Summary
Shoujo mangaprimarily caters to girls and young women, and the demographic/genre has been around for quite some time. As a genre, it is not only enjoyed by young women, but by everyone, as it touches on various life lessons regarding love, growth, and strength. This genre can also present itself as a bit cliché, particularly when it comes to older shoujo with the stereotypical romances between the sunshine female lead and the delinquent male lead.
When it comes to classifying a mangaunder the category of classical shoujo, we will have to take into account the progression of the plot being extremely linear, with the numerous character misunderstandings, and a conflict that carries itself till the end. It is because of this that we see a stark difference in modern romance manga (New Age), where the content is more realistic and relatable, with a focus on a more complex plot and multi-layered characters. So, here is a list of new modern shoujo manga to get into and enjoy.
Updated Jun 05, 2025, by Aditi Jeyanathan:Most shoujo manga tend to have a similar plot line, where the girl pins after a guy who’s not interested in her. Manga with more female empowerment and independence are rarer, and when they do come around, they tend to impress readers. On top of that, it’s rather hectic reading the same old misunderstandings that act as plot devices for a romance. Sometimes all readers need is a stable, funny, heartwarming love story without any unnecessary side plots added to it. Here are some more out-of-the-box shoujo manga that will have readers either crying tears of envy or joy at the hilarious moments in these relationships.
25Choking On Love
The Laid-Back Musician and the Uptight Career Girl
When Hibari Akanishi’s laptop gets soaked by a group of rambunctious boys at her part-time job, she can’t help but turn her rage and frustration towards the first person she sees. Sausei Gaku is an arts student like her, but way more laid back and carefree in comparison to Hibari’s uptight attitude. Gaku is also the lead singer of a rock band and quite frankly, the last type of person Hibari wants to interact with.
He’s too nonchalant and that puts her in a difficult situation as she tries to come to terms with seeing life through his eyes. The refreshing part ofChoking on Loveis the support and understanding the two of them have for each other’s hobbies and way of life. In thisclassic opposites attract trope, Gaku and Hibari are the perfect example of contemporary romance done right.
24You Are Too Naive, My Sweetheart
Pure Hearted Young Love
Oono Nana is a first-year high school student who is obsessed with the flair behind fictional romances and finds it more heart-stopping than real-life romance. On top of that, she finds it difficult to control her emotions, as she tends to be easily swayed by charming words often said by the opposite sex.
Sudaka Tomoharu, on the other hand, is feared for his delinquent face, but when he unexpectedly confesses to Nana, do things shift in their relationship. Nana, being the ‘easy’ girl that she is, is moved by his confession, and they end up dating. Their romance inYou Are Too Naive, My Sweetheartis different from classical shoujo, as although the two of them are opposites, Nana is anextremely relatable character in her reactionsto Sudaka’s advances.
23In The Clear Moonlit Dusk
When Two ‘Princes’ Fell In Love
Dubbed as the school’s “prince,” Yoi Takiguchi is known for her deep voice, long legs, and handsome face. Despite being a girl, many of the femalesandmales swoon at her princely attitude and mannerisms, and she is oftenrevered as untouchable and godly. It is only when Kohaku Ichimura waltzes into her life and calls her ‘beautiful’ that things begin to change for her.
Kohaku, known for his princely looks, is nothing like a prince and often acts recklessly with his carefree attitude. He sets his sights on her, which proves to be extremely difficult for Yoi to handle, as this is the first time a boy has acknowledged her as a girl.In The Clear Moonlight Duskchanges the usual gender roles that shoujo addresses, as Yoi is the indifferent tomboy and Kohaku is the carefree popular guy.
22Tamon’s B-Side
How To Not Fall In Love With Your Idol
Utage Kinoshita is an ultra-super die-hard F/ACE fan and her number one bias is Tamon Fukuhara. He’s everything she wants in a man; excessively good-looking, secretly seductive, and the wild heartthrob of the idol group. He’s so perfect that he can do no wrong, and it’s Utage’s life’s dream to go to one of his events. The only way she can do that is by earning some extra cash by cleaning a celebrity’s house.
What she doesn’t expect is that the celebrity is none other than Tamon, and he’s nothing like she pictured.He’s shy, introverted, anxious,and an absolute mess when he realizes Utage is a fan of his.Tamon’s B-Sidedoes a complete 180 when he’s off the stage and even though he hates this side of him, Utage is going to do everything she can to make him believe that both sides of him are just as easy to love and adore.
21You’re My Cutie
A Senpai-Kohai First Love
Madoka Kawahara is obsessed with shoujo manga - especially ones that include younger innocent guys who tend to fall for their seniors. When she meets Momoki Shikura, she expects him to be the cute, innocent underclassman she has read about in her manga, but he is far from that. He’s rude and quite terrified of women, so the last thing he wants is to be around Madoka.
You’re My Cutietakes a refreshing turn with this new trope: a boy whose looks don’t match his personality and a girl who’s older than him. One doesn’t necessarily need to consider this as an ‘age-gap’ shoujo, since Madoka is only one year older than Momoki, and very respectful of their situation as a couple. Many shoujo fans will find this read to be relatable in terms of the characters' reactions (especially with Madoka when it comes to cute boys), and Momoki’s silly clumsiness, which is absolutely adorable.
20Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad
The Misunderstood Gangster That Falls In Love
Satsuki Shinohara’s plans for her first year of high school are almost ruined by a handsy pervert on the train, but she is saved by the so-called gangster in her class, Yamaguchi-kun. Even though Yamaguchi has a bad reputation in her class, Satsuki does all she can to get close to him, because she feels there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Badencapsulates the traditional premise of classic shoujo with the cold male lead and the sunshine female lead, yet this manga does everything not to stick to its predecessors' qualities. Though Yamaguchi is said to be a delinquent, he is by no means one, as hismannerisms are always misunderstood as violence. Satsuki, on the other hand, isn’t all sunshine and rainbows as she too struggles to keep a smile on her face.
19A Sign Of Affection
The Joyful Sound Of First Love
As a hearing-impaired university student, Yuki Itose’s life has been a cave of silence since the day she was born. Introverted by nature, except with her best friend Rin, Yuki barely interacts with anyone and mainly keeps to herself. A chance meeting with a silver-haired stranger changes her life for the better when she meets Itsuomi Nagi, a mutual friend of Rin, and someone who has no absurd reaction when he hears of her impairment.
Her interactions with him fascinate her and touch her heart, as Itsuomi treats her like a normal human being and not a disabled person. Itsuomi can be referred to as the greenest of all green flags for his actions towards Yuki and how much he treasures her. Unlike a lot of male leads, inA Sign of Affection, Itsuomi goes above and beyond to make sure she is comfortable, safe, and heard, which is not something Yuki is used to, especially in her silent life.
18His Scornful Eyes Are The Best
The Rude Boy and The Masochistic Girl
His Scornful Eyes Are The Bestpays homage to all the readers out there whose type is a red flag. Yoshino Uta is not your normal high school girl andit’s safe to say she’s a bit of a masochist. She likes it when someone speaks crudely and treats her with little to no care. When she has a chance encounter with Narumi Kei- the supposed ‘bad boy’ of the school, she’s immediately smitten.
Kei has no filter and his tactless personality has awarded him the title of the rude delinquent. But for Uta, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to finally find someone that tickles her odd fantasies. Compared to older shoujo where a female lead isn’t into the typical rude male lead’s actions, Uta is at the other end of the spectrum. It’s a weird mashup, but realistically wholesome in its own way.
17Sakuraba-san Can’t Be Stopped!
A Crazy Yandere Love
Unlike traditional shoujo manga,Sakuraba-san Can’t Be Stoppedmay be the most eccentric of them all. Just starting her first year in high school, all Mei Ikeda wants is to experience some love and romance. It falls quite literally into her lap when she meets Sakuraba Yuuto, and he immediately confesses to her. However, it’s only much later that she finds out Yuuto is not the typical teenage boy.
Yuuto isa borderline yandere type character- someone who is obsessive and possessive towards their significant other, often going to violent measures to keep them close. The only difference is that Sakuraba has intense desires to possess Mei, but rarely uses extreme measures to act on them. The two of them are certainly quirky, since neither of them hides their desires or is ashamed of them.
16A Kiss With A Cat
A Supernatural Love Between A Cat And A Girl
Erina Wada is known as the cool queen of her class with her stone-cold attitude and elegant behavior. However, around cats, she becomes an entirely different person and turns into a googly-eyed mess. One day after school, she comes home to find a cat in danger, and her natural instinct is to protect it and bring it home. She spends the day with the cat, and amid her cuddling, she raises the cat and kisses it. The cat then changes into a man, who is not only stark naked, but the unsociable boy from her class, Kou Nekoyama.
The next day, Nekoyama decides to visit her again and prove that what she saw was real. He also declares her as his master and continues to visit her. InA Kiss With A Cat,shoujo and the supernatural come together, as the people in Kou’s family turn into cats whenever they are kissed. Erina and Kou slowly grow closer as Kou begins to open up to her, despite viewing humans as troublesome, and Erina’s cold nature soon softens in his presence.
