Best Shoujo Romance Anime of All Time — You’re Not Ready for These(Photo Credit –IMDb)
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Best shoujo anime aren’t always high-school romances. They often explore multiple genres, offering stories that go beyond the scope of typical teenage love.
Anime like “Naruto,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and many more have the baton for being the signature anime for the industry; they are what many call ‘shonen’ anime. However, other genres have good shows. One highly overlooked genre is the ‘shoujo’ genre in anime and manga. It gets ignored often because of its cutesy vibes and girly undertones.
Shoujo means ‘girl’ anime and is mainly aimed at teenage girls and young adult women. These anime and manga almost always have females as their lead characters and are mostly centered around romance. They also sometimes have mystery, action, and fantasy blended into them. Here are some perfect shoujo romance anime to watch.
“Kimi no Todoke: From Me to You” is a slice-of-life, coming-of-age romance manga that initially ran from 2005 to 2017. It was turned into an anime in 2009 and has two completed seasons. A 3rd season is scheduled for release in 2024.
It follows Sawako Kuronoma, a shy and clueless girl who has trouble making friends. People avoid her like the plague because of her quiet nature and scary appearance. The only person who treats her well is her classmate, Shota Kazehaya, with whom she naturally falls in love. The anime follows the two on their awkward path of finding love with each other.
“Kimi ni Todoke” is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
Maid Sama
Crunchyroll Poster (Photo Credit –IMDb)
“Kaichou wa Maida Sama,” most commonly known as “Maid Sama,” is a rom-com shoujo manga that had its original run from 2005-2013. It was turned into an anime in 2010 but only came out with one season and an OVA in 2011.
“Maid Sama” is another slice-of-life comedy anime with exaggerated comical sequences. It follows Misaki Ayazawa, the first female president of a male-dominated high school. Misaki doesn’t like boys and usually mistreats all the men in her circle. She is commonly known as the ‘demon president.’ The only guy she tolerates is Usui Takumi- another intelligent, popular student in her school.
“Maid Sama” can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket Poster(Photo Credit –IMDb)
“Fruits Basket” is a romance shoujo anime with fantasy elements that had its manga run from 1998 to 2006. It was initially turned into an anime in 2001 but was rebooted later in 2019. The reboot had three seasons.
“Fruits Basket” follows the story of Tohru Honda, an orphaned girl who has trouble finding a place to live. She starts living in a tent in a nearby forest to avoid becoming homeless. Fortunately, she gets offered a place to stay by her classmate Yuki Sohma at his family’s main house. But she has to live there with 12 men from the Sohma clan.
“Fruits Basket” can be streamed on Hulu.
Ouran High School Host Club
Ouran High School Host Club Poster(Photo Credit –IMDb)
“Ouran High School Host Club” is a reverse harem shoujo manga that had its original run from 2002 to 2010. It was turned into an anime in 2006.
This anime revolves around Haruhi Fujioka and the Ouran Academy’s host club. Haruhi is an elite scholarship student who needs help making ends meet. Haruhi’s boyish appearance lands her in a tight spot—she accidentally becomes part of this boys-only host club and now has to deal with six teenage boys who don’t know she’s a girl.
“Ouran High School Host Club” is available on Crunchyroll.
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
Snow White with the Red Hair Poster(Photo Credit –IMDb)
“Snow White with the Red Hair” (or” Akagami no Shirayuki-hime”) is an ongoing fantasy romance manga that was released in 2006. It was turned into anime in 2015 and currently has two seasons.
It is essentially a retelling of “Snow White” featuring Shirayuki, a girl with a rare red hair color that gets her unwanted attention. She’s almost pushed into a relationship with her country’s prince but escapes to the neighboring kingdom, where she meets and befriends a mysterious man, Zen Wisteria.
“Akagami no Shirayuki-hime” can be watched on Crunchyroll.
So sit back, get in your shoujo mode, and get ready to unwind. You’re going to love these shoujo romance animes!
