Nicole. A stack of a variety of manga.
Let’s Celebrate Amazing Women in the Shoujo Manga Space
It’s International Women’s Day, so I figured it would be a fun time to talk about some of my favorite shoujo mangakas!
I’ve read a lot of manga over the years and some have really stuck with me. This isn’t a general “who deserves an award for their manga” post, but a more personal “who has touched my heart with their stories” sort of thing.
I wanted to talk about mangaka that I admire for their incredible skills to create impactful, engaging stories—and what aspects of those stories really stuck with me as I read them.
Most of what I read and enjoy are shoujo and josei stories. I do enjoy plenty of seinen and shounen too, but something about shoujosei stories just really hit home, and I think that’s part of why appreciating demographics designed for women can be important.
Of course, manga demographics have a lot of grey area, but the bottom line is I want to celebrate series created by women for women (of all ages).
So, let’s jump in!
Yumi Tamura
Yumi Tamura is a pretty obvious pick for me. She is a shoujosei mangaka who is known for amazing series like 7 Seeds, Basara, and Don’t Call It Mystery (all amazing works that I adore).
The first work I read by her was 7 Seeds. It unfortunately does not have an official English translation at this time, which honestly is the biggest crime for the manga industry, in my opinion. That work is an actual gem.
7 Seeds really opened my world to what a life-changing manga is really like. Finishing that series gave me one of those “What I am supposed to do now?” feelings. The story makes you experience all sort of emotions, and the worlds she creates (in all of her series) are truly unlike anything else.
Yumi Tamura has such an imaginative mind, and often uses a very thought-provoking subject matter for many of her mangas. The plots of her series are incredibly immersive, and her art style is something I could never forget. It feels so unique, full of emotion, and completely different from other manga styles. I’ve seen many people say it is messy, but I absolutely love it.
I’ve also always liked Tamu Tamu Time, which is the short author’s note portions found at the end of her manga volumes. I feel like her personality really shines even in these small feature pages, and she is always talking about something interesting—often about her experience writing and learning about new topics for her manga.
When I see people say things like “I don’t like shoujo or josei series,” I assume they must have never read any of Yumi Tamura’s works, haha. Perhaps I sound like a total fangirl, but that’s okay with me. I truly wish more of her series would become available in English, as I think more of her work could shine outside of Japan!
Nicole. Inner pages of Don’t Call It Mystery by Yumi Tamura.
Yoshiki Nakamura
If you’ve already read my Skip Beat review, you probably expected this shoujo mangaka’s name to show up here. I am a huge fan of Skip Beat and Nakamura’s other big series Tokyo Crazy Paradise! Both of these shoujo manga works have something in common: absolutely lovable and unforgettable characters.
Tsukasa from Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Kyoko from Skip Beat are pretty similar personality-wise, but something about the way they are portrayed just makes you fall in love with them.
They are energetic, eccentric, and kind of crazy in their own way… yet also very relatable and easy to root for. Nakamura’s characters often have inner flaws that make them even more impressive and relatable as they overcome many obstacles in their journeys.
One thing I adored about the female characters Nakamura wrote is that they really stand out in terms of their personalities. Many of the shoujo manga I read at an early age depicted very calm, sweet, caring, or timid female leads. Both Kyoko and Tsukasa didn’t fit that bill. They were caring and kind of course, but they had other personality traits I didn’t often see in shoujo at the time.
For example, Tsukasa was a righteous young lady who was so strong and agile that she became a Yakuza leader’s bodyguard. Kyoko, on the other hand, was a young girl who had been betrayed and used, and immediately set out on her revenge.
I didn’t see many shoujo leads who openly embraced their hatred, so seeing Kyoko’s incredible character grow really had an impact on me—and I always thought Tsukasa’s ability to navigate wild gun fights and other Yakuza-esque scenarios was always super, super cool. These characters made a big impact on my younger self, and I still love these two series very much today.
Nicole. Inner pages of Skip Beat! by Yoshiki Nakamura.
Io Sakisaka
Some of the first shoujo mangas I ever read and fell in love with were the amazing series created by the mangaka known as Io Sakisaka. Ao Haru Ride and Strobe Edge were basically my shoujo bibles growing up, haha. Considering I was still in school when I first read these series, I really loved the setting and the dramatic romances found within.
I know some readers don’t like the works by this shoujo mangaka, and often see others say that her stories use the same formula over and over. To be honest though, I actually like this aspect of her writing. It’s comforting to know what to expect from her series in terms of the vibe, art style, and romance.
I’m also the kind of person who re-watches the same movies over and over, and rarely tries new ones… so that could just be a personality thing! (ノ*°▽°*)
I also remember feeling so much emotion and relating so much to the characters while I read these series. They made me excited to experience love for myself. I think that Io Sakisaka’s mangas are what sort of sealed the deal for me in terms of loving manga and shoujo especially.
She portrays romance and emotion with so much energy and sparkle—and overall, her series really left an impression on the younger me. Even now, I still love her works, and hope to see more and more lovely romances from her!
Nicole. Inner pages of Ao Haru Ride by Io Sakisaka.
Morishita Suu
“Morishita Suu” actually refers to two women who work as a mangaka duo (Makiro and Nacchan). Together, they have created very lovely romances such as Like a Butterfly and A Sign of Affection. Their stories often feel very soft and relaxed in my opinion. Morishita Suu often depicts a more quiet, gentle, and sweet romance, with a gorgeous art style to accompany the story.
Both Like a Butterfly and A Sign of Affection sort of gave me fairytale vibes—not that they weren’t realistic in some ways, but because they were each depicted with such a flowy feel that sort of gave off a romantic fairytale feel for me. I hope that makes sense, haha. (*/ω＼) Just look at the covers of A Sign of Affection—they perfectly capture what I mean!
As I noted earlier, both of these series feel a bit “quiet” to me, and I mean that in a good way. In each of my reviews for Like a Butterfly and A Sign of Affection, I mention how the shoujo mangaka duo occasionally portrays interactions between couples without the use of speech bubbles (or the use of very few).
Nicole. Inner pages of Like a Butterfly by Morishita Suu.
Each series used these “quiet” panels to capture small moments and romantic interactions without the need for much communication. They focus on the feelings, expressions, and thoughts of the characters in those moments, which has always really stuck with me.
I think these interactions are so impactful, and let the art do the work instead of speech bubbles. These quiet interactions also make me feel like the couple portrayed in each romance have a special bond and understanding, making these gentle romances even more heartwarming. The mangaka duo really know what they’re doing!
It’s not as though these series have no communication or a lack of dialogue, obviously. These quiet moments are only occasional. In fact, both series seem to utilize an overarching theme about communication and connection, and I think these quieter moments sort of help emphasize that. I hope you can see what I mean with the images I included!
Nicole. Inner pages of A Sign of Affection by Morishita Suu.
Karuho Shiina
Most people know about the iconic shoujo series Kimi ni Todoke. It was yet another beautiful shoujo manga I grew up reading and created a special place for in my heart. Karuho Shiina is a talented shoujo mangaka who portrayed some beautiful relationships through her series.
Kimi ni Todoke explores romantic relationships, friendships, familial bonds, and more. Shiina’s stories show not just the beautiful parts of these relationships, but also the more ugly or difficult parts of them, too.
Another thing I loved about Shiina’s works is that she gave special care to many of the characters in her series. In Kimi ni Todoke, we see not just the personal struggles of Sawako, but also Kazehaya, Ayane, and Chizuru. They each sort of get their own side-arcs, and I felt that perhaps the mangaka really cared for the whole cast of characters and their perspectives, too. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡
Additionally, we were all blessed with a spinoff series for Kurumizawa, which gave us all a much needed conclusion for her unique character. She is one of the best written “villains” of any high school romance shoujo I’ve read, and I was so happy to see a series that completed her story (and another character from Crazy For You, too!).
Kurumi is also a great example at how Shiina is able to capture the complexity of a character’s thoughts and emotions. I feel this way about many of the other characters as well, but Kurumi’s really had such a big impact on me!
I’m looking forward to Shiina’s next series, too—it looks so interesting!
Nicole. Inner pages of Kimi ni Todoke: Soulmate by Karuho Shiina.
Megumi Morino
Megumi Morino is a talented shoujo mangaka who has created absolutely incredible works such as A Condition Called Love and Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty. Her works not only boast a lovely art style and super, super cute romances, but they always seem to have some unique twist or characteristic that makes them really stand out.
With A Condition Called Love, readers got to experience the very unique character that is Hananoi, who has an almost frightening attachment to Hotaru right at the start of the series. In Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, readers experience a very strange supernatural phenomenon alongside the main romance.
I was so impressed with how each of the “unique” characters are written in these series, and just how much depth all the characters in Morino’s series seem to have. These characters and their struggles are just so well thought out, and the impact you feel as you watch them overcome their hardships really hits you right in the heart.
Unlike many of the other mangas mentioned in this post, I actually read both of these series by Morino as an adult. I think this is a great example of how shoujo manga can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.
The messages found in each of these two beautiful stories are still things I can take to heart, and even though I am much older than the main characters, I still found their journeys heartwarming and exciting.
Morino is truly skilled in creating relatable characters and impactful stories (that, in my opinion, are sort of tear-jerkers). I hope to see more amazing works from her!
Final Thoughts
It’s truly amazing to be able to see the worlds, characters, and romances thought up by creative minds and brought to life in the form of manga. So many shoujo mangaka and non-shoujo mangaka out there have created some really amazing stories, and I’m sure many other readers have special series that impacted their lives, too.
If there are any amazing mangaka you’d like to spotlight, feel free to do so in the comments. ♡
