Aside from CardCaptor Sakura, Fairy Tail, Skip Beat, Reimei no Arcana, and Fruits Basket, which I've already mentioned, these are 12 cool new ones! (in roughly alphabetical order).
Caveat: Most of this is shoujo. If you don't like shoujo, please skip this list XD. Since the summary on managahere.com (linked) is probably better than one I could write, I've focused mainly on being brief and saying what I personally got from it. Unless otherwise mentioned, all of them are complete.
If you don't want to read rambling, skip this list. I've got a shorter paragraph summarizing all of this at the end.
- 100% Perfect Girl: A lot of drama. It's a bit of a modern day cinderella story in the beginning, and just drama + drama after that. You've got amnesia, shooting, bribery, sexual tension, and depression (just to name a few) all stemming from some possessive lover issues. I actually don't like the protagonists because I feel they're a little pathetic at times, and read it mostly for the very dramatic drama going on. Really, I think my favorite character was Luigi Calpetti, a mafia boss. XD The drama makes it worth the read, but it isn't at the top of my list (haha irony intended)
- 24 Colors: Short, but very cute. It's a love-at-first-sight situation, but I still thought it was quite adorable. If you like drawing/ mangas about artists, this'll be a good one for you.
- Ability Shop: Psychological oneshot. The concept revolves around the eponymous shop where you can buy abilities. It's short, and very powerful. I will probably be borrowing the concept in some form at some point in some story.
- Black Bird: Apparently completed, but not completely scantalated. Drama and romance and more drama and more romance, but with a fantasy element: demons (e.g. tengu, kitsune). The protagonist impresses me decently at times, even if she is still a crybaby shoujo protagonist; her boyfriend on the other hand....T_T.
- Cat Street: It's short, and the romance is pretty poorly written, but the psychological undertones of failure, friendship and getting back up are beautiful. The show-biz parts sometimes make me cringe, especially after Skip Beat, but it's not a bad story for 35 chapters.
- Hadashi de Bara o Fume (Stepping on Roses): Quite a bit of drama in this one as well, and also a cinderella story. I really enjoyed the relationship development, and a few of the plot twists were really good. The protagonist is a bit simple-minded, but I feel like she's decently strong and worth the drama that surrounds her. It's one of those that just pulls at my heartstrings sometimes ;)
- Kare First Love: I picked this up by accident, but I'm glad I did. It centers around shy, not very attractive girl and an aspiring photographer with a bit of a traumatic past. It's...cute, and very typical shoujo.
- Kare Kano (aka Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou, aka His and Her Circumstances): This is probably the best story-wise on this list. It has a good mix of drama, romance, and character development, and although it drags and seems predictable at times, it's very cute and worth every chapter. Both protagonists, Miyazawa Yukino and Arima Souchiro are at the top of their class and have hidden personalities behind their perfect masks. Her development happens earlier on and is more subtle than his, but is just as magnificent when considered. A special bonus about this manga: Almost every character is actually developed/ detailed on, making a very memorable cast.
- Koukou Debut (High School Debut): Just finished this one a few days ago. Protagonist Nagashima Haruma is a bit of a tomboy, while her "popularity coach" Komiyama Yoh is the quiet one just trying to moosey along life. Although it's pretty standard shoujo, Haruna's high school romantic debut has a captivating energy and innocence.
- Mars: Just finished this one as well. Similar to Kare First Love, but a lot darker, dramatic and detailed (aka longer). It's about an outcast girl that avoids contact with everyone, especially boys, and a playboy delinquent who meet by chance.
- Special A: I actually read this a longggg while ago and was surprised it wasn't mentioned anywhere. Plenty of cuteness with a touch of drama. "Ms. Second Place" Hikari really instills a competitive and motivational spirit in me XD. There's an anime version as well, but the manga version goes a lot further.
- Witch Hunter : Shounen. This is an action-oritented manga that's very different from everything else on the list. Action-packed with touches of sentimentalism and a very nice magic spice. Incomplete, but there's enough to get into for now.
So, if this list doesn't overtly scream SHOUJO, then basically, I've been reading a lot of cute, enthusiastic romance and have maybe been convinced that getting a boyfriend isn't such a horrible idea. To summarize all of this, my top recommendations on this list would be: Ability Shop, Kare Kano, and Special A
And I think I'll try doing this: my top 10 manga. (not including anime! That's in another list!)- CardCaptor Sakura
- Skip Beat
- Fairy Tail
- Ability Shop
- Fruits Basket
- Kare Kano
- Reimei no Arcana
- Special A
- Stepping on Roses
- High School Debut
And then the anime/ tv show list:
- CardCaptor Sakura
- Sword Art Online
- Psycho Pass
- Teen Titans
- Once Upon a Time
I think. I'm probably majorly forgetting something.
I've gotten a few recommendations for anime that I'll be working on (namely Steins; Gate and Ouran High School Host Club), but for now I'm going to be trying to get back into school mode, for the most part.
There'll be a few more posts this week! Please look forward to them!
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