As a longtime manga fan, I can say that this hobby of mine has introduced me to tons of titles, both good and bad. The more I read, the more I become picky of which I think is a must-read or which is not. This is especially true in the shoujo demographics, where we usually get these typical boy-meets-girl plots, which I really have no complaints about—because admit it or not, we all wanted a story that is more relatable, compared to the adventurous life of our favourite shounen protagonist.
And so behold for my list of shoujo mangas you should be reading now.
Boku ni Hana no Melancholy
A story of first love, heartbreak, and a new beginning. Boku ni Hana no Melancholy tells the story of Amemiya Hana who longs to be reunited with her childhood friend and first love, Yuzuru. However, upon having her wish granted, Hana realizes that a lot of things has changed and that catching up to Yuzuru is a lot complicated than she initially thought it would be.
Though it features the usual angsty male lead and naïve female, don’t let that hold you back from picking this up. Boku ni Hana no Melancholy is the kind of manga that will hold you captivated with its emotional storytelling and gorgeous art, and will definitely got you falling in love with the two characters as you read on!
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Hirunaka no Ryuseii (Daytime Shooting Star)
Another manga that focuses on first love and growing up, with drop-dead gorgeous art that is simple yet stunning—HNR introduces the refreshing character of Yosano Suzume, who is by far, the most relatable shoujo heroine that I’ve come across. She’s described as average at best but is still charming enough to win a loyal following of friends, and the heart of our two male leads. The first one is her homeroom teacher; Shishio Satsuki, and classmate; Mamura Daiki.
The story is heartwarming and easy to consume, and what’s more is that it is already completed, which means that its available for binge-reading.
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Haru Matsu Bokura (Waiting for Spring)
Following the story of shy girl Mitsuki who ended up befriending four guys from her school’s basketball team, Haru Matsu Bokura is a manga perfect for those who like a slow burn romance between the characters that will not frustrate you enough to pull at your hair. The characters are a lovely bunch, which makes picking a favourite hard enough and though the population of male characters are greater than the number of females, this one is unexpectedly not a reverse-harem.
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Love so Life
Looking for a May-December love affair that has a well-developed plot and characters that are nowhere close to your usual trope’y leads? Then Love so Life is the perfect title for you!
I wasn’t keen on reading this title at first, seeing how huge the age gap between the main leads is. However, the moment it introduces its characters—I’d say that I would have probably regretted not reading it.
Shiharu and Seiji’s relationship development is the perfect harmony of maturity, understanding, and responsibility. It is not the kind of story that glorifies a mature adult preying on a much younger love interest, which I found to be the best thing about this manga.
Plot: 5/5
Character: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Mizutama Honey Boy
Revolving around the story of an effeminate guy and a manly girl, Mizutama Honey Boy rebels against societal gender roles as it tells us that it’s okay to be different from what we are told to be. Both Fuji and Sengoku knows that they are quite weird and not really fitting anywhere, and they were fine with that, which made me like this series more than I already do.
Plot: 5/5
Character: 5/5
Art: 5/5
All of these titles are available online but as much as we love free stuff, don’t forget that it’s better to support the artist through purchasing a copy of the manga. But if you can’t at the moment, then only read at the sites recommended by the scanlations team!
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