As the anime community is growing and developing so does its genres to cater to the needs of wide variety of audiences. To adapt to its ever-changing environment, each genre has refined it’s aspect, style and added themes to match current times. Shoujo is also part of that genre that cater to the interest of young ladies. This genre has been developing its style and themes since its beginning in early 1950s and early 1960s to match the interest and mind of its audience. In a way, it reflects the liking and style of young ladies of their times, thus carrying a legacy of time for them. Here is the list of some beginner-friendly shoujo animes if you’re starting out in this wonderful community.
Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) :
Unfold a story of a 10-year-old school girl Sakura Kinomoto who accidentally breaks the seal of a magical book and unleashes the Clow Cards (magical cards) which have the power to wreak havoc in the world. She now has given the responsibility by their guardian Cerberus to capture and seal them back into the book using a clow wand. In her conquest she got help from her magical companion Cerberus aka Kero-chan and her best friend Tomoyo. Her adventurous journey throughout the anime is full of courage and even shows how a world is changing around her after she discovers this magical world. The story is nevertheless its USP, but it’s clothing, scenery, art style, popularize Sakura world all around among young girls.
Ouran High School Host Club (2006) :
A rom-com high school drama that follows around many clichés of that time, like a school club of handsome boys, a young girl out of some circumstances cross-dressed and joins an all-boys high school. The anime portrays Haruhi’s journey alongside her fellow classmates. She entangled herself in a minor mishap and ended up joining the Ouran High School Host Club, where she explores her new friends and finds out how sometimes a mishap leads to joy in life.
Fruits Basket (2001/2019) :
Narrates the life of Tohru Honda – a high school girl, which, by the turn of events, get involved with the Sohma family. A family that has unique zodiac curse and its members are possessed by animal spirits of the zodiac. Now, Tohru being part of the family also gets involved in this curse and eventually develops a deep bond with the family members. The anime has two versions, 2001 and 2019, the same plot but with bit of a different art-style and work. The music, story and romance make it a good watch and a good start while starting romance inclined shoujo.
Kimi ni Todoke (2009) :
Anime that blends three genres together to gave us one beautiful high-school romance. It got it movie adaptation, series adaptation and what not. The story follows Sawako Kuronuma, and her Sadako like appearance is quite a talk of school, hiding her sweetest and bright personality until she met a boy name Shota Kazehaya. Their fateful meeting turns the events for both of them for good especially for Sawako. She discover love, friendship and a school life full of youth. The anime portrayal of school life and experience of high school kids in a very fresh tone.
Chihayafuru (2011) :
The story of young, beautiful high-schooler Chihaya Ayase and her love for the Japanese card game of Karuta. As a young kid, she meets a boy named Arata, a talented karuta player who saw her potential to become a great player. His words, move Chihaya so much that Karuta has become the most important part of her life. Her passion for card game inspires her to start her own Karuta club in school, and this isn’t as easy as she thought. The anime perfectly portrays the two main characters, Chihaya and the Karuta itself. You never feel bored as it captures all the emotion of players and spirit of the game so much that you also ended up becoming part of her Karuta Club and can’t stop being mesmerised by her cheerful personality.
Ao Haru Ride (2014) :
Although not everyone’s cup of tea yet a mini inner world saga of high school girl Futaba Yoshioka. As a beginner, it’s good shoujo anime if you like drama laced with romance. Follows around Futaba and her school love interest, Ko Tanaka. Her story disrupted by unforeseen events when Ko moves out with his family. Now in high school, they reunite but Futaba is having a hard time seeing that old cheerful kid in this new Ko. The anime is slow but has a heartwarming plot. It beautifully captures the determination of a young girl to bring back that chirpy spark in a boy that she loved dearly. Her life, friendship and day-to-day school life make this anime a worth watch.
These are just a few recommendations to start your journey into the wonderful world of shoujo anime. These series serve as excellent entry points into the shoujo genre. As you explore these titles, you’ll discover the unique emotions and styles it carries from that particular time, the influence of young ladies is quite prominent on this genre and hence making it an all-time favourite and nostalgia for many.
Remember, these recommendations are just the beginning – the shoujo genre continues to evolve and produce new classics that capture the hearts of viewers worldwide. Happy watching!
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