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Hello! I saw your post about the well-written female characters so i would like to know if you have more suggestions? Any genre would do! Thank you! ( ◠‿◠ )
sure! i am going to assume you'd still like it to be anime / manga since that's what the original post centered on as well
ooku by yoshinaga fumi (manga) → this series basically operates by a reworking of jp history wherein the shogunate is largely female and served by harems of men, due to a disease several decades prior that nearly wiped out men and left women needing to fill their roles in society. the way it subverts gender roles and explores how women act when they saturate positions of power is pretty engrossing to read about!
asahinagu by kozaki ai (manga/film) → the dynamics between the girls in this are so endearing and inspiring! the protag is a timid girl who decides to join the naginata club (think japanese fencing) when its strongest member saves her from a pervert, as a way to build up her own confidence and strength. it's rly nice to see that she isn't bullied into "manning" up, rather the positive but stubborn reinforcement of her teammates pushes her to change
tokimeki tonight by ikeno koi (manga/anime) → follows the daughter of a vampire and werewolf who has the odd power of being able to change into a carbon copy of anything she bites lol! ranze has to navigate a normal life around this ability, all while falling for a human pretty boy, despite the fact that she's not allowed to fall for a human. great shenanigans, later serious arcs that are engrossing and divine, and ranze is just a rly easy to love character whom i think a lot of girls can relate to
emma by mori kaoru (manga) → good one if you're a fan of historical romance novels, although not as much wish fulfillment. follows two protags, emma and william, who fall in love in victorian england despite class differences. emma's a maid while william's part of the gentry, and obv, that complicates things. really love this one bc i think it grounds itself in a lot of realism. emma's a very well built protag, and it's interesting to see the interplay between her desire to be with william and her recognition of society's reality
skip beat by nakamura yoshiki (manga) → i mean, ok. this is a no brainer, but i'll put it here anyway since it's been running so long, there's bound to be newer audiences unaware of it. kyoko imo is one of the most awe-inspiring shoujo protags at present. she's stubborn and relentless in terms of work ethic but also very humbled by the fact that she's a newcomer to the entertainment industry with much left to learn in order to succeed. the slow burn between her and ren is Agonizing and why i ended up dropping the manga, but nonetheless, she's a wonder to watch evolve
guardian of the spirit by uehashi nahoko (novel/anime) → the protag, balsa, sets out to atone for eight deaths by deciding to save eight lives. she becomes bodyguard to a prince in the process, who's targeted for murder by his dad. balsa's very much the maker of her own life and someone who stands by her decisions regardless of others' influence, which i rly appreciate! it's also rare to see a female warrior protagonist so that's nice too lol
eureka seven (anime) → [plays days by flow and cries] i watched this over a decade ago so my memory is shite but eureka and anemone are my complicated DAUGHTERS whom i would die for please just take my word for it. it's crazy that eureka is kinda the forgotten mecha series on the western side of things bc it became so popular in japan there's like multiple animes and movies and everything idek
the ancient magus' bride by yamazaki kore (manga/anime) → aside from the fact that the anime for this is gorgeously animated and has one of the best osts i've ever heard, chise is a really unique protagonist to watch grow. she's a bit subdued in demeanor due to prior trauma from people treating her poorly due to her lack of control over her magic, but being under elias's (the ancient magus) tutelage allows her to build confidence, control, and a love for the world that she nearly lost due to people rejecting her
claymore by yagi norihiro (manga) → haven't read this in years so my memory's hazy but if you're a fan of berserk or the dark fantasy genre in general, and would like a full female cast, hello! also fun little piece of trivia but when claymores reach like peak power the feeling is likened to a "climax" and the series posits that only women were good at this so. male claymores are no more. idk it's just hilarious to me like yes men are bad at sex!
oresama teacher by tsubaki izumi (manga) → by gsnk's mangaka! about a girl gang leader who gets expelled and has to restart at a new school where a teacher encourages her to head the public morals club, which aims to reform delinquents and improve the school's enrollment figures since it's doomed with drop outs. super funny and from what i remember not rly romance focused so if you're looking for a female mc with slightly different priorities and a less standard personality in terms of shoujo, it's pretty neat
Skip Beat has been running for almost two decades, and the male lead only just confessed to the main character. I have literally grown up with this ship. I graduated high school, college, bought a house, planning on an engagement soon. All in the time it took Ren to finally tell Kyoko he loves her. I am excited and baffled and nostalgic. That's a fucking slow burn.
i was checking up on shoujo manga i used to read in middle school so i can idk experience emotion again and i feel like someone just poured ice water all over my head was ANYONE gonna tell me skip beat was still ongoing