10 Best Animated Shojo Anime, Ranked (2024)

Theshojogenre is filled with a wide variety of wonderful stories catered to all anime lovers. Although it may be targeted toward a certain demographic, any anime fan should give these titles a chance to dive into the world of shojo animes. The genre is filled with both popular shows, such asSailor MoonandMaid Sama!, and plenty of underrated ones, such asSnow White with the Red HairandFrom Me To You.

What makes the shojo genre so great is its diverse selection of stories they tell. Shojo is more than just romance and there's a ton of shojo anime out there are filled with stories of adventure, fantasy and action. These stories are filled with emotional storytelling, compelling character developments andabsolutelybeautifulanimation that will leave viewers breathless. Viewerswho find themselves diving into this genre will know just how diverse it is and how much it has to offer.

10 Kamisama Kiss Is the Perfect Image of a Shoujo Anime

Nanami Is a Strong Female Lead Who Strives To Lead Her Own Destiny

After being left homeless when her father runs away, Nanami has to fend for herself atthe young age of16. She meets a strange man named Mikage who ends up giving her his house, which turns out to be an old shrine. Unbeknownst to her, she becomes the new deity of the shrine and ends up getting stuck with a hot-headed yokai named Tomoe and creates many new friendships with plenty of other-worldly creatures as she enters the world of a deity.

Kamisama Kiss's aesthetic fits the picture-perfect image of what a shojo anime is with its cute art style and beautiful soundtrack. At first glance,Kamisama Kissmay seem like your typical run-of-the-mill romance anime, but it has a rich, complex story filled with plot twists that'll leave viewers wanting more. Nanami has a lot of misfortune that befalls her, but she remains headstrong and unrelenting regardless of all the bad omensthat sheencounters.

Kamisama Kiss

TV-PG

Animation

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

October 1, 2012

Creator(s)

Julietta Suzuki

Cast

Tia Ballard , J. Michael Tatum , Joel McDonald , Sean O'Connor , Micah Solusod , Jad Saxton , Jessie Grelle , Monica Rial , Robert McCollum , Anastasia Munoz , Brandon Potter

Main Genre

Romance

Seasons

1

Writers

Akitaro Daichi , Michiko Yokote

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

Franchise(s)

Kamisama Kiss

Directors

Akitaro Daichi

9 A Sign of Affection Does an Amazing Job of Showing the Beauty of Language

Yuki and Itsuomi Dive Into Each Other’s Worlds

College student Yuki meets a fellow student called Itsuomi, who helps her out in communicating with a foreign man during a train ride. Itsuomi is a travel-loving fanatic, while Yuki is a somewhat sheltered, curious girl with a big heart. They both live in different worlds and seem quite different from one another, but gradually, their lives collide with one another and open up a whole new sphere that neither of them has ever been in.

A Sign of Affectionis a breath of fresh air in the shojo genre with its inclusive representation. It's heartwarming to see how Yuki navigates through her struggles and thekind ofbonds she forms.This shojo anime is light-hearted and fluffy while maintaining a sense of realismthat gives the animea more mature airto it.If any anime fan is looking to broaden their horizons in romance outside of a high school setting,A Sign of Affectionis the perfect fit.

A Sign of Affection

TV-14

Animation

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Yuki Itoseis a college student who's into friends and fashion. She's also deaf. A chance meeting on a train leads to a serious crush... But can it grow into something more?

Release Date

January 6, 2024

Creator(s)

suu Morishita

Cast

Sumire Morohoshi , Yu Miyazaki , Takeo Otsuka , Kaede Hondo , Ryōta Ōsaka , Nao Tôyama , Tasuku Hatanaka , Koki Arai , Yuki Masuda , Minami Takahashi[ , Hana Hishikawa , Gakuto Kajiwara

Main Genre

Animation

Creator

Production Company

Network

Tokyo MX , BS4

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

Directors

Shinpei Matsuo , Hidekazu Oka , Tatsu Yamamoto

Producers

Emiko Iijima

Character(s)

Yuki Itose , Itsuomi Nagi , Oushi Ashioki , Rin Fujishiro , Kyouya Nagi , Emma Nakasono , Shin Iryuu , Yasuhiro Sandanbata , Yuki's Mother , Izumi Yoshiki , Madoka Sakurase , Mitoki Ichishima

YouTube Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuX_3-KTXv8

See Also

Date a Live - Anime - AniDBWhy Date A Live Will Win Your Heart

8 Snow White With the Red Hair Has an Amazing Story and Loveable Characters

Shirayuki’s Journey Across the Lands Will Leave Viewers in Awe of the World

Snow White with the Red Hairis anunderrated fantasy-driven shojoloosely based on the fairy taleSnow White. Shirayuki was born withstrikingly beautifulred hair that caused her to garner unwanted attention. When noticed by the Prince of Tanbarun, Prince Raji, Shirayuki is almost forced to become his concubine. In retaliation, Shirayuki cuts her hair and leaves it as a gift for him before fleeing into the forest, where she meets Zen, the second Prince of Wistalia.

Thisheart-warmingfantasy is filled with romance, politics, and Shirayuki's journey into the world ofapothecary. Romance isn't the main theme of this story, and it focuses more on Shirayuki's development as a pharmacist, as well asthe politics of the Kingdom and world that they reside in. When romance scenes do appear though, viewers will be in for a treat, since each and everyscene will have viewers giddy for more.

Snow White With The Red Hair

TV-14

Drama

Fantasy

Shirayuki was a young girl born with unique apple-red hair. She meets a famous but foolish Prince Raji, who falls in love with her at first sight and orders her to become his concubine.

Release Date

July 6, 2015

Cast

Saori Hayami , Ryōta Ōsaka , Yūichirō Umehara

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

2 Seasons

Creator

Deko Akao

Production Company

Bones, Warner Bros.

Number of Episodes

25 Episodes

7 From Me to You Has the Cutest High School Romance Story

Kazehaya and Sawako Will Give Viewers Butterflies

From Me To Youis a beautiful, heartwarming coming-of-age shojo romance anime set in high school. Sawako is often seen as strange and creepy due to her appearance, but that doesn't harden her heart, and she remains kind and selfless despite the judgment she receives. She befriends a popular, kind boy named Kazehaya, who opens her up to an entirely new world and helps her create life-long friends.

From Me To Youoriginally aired in 2009 andjustrecently made an amazing comeback in August 2024. The anime retained its iconic look from the earlier season and refined it, whichwarmly welcomes bothnew and returning fans. This anime can easily become a timeless shojo with how it expertly handles what it's like to grow up and the troubles of a young teen. It tackles important topicsas well, such as the importance of good communication and how flaws don't define an individual.

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You

TV-PG

Animation

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Sawako's one wish in life is to make friends. That's a difficult proposition due to her resemblance to Sadako from The Ring. Her life starts to change after she befriends her classmate, Kazehaya, an easygoing guy who is nice even with her.

Release Date

October 6, 2009

Cast

Mamiko Noto , Daisuke Namikawa , Miyuki Sawashiro , Yûko Sanpei , Yuichi Nakamura , Yuki Ono , Aya Hirano , Masahiro Yamanaka , Miho Miyagawa , Mayuki Makiguchi , Mamoru Miyano , Sakurako Kishiro , Takashi Matsuyama , Nobuaki Kanemitsu , Yurin , Takuma Suzuki

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

3

Character(s)

Sawako Kuronuma , Shouta Kazehaya , Ayane Yano , Chizuru Yoshida , Ryuu Sanada , Kazuichi Arai , Ume Kurumizawa , Souichi Jounouchi , Tomomi Endou / Madoka Horiguchi , Eriko Hirano , Kento Miura , Sawako's Mother , Sawako's Father , Keisuke Andou , Chigusa Takahashi , Yoshiyuki Arai

6 Yona of the Dawn Is Filled With Rich World-Building and Character Growth

Yona Grows Tremendously as a Protagonist

Yona of the Dawnfollows the story of Yona, the princess of Kouka. She's a sheltered princess and is often spoiled by her father, who tends to her every whim. Her perfect world shatters in front of her when a tragic event occurs, forcing her to mature and grow in just a single night. The only person left she can rely on is Hak, her appointed bodyguard and childhood friend, and the two of them are forced to flee the kingdom of Kouka to survive.

Yona of the Dawn is an adventure shojo filled with betrayal, magic and fate, and any viewer looking to watch a shojo filled with fantasy elements will loveYona of the Dawn. It has one of the best character developments, especially for the protagonist Yona. She's forced to change in a lot of ways and, due to that, she gains an immense amount of confidence and strength.

Yona of the Dawn

After being betrayed and run out of her home, the red-haired Princess Yona searches for four legendary dragons to take back her stolen kingdom.

Release Date

Rating

Seasons

Studio

Creator

Main Characters

Number of Episodes

5 Puella Magi Madoka Magica Explores the Meaning of Hope and Despair

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Fully Embraces the Cycle of Life

Madoka is a young 14-year-old girl with a kind, selfless heart. After her friend, Sayaka, and her meet with Kyubey, a strange alien creature who promises to grant them a wish, they both go into a fate that they can't run away from. They both enter the world of magical girls with the desire to help those in need, but little do they know the dark horrors that lie with being involved with Kyubey and the magical girl world.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica has shifted what the magical girl genre is about. It takes the cute, fun-adventure-filled aspect of it and throws viewers in for a ride with its dark twist. What makes this anime so great is how it questions what fate is, what is right versus wrong and how despair and love can change a person. This mind-bending anime is perfect for those who like a darker edge to the typical magical girl genre, and it's inspired many future magical girl anime with its incredible storytelling.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

TV-14

Action

A creature named Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka a wish if they agree to become 'magical girls' and fight abstract beings called 'witches'. However, a magical girl named Homura is, for uncertain reasons, determined to stop this agreement.

Release Date

January 7, 2011

Creator(s)

Akiyuki Shinbo , Gen Urobuchi , Ume Aoki , Shaft

Cast

Christine Marie Cabanos , Cristina Vee , Carrie Keranen , Sarah Anne Williams , Cassandra Lee Morris

Main Genre

Action

Seasons

1

Studio

Shaft

Writers

Gen Urobuchi

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu

Franchise(s)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Directors

Akiyuki Shinbo , Yukihiro Miyamoto

4 Cardcaptor Sakura Combines Cuteness With Action

Sakura Is One of the Cutest Protagonists in the Shojo Genre

Cardcaptor Sakura is about a young, energetic girl named Sakura, who stumbles upon a magical relic called the Clow Cards. She accidentally opens the book and sets all the cards scattered across Japan, which will cause havoc and destruction if she doesn't collect them all. With the help of the guardian of the Clow Cards, Kerberos, and her best friend Tomoya, Sakura sets out on an adventure to recollect them all to save the world from sure chaos.

This fun shojo anime takes all the elements of a great coming-of-age story and puts a fun magical twist into it. Sakura is only in 4th grade and seeing how she navigates the world of magic while trying to be a proper, good student in the real world takes viewers on a fun adventure. Cardcaptor Sakura remains a hit today and is still popular in the world of shojo for good reason: it is able to hold a steady storyline, with a whopping 70 episodes, and has endearing characters that viewers root for.

Cardcaptor Sakura

TV-Y7

Animation

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

Romance

Sakura stumbled upon the book of Clow Cards in a library. Accidentally setting the magical cards loose, it's now up to Sakura to catch them all with her best friend Tomoyo, and Kerberos, the guardian of the cards.

Release Date

April 7, 1998

Cast

Sakura Tange , Junko Iwao , Motoko Kumai , Aya Hisakawa , Emi Shinohara , Hideyuki Tanaka , Masaya Onosaka , Megumi Ogata , Tomokazu Seki , Yukana , Tomoko Kawakami , Nozomu Sasaki

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4

Character(s)

Sakura Kinomoto , Tomoyo Daidouji , Syaoran Li , Kerberos , Naoko Yanagisawa , Fujitaka Kinomoto , Kerberos (big) , Yukito Tsukishiro , Touya Kinomoto , Meiling Li , Rika Sasaki , Eriol Hiiragizawa

3 The Apothecary Diaries Takes the Shojo Genre to a Whole New Level With Its Refreshing Plot

This Anime Elevates the Genre Further, Boldly Showcasing Topics That Aren’t Typically Found in Shojo

Maomao is a young pharmacist who's obsessed with all things apothecary-related. Unfortunately for her, that's what lands her getting kidnapped and getting forced into servitude at the imperial palace as a servant. Fortunately, the workers there are kind to her, and she forms strong friendships and allies at the imperial palace. She solves a multitude of palace mysteries that save numerous lives from an ill fate and also uncovers the truth about her own past and lineage during her time at the imperial palace.

The Apothecary Diaries is by far one of the most unique shojos in recent years. Maomao is an eccentric, mature main character who isn't naive in the slightest, which makes her such an entertaining protagonist to follow throughout the series. She's smart and calculating, as well as influential at the imperial palace, which makes her journey all the more interesting to watch. Her focus is solely trained on apothecary-related business makes the sub-plot romance in the anime even more funny due to how disinterested she is in it.

The Apothecary Diaries

TV-14

Drama

History

A young maiden is kidnapped and sold into servitude at the emperor's palace, where she secretly employs her pharmacist skills with the help of the head eunuch to unravel medical mysteries in the inner court.

Release Date

October 21, 2023

Cast

Aoi Yuki , Katsuyuki Konishi

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Creator

Natsu Hyûga

Production Company

OLM Team Abe, OLM, Oriental Light and Magic (OLM).

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Amazon Prime Video

2 Fruits Basket Continues To Be a Fan-Favorite Throughout the Years

Every Shojo Fan Should Watch Fruits Basket at Least Once

Fruits Basket follows the story of Tohru Honda, a young high schooler who has recently lost her mom. She has nowhere to go and lives in a tent on property belonging to the Souma's, who harbor a deep, dark secret. She ends up living with Yuki and Shigure, then later on Kyo, and from then on, she changes the lives of the Souma's.

Fruits Basket is one of the staple shojos to watch. It first released in 2001, before getting an amazingly adapted reboot in 2019, and this time, completed the full story. What makes this anime so loved among shojo lovers is its ability to craft a heartbreaking story filled with relatable characters. Viewers will find themselves drawn to the amazing, diverse cast that Fruits Basket offers, and it doesn't shy away from the tragedies of life.

Fruits Basket

TV-14

Drama

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Creator(s)

Yûichirô Kido , Natsuki Takaya

Cast

Laura Bailey , Eric Vale , Jerry Jewell , John Burgmeier , Elizabeth Maxwell , Mikaela Krantz , Colleen Clinkenbeard

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

3

Writers

Natsuki Takaya

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

Franchise(s)

Fruits Basket

Directors

Yoshihide Ibata

1 Sailor Moon Paved the Way for Future Magical Girl Anime

Sailor Moon Still Remains One of the Most Popular Shojo Anime

Sailor Moon follows the story of a young middle school student named Usagi Tsukino, who is known to be lazy, boy-crazy, and gluttonous. Upon meeting Luna, a mystical black cat, Usagi transforms into the hero Sailor Moon, where she combats evil and keeps the world safe from evil forces. She gains and creates new allies and finds out more about her past than she could have ever imagined. Sailor Moon and her allies find a way to keep peace no matter what struggles are thrown their way.

Even those who aren't into shojo's know what Sailor Moon is, since its influence has spread far and wide in the realm of anime. Sailor Moon shaped the future for many magical girl shojo genres and maintains its popular standing due Sailor Moon's inspiring character and wholesome friendship between her and the Sailor Guardians. The original Sailor Moon series was an inspiration to many youths back in the 90s, and the messages conveyed in Sailor Moon are still inspirational to this day.

Sailor Moon

TV-PG

Action

Drama

Fantasy

Romance

A group of schoolgirls discover they are incarnations of super-powered alien princesses, and use their abilities to defend the earth.

Release Date

March 7, 1992

Creator(s)

Naoko Takeuchi

Cast

Kotono Mitsuishi , Aya Hisakawa , Michie Tomizawa , Emi Shinohara , Rica Fukami , Tôru Furuya , Keiko Han , Kae Araki , Yasuhiro Takato

Main Genre

Fantasy

Seasons

5

Creator

Main Characters

Production Company

Writers

Sukehiro Tomita

Number of Episodes

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Franchise(s)

Sailor Moon

Directors

Junichi Sato , Kunihiko Ikuhara

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