Reimei no Arcana
Dawn of the Arcana

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When some people hear the phrase "shoujo manga", the first image that comes to their mind is high school romance with cookie-cutter characters and the same melodrama recycled over and over again. Frequently they say to me, "I don't like shoujo"—as if an entire demographic of manga magazines that have been publishing for decades are only capable of writing one type of story.

This stack exists to dispel the stereotypical image of shoujo manga.

Long before the current isekai boom directed towards the male demographic, shoujo magazines in the 1990s were serializing grand adventures where female leading characters were transported to other worlds and faced adversity. At approximately the same time (late 1980s), shoujo manga titles were at the forefront of the reincarnation boom, where main characters living in the modern day discovered they had memories from the past.

Epic tales and past lives aside, manga written for the female demographic tend to emphasize character development before plot. This means good series excel at making the characters' emotions transparent to the reader and their progression or growth feel natural. When the leading character is male instead of female, this can also be very refreshing.

This list is curated from manga I've read and will not include every available title. It will be updated over time. If there is a manga you think that should be added, please feel free to leave a comment on my profile and I'll check it out~

Romance manga (some manhua/manhwa) set in historical settings. Some are solely focused on the romance while others have romance as a sub-genre.

(Mainly) Shoujo manga featuring characters who are royalty or filthy rich

*often times it's the love interest who is the royal/rich character

Manga that feature a couple that have entered into a marriage of a contractual nature, rather than marrying out of love. This can be self appointed or done so on behalf of one or both parties by: a parental figure, a company, or the government.


--- over 50 arranged marriage manga---

- Aishite Nai, Kamo.
- Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka
- Bastian
- Bread & Butter
- Happy Trouble Wedding
- Kore kara Hajimaru Koi wo Oshiete
- Pellua Iyagi
- Pyeong Beonhan ge Joa!
- Wakaba Marriage
- Virgin Road
- Yuuwakusha: Kedamono Triangle
- Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen


--- not listed on MAL---

- Ai no Oukan
- Ai wa Totsuzen Honoo no You ni
- Ainaki Honeymoon (KOHAKU Yuu)
- Ato wa Wakai Ofutari de
- Kimi wa Iinazuke
- Tianshi X Emo Zhuding Buneng Youhao

A collection of romantic tales set in periods of imperial dynasty (ie. Joseon Korea / Fedual Japan / Middle East Bronze-Iron Age). Where emperor’s ruled the land & power struggles for the crown were prominent.

These romances vary;
♡ Some focus on mythology such as ‘Akatsuki no Yona’ & ‘Where the Dragon's Rain Falls’
♡ Some focus on fantasy such as ‘Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii’
♡ Some focus on drama & class divide such as ‘Ookami-heika no Hanayome’

Highly recommend all these is you can’t tell ^^

Updates still to come!

Hope you enjoy :

There i'll list some mangas/manhwas that the protagonists have red/pink hair.

Do not interpret this list as "reccomendations for series as good as good as Berserk," because you won't get that! But if you like knights, swords and castles and occasionally magic and appreciate those things on an aesthethic level, then you'll find things to enjoy.

You are reading a slow burn romance, and you start rooting for the second lead despite the odds being against them. Deep down, you know that 80% of the time the MC is gonna end up with the main lead. But you can't stop hoping since they feel more realistically flawed and human. In some cases, the second lead even ends up with the protagonist, and that's the closest feeling to winning the lottery.

If you are a masochist like me who loves rooting for second leads because of their less Mary-Sue, idealized traits, then this list is for you!

Some of these works have the second lead succeed in love, so stay tuned

Here are all the shoujo manga I think one should read in order to cover all bases. I organized this list by general theme, with publishing series at the bottom.

We start off with serious drama and slice of life series, then period and fantasy action and war series, then science-fiction series, then magical girl series, then series for younger audiences, then romance comedies, then drama slice of life romances, then horror and supernatural manga, and lastly, important ongoing series.

I'm currently using this list too, despite me being the one who created it!

You dwell in the deeps of a magical forest...

Kemonomimi are Human Characters with the Traits of Animals (e.g. Cat, Dog, Fox...), which can Appear in Fantasy Stories. Well i collected some Media which feature such fascinating beings, from Spirits, to Deities, to just interesting species you can meet, they are all Kemonomimi!

Note:
-I didnt include "Isekai" Stories (or tried)
-Tried to Avoid BL Entries (there's other Stacks which are dedicated to this by other users :> )
-The Kemonomimi Character is a Main Character

~~~
Is something missing? Is something wrong with an entry? You can contact me and tell me if there's anything wrong or missing! I´ll be happy for any help!

A carefully curated selection of obscure manga ranging from the great to the kinda terrible.

Here are some really good fantasy shoujosei mangas if you're looking for your next read. I also included some manhwas and magical girls.

For my list of romance shoujo check the link down below:

https://myanimelist.net/stacks/25619

This is a list of ongoing and complete manga that are available on the VIZ MANGA app.

[These are all Romance Series
if you are curious about other genres check these other lists:

- Part 2 (Action): https://myanimelist.net/stacks/34236
- Part 3 (Horror): https://myanimelist.net/stacks/34238
- Part 4 (Fantasy
& Sci-Fi): https://myanimelist.net/stacks/34239
- Part 5 (Others
Miscellaneous): https://myanimelist.net/stacks/34240

NOTE!!:
I'm not including every single series here, There are still a number of series that don't have every chapter available and thus I will not include them here. Once the unavailable chapters are added, I'll include them on this list.


For example:
as of August 23rd, 2023 Detective Conan does not have all of its chapters available, chapters 928-1099 are unavailable, so once these chapters do become available I will include Detective Conan to this list

A collection of romance mangas that have fantasy or supernatural element in them.

These are all having romance as main or sub element in the plot. Some of the recommendations may get a bit dark but still are romance mangas.

The best way for the items chosen to be represented would be:
Something close to if Witch Hat Atelier (Tongari Boushi no Atelier) had a little older cast and a touch of romance.


{Sorted by Name}

if you like manga/manhwa that affects the audience's emotions such as sadness, annoyance, hatred, heart-wrenching tragic, you can read this
Don't forget your tissue :)

Notes: I have definitely watched/read the anime/manga that I give a rating
I will not give a rating below 5, Rating 5 for me = 1, >8 = recommended
if it's not good for me, the status "Dropped" and no rating

when they don't get along but still fall in love >>>

-NOT ON MAL-
Einheli no Hanayome
Koisuru Himon no Senshitachi
From General to Bride: Marrying My Strongest Rival
Accidentally Reborn as an Evil Crossdressing Woman
Jinsei ni Tsukareta Saikyou Majutsushi wa Akiramete Nemuru Koto ni Shita

i only love fictional men ❤️
(i guess this stack also doubles as a shoujo/josei romance recommendation list)

included tags for notable genres like if it includes angst, reincarnation, smut, etc. so it's easier if there are certain things you'd prefer to avoid. won't mention romance bc it goes without saying that all of them include romance (:

--

more that's not listed on MAL:

Under the Oak Tree [상수리나무 아래] - manhwa; josei
❤️ Riftan Calypse x Maximilian Calypse
• i'm down bad for him but ngl he's kind of a red flag
• he has major anger issues, extremely possessive and overprotective over maxi
• BUT he's so hot that i became colour blind to the red flags
• and when he's not being big scary angry lord/knight man, he's actually the sweetest and most caring and loving husband ever
+ was adapted from a novel (the manhwa doesn't include actual smut scenes but if ya'll want it, read the novel... it's hella explicit)
• tags: yandere ML, historical, implied smut, drama, fantasy

Depths of Malice [악의의 농도] - manhwa; josei
❤️ Blaine Shade x Verta Alberhart
• toxic couple alert lol but they deserve each other
• the main plot for this one revolves around verta's quest for revenge. romance is a bit like an afterthought and only really shows in the later parts of the story
• but i love blaine because of his loyalty and dedication to verta
• he doesn't care that she's hellbent on ruining people's lives and is more than willing to aid her in it if it meant she would look his way
+ was adapted from a novel
• tags: historical, smut 🔞, reincarnation, drama, fantasy, nobility

Destined to Love You [偏偏宠爱] - manhua; shoujo
❤️ Jiang Ren x Meng Ting
• disclaimer: this story has a very inaccurate portrayal of bipolar disorder
• classic bad boy good girl trope but i love it
• jiang ren is so set on pursuing her despite her numerous rejections that he keeps working on himself to become a man that's good enough for her- studies harder, drops his bad habits like smoking and drinking, etc.
• deep down, he has a ton of insecurities even though he appears to be cocky on the surface
+ was adapted from a novel
• tags: yandere ML, school life, reincarnation, slice of life, drama, angst, bad boy!ML x smart girl!FL

Only for Love [错撩] - manhua; shoujo
❤️ Shi Yan x Zheng Shu Yi
• a successful couple who loves to watch each other succeed
• tons of miscommunication and misunderstandings between the two at the start but when they finally settle down and fully trust each other, their bond is so strong and beautiful
• Shi Yan can be loving but in all honesty, he takes himself too seriously that i cannot fantasize about being with someone like him- i mean i know he's the way that he is because of his upbringing and position but he's not for me. i love him and shu yi together so much tho
+ was adapted from a novel
+ has a live action series adaptation
• tags: office, drama, CEO!ML x reporter!FL

Court intrigue means political games in a feudal monarchy and aristocracy-based setting similar to Game of Thrones's political machinations. The court intrigue theme is usually part of the historical or fantasy genre.

Isekai/reincarnation in a novel or video game world isn't allowed. The isekai/parallel world has to be diegetic (has to be real in the story and not a novel or video game world created by a human).

Time travel in the same body is okay.