(no subject)
Dec. 16th, 2010 10:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiants![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
ojuzu asked me to list my top five shoujo manga.Which, as with the top five Magical Girls question, is difficult because - while I've seen a fair amount of shoujo anime - I don't think I've actually read five shoujo series. You guys keep exposing my ignorance! I have been reading and loving lots more manga this year, but most of it has been shonen (FMA, Pumpkin Scissors), seinen (everything Urasawa and, weirdly, Emma and Yotsuba&!, both of which I thought might be shoujo but apparently not) or josei (Gokusen, apparently, which I would have thought was shonen or seinen. SHOWS WHAT I KNOW).
So you guys are going to get my top three shoujo series, which are also my only three shoujo series (discounting After School Nightmare, which I can't really judge yet on the basis of one volume).
1.
Still reading my way through the manga version of Ouran! STILL LOVING IT. For anyone who does not know, Ouran focuses on Haruhi Fujioki, a sort of accidental cross-dressing girl who also happens to be the only middle-class student in a super-elite high school. Through a series of wacky mishaps, she ends up posing as a guy and joining a group of extravagantly posturing bishonen as a member of their host club. HIJINKS ENSUE.
My favorite thing about Ouran is the way the series is constantly playing up, lampshading, and subverting ALL THE TROPES. All the characters except for Haruhi are thoroughly self-aware caricatures of their "type" who gradually get developed into three-dimensional people; meanwhile, Haruhi herself is one of the most amazingly unflappable and long-suffering heroines I have ever encountered. Also, it is so hyperactively enjoyable that even when it does something that would be annoying in any other manga, you just can't stay mad at it! (At least up through volume 10 or so, I can't speak for the rest yet.)
2.
Angel Sanctuary was actually the very first manga I read all the way through. THANKS SHATI. (
shati was also the reason that Utena was my very first anime. There may be a trend here.) On the bright side, everything after this seemed much easier to follow . . .So Angel Sanctuary focuses on Setsuna, who is an Ordinary High School Boy, except actually he is a REBEL who is IN LOVE WITH HIS SISTER, except ACTUALLY he is the reincarnation of the rebel archangel Alexiel and everyone is really disappointed to find out he's a boy now, and then a whole bunch of angels and demons are after him to either kill him or make out with him OR BOTH, and then the world basically ends in Volume 3 and everyone spends the rest of the series making epic field trips to heaven and hell, and everyone is either a reincarnated angel or reincarnated sword or reincarnated Lucifer or ALL OF THE ABOVE, and some people turn into cannibalistic zombies and other people turn into tentacle monsters and still more people are killed by exploding cake and at some point there's a destructive rain of angry flying fetuses, and it's either amazing or terrifying OR BOTH. And I still have no idea what happened at the end. Maybe it's better that way.
3.
I enjoy Hana-Kimi, but it can't really compete with the joy that is Ouran or the glorious WTF that is Angel Sanctuary. It's still a lot of fun, though! Another cross-dressing manga, this one features Mizuki, a very determined girl who cross-dresses and goes undercover at an all-boy's boarding school in order to get closer to her idol, a basketball player who quit the game due to backstory angst. Cue the inevitable hijinks and gender and sexuality confusion!Hana-Kimi isn't anywhere near as subversive as Ouran, but it's clearly having so much fun with itself and its premise that you can't help but have fun with it too - at least as far as the first four volumes go, which are all I have read because
jothra has yet to live up to her promise to visit and bring me more.SO, you know what is coming next: guys, rec me shoujo manga!
You probably have a pretty good idea of my tastes already, but for the record, some things I like: cross-dressing and more general gender-role subversion, awesome ladies who are recognized as awesome, cracktastic plots, general hilarity! Some things I do not like: jerktastic alpha male heroes, endless pointless love triangles, everyone dying in the end from cancer. (If everyone dies from a rain of flying angel fetuses I'm probably okay with that.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:29 pm (UTC)(1) Sailormoon. Eighteen volumes of pretty sailor-suited soldiers punishing various supernatural and alien villains in the name of the Moon! I'm fairly sure that it's out of print, but it's possible to track down legit or fan translations.
(2) Magic Knight Rayearth: One of the classic CLAMP standards, in which three girls get zapped away from Tokyo Tower in the middle of a school field trip and dropped into another world to save its princess...or so it first appears. Came out in a total of six volumes, now out of print, but according to Amazon is set to be released in two omnibus editions early next year.
(3) Library Wars: Love & War: The shoujo manga version of Toshokan Sensou, now being translated. It's a relatively faithful adaptation of the light novels and enjoyably illustrated, though it does ratchet up the Iku/Doujou UST to unexpectedly high levels. At the end of the most recent volume, they've just introduced Tedzuka's brother, so there's still a lot of material to cover.
(4) Kodomo no Omocha (Child's Toy): A cracktastic series involving the hyperactive 11-year-old Sana Kurata, a popular child actress who declares war on her sullen, monosyllabic classmate Akito Hayama after he and his friends take their teasing too far one day. Has a great cast of characters and fun storylines, with plenty of realistic pre-teen and early-teen drama. (I have VHS fansubs of the anime, and am about to have them ripped to DVD, so I intend to inflict this on you at some point, anyway.)
Other than that...I am drawing a blank, at least on series that I've personally read and like enough to own.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:38 pm (UTC). . . I have never actually heard of that last one, but I in no way object to having this inflicted on me. :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:53 pm (UTC)Note: None of the footage is speeded up. That is exactly what the series is like.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:42 pm (UTC)Dear god I cannot recommend it enough. The first chapter is difficult because it seems like it will be TERRIBLE, but then it hangs a giant lampshade on itself and subverts a really awful shoujo trope (bad boyfriend).
The heroine is one of my all-time favorite female characters. She is a DETERMINATOR who decides to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend by becoming a bigger star than he is. So she gets into acting, and scares the everloving crap out of people when she gets cast as terrifying (yet awesome) characters. Also it is all about GIRLS BEING AWESOME and BEING AWESOME TOGETHER (seriously like every girl ends up becoming BFF with her).
There is a LITTLE crossdressing, since she plays a boy at one point... but not much, sadly! But it is filled with a lot of crack and funniness and she makes awesome faces everywhere (that would be her in my icon).
SO highly recommended.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:47 pm (UTC)Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 05:41 pm (UTC)Well I will start by saying I second the rec for Skip Beat! It's one of the only series I buy regularly because it is AWESOME and there is nothing in the world more satisfying than reading about Kyoko terrifying the universe with her amazing powers of revenge and determination. Also charming most of the universe! Kyoko has never met an evil rival she did not win over within a volume. =D
For awesome ladies and crossdressing I recommend Basara! It’s set in a post-apocalyptic Japan where a pair of twins are born under a prophecy that one of them will be the Child of Destiny, leading their people out from oppression. Everyone figures this is the boy twin Tatara and are all about waiting for him to grow up and do his thing. Which makes it a bit unfortunate when the Red King (see oppressive monarchy needing liberation from) comes by their village to murder him! Luckily Sarasa is perfectly willing to go about crossdressing and leading the revolution in the name of great justice and excellent adventures.
It is my favourite manga of ALL TIME. Sarasa is awesome and she goes through so much growth in the course of the story. Plus there's an enormous ensemble cast full of characters who are all memorable and interesting if not always likeable (mostly likeable though!). It takes a few volumes to hit its stride but once it does it's excellent. I've heard some people say they couldn't get into it because of the art style but YMMV. I personally like the art quite alot, it's very distinctive. Plus the story is totally worth it even if you don't like the art style. I should know, I made it my life mission in high school to convert people into fans regardless of protest. =D I still feel one of the best things I did in twelfth grade was convince my librarian to buy the first five volumes for the library. A LEGACY THAT WILL LIVE ON BEYOND ME. 8DDDD
I'm also pretty fond of Never Give Up. It's a bit like Hana Kimi in terms of being a crossdressing story starring high schoolers except the crossdressing is actually convincing (Kiri makes a hot guy, I have never met anyone who disagreed with this assessment) and is set in the crazy world of manga-style modeling! Where moms head modeling agencies and blackmail their daughters into modeling their male line by recruiting their crush. 8D
Fruits Basket is excellent and is of the adorable characters who all have some sort of traumatic past school. Only better than most of them. I love the heroine Tohru, she's an utter sweetheart and ends up helping out pretty much every member of the Sohma family (see: traumatic past) just by being herself. She also gets her own character arc which shows signs of being planned from the very beginning! (I went back to reading the first volume and I was like wow, this mangaka actually knew what she was doing, she set up all her pieces from the very start! Natsuki Takaya, you are awesome. \o/) Also uhh the family she lives with are cursed to turn into various animals from the zodiac whenever they're hugged by someone of the opposite sex. So, y'know, you've got your cracktastic plot device there from the start. xD
Re: Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 05:41 pm (UTC)I like Crimson Hero for being one of the few sports mangas centered on girls. It follows Nobara Sumiyoshi, a young lady determined to play volleyball no matter what! Her mother is utterly opposed, wanting her to follow in her footsteps as the hostess of their family inn? Fine, she will move out of the house and get work as a den mother in the school she's transfering to! The girls volleyball team at her school has been defunct for years? Not if Nobara has anything to say about it! She will recruit with the power of LOVE AND PASSION. Oh so she's got her team together but the school reserves all of their resources for their famous boys volleyball team? Well she challenges them to a match for shared gym time! It does, unfortunately suffer from a stupid romance plot (they can’t be together! Because they’re both sports players and role models and apparently people really disapprove of sports players having a personal life outside of their sports! Seriously I have no idea what's going on with it, I've been a bit peeved at the latest volumes for spending too much time on the romance when all I want is to watch Nobara and her girls band together to make it into the next volleyball tournament).
And now that this comment's gotten ridiculously long and I'll probably have to split it into two I think I shall stop. But I have tons more recs to give so if you're ever looking for more shoujo hit me up! I can ramble about shoujo manga for much longer than most people are willing to listen. xD
Re: Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 06:17 pm (UTC)Okay, question: which of these are completed series, and which are still ongoing?
Re: Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 06:25 pm (UTC)Re: Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 06:36 pm (UTC)Re: Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 08:01 pm (UTC)Re: Did someone say shoujo manga recs?
Date: 2010-12-16 10:55 pm (UTC)I will be stealing some of your recs as well! I've been meaning to catch up with Kaze Hikaru for awhile now (I used to follow it in Shojobeat but then they stopped publishing the magazine because the universe enjoys ending things I love).
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:27 pm (UTC)I myself just got the first-four-volumes omnibus of Cardcaptor Sakura, only having seen the anime, and it is just as sweet and charming. It is also girly as fuck, seriously the main character changes into different cutesy outfits every time she goes up against an opponent of the week, although that is more the fault of her fashionably inclined/canonically-crushing-on-her best friend. Also, 3/4ths of the main male cast is either gay or bisexual. (The fourth is her dad.) All in all, if you're looking for shoujo, it's hard to beat one of the classics.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:32 pm (UTC)I have a disc-ful of Cardcaptor Sakura anime waiting for me in my apartment! Which I should be getting around to watching now that I've finished the Utena rewatch. I AM EXCITED.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:06 pm (UTC)Most of the time, yep. ^_^ Series classification depends entirely on where it's published, not by its content. That's why you sometimes get series that started out as anime or light novels and end up with two different releases -- Escaflowne and Toshokan Sensou, for instance, have both shoujo and shounen manga releases.
Though Emma is an interesting example. It originally came out in Comic Beam, which Wikipedia helpfully describes as an 'alternative' manga magazine with a tiny but loyal following that includes 'manga-literate hipsters'. So presumably, it can run series that might not fit into the broader seinen classification.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 06:31 am (UTC)Emma herself is the antithesis of the U.S.-style sexy stereotype of the naughty (French) maid, and you rarely see her in anything as allegedly revealing as even a full-length Victorian nightgown or petticoat. But if you look at online advertisements for real-life Japanese maid cafes, it seems as if a lot of the "maid"/waitresses there are surprisingly modestly dressed, too. Certain types of otaku seem to find something fanservice-ishly moe about the mere fact that the girls are wearing maid caps and ruffled aprons and calling them--or, in Emma's case, the male characters--"master."
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:07 pm (UTC)I actually made a few posts a couple of months ago on Tumblr reccing Hayley 5 Shojo Manga, so I WILL JUST LINK YOU TO IT, and add a few more series JUST IN CASE. Here it is. Featuring hopefully intriguing summaries BY ME of W-Juliet, Kaze Hikaru, Lovely Complex, Basara and Ninohime no Monogatari.
(Be back after dinner WITH MORE!)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:40 pm (UTC)As to where to start: hahaomg. I WOULD SPECIALLY LOVE IT if you were to read Kaze Hikaru, because no one else reads it ever (D:) but I would actually say read W-Juliet first because it's one of my favourite things and it's also only 14 volumes, as opposed to KH's ongoing 18+, and Basara's 26ish. Thought the oneshot is also really cute! Only about a hundred pages. AND LOVELY COMPLEX IS THE BEST and also not long. So, uh, I actually just want you to read them all so you can babble at me.
(Psst. Scroll down for FURTHER RECS)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:48 pm (UTC)Only 14 volumes is very tempting! On the other hand, Basara has already been recced twice here, so maybe that should come first . . . or maybe I will just request the first volumes of several at the library and see what arrives! CHOICES.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:53 pm (UTC)(I so need more icons. Have some Al reading. I CAN ALWAYS PRETEND THIS IS OLDER HIM READING MEI'S ROMANCE NOVELS)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:05 pm (UTC)(ALWAYS A GOOD THING TO PRETEND)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:33 pm (UTC)Kanata Kara and Tramps Like Us (this one actually josei), which were recced to me by
WHAT ELSE. I recently read Cat Street which is about a girl, Keiko, who used to be a child actress until she got stage fright and left the business, her school and shut herself in her room, rarely coming out, until she was 16. It's about her rebuilding her life, coming to terms with her past as a child actress, making friends and coming to adulthood! Also featuring a boyfriend that does not last but remains a dear friend, OUTCAST SCHOOL, childhood friends, strained relationship with family, people living their dreams, and a lovely love story. SO YEAH.
So that's my current shojo manga recs, with more available upon request. <3
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:51 pm (UTC)YOU ARE SO VERY WELCOME. <333
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:06 pm (UTC)Ha ha, oh, God, I just thought of MORE TITLES. *clutches head*
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:53 pm (UTC)SECONDING RECS FOR: Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Kodomo no Omocha, Skip Beat!, Basara, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Lovely Complex.
ADDING RECS FOR:
And this one isn't really shoujo (it's josei), but I love it too much not to recommend it:
And er, not that I would ever advocate, ah, ahem, but mangatraders(dot)com is a decent resource for these. If you're wondering.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:00 pm (UTC)I am legit going to the library website right now to start frantically requesting things. (There may well be ahem in my future, for the things that turn out not to be requestable. >.> SO THANK YOU AGAIN.)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:02 pm (UTC)Okay, now I'm done. OR AM I? I think I'm done.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:50 pm (UTC)(
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:54 pm (UTC)Next, I thoroughly enjoyed Happy Hustle High, even though the girls look like they're 12 and the guys look like they could be in college, the crackastic situations had me laughing out loud! It was just hilarious!
Also, I would recommend MARS because it is a classic and one of the highest rated and read shoujo mangas. When I first reread it not too long ago, I was struck by just how intense the storyline was, and how dynamic the characters turned out to be.
For an obvious Magical Girl series, I liked Tokyo Mew Mew, because it was like Sailor Moon as a sendai series, but their powers stem from injected animal DNA rather than associated celestial bodies. Plus, the their hair changed shape and color when they transformed, something I've always had a bit of an issue with when it came to Sailor Moon, and was addressed in the live action. Which is strangely addicting, no joke.
Uh, let me think. Kare First Love is a lot like MARS only funnier with less psychological drama and more emphasis on the relationship between the two main characters. I enjoyed for a good fun read, and is something I come back to every once in a while.
Oh, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is REALLY good! And the art is so detailed. And its fairly short.
I enjoyed the Pretear manga, but think the anime is better. Same with Shoujo Kakumei Utena; it was just too short in my opinion and fair less detailed.
Other than Sailor Moon, I think those are really the shoujos I come back to on a regular basis. I hope you like 'em!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:03 pm (UTC)THANK YOU for the rest of these recs, though! - wait, is Kamikaze Katou Jeanne the one where she's the reincarnation of Joan of Arc? Because I have vague recollections of hearing about that and being highly intrigued!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:21 pm (UTC)And yes, the Utena manga does live up to the anime in any way. To give you an idea: Nanami's not even it! You see a picture of her Touga's desk, so you know she's alive. But that's it! Kozue ends up having the brother complex with Miki, which I was very disappointed in, because she was MY favorite character from the anime. And Juri-Shiori-Ruka? Knock Shiori out of that. Like I said, very disappointing.
There were parts of the Pretear manga that I really liked, for one thing we got to see The Plant Pretear, but Takako is not there. The Dark Pretear turns out to be her stepmother. I did not like this AT ALL. Also, other things that just rubbed wrong. I want to reread it, though. I might catch some things I missed before.
Oh, and I just remembered, Princes Tutu manga? Right up there with those two. No Ahiru/Fakia AT ALL! Did not like! But I leave it to you.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:42 pm (UTC)Touga: Oh. Good morning.
The showers in this dorm are pretty bad, aren't they? From now on, we'll be living together. Don't gape at me like that...unless you have some demands that I can attend to now, while I'm naked.
(c&p-ed from the translation of the drama track, which is a reading from the manga) He also calls her "Lady Utena" in the translated manga, and is basically OMG I LOVE YOU LET ME BE YOUR SERVANT. Very funny for someone who's seen the anime. XD (In addition, I will always be fond of the manga's translation of Saionji's explanation of the castle. "You can think of it as a trick of the light.")
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 09:32 pm (UTC)My real issue was just the length. It was just too short and because of that, the detail that was in the anime was just not there. Maybe if Chiho Saitou had decide to make it a bit longer I may have liked it more. But like it was too short for me.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:28 pm (UTC)ON THE OTHER HAND, and I'm really sorry,
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:36 pm (UTC)Natsume Yuujinchou/Natsume's Book of Friends. It is a series that is basically a bunch of awesome things -- spirits, slice-of-life, mysterious creepy-but-very-human villain dude, slowly growing friendships, and the main character learning how to actually get close to people. (He isn't a jerk at all, I swear. He's nice! Too nice, even!) And there is basically nothing unlikeable about it. It's possibly my favourite manga. ♥
Land of the Blindfolded! It looks at the beginning like it's going to be tiresome supernatural-ish melodrama, but it's actually about a bunch of high-schoolers just hanging out and being friends. (You may sense a bit of a theme amongst my recommendations.) Very sweet: you may have a sensation of phantom hugs while reading. Totally fluff, but quite good fluff.
Anata to Scandal. I started it on the promise of LESBIANS IN SHOUJO MANGA, YES YES YES, and while it has only kind of delivered on that (there are far too many scenes of the main character and her Childhood Friend Guy that are very stereotypical romance-y type scenes) it's a fun series. The later chapters actually start to go over things to do with their band and music, and Main Character Girl is going <3 <3 <3 at Princely Lead Singer Girl again. (Plus, only twelve chapters have been translated, so it's not too long.)
Teppen! is about a girl who goes to Japan to search for her brother. All she knows about him is that a) he's older than her, b) he has a great big burn scar, and c) he's in the Japanese entertainment business. Naturally, she ends up as part of a hot male idol duo with her new roommate, who just happens to have a Mysterious Burn Scar. Which she doesn't see until after they've already kissed. Fun melodrama.
Ame Nochi Hare/Clear Up After Rain may or may not be shoujo, but I'm recommending it because of the excellent way the gender issues are dealt with. A bunch of high-school guys mysteriously begin to turn into girls whenever it rains, and although all their prejudices and such are still intact they deal with their own sudden genital-changes in a pretty natural way -- no loud screams, no passing out, no 'omg must grope self' (although one of them does not object to taking a nice long bath that evening). Their chief thoughts are "mustn't get caught on the boys' side of the school right now" and "I hope this isn't permanent." It's kind of a quiet manga, and very nice.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 09:11 pm (UTC)Ashita no Ousama -- possibly my favourite manga ever! It is about this college student who falls in love with the stage, has no acting ability, and goes on to become an amazing director. Lots and lots of interesting stuff about plays and acting and writing. And before Gokusen, this was the only manga where I really really liked the main romance. They have a relationship based on understanding and mutual interests! She promises him early on to write a monodrama -- a play with only one actor, just for him. Early on, when someone he doesn't want to see is laying in wait for him at his apartment, he crashes at her place and they have a heart-to-heart about their families! fdas;jkak And the love-triangle dude who shows up later is also really cool. And her mentor guy (a very famous director who has interesting facial expressions and smokes all the time) is absolutely fantastic. I didn't really say much about the heroine, but she is lovely lovely lovely and she has writer's block and gets angry and is absolutely brilliant READ THISSSSS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.
Oishii Kankei/A Delicious Relationship is also very good, especially if you like to read about people cooking. It's about a girl from a high-class family who finds herself without money, and her only real skill lies in her vast experience of eating expensive food. So she ends up badgering a local chef -- who could have had his own restaurant or been super-famous but instead is working at a local diner and being the French food world's version of Snape -- until he lets her apprentice to him. And from then on it just gets wider in scope and better in plot. I've fallen behind on it, but it's really a very amazing series. People's relationships with food and with each other are very complex and believable. Momoe starts out surrounded by dudes, but later on this series passes the Bechdel test by a mile. Love love love, even if it leaves my mouth watering for things I would never eat. (hello, complex dishes of meat and fish with long names!)
Loveless is also technically josei. It has some Issues, but I will always be fond of the core message that it's okay to love evil people, but loving them does not excuse what they've done. (Also, in an angst-fest BL series, the lesbian couple gets a happy ending! WHAT IS THIS.)
Usagi Drop/Bunny Drop is about a salaryman who suddenly finds himself raising his dead grandfather's six-year-old daughter. Very, very charming -- kind of like Yotsuba if Yotsuba were a serious girl rather than an exuberant one.
And I will no doubt think of many more shoujo & josei, but I am leaving for the Land of No Internet for a week very soon and should probably pack before then.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:15 pm (UTC)- but wait, is Loveless the one where one of the dudes is like twelve? Or am I thinking of a different one? Because alas, that would be an instant dealbreaker for me.
(GOOD LUCK PACKING!)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 11:47 pm (UTC)I think I am able to put up with Ritsuka being twelve because he suffers the crippling hardship of being the only emotionally mature character in the whole thing (with possible exceptions of Soubi's roommate and the two lesbians).
no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 12:05 am (UTC)You should read Sexy Voice & Robo. It's amazing.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 12:03 am (UTC)Other things you should read: Detective Conan, if you like mysteries and don't mind episodic series that go on for-ev-er. The Scarlet Chair, by the same lady who did Natsume Yuujinchou -- has a badass girl who is searching the country for someone, political intrigue, and despite the other major players being guys passes the Bechdel test by a mile. 1/2 Prince, about a girl in a VR game who gets the admins to give her a male character because the female ones have 'advantages'. Penguin Revolution, a crossdressing entertainment-world shoujo thing by the same author as Land of the Blindfolded.
And now I have to go to bed & get up early so I can wash before my flight in the morning. I hope you're finding lots of nice things to read. :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:43 pm (UTC)First Oniisama E...: A series about a sweet, young girl who enters a prestigeous all-girl school only to discover that everybody there is absolutely horrible. There is drug use, terminal diseases, illicit love affairs, suicides and generally everything to make the series more dramatic. I think the manga is not fully translated into English, but the subbed anime can probably still be found somewhere.
Second Rose of Versailles: Has crossdressing. A French nobleman needed a son to succeed in his position of head of the Palace Guards, so when the eighth or so daughter is born, he cracks and begin to bring up Oscar as a son. He succeeds at everything, Oscar becomes head of the Palace Guards, except that everyone knows she's a woman and no-one seems to mind much. Oh, and there's Marie-Antoinette and French Revolution, so saying that everyone dies cannot be really considered a spoiler. Like Oniisama E, manga is not completely in English, but anime is. Is also pretty much the midpoint between Ribon no Kishi and Utena in regards to shoujo series with crossdressing heroines.
Third Eroica yori ai wo komete (From Eroica with love): Yaoi is subgenre of shoujo, so this totally counts. Dorian Earl of Gloria, is a gay gentleman thief. Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach is a intelligence officer. They have a lot of sexual tension in a spy comedy. Not all is in English, but the older chapter, which are also the best, are.
Fourth Hi Izuru Tokoro no Tenshi: Prince Shotoku, one of the most important figures in Japanese history is made into a "a scheming, cross-dressing homosexual with psychic powers". I have actually not read this, but one of my teachers highly recommends it and I have currently borrowed the first volume from her. I don't know if it is actually available in English.
Fifth: Only technically shoujo, based on magazine it ran in, but Hana no Asuka-gumi! Asuka is delinquent fourteen year old, who spends most of her time fighting an evil underground organization bent on complete domination of Japan's middle schools. I don't really know what more to say about it, except that it is awesome. Again, I know of only few chapters that are translated into English.
Sixth: Again shoujo only technically. Sukeban Deka. Asamiya Saki is delinquent schoolgirl, who is forced by the government to serve as an undercover agent, fighting crime at schools. Is from the era, when significant part of shoujo manga revolved around violence, also known as the eighties. I don't know if any part of the manga is translated into English, but the live action movies are and they are awesome. (Though the two ones from the eighties follow a continuity of the TV series, which was also never translated into English, but they feature a nefarious plan to take over Japan by using high-schoolers trained to be killing machines.)
continued...
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 08:44 pm (UTC)Eighth, though not really a manga, the Akage no Anne, Kaze no Shoujo Emily and Wakakusa Monogatari anime series. There are adaptations of foreign novels for girls, respectively Anne of the Green Gables, Emily of the New Moon and Little Women. As one of the biggest fans of Lucy Maud Montgomery I know, I have to recommend this. (Okay, Little Women are not LMM and I don't really like the book, but it was rather important in development of shoujo in Japan.) I think all the series can be found in English.
Ninth, Ribon no Kishi by Osamu Tezuka (translated as Princess Knight). A country can only have male heirs, so when a girl is born, she is brought up as a boy and made to always act like a boy. She also fights crime and practices some recursive crossdressing, where she pretends to be her own twin sister, so she can have romance with a prince. The main conflict is between the role of prince and princess and it had a lot of influence on Utena. I think the English translation is out of print. There is also an anime series, but I know nothing about it.
Tenth and last, Aoi Hana, but only because I need to round up my Top Ten Shoujo Recommendations and Shimura Takako is always good. It is a yuri series, where the main character moves back to the town where she grew up to start high school. She reunites with her childhood friend, who goes to a neighbouring high-class school and falls in love with an upperclassman who unwittingly uses her to avoid some issues she has about her former teacher marrying her sister. (I should probably tidy up the pronouns in the sentence, but this list is going on for too long and I'm getting tired.) That's the plot of the first story arc, which is also covered in the anime series. Manga is still not finished, but all chapters published until now can be found around the Internet. Anime is also available in English.
Oh, and seconding the recommendations of Sailor Moon, Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura and Skip Beat.
(I think I lost all my manliness with this list.)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:18 pm (UTC)I am ALSO noticing a theme of "things that had an influence on Revolutionary Girl Utena," which is also a subgenre of shojo that is highly relevant to my interests! Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 09:29 pm (UTC)They are both wonderful.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 10:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 12:24 am (UTC)I really think you're going to love it.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 11:12 pm (UTC)Cannot recommend the anime more! I freaking love it! But I need a little more time with manga before I can wholly recommend it to anyone.
If anyone else has read it, I open the floor to you for input!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 11:44 pm (UTC)I mean, yes, we know there are otaku, but when portrayed in media, its usually men. So to see a group of not girls, but adult women, who are otaku in the Japanese sense was something I felt definitely time for!
Not only that, it really spells WHAT a Japanese otaku is, because Americans simplify things and automatically think the Japanese otaku equates to the *insert your pick of whatever variety American social outcast*, and that is incorrect.
And not only is there the cultural information that is relayed with this series, there is the potential for some very interesting character development! I really hope the ending does not fall flat!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 05:26 pm (UTC)Someone mentioned Basara. It is awesome. Read it. Someone also mentioned Crimson Hero. Ditto the above.
Otomen- Asuka is a guy who looooves girly shit like embroidery, sewing, cooking, and cute things. But OH NO HIS MOM WANTS HIM TO BE THE MANLIEST MAN! So he must hide his proclivities from the world! Also his best guy friend is secretly publishing a genderswapped manga based on him. Also also he is in love with Ryo, an adorable girl who is basically totally manly. Every single chapter of this series is delightful and makes me make high-pitched noises. It is also one of my favorite manga despite having only one regular lady character. WHICH IS PRETTY DARN IMPRESSIVE.
the Wallflower- Sunako is a shutin geek horror fan who has decided that she is so ugly she can't be bothered to try to be feminine. She's the housekeeper at her wealthy aunt's mansion. BUT AUNTIE HAS STRONGARMED FOUR HOT HIGH-CLASS BOYS TO TRY TO TEACH HER TO BE A PERFECT LADY! OH NO WHATEVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN? HIJINKS? HILARITY? TOTAL CRACK? SIGNS POINT TO YES.
Emma and Shirley- These are adorable slice-of-life things centered around maids in Victorian Britain. They don't really fit in your general likes, but I have to recommend them because they are awesome. ^_^;
Swan- BALLET: THE MANGA.
If you want more I can check out my collection at home. These are just the ones that spring to mind immediately. (I AM KIND OF ADDICTED TO MANGOS IN CASE IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS.)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 11:34 pm (UTC)I keep seeing Swan at the library and thinking about how much I need to try it!
I ALWAYS WANT MORE even though I am going to be reading through this list I have already gotten for a year and a day. *laughing* BUT NONETHELESS.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 11:51 pm (UTC)OK, having looked in my Room O' Comics, I have also come up with:
Silver Diamond- no ladies, sadly, but it does have some fun character antics. It's another "protag is the Chosen Saviour from another world! :O!" thing, with a HEEEAAAVY boys love slant which is made kind of hilarious by how clueless one guy is. (The pursuing one, for once.) It is a little like Angel Sanctuary Lite.
Captive Hearts- Boy is a member of a family cursed to be happy servants of this rich family. Long-lost daughter of rich family (raised by poor people in China!) returns, she and Boy fall in love, and hijinks ensue. (It helps a lot that she is really not all that into the whole Being Ruling Class thing and doesn't like the mind control elements at all.)
And I always have to recommend GALS!, which is basically "badass crimefighting mallrat and THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!"
no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 05:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 11:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 04:58 am (UTC)The Devil and Her Love Song, Akagami Shirayuki, Glass Mask, Capuccino, Amanchu, Eensy Weensy Monster, Aozora Yell, Bibi, Ashita no Ousama, Oishii Kankei, Otoyomegatari, Chizumi and Fujiomi, Miriam, Bitou Lollipop, Orange Chocolate, Futago, Hana no Namae, Hitsuji no Namida, Hanjuku Joushi, Kingyo Sou, Heptagon, Hotarubi no Mori E, Scarlet Chair*, Joosama no Inu, Kodomo no Omocha, Tennen Pearl Pink*, Red Lion*, Hoosamguk High, Cat Street, Savage Garden*, Fukuyadou Honpo, Oooku*, Otomen, Kamisama Hajimemashita , Nanaco Robin and Warau Kanoko-sama*.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-18 06:26 pm (UTC)Thank you for the recs! :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-22 07:13 am (UTC)While I haven't read that much shoujo (only in the past 3 years really), there are some series that I really love.
Lovely Complex: SO HILARIOUS I CAN'T EVEN. I was crying from laughter at points and the two main characters are so adorable. My go to series for when I need cheering up.
Sailor Moon: AWESOME LADIES, SUPER FORMATIVE. Everyone needs to read it at least once in their lives.
From Far Away: Girl is transported to a strange new world and meets a cool dude who's good at fighting- but makes her own choices and works hard to overcome the language barrier and save the world. AND THEY FALL IN LOVE. <33
Kaze Hikaru: I've only read a few volumes but I like it so far! It's about a girl with a partially shaved head (so awesome) who cross-dresses as a samurai in order avenge her father's and brother's deaths. It's based off of history and it's amazing how much research the author put in. There are some scenes that are gorey and some that are even triggering (attempted rape), but overall it is very lighthearted manga concerning the time period is is set in.
And that is all that I can think of at the moment.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-22 02:55 pm (UTC)My friend has promised to *ahem* me the entirety of Sailor Moon at earliest opportunity. I AM EXCITE.
provides access
Date: 2011-01-18 08:03 am (UTC)Re: provides access
Date: 2011-01-19 12:32 am (UTC)