First of all, I should probably define what “shojosei” means!
“Shojosei” is a combination of two words: “shoujo” and “josei”. When we categorize manga, we generally assign it to one of four categories: shoujo and josei for women, and shonen and seinen for men. “shojosei” is just a combination of the two womens categories, and can be understood as “manga for all women”.
If you’re interested in learning more about these different categories, you can check out my other blog post here!
(My prefered) genres to be found in shojosei manga…
While these manga are already categorized as “for women”, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing more to them! Just like with TV shows, there are more genres that I can count that we could further categorize these manga into. And so, I’d like to introduce some of my favourite genres from here! While all of my prefered genres have the common theme of “romance”, there are so many more non-romantic genres that exist within this category of manga!
Yankee romance
What does “yankee” mean?
A “yankee” is a anglicized Japanese term that refers to a troubled young person. Usually, a yankee has died hair, piercings, and a bad attitude. They may also ride on motorcycles, and be in gangs. This is a term usually used to describe people of high school age.
Some of my favourite yankee romance manga
- Love, That’s an Understatement
- Megane, Tokidoki Yankee-kun
- Honey so Sweet
- The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
Yakuza romance
What does “yakuza” mean?
A yakuza is a Japanese term for a gang member. Typically seen as running shady organizations such as casinos and host/hostess clubs, they are depicted as often running things behind the scenes. Yakuza are often depicted as having tattoos and piercings, and belonging to a “yakuza family/clan”.
Some of my favourite yakuza romance manga
- Gokutsuma Days
- Yakuza Fiance
- Ojou to Banken-kun
- Uchi no Futeki na Gangster
Villainess
I feel like the concept of a main character playing the role of a villainess is a fairly common trope nowadays! Even moreso when it comes to Korean manwha, I believe that the villainess trope is going to be popular for a long time!
Some of my favourite villainess manga
- 7th Time Loop
- My next life as a villainess all routes lead to doom
- I’m the villainess so I’m taming the final boss
Vampire
I feel like there isn’t much explanation needed here, I like manga where the ML is a vampire 🙂
Some of my favourite vampire manga
- Rosen Blood
- Oshi ni Amagami
- Vampire Dormitory
Magical boyfriend x normal girl
Another commonly found trope in shojosei manga involves a (seemingly) ordinary girl, and a mystical boyfriend. Be it a vampire boyfriend, a ghost boyfriend, or a lesser god boyfriend, there are no limits!
Some of my favourite magical boy x normal girl manga
- Sugar Apple Fairy Tale
- Kamisama Kiss
- Fruits Basket
- Hotarubi no mori e
How about you?
Do you have a type of manga that you typically prefer reading?~
Maddies Manga 
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