Maddies Manga

My Anime List just released their You Should Read This Manga 2026 list! This list was created by taking and compiling a variety of anime and manga fan’s recommendations. There are several subsections of this list, including the main list, publisher recommendations, and an anime wish-list.

In this post, I am going to be looking at the “Should Be Anime” subsection. As in the previous post, I am only going to be looking at the shojosei inclusions. If you want to see the full list, click on the button!

---

Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite

Synopsis (VIZ)

Hina Alucard is a modern vampire who drinks blood from bags instead of from humans. But she’s also a complete shut-in who hasn’t left the house in 30 years. In an effort to reach her, Hina’s dad does something that changes her life—he gives her a DVD of the Vampire Cross anime! Hina is instantly obsessed, especially with the character Mao. But it’s difficult to fangirl as hard as she wants from her bedroom in Romania, so now Hina is out of the house and off to Japan to live her otaku dream!

Hina’s so busy collecting Mao merch that she almost doesn’t feel bad about missing out on the Vampire Cross cafes. If only she had a human friend who could eat all the themed food for her! But connecting with humans isn’t easy until Hina literally bumps into her neighbor Kyuta, a prickly boy who looks just like Mao. Having her best friend live next door will be so convenient! Now if she can just convince him to actually be her friend…

Maddie’s comments

Hina is one of my favourite shoujo manga protagonists! Although she can be more oblivious to the subtleties of human life, she’s always there for her friends when they need her. I find Suzuki Julietta to be very talented at writing protagonists the reader would want to befriend!

This is a light hearted rom-com series, so although it features vampires, don’t expect it to get too dark.

---

Studio Cabana

Synopsis (MAL)

Yukari Maki is an earnest high school girl. Recently, she has been interested in Yuusuke Kusaka, a classmate who is called a juvenile delinquent and is the exact opposite of her. In unfamiliar surroundings, Yukari sees Yuusuke enter a music studio called “Studio Cabana” one day. There, he sings a “love” song, something which seems to clash with how most see him.

Maddie’s comments

While I have not read this one yet, I was excited to hear the official anime announcement—the voters already got their wish! I’m always excited when more shoujo series get their chance to be in the spotlight.

---

The Failure at God School

Synopsis (Yen Press)

Nagi’s normal! Gods are supposed to give girls like her divine aid, not invitations to the most prestigious magic academy in Japan!!Modern life means modern solutions, even to supernatural problems. So of course the government would have a classification system, special schools, and licenses for people with mysterious powers―any manifestation of a miracle is enough to be called a Himiko, but only those with full certification may use the title of God. And high schooler Nagi is in serious need of a god! The death of her grandmother has left her family shrine devoid of the necessary divinity, and her hopelessly shut-in Himiko brother doesn’t look promising. But if Nagi isn’t careful, her search for a god might end with her finding more than she bargained for…

Maddie’s comments

This is by far my favourite series that appeared on the entire list. If you have not read this series yet, please do so! This is a shoujo series that follows a young girl named Nagi who is trying to discover her own powers after being accepted to god school. While enduring her new school life, she is also trying to figure out what happened to her missing brother.

Not just the protagonist Nagi, there are a great number of captivating characters that make an appearance in The Failure at God School.

There are rumours going around that this series will soon get an anime announcement, but I haven’t seen anything official yet.

---

Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale

Synopsis (Seven Seas)

Tsukina is an average high school girl with a supernatural secret–one that even she is unaware of. After an encounter with a man named Hayate, Tsukina begins to realize she’s not entirely human. Her great athletic ability, her enhanced sight at night, even the reason she craves raw meat, all comes down to one answer: She’s a werewolf. But this reveal leads her to more questions. Who is she really? What does it mean to be a werewolf? Just where will Tsukina’s journey of self discovery lead her?

Maddie’s comments

While I have read the first two volumes, I never ended up continuing. Perhaps werewolf series just don’t stick with me the way vampire series do, but I wasn’t able to get into it. It’s a coming of age story, featuring a were girl who discovers she’s a werewolf while in high school. From there, she has two worlds to juggle: the human world with her parents and friends, and the werewolf world where she can be with others like her.

---

And that’s it! Have you read any of these manga? Is there a shoujo or josei manga series you would like to see animated?