Realistic Shojo Manga

[Soul]

As I have become quite a Shonen junkie (Though I am only truly interested in buying Shonen that is actually good, with story, characters, conviction, etc i.e Kenshin, Tsubasa, FMA, BECK, etc).

Yet, I like some realism in my manga, and I am quintessentially a romantic.
Yet, I'm not a big fan on the cutesy shojo like Fruits Baskets and such.

I'm a huge fan of Aizawa, especially Nana and Paradise Kiss.
Also I love Fuyumi Soryu's MARS.
A few other stuff I like is Ayashi no Ceres [GO READ IT NOW] (Ceres Celestial Legend) and Fushigi Yugi (Not that much though) by Yu Watase.

Anymore Shojo near that area you guys would recommend?
A few others I'm interested in reading is Angel Sanctuary and Nodame Cantabile.

[Ben]

Listening to you describe your manga taste I feel we might have been separated at birth. :)

Let me recommend DVD by Kye Young Chon (http://www.amazon.com/DVD-v01-Manga-Young-Chon/dp/1933809353/). It is a FANTASTIC shojo by a Korean artist (so I guess it should be called sonyeo :p) about a girl who contemplates suicide before falling in with a pair of weirdos. VERY Yazawa-ey. It may never finish coming out in the states because Drama Queen is terminally flakey, but still worth a look.

While we're on manhwa, let me also recommend The Great Catsby. It's not shojo per se since the protagonist is male (it's closer to seinen I suppose if you HAD to categorize it -- it wasn't serialized in a mag to begin with so you don't). But it's a touching slice-of-life story set in an area of Seoul awaiting demolition, and very romantic. Great characters too.

Another not-strictly-shojo but fits your criteria anyway book is Flower of Life by Fumi Yoshinaga, a school drama that's moving, funny, involving, delightful all around. I cannot recommend it highly enough and EVERYONE in the mood for great characters and a real feel-good story should read it. (Also yes, she does do mostly yaoi, but this book IS NOT YAOI. And the parts you think are yaoi at first aren't. People who've read past page 60 of the first volume know what I mean.)

Nodame is fun if gimmicky and shallow. Not on a par with Yazawa in terms of realistic emotion, but still worth a look at the first volume to see if the music thing grabs you.

I'm just getting into Love Com (Lovely Complex) which is definitely a guilty pleasure. Good page-turner of a school romance. Not much by the way of grittiness, though.

There's more gritty in His and Her Circumstances, which has a BRILLIANT anime directed by Hideaki Anno that was cut short because the manga-ka thought it was too "weird" (that is, she LACKS VISION and knows NOTHING ABOUT ANIMATION). But bitter though am I (and oh, I am bitter), I will still point you toward the manga because it's such a perfect addition to your list.

[Soul]

I've been turned off by Manhwa for the most part.
Yet I think I'll look into it.

Now...
His and Her Circumstances...
Yes yes, I never finished the anime, but that was because I heard the anime had those "WTF was that~?!?" endings. Irony for Anno, yet it sounds like Shojo manga-ka end up having a problem with their anime adaptions. Though the characters in the series felt real, too real by a teen's standpoint, especially on the issue of falling for some reason.

The main reason I have been wanting to check out Nodame is because of how much I've heard about it and it's popularity as a Shojo and it "OMFGZ!? Its teh shiz" popularity in Japan.

[Ben]

I've been turned off by Manhwa for the most part.
Yet I think I'll look into it.

Do you mind if I ask what turned you off?


Now...
His and Her Circumstances...
Yes yes, I never finished the anime, but that was because I heard the anime had those "WTF was that~?!?" endings.

Well, that's because the last few episodes were made after they already had their falling out, so Anno decided "screw it" and winged it.


The main reason I have been wanting to check out Nodame is because of how much I've heard about it and it's popularity as a Shojo and it "OMFGZ!? Its teh shiz" popularity in Japan.

Well, like I said, check it out and see if it hooks you. It is very cute, just don't expect another Nana.

[Soul]

I've tried reading a few but they seemed pretty convoluted but of course I don't remember what series they were or anything, so I just to assume that most Manhwa was alot like American Manga, which isn't all that great ..at all.

And gotta chalk up a major "Ha!" cause.. I'm always hoping to find the next Nana. Just as I've been hoping to find a TRUE replacement for Rurouni Kenshin on my Shonen front, which Tsubasa does a heck of a job yet, that is probably far off from Kenshin, majorly beyond on it because CLAMP is probably on acid when they decide to throw us through a plot twist.

I did watch a bit of Kodocha on the FUNi block on ColoursTv when I had Dish, I thought it was pretty cute but still not my cup Energy Drink.

[KZK]

Peach Girl should fit. (It was split into two series: Peach Girl, and Peach Girl Change of Heart, but they are one series. Beware of the 1st edition release for peach girl, get only the second edition.) Note the anime adaption is one of those rare ones where nothing is different from the manga.

Marmalade Boy. Getting harder to find.

I like Happy Mania, but it's more Josei than Shojo. Getting harder to find. Flowers & Bee's is even more twisted tho it's Seinen.

[GWOtaku]

I'm hardly an expert, but don't forget about Nana.

[silverwings]

You might like Imadoki (Nowadays) by Watase. It's a school/slice-of-life romance from her, and one of my favorite titles.

Since you liked MARS, I'd recommend her other series, ES. It's not shoujo, persay, but its still good.

I'll also second Love*Com by Nakahara. It's fantastic. Catch the anime if you want (it's excellent) but I find the manga to be a smug better. :)

You might like Red River by Shinohara. It's historical shoujo, similar to FY, only instead of China it's the Hittite Empire (and Eygpt) and instead of a weak-willed heroine, you have a very strong-willed one.

Lastly, I'd recommend two series by Yoshiki Nakamura - Skip Beat (available in English) and Tokyo Crazy Paradise (unfortunately is not). Both are fantastic, falling into more comedic romance (but that does mean there isn't drama). The art is great, the characters are too.

If I think of any more, I'll be back. :sweat:

[Soul]

You might like Imadoki (Nowadays) by Watase. It's a school/slice-of-life romance from her, and one of my favorite titles.

Since you liked MARS, I'd recommend her other series, ES. It's not shoujo, persay, but its still good.

I'll also second Love*Com by Nakahara. It's fantastic. Catch the anime if you want (it's excellent) but I find the manga to be a smug better. :)

You might like Red River by Shinohara. It's historical shoujo, similar to FY, only instead of China it's the Hittite Empire (and Eygpt) and instead of a weak-willed heroine, you have a very strong-willed one.

Lastly, I'd recommend two series by Yoshiki Nakamura - Skip Beat (available in English) and Tokyo Crazy Paradise (unfortunately is not). Both are fantastic, falling into more comedic romance (but that does mean there isn't drama). The art is great, the characters are too.

If I think of any more, I'll be back. :sweat:

Haha. I got ES solely because I read MARS.

[Kuroba]

Nodame Cantabile isn't really shojo. It's josei, but still great nonetheless. But yeah, if you're expecting another Nana, you'll be disappointed.
And if you're open to josei manga, I'd also reccomend Honey and Clover which is so very good.

Love Com is fun. Maybe you should check out the manga, Life, by Keiko Suenobu. It's like the equivalent to a YA novel with a lot of drama, but damn is it addicting. And the "good" characters are likable. Fumi Yoshinaga's Antique Bakery is really good too.

And if you like sci-fi, you should read the classic Please Save My Earth by Saki Hiwatari. Very interesting storyline that one has.

[Karl Olson]

I'm going throw out some stuff in the josei-ish line too, especially since a lot of the good shojo bases have been covered.

-Confidential Confessions by Reiko Momochi
Definitely has a bit of an after school special vibe, except the characters and their reactions to situations are intensely authentic. Everything from drug abuse to enjo kosai to abusive teachers to HIV and more are covered. The art style's also quite good. It's a bit depressing though, and you might to follow it up by having something more sugary-sweet to read afterword.

-Suppli by Mari Okazaki
A great slice-of-life manga about up and coming ad exec who is suddenly back to being single after a somewhat long term relationship. Nothing about it is particularly fantastical or over the top. The characters are very everyday, and their troubles are the kind that everybody faces. It's the kind of manga that gets a J-drama instead of an anime adaption (btw, their is a J-drama of it,) which is almost a shame because the art is very unique. She's also done some one shots that Tokyopop released as part of a Mari Okazaki line, but they are exceedingly hard to find in stores, and may not even be in print anymore - Amazon is your friend.

Oh, and on a straight up shojo note...

-Nosatsu Junkie by Ryōko Fukuyama
Now, normally gender bender manga are manic comedies that veer off into exceedingly surreal territory very quickly, but Nosatsu Junkie does a very good job of keeping it plausible, partially by keeping the characters fairly human and likable. Admittedly, it's one of the most over the top of my recommendations, but it's a fun read.

PS: Seriously, the previous recommendations of Honey And Clover, Kare Kano (aka His and Her Circumstances,) Nodame Cantabile are essentials. Oh, and Kodocha's easier to take as a manga, and the second half of it is much less manic, and much heavier. If you can make it past the first couple manic volumes, you'll be rewarded big time.

[Soul]

Those are some series that definately look interesting.
Josei stuff to me is just as appealing as Shojo, though when I look for something specifically then in the terms of a realistic romantic series, I should look towards Josei, as such Happy Mania and Tramps Like Us seem like something down to Earth and etc.

Now a mature real Josei Manga-Ka?
Erica Sakurazawa
I've flipped through a few her works published by Tokyopop, I really liked what I read.

I just need to find her stuff.

[Kuroba]

^ If you want to try out Erica Sakurazawa, I reccomend her manga, Angel. It actually feels very CLAMP-ish.


-Confidential Confessions by Reiko Momochi
-Nosatsu Junkie by Ryōko Fukuyama

I'm very fond of those, as well.
And I've been meaning to check out Suppli, admittedly because the cover art is really gorgeous.

[Ben]

I CAN'T BELIEVE I forgot Honey and Clover. Definitely grab that one.

And the line between shojo and josei manga is very permeable at points, so don't let that stop you from picking something up if it looks interesting.

[sparkykandy]

I'm a bit lost by what exactly you mean by realistic, but if you don't mind may I recommend Basara by Yumi Tamura? :sweat:
All 27 volumes are finally out here in the U.S. so you don't have to wait to read the next one.

I love this series and believe that it deserves every single penny I spent on it. Not only that but I just couldn't wait to read the next one after reading a volume.

Anyways, it's half adventure and half romance. Here's my cruddy attempt to summarize the plot :sweat:: It's about a girl named Sasara whom decides to take her brother's place as the child of destiny after her brother dies and attempt to free her people and make Japan a better place. (Okay, that was pretty sad.) Anyways, what got me into this series was the love story. You see Sasara, who is masquerading as her brother Tatara, meets and falls in love with a man named Shuri. However, the problem is that Shuri is the Red King, the man she hates, and he basically wants Tatara dead. However, neither of them know of their other identities. It's basically two enemies fall in love without knowing that they're enemies type of thing.

Anyways, what usually keeps me interested in a series are the characters, and I love the character development in this series. There's only probably very few stagnant characters in this series. It's was also nice to see characters I love grow and develop and change. I can think of a really good example, but it's also a bit of a major spoiler.:sweat: So, I'll just keep quiet.

Also, there really isn't any magic and supernatural stuff in Basara. (Except for a few minor things, but isn't enough to call to say it's really there.) So, if you were talking about that stuff when you meant realistic, I recommend that you give Basara a try.

Just one thing, though. I haven't really had much success finding this series in bookstores, but you should have no problem finding it online. And it's being put out by Viz in case you were curious.

[Soul]

I CAN'T BELIEVE I forgot Honey and Clover. Definitely grab that one.

And the line between shojo and josei manga is very permeable at points, so don't let that stop you from picking something up if it looks interesting.

Honey and clover is another one I've been hearing alot about, maybe more so than Nodame.

[KZK]

-Nosatsu Junkie by Ryōko Fukuyama
Now, normally gender bender manga are manic comedies that veer off into exceedingly surreal territory very quickly, but Nosatsu Junkie does a very good job of keeping it plausible, partially by keeping the characters fairly human and likable. Admittedly, it's one of the most over the top of my recommendations, but it's a fun read.

I thought I was just about the only person buying that. Kill me, Kiss me seems the same way, but I haven't Finished it so.. Hana Kimi is another.


I should also reccomend Kare First Love. Hot Gimmick is certainly twisted..

[Soul]

Well on Honey & Clover, I just watched the first episode of the anime... So.. the girl is 18? But she looks like shes' 7.... Uhm.. Loli or uuhh.. yeaahhh

[Kuroba]

Well on Honey & Clover, I just watched the first episode of the anime... So.. the girl is 18? But she looks like shes' 7.... Uhm.. Loli or uuhh.. yeaahhh
Hagu's small stature is more of a joke about her looking like a koropokkur (some Japanese mythical creature)...a lot of people watching the series for the first time make a loli comparison but she's not a loli (H&C doesn't cater to that audience). Pretty far from it, I'd say.

[Sandoz]

Angel Sanctuary is excellent. I'm not sure if it would fit in with the other "realistic" titles you're interested in (it mostly takes place in heaven and hell) but it's a top notch series. Stay away from the lousy OAV, though.


Hagu's small stature is more of a joke about her looking like a koropokkur (some Japanese mythical creature)...a lot of people watching the series for the first time make a loli comparison but she's not a loli (H&C doesn't cater to that audience). Pretty far from it, I'd say.
I don't know, my problem with Hagu is that she doesn't just look like an eight-year-old, she acts like one too. (That scene where she plays with dolls and freaks out when one of her would be suitors promises to build her a dollhouse comes to mind.) I haven't finished the series yet so I don't know where that plotline's going to end up, but yeeeah I'd probably enjoy the series more if she weren't in it.

[Kuroba]

Hagu is definitely childish, but I think she's more on the socially awkard side. She's always been sheltered and doesn't really know how to interact with people yet. I think the reason for her childishness may be that Hagu, since she did have to take care of her grandma when she was younger, she probably missed out on a lot of the fun that childhood tends to offer.It might explain why she takes solace in playing with dolls and art and other solitary activties, which also plays into her awkward nature and shyness.

If you're watching the anime, I've heard that people tend to like Hagu more in the second season where she has an acciden that might never allow her to paint again. She becomes more confident and even feels a little more human. Maybe it'll be the same for you.

[Karl Olson]

I thought I was just about the only person buying that.

Actually, my girlfriend got me hooked on it, as she's collecting it. However, with it still in serialization in Japan, I may have to start collecting it myself.


Kill me, Kiss me seems the same way, but I haven't Finished it so..

Kill Me Kiss Me is good - I lucked and scored the whole thing of a trivia question at a Tokyopop panel a few years ago.