The Best of Shōjo Manga

For you, I set out on a quest to find the best shōjo manga out there that will leave you with a satisfying ending and make you a little less frustrated about that one manga you love that hasn't been updated in months.

Love So Life

Chapters: 106

I must admit that I was put off from reading this manga at first due to the babies illustrated on the cover, thinking that having kids introduced to the scene would be too strange. However, I learnt not to judge a manga by its cover since the babies turned out to be the best and most unique aspect of it. The story follows a high schooler named Shiharu Nakamura who lives in an orphanage and works for a day care centre. One day, she is asked to personally babysit a pair of twins, Aoi and Akane, by their uncle, Seiji Matsunaga. Shiharu and Seiji gradually fall for each other and we see them become more and more like a family every chapter. The kids are insanely adorable and I think I might have also learnt some valuable parenting lessons from the manga without even planning to.

Taiyou no Ie (House of the Sun)

Chapters: 50.3

This manga is about 17-year-old Mao Motomiya whose father remarries, leaving her feeling as though she has no place to call home anymore. Her childhood friend, the 23-year-old Hiro Nakamura, takes her into his home as he sympathises with her situation. The sweet albeit unconventional love story between Mao and Hiro unfolds as she tries to fix her bond with her family and he tries to convince his siblings to live together with him once again. This is personally my favourite manga, purely because it has the perfect balance of romance, comedy, drama, and the number of chapters is also just right. Do not be weirded out by the age difference since Hiro takes his time and nothing inappropriate ever happens. Hiro's brother, Daiki, is  a wonderful addition to the manga later on and the characters alone are reason enough to read this since they're so well-made.

Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride)

Chapters: 49.4

This is an obvious addition to the list since the anime adaptation of this manga has gained immense fame recently but not everyone knows that the manga is much more enjoyable than the anime and also provides an ending to the story all fans are curious about. The story follows Futaba Yoshioka, a girl who had never been able to make female friends because she uncannily attracted too many guys. In high school, she decides to change her personality and manages to make friends but then changes back after she meets childhood friend, Kou Mabuchi. Futaba and Kou used to have feelings for one another until Kou moved away, changed his last name and apparently his personality. This manga gets everything right, especially the character of Kou, since most male leads turn out to be too harsh and portray unhealthy relationships with "weak" female leads. A must read.

Bokura ga Ita (We Were There)

Chapters: 70

This manga has the most complex plot out of the lot and is, in my opinion, the most well-made. You need to buckle up before you delve into this manga because it is going to be a bumpy rollercoaster ride. The story begins with average teenager Nanami Takahashi falling in love with the school heartthrob, Motoharu Yano. She, however, has no clue of his dark past. If you're not into stories being based only on young high school students but you're not a fan of josei (more realistic romance) either, then this is the perfect shōjo manga for you since there's a time skip. Too many emotions came into play while reading this: anger, frustration, sadness, happiness, relief, just to name a few. You will be sucked into this and will stop everything and read all 70 chapters in one go, I guarantee you, so you might not want to start this if you have an exam anytime soon.

Hirunaka no Ryuusei

Chapters: 78.7

This manga has gained most of its fame due to its ridiculously handsome male leads, Shishio Satsuki and Daiki Mamura, whom the internet fawn over. The female lead, Suzume Yasano, moves to Tokyo from the countryside and soon falls for her homeroom teacher, Shishio. Mamura is a very close friend of Suzume and he, in turn, falls for her. This, of course, ignited the start of a hashtag war with people either going for #TeamShishio or #TeamMamura. The artwork of this manga is divine and the storyline is highly enjoyable as well. Definitely worth reading (or just staring at Shishio and Mamura).

Mayabee Arannya is a confused soul still searching for a purpose. Give her advice on life at facebook.com/mayabee.arannya