That said, I was really enjoying it by the time I finished volume 3

[@lexi6878]

the way the love triangle is resolved still feels far more realistic and mature than almost anything else i've seen in the genre, and it's stuck with me over the years because of that. fruits basket is about intimacy in all its forms, and while that obviously includes romance it's hardly the only one in a story with a sprawling cast of characters with tons of complex connections.

[@moroam]

I’m a giant magical girl fan but I didn’t used to be. I think its just because it reminds me of being a young girl and wanting to be magic, so it has a lot of meaning to me. Girlhood, embraces femininity, empowering, etc. I can see why you weren’t into it because you aren’t a young girl, but it definitely is very important to being a girl for me Edit: also FRIENDSHIP!!!!! There is so much friendship in mahou shojou

[@NINJAMUSHI]

and that makes a lot of sense to me, even if I'm not looking for those exact things myself! I'm happy there exists a genre tailor-made for you :)

[@alaas850]

Yona of the Dawn is a banger, it gets so much better exploring ALL the characters in more detail with even a redemption arc for lots safe to say Im glad you've decided to continue reading it because its best is yet to come beyond the 3rd Vol. Thank you for convincing me to reread it again for the 20th time

[@NINJAMUSHI]

That's good to know, I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy it!

[@wormskink]

i'm a big big shoujo fan so i will admit the title and thumbnail made me really skeptical and hesitant to engage with this (it's super common for people to be incredibly derisive towards the shoujosei demographic, or really anything targeted towards a female audience) but i ended up ready the written review in the description and I was pleasantly surprised by the tone! I'm glad you were able to find shoujo series you enjoyed (or give a shot to one you weren't that into) and I hope you can find more series you like! the comments look full of really great recs so i'll skip adding any here lol. but we can all look forward to the upcoming sign of affection anime too :D!

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I'm glad my video/script was able to be a pleasant surprise! I know the video is framed in a way that could be negative, but I really think more people should force themselves to try new things and to be open-minded! I'm glad it worked out for me! And, yes, let's hope that adaptation turns out well!

[@cereal_21]

this was a great video, I'm a huge shoujo fan and I think a lot of people who don't really read the demographic tend to be apprehensive towards it or look down on it. you were super respectful and I loved how open-minded you were. A Sign of Affection is one of my favorites, I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear that! I tried to push a little out of my comfort zone, and I think it paid off!

[@mayraalejandragonzalezeraz5886]

Me too I really think that shojo is a democratic with great stories. Also there are so many of them that deserve an anime adaptation of continuation of their animes. Like for example Yona of the dawn is my favorite shojo manga and if it have new seasons of his anime it could be one of the top 10 best animes.

[@angelayoung6635]

As someone who enjoys shoujo, Yona has always been my go-to recommendation for people who haven't tried the genre because it's so full of badassery and action while encapturing the charm of shoujo in its character development and emotional focus. That being said, I think some other shoujo worth checking out is Ouran High School Host Club and Skip Beat. They're both older manga with dated styleds, but I think Ouran is worth trying to explore the comedic style of shoujo (even if it's not to your taste) and another classic staple of the genre. On the other hand, I recommend Skip Beat for it's beautiful crafting of a female lead. The main character is a badass who experiences so much growth throughout the series and she develops a beautiful relationship with her rival. The focus on romance is minimal, instead the story centers around the mc's journey to pursue a dream that started from spite for her ex into genuine enjoyment and aspirations for a career in acting. It's a long series that is actually older than me (lol) but when I read it, I was so engaged that I tried to binge it all at once.

[@storiax9331]

Skip beat is how I lure my big brother into the shojo genre. 😂

[@Zivilin]

Magic Knight Rayearth is my go to shojo recommendation.

[@francescawhite4166]

As someone whose favorite series is fruits basket, it starts off really fun but by about the halfway point to the end it becomes a straight up masterpiece. It takes a little while but the series really matures as it goes. Like, id say the beginning of the series feels like it's for tweens, and the end for young adults. I just found this video and i hope when you finish the series you're able to update your feelings on it on the channel!

[@kachokako]

Agree. The story goes unexpected, so different from its first impression. I like that each character mature in its own "imperfect" way and their own pace. How each found their dark sides, and journey to find their lights. all grown in their own way. Please continue to read fruits basket. Yona is great as well. If I may suggest another, try to read "kare kano" manga. It's great as well.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I dunno why but your comment got filtered as spam. But yes, I will be continuing those! I did read maybe 6 or 7 volumes of Kare Kano years ago, but never finished it. The anime has been one of my favorites since I watched it nearly a decade ago!

[@smilingchesire5445]

@@NINJAMUSHI Tohru development is very interesting in the manga,I won't spoil for you but please continue to read it,accepting even the dark parts of the person you love even when that sacres you is one of the central themes of the manga and we will see her dark parts too

[@Raionmimi]

Basara is one of my fave shoujo of all time! If you liked Yona, you might enjoy it! It's extremely old and the art can be wonky, but the story telling is so amazing all things considered But I think Torhu being so squeaky clean is in line with her innate selfish desire to not be abandoned as both of her parents died, so she tries to be helpful to everyone around her. It's like a self defense mechanism. However, as she helps the Sohma family, they give back in droves, and she can learn to accept that she doesn't need to give everything away as if love is a conditional matter. It's got a good balance of comedy, drama, and romance imo

[@graceisNERD]

So happy to see a Basara mention! Honestly one of my favorite shoujo of all time!

[@peterdisabella2156]

Natsumes book of friends and Kamisama Kiss were two of my favorites. Definitely worth checking out.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Always have heard great things about them! Will check them out!

[@theloverofnothing7120]

Kamisama kiss is a soul healer

[@kjarakravik4837]

​@@NINJAMUSHI And as far as I remember Kamisama Kiss was more fast passed

[@kamuyking551]

also also, Fruits Basket gets so good... even in just three volumes, you can tell the story is going places with the groundwork it's laying. ultimately, while Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo look like a love triangle from the outside looking in, this is more about how Tohru has the ability to heal their familial relationship to one another, which wasn't ever really in a good place to begin with. the more you learn about Yuki and Kyo, the more you realize that they're both people who have felt rejected in a lot of subtle ways by the people around them... and especially the people who were supposed to love them most. they've coped in very opposite ways... Yuki is drawn into the noxious high standards of the Sohma family in such a way where he feels constantly scrutinized. he suffers under the anxiety of this sort of familial panopticon, to the point where he doesn't see himself as having an identity of his own. meanwhile Kyo was rejected by the family, and the reasoning was never based on anything he actually did. he can't do anything to change it... he can't control it. so learned to reject them back, as a way of protecting himself from the pain of dashed hopes. Tohru grew up with a loving mother, and learned how to love the right way, because she had that experience. that's why the greatest pain for her, comes from missing this. it's a hole carved into the middle of her world, but the one way that she knows how to keep her mother's memory alive, is to be everything she remembers having loved about her. she's the missing piece that a lot of the people in this story desperately need. but Tohru's biggest flaw is that she can't take the world onto her shoulders and expect to hold up. and when she needs help, the people around her also need to be given the opportunity to rise to the occasion, and support her back. it's a way for them to self improve, but for that to happen, she needs to stop masking her pain. it's a really well constructed dynamic... it's delicate, and complicated, but very genuinely heartfelt. Fruits Basket is about found family first, any romance that may spring from that is more of a byproduct... and the main romantic question on the table is, which boy will become strong enough to walk forward in life independently, and which will become strong enough to stand next to her in an equal partnership that will be healthy for the both of them.

[@raspberrycream]

If you're looking for more shoujo recommendations, the Colleen's Manga Recs channel here on yt has a lot of shoujo reviews and "trope history" stuff, as well as a few "the shonen jump to shoujo" videos featuring specific recs for "I liked x popular shonen"

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Someone had mentioned her channel to me on AniList. I'll have to check her videos out sometime

[@nataliaalonzo580]

Yes I love Colleen! And I think she’s amazing for making videos bringing more awareness to shojosei stories

[@starlightveronica1873]

You might also take a look at the josei demographic, which has so much overlap with shojo that I don't bother distinguishing them. If you did, this would lead you to Chihayafuru, which would be a very good thing.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I've seen it around for so many years and wanted to give it a shot, but never have. Maybe sometime soon!

[@danamytereads5304]

I'm so glad you specified that shoujo is a demographic and not a genre. SO many people think of shoujo as romance. And while there is a lot of romance, that's not all it is. Yona has 40 volumes and the anime only covers 8. So there is so much more content! If you think Yona is good now, just you wait! 😁 I'm so glad you liked A Sign of Affection! It's so cute! Another manga I'd recommend with a disabled character is Perfect World. It's 12 volumes and a complete series, so that's always nice going in! I've seen others recommend Natsume's Book of Friends and Kamisama Kiss, others I'd recommend would be My Happy Marriage, Snow White with the Red Hair, Ooku, Queens Quality, and for an older shoujo....Basara! Basara is a great story! But for me personally, the art style hasn't held up as well. Don't get me wrong, the art is great, just not my style. Definitely worth the read though!!

[@gnocchi5326]

a lot of girls and women read shoujo to see main heroines grow into better people with the cards they have been dealt with, which is usually followed by heartwarming commentary on importance of friendship, family and love and respect for oneself. must be why it is so sad how in the west shoujo existed under the "romance trash for 14yo" umbrella for so long. I hope at least one person would feel inspired by this video to give shoujo manga a chance and will approach it with an open mind. Also, thank you for interesting recommendations, Yona seems like a very interesting story, will be curious to read it myself

[@indiegamerred553]

I would give Sailor moon a second chance as the manga gets better after the early chapters. If you still don't enjoy Sailor moon, then I highly suggest you read Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth. As I found that guys who aren't into Sailor moon, tend to love these other two. I'm telling you this as a man who is a huge fan of the magical girl genre, which series I have gotten other guys to read or watch. By the way since we are talking about shojo manga, check out Maid Sama and Snow White with the Red Hair. I think you will like them.

[@karentorresalfaro3371]

And "Princess Tutu" too, btw you have pretty good taste 😊

[@indiegamerred553]

@karentorresalfaro3371 thanks. Princess tutu, is a very special magical girl anime and I wish more people would watch it.

[@user-jn4fx7fq3f]

@@karentorresalfaro3371 Princess Tutu is amazing! But not manga. Manga adaptation is pretty garbage.

[@karentorresalfaro3371]

@@user-jn4fx7fq3f yeah, the manga was used for the concept and a little bit of the personalities but the real deal is the anime.

[@irisblack9729]

I grew up on fruits basket and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. If there's one thing I had to complain about as far as the anime goes, it would be that the opening theme doesn't set the tone as well as the one from the 2001 anime. If you end up watching the new anime and not watching the old one, I would recommend listening to the song. The lyrics are very reminiscent of Tohru's personality and the overall vibe is very hopeful despite the underlying sad tones.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I've enjoyed it a lot so far! hoping that it continues to be an enjoyable read/watch!

[@kjarakravik4837]

The newer anime also felt a bit more sterile to me or like it had less personality, but maybe that makes getting into it easier for newer fans

[@hime5727]

I'm personally recommending Prince Freya, which is similar to Yona of the Dawn in the sense of having a female protagonist who starts out weak, whiny, and dependent on the male leads, but grows into a strong person eventually. It also has good action and shocking scenes!

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thanks for the recommendation!!

[@drezhb]

Another one in this theme is 12 kingdoms. There are 3 female characters all with very good character development

[@kjarakravik4837]

​@@drezhbthe fourth novel was amazing for the development of all the girls and you can read it as a standalone or as a sequel to the first one

[@nevaladder]

Skip Beat is the title that changed my mind about what shoujo can be. Can't recommend it highly enough. I've avoided shoujo in the past because of the well-known tropes of meek/passive leads and stories that luve and die by the romantic relationships. Skip Beat introduced to me a lead that I could not only root for and look up to, but a story that tells it's readers to find their own value and develop themselves. Because when you lose everything and everyone, you still have to live with yourself.

[@karentorresalfaro3371]

15:08 for people who don’t exactly like magical girl fro this kind of things I can't stop sugesting jewels like "Princess Tutu" the anime, it has the escence of magical girl but suberts the trope without breaking out of it, the characters are the most important thing and even if you hate them at the start you can't help but love them at the end, this has more dept that ehat it appears and the second season is like the creators looked at the fisrt season, got to celebrate how good it was and came back for the second season saying "we can do so much better than this", watch it and you will not regret it, is only two seasons and it will be worth it.

[@Becca11389]

Agreed. Princess Tutu is so flipping good

[@nataliaalonzo580]

It makes me happy to see people trying out shoujo who otherwise would never know these types of stories. Fruits Basket was the kind of story that shaped my adolescence and kept me company through those gray high school days. When I pitch it to friends, I tell them it’s a story about loneliness and about growing up and accepting change, even when it hurts.

[@RaisinEnjoyer]

After a long day of watching baki, I sometimes wanna sit down and enjoy something like kimi ni todoke

[@JenPeis]

Yona of the dawn is my favorite manga and I’ve been collecting the volumes for a while. Another shojo I can recommend that often gets compared to yona is Snow White with the red hair. The main female has a much stronger character which makes her interesting and another thing is that she doesn’t always rely on males to support her. It’s a great story for female empowerment

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thanks for the rec!

[@annafirnen4815]

2 of my absolute faves! Red head girls rule❤

[@hi5the31s3]

As a Snow White with the red hair fan of 6 years, It’s been insane seeing how far the manga has gotten. It keeps getting better and better. I couldn’t recommend it more! I literally searched the comments to see if any AnS fans were lurking about!

[@JenPeis]

@@hi5the31s3 I actually just started reading the manga! I’ve only seen the anime (and I’m absolutely obsessed) but when I heard there’s more in the manga I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. It’s so underrated.

[@hi5the31s3]

@@JenPeis It’s amazing and plus the manga is ongoing. It’s unfortunately underrated but has gotten much more popular in Japan. Hoping for a third season.🤞I love how it’s become my favourite ever manga/Anime and I’ve made so many friends because of it🥰

[@kriamt27]

Fruits Basket will really surprise and the tone will change a lot you as you get more into it.. the 2019 anime adaptation is excellent. The original version was nice when it came out but it has some issues since the manga hadn't been finished when it was made. Yona is better in manga form but I suggest continuing that too.. it lags a little bit here and there but overall is super great.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I don't expect the original Fruits Basket's anime to be great or anything, but I am curious about it!

[@kamuyking551]

my big recommendation when it comes to shojo manga will always be Skip Beat! I just love the main character so much, she's so fun... the basic premise is that Kyoko Mogami follows her childhood friend/crush when he moves from their small town to the big city, to pursue launching his singing career. while he's trying to get that off the ground, Kyoko is in charge of working minimum wage jobs to support the both of them, since he isn't making any money at the time. Kyoko does this until one day, when she tries to drop off a lunch for him, she overhears him telling his new manager that once he debuts, he's going to send her back to their hometown. he basically sees her more as a caretaker than even a friend... someone that he's using to support his financial needs until he can pivot into a life of luxury and stardom... he doesn't care about her beyond that at all. so Kyoko's selfless efforts, and admiration of him, are trampled in an instant, and she finds this absolutely infuriating. but when she tries to confront him, he basically cuts her out right then and there, and becomes untouchable to her. as of now, he'll be a recognized celebrity, and she's a nobody. from here, Kyoko realizes that if she ever wants to drag this horrible man off of his pedestal, she's going to have to enter his world, the world of show business, and take him down in his own arena. but more than being about a straightforward revenge mission, this is about our main character learning to regain her confidence and sense of self worth, and get over some pretty hefty trust issues, after someone she cared about treated her as disposable goods. she'd been centering her whole life around him, and now that this has been ripped away, she has to figure out what she actually wants, and who she really is. there are further complications past that, but this is the elevator pitch. and really, the biggest selling point is that Kyoko absolutely steals every scene she's in, this girl is a blast, and it makes her childhood friend guy feel like even more of a jerk as you watch her and see how amazing she is. she's funny, tenacious, she can stick her foot in her mouth sometimes, but her honesty makes her likable... she has personality flaws, but watching her work on them is really entertaining, and she just makes the whole plot work. so yeah... that's my endorsement.

[@user-jn4fx7fq3f]

Both Oniisama-e and The Rose of Versailles are a old time classics. I've only watched anime adaptations but haven't heard anything but good about sourse materials.

[@adorabell4253]

The first one needs to be mentioned with a bunch of trigger warnings.

[@user-jn4fx7fq3f]

@@adorabell4253 As a every good shoujo

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Yeah, maybe a good idea for other people. Luckily, for myself, pretty much nothing can trigger me in a story

[@WoodwindBuddies]

It’s really long (182 chapters if you count the 4 chapter long sequel/epilogue manga), but 7 Seeds is about a few groups of teens/preteens who were living life and minding their own business and now have to survive a post apocalyptic wasteland full of giant things trying to kill them.

[@hotteoki4498]

Jumping into to double recommend this one. I saw he has been recommended Basara a bunch and it's by the same author. Basara and 7 Seeds are the only manga I own entirely in Japanese-that good.

[@DT_Perigee]

Don't Call It Mystery is the hot new shoujo/josei this year. You probably get plenty of manga recommendations, but keep this one on your radar.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

will keep it in mind!

[@DekaNovelist]

Yona of the Dawn is my favorite Shojo Manga as well as the Best Shojo in my opinion. It such a great story and characters including the Female MC who went through an incredible character development.

[@Katt1721]

You could very much go either way with Fruits Basket reading or watching the 2019 adaptation. The anime is fairly faithful aside from some modern updates (character designs, the handling of a certain character that appears later on, Shigure & others don't smoke, etc...) and some streamlining/shaving a few things down in the last third. I've been a fan of the manga for a long time and also loved the remake. And if you already enjoyed Vol 1-3, I would definitely agree to keep going with Yona. I was always pretty invested in the story and Yona herself, but I feel like the author especially found her stride once she moved past her equivalent of an "East Blue" saga, for lack of a more universal comparison haha. And like any 40+ volume manga, it's also really interesting to see how her tendencies as an author and what she focuses on, how she handles certain storylines, or just her art in general shift as the years go by. If you're looking for any other random shojo/josei recommendations, here's six off the top of my head that seem different enough & are accessible: - Burn the House Down (thriller, 8 Vols) - Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey (semi-autobiographical, 5 Vols) - Wake-Up Sleeping Beauty (drama-romance, 6 Vols) - Last Game (college rom-com, 11 Vols) - Lovely Complex (HS rom-com, 17 Vols) - In the Clear Moonlit Dusk (HS romance, ongoing)

[@DariaElGrellPozina]

Yona is such a banger, RightStuf has recently had a sale so I got like 25 volumes and I'm already halfway THE PLOT AND THE MYSTERIES ARE SOO GOOD. I've also seen some pages of the current publishing chapters and I NEED TO KNOW

[@annafirnen4815]

I haven't read Fruits Basket but watched the 2019 adaptation. And oh my, the way I thought I'm gonna watch sweet cute shojo and got absolutely emotionally obliterated. But also it healed something in me that needed it. I absolutely recommend continuing it, it gets so deep, especially about dealing with traumas. Prepare for a ride! And Yona of the Dawn is a masterpiece. I went from hating her character to being the biggest "YONA SUPREMACY" promoter. I just love the character development and the story crafted.

[@yasikins6646]

Fruits Basket is my favorite shoujo of all time. It’s a slow burn kind of story but yes I love that it doesn’t so much focus on romance but instead the development of the characters and their lives. I highly recommend you read the entire manga to get the full story. When it comes to the anime, the 2001 version takes the story to a more comedy-driven road and the author herself does not like the adaptation. Not to say you shouldn’t watch it, it’s just has different choices. The newer 2019 version is much more true to the story and the author was heavily involved in the production. The only thing that sucks is season 3 is cut down to 13 episodes and that’s because covid messed with the production of the season. But it’s still a great adaptation! Fruits Basket has such a satisfying ending.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I will be sure to finish reading it sometime soon and will hopefully watch the anime with my girlfriend!

[@abbyrose1868]

I think you needed a comedy/romance shoujo in the list. Lovely Complex would have been great! I also love skip beat, another classic revenge story, but it is long as hell and the art has definitely aged 😅

[@daniellebourret4685]

It’s great that you’re branching out and trying a different genre/demographic. Many people miss out on amazing stories because they figure certain genres could never interest them. Shoujo has a lot of stereotypical romance troping mangas but it also has a lot of brilliant, big story building, epic mangas as well. Quite a number of stories don’t even focus much on romance.

[@AnnaMno1]

I agree that pointless love rivals are an annoying trope you unfortunetly just have to deal with in alot of things with a romance genre or tag. Though in saying that I once read a story where two 'love rivals' are the ones who actually end up with each other instead. In regards to Fruits Basket the Tohru's personality is something some people do genuenly deal with where you treat other people as more important than yourself, and it's not a healthy mindset. Fruits Basket understands this and does in fact treat as the flaw that it is. She is that 'too nice' trope done right, because it's not glorified or ignored, it does get addressed. Just give it time, the story is a slow build but really great. One of my top Shoujo Manga reconmendations that to me is right up there with Fruits Basket for different reasons is Snow White with Red Hair. The similarity to Snow White is only really at the start, it then becomes it's own unque story that I absoulty love

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Yeah, love rivals do kinda feel like just something you kinda have to take with a lot of romances, shojo or not. Ah well. I'll just copy and paste what I replied to another comment about the whole "flaws" thing: As far as the whole conversation about flaws go: I understand what you're saying and I think I should have been more clear in my meaning. When I say a character is squeaky clean or has no notable flaws, I more so mean in terms of morals, values, or even personality traits. Overall, Sawako and Tohru are both very, very good people with exceedingly kind natures. Sawako, for instance, doesn't really blame others for her lack of friends nor does she express any sort of gross jealousy-she is just a sweet, social awkward girl that has no friends. Even when someone berates her to her face, she takes it in some weirdly positive way. She has flaws, yes, but those flaws are not negatives that harm those around her. In that sense, she is a pure person. Neither character would ever hurt a fly, ya know? Their character flaws are more introspective and internal, I would say. I'll be more deliberate in my use of the word flaw to avoid this kind of confusion in the future!

[@mabithebard]

I have a specific interest in the 1970s era of shoujo manga, I even have a hobby of collecting vintage 70s prints of those manga, and recommend checking some of it out. If you think shoujo manga is overshadowed by shounen manga now(which it still is), shoujo manga was practically not taken seriously *at all* pre-70s, it was mainly targeted towards little girls rather than pubescent girls and almost all written by men, typically as a starting point in the industry with the intention to move onto making "real manga" later, and consisted of a lot of simplistic stories in comparison to male-targeted manga and as you would guess was based around what adult men thought little girls would enjoy reading at the time. It was seen as a childish and worthless type of manga, but the 70s was basically a shoujo manga revolution that changed everything(if we're getting technical, changes started in the 60s that led way to the full blown shoujo revolution of the 70s), it became a female-dominated demographic, the target audience started to be pubescent girls, and darker and more complex and innovative stories were popping up more and more, sometimes even introducing things that weren't common or even existent in manga as a whole. For example 70s shoujo manga was basically the birth of queer manga - the first gay romance manga, first lesbian romance manga, and first manga about a transgender person all came from the 70s shoujo manga revolution. Definitely the most iconic manga to come from that era was The Rose of Versailles, a historical drama with feminist and lgbt themes that follows a woman named Oscar who was raised as a man to be the commander of the Royal Guard during the reign of Marie Antionette, and her struggles with love, gender identity, and her wavering loyalty to the royal family and growing sympathy towards the commoners, as the French Revolution inches closer. This manga was the first ever shoujo manga to be a mass critical success, it was a **HUGE** deal when it was releasing and is still a huge deal today, and since the 70s there have been many musical adaptations of it by the all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe and became their most well-known and famous show(the musicals are a big part of the series' fame as a whole, it's not just famous for the manga and anime but the musicals are culturally iconic in and of themselves). This manga was such a big deal at the time that there was reportedly even one point when Japanese teachers were forced to suspend class because all the girls were in tears from the latest chapter. It also contributed so much to interest in French culture and history that the French Embassy awarded the mangaka the Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit, in 2008. It's one of the most influential manga ever and even influenced popular male-demographic series such as Berserk(which was influenced by other 70s shoujo as well such as Song of the Wind and Trees). Though it has a bit of a slow start, it really is a masterpiece and extremely beautiful manga, definitely recommend.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Very cool information. Thanks for sharing!! I really would love to learn more about the history of shojo manga, so I appreciate your comment a lot!

[@MewDenise]

I just love the pages in sailor moon where the girls brutally kill their enemies... and then we actually get to see their corpse after

[@Cyntails]

Yona of the dawn is fr my favorite series of all time, Yona as a protagonist is so well written he development progressively over the arcs is really the highlight of the manga imo. Watching this young woman who started so naive and sheltered, work and train so hard to have the ability to stand on her own two feet, finding her fire and determination, helping her country and even inspiring other women to become stronger themselves. Absolutely fantastic, I love Yona with all my heart

[@kero6298]

If you liked yona, I def recommend basara! It’s an older shoujo, so the art might take some time to get used to though.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

looks neat! I don't mind older art either!

[@kero6298]

@@NINJAMUSHI awesome! Also I really appreciate the fact that you’re open to shoujos. I know a lot of shounen and seinen fans who are, unfortunately, quick to brush the demographic off as childish or too girly. So I just want to say thank you for going in with an open mind and being respectful towards even the stuff you weren’t a fan of 😭🙏👍. Also, I might end up rambling a bit here, feel free to skip: Since you’re alright with older titles, there are a lot of really cool and/or influential shoujos that kind of went under the radar, at least in the west. The Year 24 Group are worth checking out if you’re ever interested in how a lot of the landscape(?) in the shoujo demographic was shaped. And while isekai is largely associated with shounen and black haired male protags in modern time, a lot of the earlier isekai were actually shoujos/female demographics (fushigi yugi, kanata kara, red river, magic knight rayearth, the twelve kingdoms(light novel)), which I think is interesting. Along with Basara, I’d recommend The Rose of Versailles and Mars.

[@oworeowos6277]

As someone who reads a ton of shoujo and immediately recognized the cover of Shoujo no Jikan (not fondly...), it's hilarious to me that it was your first foray into shoujo manga. Also, Kurumi grows a lot in Kimi ni Todoke! Once she's done being a straight-up antagonist, her frankness is pretty refreshing compared to the rest of the cast. She's an interesting foil to Sawako and she ends up being the main character for the sequel series.

[@Kisaragi_eki]

A sign of affection will release on 6 january 2024!!! So excited!! 😭😭😭

[@mikigirl18]

I absolutely LOVE Yona of the Dawn! The characters in it can be amazing and very complicated. And the way Yona, herself becomes a great female protagonist. She's not treated as a Mary Sue. She struggles to better herself and that makes her a better character. Toughening up, but still keeping her kindness.

[@crowshroud]

I'm definitely not someone with a lot of 'credit' in terms of the out there shoujo series I've read, but I was the kind of person that adored reading shoujo manga when I started getting into manga and anime, and these general tastes have always stuck with me! I'm of the mind that when it comes to genres of media and general style, you never really know if you for sure like something unless you give it a fair, genuine shot, so props to you for doing just that! I started doing the same a few years back with finally watching some shounen, and while I'm very particular about the series I like (turned away extremely by overly sexualized fanservice, aka the 'women wears bikini just because' stuff), but I've found quite a few I actually really enjoy! I honestly think the biggest barrier to shounen fans getting into shoujo... or more broadly, guys getting into shoujo, is just old generic stereotypes. But I feel like guys could really resonate with shoujo if they opened themselves up to it more (I for sure did, but I've always had really feminine interests all my life) they could find genuine and amazing stories they can relate to that aren't about power and fighting and are just so... human! But that requires setting aside that old association with 'girl interests icky' lol. I definitely partially credit reading a lot of shoujo with emotionally mature protagonists, heartfelt communication and such for making me into such a humble person. And even if the association with it is 'sappy dramatic romance manga', there's so much out there! I don't even read much M/F, ever since I found out I'm gay I've been reading (almost) exclusively M/M and F/F, which limits a lot of romance... I still find fufilling stories that don't center romantic relationships. Its a bit more Josei, but absolutely reccomending Princess Jellyfish! It's still one of my all-time favourites, the character designs, the art, the emotions and the sentiments are so human and I adore it a lot, definitely deserves more love than I see it get outside of popular Shoujo/Josei circles!

[@alecortes6565]

I don’t really read anything but f/m tbh so I don’t know many otherwise, but I (accidentally ngl) read the CUTEST m/m called Ao no Flag; it’s shounen technically but still. Super duper cute, if you haven’t already and are looking for more m/m pairings, this one is so wholesome. (Disclaimer it doesn’t start off looking like it’s gonna be m/m, that came later, but that’s the ship)

[@janesdead6802]

Yonaaaaaaa One time I suggested the book to my friend and they only asked to read it when they were bored in class but by the end of the class (about 30 minutes) he was finished the whole first volume so yeah it’s great. Currently I’m working on a Zeno cosplay because I love him and I hope it’s gets some recognition whenever it’s finished. I can’t say with confidence how well you may like them but one of two of my other favourite shoujos is Kamisama Kiss/Kamisama Hajimemashita, which follows a girl who’s given a place to live in a local shrine, as well as the powers of the formerly resident god, in seemingly random circumstances leaving her to balance her desire for a life as a mostly normal highschool girl, her duties and training as a local land god, a budding attraction for her aloof and strange fox attendant and a bunch of supernatural hijinks. The fates of the characters and different points of the premise intertwine in many ways throughout the story and the romance between the protagonist and the fox is satisfying but surrounded with the protagonists equally satisfying love and kindness people and spirits and everything. Now, my other favourite; Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji, is technically not a shoujo but most of the audience are shoujo enjoyers and it doesnt have any romance whatsoever, but it does have absurd characters laying absurd plots in an absurd setting that weave together in a cacophony of seemingly unrelated events that are secretly all tied to a major overarching plot. With drop dead gorgeous art, might I add. The absurdities stack up slowly over the course of almost 200 chapters so as to maintain the descent into madness without breaking your suspension of disbelief. Because of this, you don’t really register how goofy a victorian era One Direction boy band is until you’ve already read an entire arc about germany achieving scientific breakthrough via an entire town doing witch and werewolf roleplay. Also, did I mention the art is gorgeous? Yana Toboso’s dedication to fleshing swaths of lace and thorns and flower petals to the finest detail in like every other panel is something I aspire to

[@awedwards08]

For Kimi ni Todoke, I also had “this is killing the vibe” feelings with Kurumi. In fact, every time any character was introduced to cause conflict or drama, my initial feeling was to hate it. But looking at the story in it’s entirety, I’m glad they are there because part of the beauty of the story is that Sawako is such a pure soul she eventually brings even the “bad guys” around to her side. And it makes the story about more than just her romance with Kazehaya

[@Metronomeblue]

Ah! I clicked on this video mostly out of curiosity, and the whole time I was like man, I should recommend Fruits Basket in the comments. And then I was delighted to hear you tried reading Fruits Basket for this video, lol. I grew up mostly reading shonen, but Fruits Basket was the first shoujo to really stick with me. Even now, it's one of my all-time favorites because of its narratives about growth and family and breaking cycles of abuse. It starts out a little simple and soft, but by the end it's a very meaningful, resonant coming-of-age story for almost every character. And I do mean ALMOST EVERY. The evolution of Takaya's art is also really lovely to watch- by the end, it looks incredibly different, and much more modern imo.

[@fakesmile172]

I've seen a few volumes of Yona of the Dawn at my local bookstore, I should probably check it out. Actually, maybe I'll start reading it once I finish Getter Robo Go (now that's tonal whiplash lol). I know you probably don't have the time, but I'm going to recommend you an anime: After War Gundam X.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

You definitely should check out out! I've always wanted to get into Gundam, but I've never bit the bullet

[@deathma5939]

Honestly I might check out "a sign of feeling" sounds very interesting, also very happy to hear you'll be reading more Yona I love the series.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I'll be reading more asap! I'd love to make a video about it specifically one day

[@deathma5939]

@@NINJAMUSHI very happy to hear this hope you enjoy it.

[@kazmori6981]

Really great video! I hadn't heard of A Sign of Affection before this, and I feel like your takeaway and the personal connection you were able to make with it really are the perfect demonstration of one of the big strengths of shoujo manga. I'll definitely check it out. I appreciate that you clearly read each series with analysis, care, and empathy. I noted that you described both Sawako and Tohru as having little to no flaws as protagonists, and I think it's interesting to pick apart that sentiment as I see it pretty commonly. Both of them have pretty debilitating anxiety and poor self-esteem that tangibly impact their lives in negative ways - Sawako struggles to socialize, and Tohru literally lives in a tent while lying to her friends and family so they won't worry about her. Yet audiences don't seem to receive these as flaws for the characters to overcome. While people do also deride male protagonists with low self-esteem as annoying, I feel like I've only seen "perfect" leveraged at female protagonists (who are also derided as annoying). It makes me wonder if society as a whole has trained us to think of women thinking lowly of themselves or struggling to assert themselves as virtuous traits.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you! I'm glad you were able to enjoy the video. :) As far as the whole conversation about flaws go: I understand what you're saying and I think I should have been more clear in my meaning. When I say a character is squeaky clean or has no notable flaws, I more so mean in terms of morals, values, or even personality traits. Overall, Sawako and Tohru are both very, very good people with exceedingly kind natures. Sawako, for instance, doesn't really blame others for her lack of friends nor does she express any sort of gross jealousy-she is just a sweet, social awkward girl that has no friends. Even when someone berates her to her face, she takes it in some weirdly positive way. She has flaws, yes, but those flaws are not negatives that harm those around her. In that sense, she is a pure person. Neither character would ever hurt a fly, ya know? Their character flaws are more introspective and internal, I would say. I'll be more deliberate in my use of the word flaw to avoid this kind of confusion in the future!

[@kazmori6981]

@@NINJAMUSHI Oh sorry I think I came across as more critical/argumentative than I meant to! I don't think your feelings or perspective on them was 'wrong' by any means. Like I said, it's a very common sentiment, and I felt that way about Tohru (to varying degrees, my thoughts and feelings on Tohru have changed a lot over the years) for a long time, too. My comment was more like, I think it's interesting to dissect why so many of us have this sort of response and reaction? I'll focus on Tohru more here because I haven't read Kimi ni Todoke in a long time, while I've reread and rewatched Fruits Basket like... a lot... but I was partly responding to the comment you made during the Kimi ni Todoke portion of the video where you said you weren't entirely sure how Sawako's arc could continue to be engaging for however many volumes. Ofc you did also say "where will it go after her socialization arc is finished and her reputation improves," which acknowledges that her character already has onscreen growth and direction addressing her existing flaws, but I think maybe I kind of subconsciously carried the comment over onto Tohru. (Which probably isn't what you were saying so sorry about that!) I'll try not to overexplain or go into things that you may or may not gather for yourself later in the series, but I've known a number of people who are or were like Tohru at some point in real life. It's not that they never have unfavorable thoughts or feelings about another person, but when they do, they immediately turn it around into self-blame and self-deprecation and justify the other party. Tohru's feelings towards her father's family are a good example- it's actually pretty clear that she doesn't like them and isn't comfortable around them at all. But she goes 'well, that's their right, it's their family and their house!' and doesn't just allow herself to have those thoughts or feelings, even though they are overtly mistreating her. The fact that she has unfavorable thoughts or feelings at all becomes something to punish herself over and try to compensate for. This is an internally harmful trait like you said, I agree, but in my experience it does impact the people around that person. I worry about my friends who are like this SO MUCH. Generally speaking, the thing is, I don't really disagree with you! Not just on the audience end, but on the writer's end, I think this trait is actually usually used as a redeeming and admirable quality for a character. Even in Sawako's case, it's part of what makes her so cute and likable. I think Fruits Basket as a series still could have been more overt about the harm this mindset does than it was, but it does go into it a lot more than most series I've read with this sort of protagonist. Hanajima and Uotani let go of their hurt over this quickly, but they /are/ hurt when they find out Tohru was lying to them and living in a tent. This mindset is also... very hard to overcome in real life, so imo it's not something that can be addressed quickly in a satisfying way in fiction either. But I wish it WAS acknowledged as a flaw and a detriment in fiction and tackled as such more often, and I appreciate that aspect of Fruits Basket. If you do finish reading Fruits Basket (which I hope you do, I would love to hear your thoughts on more of it, and same for Akatsuki no Yona- like you already intuited of Yona, I think both series escalate and grow considerably as they go), I also recommend the sequel, Fruits Basket Another. There's a different protagonist who is also sweet and severely self-deprecating, but she has less of a 'squeaky clean' feeling like you say. I think Fruits Basket Another is a good showcase of how much maturity and perspective Takaya gained as a writer over so many years.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

@kazmori6981 nah, you're all good! Just thought I'd explain my meaning a bit more! Thank you for sharing your thoughts too, I appreciate it!

[@krome3e]

glad to see you take this journey!!! this genre has so many gems i hope you get the chance to discover

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you! I've continued reading Kimi ni Todoke and A Sign of Affection, plus I've read a couple of other shojo since this video!

[@MiMiLaXMiMi]

A recommendation for anyone who likes Yona of the dawn is to read “song of the long March” is is gorgeous and has an amazing character arch, for the main protagonist and the supporting cast is all really well fleshed out… it’s greatest tragedy is that it ended to soon 😢

[@miyeyoo]

I loved sailor moon. Reading the manga was a completely different experience than watching the anime and it’s definitely one of those manga that you would need to get deep into before it shows you what its got. I actually completed it in my late teens rather than as a kid. I dont think i wouldve got as much out of it as a 10 year old. 3 chapters is nowhere near enough, but i get not wanting to read it. Especially since the magical girl isnt for everyone.

[@jennifermanning8282]

One of the best things about sailor moon is the interactions amongst the scouts. Only reading the first couple chapters won't give you that at all because they introduce them one at a time. It was so great to see all of these amazing women with totally different personalities be superheros. None of them were perfect; they all had flaws Usagi for example starts as a naive crybaby who can be annoying. We watch her mature and grow out of that as she meets more people and has more experiences. Despite their differences, they were a found family. That was really impactful for me growing up.

[@YumiVanherck]

Fruits Basket is amazing! I haven't read the manga but the 2019 anime is one of my favorites. However, one thing must be said if you want to see more cute romance in it: there's barely any in it. Fruits Basket is an emotional rollercoaster where the romance takes a backseat to some very heavy themes and while the beginning is still very light hearted the story itself is really dark. Also, the main character will be fleshed out later on. She is a very complex character in her own right even if she appears like a blank slate in the beginning.

[@hanniep8489]

This video is such a green flag. You don’t typically hear this perspective of Shoujo from a “non-female” individual. Such a refreshing video!! 😍

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@perevision]

My favourite historical shoujo (and one of my favourite manga ever) is The Bride’s Stories by Kaoru Mori. I didn’t like Sailor Moon either, but I loved Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP. They have that touch of darkness and inner strength that I love the most in shoujo.

[@doc8125]

absolutely great manga ... however a bride's story is a seinen actually

[@nullings.]

Find it really cool of you to be so open and try out new genres/things! Not many people do that.

[@handsomhannah]

I love yona of the dawn. It got me into the shoujo genre. I love the story and the characters and even though I stopped reading a couple months ago I was caught up. I really recommend it. A sign of affection was one of the earlier shoujo mangas I’ve read just as I got into the genre. It was just so cute and good vibes all around I rlly recommend it too.

[@lysb]

This was a great watch and listen!! I'm a longtime shoujo reader and very familiar with/fond of all of these series, but really enjoyed hearing someone's fresher perspective coming to it with a different manga reading background. I totally get the want to read stuff that's in your (anyone's) comfort zone or feels like it's written "for" you but we can miss out on some truly great stuff if we limit ourselves too completely!! I mean, I've discovered shounen and seinen manga have some pretty fantastic titles too! 🤭 I especially appreciated your expression of how you personally connected with Sign of Affection (one of my absolute favs to come out in recent years!!) and I wish you much joy in future travels and experiences with the important person and people in your life! (I also wanna add, it can be a really beautiful thing to have solid sense of "home" where you are and want to go back to, as well!!) I think giving Sailor Moon a full volume was fair enough to get a picture of what it's all about and decide it's just not your taste (esp since you read the Eternal edition which is already more than a single standard volume). It was my intro to anime and manga and I still have a lot of nostalgia and appreciation for it. It opened up the anime/manga medium and world of fandom for me and that added a lot to my experience of the series. But I personally don't think reading more of the manga is going to change your opinion on it (which was entirely reasonable and just, and gently expressed ☺).

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you so much for your very nice comment, I greatly appreciate the kind words! And thanks for understanding my feelings towards Sailor Moon; more people should try to be as understanding as you! :)

[@t.a2205]

Yona of the dawn is such a goated manga and it's crazy how underrated it is. If you liked the anime definitely give the manga a chance, it's a masterpiece and just gets deeper and better. The character development for Yona is crazy.

[@dan1a_636]

yotd might be one of the few media that I enjoyed every second of, every arc and every characters is so well written and conveyed and has so much value you really can't point at anything in the manga and say well that was unnecessary, Yona is honestly one of the best protag I've ever seen in anything, her arc is so well paced, her struggles really get the reader to feel her and the pride she and we as the readers feel seeing her overcome these obstacles and mature as a person in a way that is not so quick it feels unrealistic but not so slow it's stretching it I absolutely love love love her development. on the other hand the main antagonist su won is so well written He's honestly on par with askellad from vinland saga, an absolute great antagonist that you really feel conflicted about. even though the betrayal happens first chapter the more you read the more that betrayal has an impact and the more you feel the emotions of both Yona and Hak it's amazing, Su won acts as a sort of second main character too and it's so interesting seeing things unfold on his end Hak is such a great male lead too, it's so great seeing his own journey and feelings towards the betrayal since Su won wasn't just close to Yona but also Hak, they were practically brothers in arms and so the betrayal affected him greatly and seeing the difference in how both him and Yona handle their feelings actions towards Su won is just so so good If I had to choose smth that yotd exceled at it would def be the character writing, they all feel so real and are honestly some of the best characters I've ever seen, in one single manga! I didn't even get into all the other characters from Yun to the 4 dragons to the other minor characters, they're all so well written I can write a 20 page essay going into what I love abt the characters, let alone what I love about the manga, it's honestly so underrated and I truly believe if people would just give it the chance it really would be one of the greats, it already well praised in the shoujo scene but I truly believe it would be insane outside of shoujo too if people would just read it.

[@Cressxlia]

I came for Yona, and stayed for the video. ❤✨ Amazing video, thank you for sharing your insights on Shoujo manga and for trying it out! :)

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you, that means a lot :)

[@fwoggieira]

What an interesting video! I would say I have a rather similar taste to yours judging by the sieris you enjoyed, so I can't help but recommend 'skip to loafer' and 'witch hat atelier' as my favourite shoujo titles ever (which also includes yona but im sure you'll be reading her story ahead regardless)

[@ayoshi5616]

Really enjoyed the video! Shoujo doesn’t recieve much attention nowadays so I appreciate it. Also I think you did a good job with your choice of manga, as either I enjoy them or heard good things about it

[@Pisaroto]

This video was a blast, thank you for the insight! You just gained a new subscriber 🙂 Don't worry, as a fan of the Sailor Moon Anime I couldn't bring myself to read the Manga till the end either 😅 If you're willing to give classic shoujo another chance, maybe Rose of Versailles could be for you. The mangaka had to push so hard to get her ideas of a strong but relatable female character through back in a male dominated Japan in the 70es, which ultimately changed the shoujo genre forever :) Cheers and keep up the great content 👍

[@sunnysodapop]

You watched Banana Fish and DIDN'T make a video on it?! You can't tell me that wasn't peak shoujo describing pain, suffering, assault and action in a way that shounen (at least excluding female authors writing stories like D gray man) and seinen never has?! I consider it a crime until you review it!

[@NINJAMUSHI]

I liked the anime, but I'll probably read it sometime because I imagine the anime cut a lot out (the manga is really long for the anime to be only 24 episodes)

[@4848r2]

Sending you best wishes and hoping you and your girlfriend have lots of fun on your first trip to see the ocean! Also, great video! I haven’t read a shoujo in a while but your video is definitely inspiring to dive back in :)

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you so much! We'll certainly have a great time and I'll be sure to remember the kind comments that wished us well! I hope you enjoy getting back to shojo manga!

[@AndFridaaa]

The art in fruits basket evolves a lot until the end of the manga, and slowly gets closer to the art of the anime as the artist gets better at her own style.

[@ruriva4931]

For fruits basket I’d definitely suggest watching the new anime. The first anime was my first anime and I love it but the new anime is such an amazing experience they really gave the show a brotherhood treatment.

[@merrikiwi]

Loved the video! It was great seeing how open minded you were from the outset of the video. D.N angel could be an interesting read as it's a shoujo with a male protagonist. I also think you might enjoy manga like Cat Street and Mars, which deal with some slightly more mature themes.

[@syedarizvi7290]

So happy to see men discover how wonderful Shoujo can be. I respect you so much for that! And you were so respectful and delightful to listen to. Thank you so much for this wonderful video :D

[@NINJAMUSHI]

And thank you for being so welcoming to the shojo community! I very much appreciate it. It's comments like yours that make me excited to read more! :)

[@syedarizvi7290]

@@NINJAMUSHI thank you so much and you totally deserve to be welcomed!

[@leticiaguimaraes8822]

Honestly I liked your list a lot, one of my favorite anime of all time is sailor moon and you're completely right about it, it's the "I grew up with it" factor that still makes me like it so much

[@blackroomred]

i came over this vid randomly but found it such a cool watch because your experience felt so genuinely respectful and nice. i liked how you tried to dip your toes into different kind of things. i was not surprised that as a shounen fan you ended up enjoying yona a lot. i feel like it's a great jump into shoujo for a lot of shounen fans who would like to check out shoujo titles. all the others were interesting picks too! i dunno if you're looking for more recs but some titles that came to my mind were: - skip beat: this series is so unique in theme and execution. don't let yourself be swayed by the 90s art style because this is one of the best written popular shoujos out there that actually feels like a shounen with its distinctive arcs tackling bigger and bigger obstacles and a very interesting take on love, betrayal, and coming of age. - NANA: this is one of the most maturely written series ever, a breathtaking icon that is considered a classic in the genre. the art is also breathtaking. the age range is definitely more for young adults/adults. - orange: another series with a really interesting premise. school setting/slice of life mixed with a time-travel element. a lot of tackling of heavier topics too. overall super solid experience. - inuyasha: i feel like if you enjoyed yona then you might vibe with this one too. it's shoujo but also feels like a battle shounen? haha. it's a classic in the 90s genre, mixing a modern school girl with feudal era japan filled with youkai. - kamisama kiss: is similar to inuyasha in the yokai aspect but it's a newer, lighter and shorter series. - akagami no shirayukihime: a very well-respected title, a romance between a girl learning to become a pharmacist and the second prince of a kingdom. the art is wonderful and it has a kind of fairy tale + slice of life feeling which is really nice.

[@laurenevatt4442]

That's awesome that you are trying new things! If I could recommend you another shojo to try it would be Requiem of the Rose King. The art is stunning, the characters are strong and the historical drama is very engaging:)

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Haven't been recommended this one! Thank you!!

[@lolitaku7229]

In your defense for Sailor Moon segment: it's not something you read expecting anything different in the genre, so you were right about putting it on hold/ not continuing it if it's not something you typically like. If you still want the essence of Sailor Moon minus the commitment of reading, I do highly suggest watching the anime. Either verison works. Just have it in the background as noise and it may or may not grow on you once you get passed the beginning/opening of the franchise as a whole

[@milkflavored]

No pressure but I’d love to see you continue Fruits Basket. The story gets darker as you go on and they throw some big twists in there - but overall I think it has some beautiful messages, and has touched my heart for a lifetime

[@pauuu3943]

Please please pleasee continue reading Fruits Basket it’s so good and I get the Tohru complain 100% but once you continue reading she is really such a great character and there is a reason to why she is the way she is and she ends up being far from a plain character, she is an amazing protagonist!!

[@Rainette1412]

I really like the headspace with which you came at this. Having the will to discover new things is great, I wish more shônen-heads thought that way. I'd advise you try josei as well, since there are more non-romance josei than shôjo out there, to broaden the experience. Also, in my book Fruits Basket isn't a romance manga. It has romance sure, but the focus is more on slice of life + psychology/drama, especially as the story advances.

[@user-gl5iu9xn6x]

What an interesting video! Would love to see a follow up.

[@BJR014]

As a person whose favorite manga is Fruits Basket I can tell you that the story really gets more mature as it goes, it's very interesting to see how all of the character's personalities develop throughout the more dramatic episodes, specially Tohru, who in my opinion is the character that experiences the most growth, if you compare the first volume to the last.

[@moonchildxni]

i was so so happy to see you read A Sign of Affection i almost cried, that manga is so special to me and i love to see more people discover it

[@justseth_037]

Great video man :) I loved the bit where you talked about you and your girlfriend it was so sweet :') take care man 🤝

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Thank you, I really appreciate that. I was a little nervous about being so open about a personal insecurity, but I'm glad to hear it meant something to someone. It's sometimes nice to be open!

[@Leslie-Risse]

Considering what you said about Kimi no Todoke being mostly just realist and simple, I recommend "Kase-san and Morning Glories".

[@potatotomato11]

Thank you for giving a positive outlook on these mangas. I like your message that... Even if you did not particularly like a specific one doesn't mean that all of them bad. Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon do get better later down the line. They just take a little more time to simmer.

[@fluffcake]

I was a newcomer of Shoujo as Well, and then I found out what an amazing genre it is. I highly recommend Skip Beat, Ouran Host Club, Snow White with the Red Hair, Basara, and Gakuen Alice. Also did you know Tomie is a Shoujo?

[@nikonp5994]

I respect your willingness to try Shoujo. If you want more unique shoujo titles I recommend “Bokura no Kiseki” and “Akagami no Shirayuki-hime”!

[@Rivera_Olga]

I love how you tackle this with honesty and motivation. I think that with the Maho Shoujo you have just not hit home, but you'll eventually found "that" series that make you say "Alright, this is MY cupe of thea". A few recommedantions I can give next time you want to read some shuojo are 7 Seeds, a sci fi survivor shoujo manga than can easily beat some survivor seinen out there. Old school shoujo sci fi wioul be Please Save my Earth, Marginal and The were Eleven. Shoujo horror? After School Nightmare with that twist you want and the 2 old big representatives; Ludwing Kakumei and Pet Shop of Horrors (Please, also note that Junji Ito's hit Tomie is also a Shoujo). Supernatural Fantasy that can blow away your mind? 07 Ghost, Bokura no Kiseki, Makai Ouji, Kage no Tsuki to name a few old I remember.

[@Starscall]

I picked up A Sign of Affection recently because I heard it's getting an anime adaption. I'm not hearing disabled, but I am disabled so I found the concept intriguing. I love it so much. Also the art is STUNNING. Also Yona is truly chef's kiss. That said, I'm what I call a lifetime Sailor Moon fan, so I can't say I really resonate with your issues with the series. I don't hold it against you, just like I trust you wouldn't hold my general dislike for battle shonen against me. (Okay, honestly I just don't much like shonen series in general. Making me an outlier in the anime community.) Sailor Moon, for me, actually helped a lot with things like gender expression and being comfortable with who I was. Something I needed desperately as a teenager and still kind of need to this day. (The joys of being trans, if you know, you know.) So my connection to the franchise is... different from many. Then again, I actually enjoy mahou shoujo in general for the most part.

[@lindenbrock4102]

You convinced me to try more shoujo. As usual, great video! (Also, I can't believe I forgot to continue Yona for several years and just now noticed it's existence again T-T, I feel like I must thank you for this as well)

[@NINJAMUSHI]

hope you enjoy!!

[@WoodwindBuddies]

The most recent chapter destroyed me 💀

[@RogerSmith2004]

I felt a bit similarly when I tried reading the Sailor Moon manga and did not get back to it. After having watched all of the 90s anime, I think there are some really great moments that cement it as a classic. Especially when Ikuhara takes the helm as director, it starts to have a lot more in common with say an Utena in the S and SuperS seasons (which I think both are of high quality, though I know most people seem to dislike SuperS). The movies were also quite well done, specifically the SuperS movie I think is kind of an interesting take on the Pied Piper of Hamelin. With regards to the manga, it felt a lot like how the anime started, which to me, it felt really rough. I'd imagine as time goes on Takeuchi gets more into the swing of things, and I intend to go back to the manga at some point, but like you, I was not dying to read more. Also, thanks for sharing my video on Twitter, I'm sorry I never got around to replying, as I did not see it until recently since I don't really check my notifications.

[@NINJAMUSHI]

Glad to know I'm not alone with my feelings on Sailor Moon! I have a lot of respect for it, of course, but I think it's certainly a product of its time and audience. Glad I tried it, though, and I might be willing to try continuing it later without the pressure of making a video out of it. And of course, man! I really dug that video. It had a niche idea, but I think a lot of people would find it interesting if they watched it

[@SirthOsiris]

Oh, this hit at the right time. I think I'll watch Fruits Basket, but Sign of Affection and Yona of the Dawn were on my list of manga to collect. I think you finally convinced me to just start collecting Yona, especially since I heard it might be ending soon. Only issue is 42+ whole volumes, but it always seems recommended.