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Sorry, my list is probably private; I am too lazy to add all the series I've watched/read, anyway.

Firstly, let me just say that I don't care if it is manga or anime or, hell, a webcomic. Just don't care.

1) Shoujo
-I'll tell you straight up that I disliked ToraDora (too violent), Fruits Basket (an abomination), Maid Sama (hated both Misaki and Usui), and Special A (boring, unrealistic, cliche, offensive, and low quality). I also was not a fan of Hiyokoi (too sweet), Kimi Ni Todoke (too unrealistic), Dengeki Daisy (Not My Thing), Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (boring), Vampire Knight and Tonbari No Kaibutsu Something (boring).

I do not like Kare First Love, either, because it represents nearly everything that is wrong with shoujo. I refuse to read Strobe Edge because the MC looks like a ten year old. Nanaco Robin bored me.


I LIKE Lovely Complex, High School Debut, and Kodocha. Skip Beat! is okay so far (saw the anime, reading the manga), but the cliches are just plain awful (childhood friends? Oh god, please kill me).

I do not like reverse harems (or just harems, for that matter) and love triangles (my guy never wins). If there is any drama, please keep it to a minimum.

I like passionate and intense heroines, and fragile looking bishies with some kind of detachment/attitude/tsundere problem (any of those issues will do).


2) Shounen/Action
-I love shounen, but usually it's stupid. I want something more unique. Or at least tolerable. I am not too picky when it comes to shounen, but I did not like Naruto and Fairy Tail, nor Bleach. I am really not interested in trying out One Piece, unless you swear up and down that it is God in a cartoon. I have a guilty pleasure for KHR, and all the wonderful crack pairings that the fandom brings with it.

Oh, but, one requirement; if the main character is weak, don't even bother. I can't handle whiny brats (I despise Tsuna with a passion).

Feel free to recommend stupid shounen or intelligent, thought provoking shounen (lol, does that exist?), I can enjoy either type.


3) Shoujo Ai
-I can't believe I am even thinking about stepping into GL territory. Let me explain: I am a shounen ai and yaoi fan. (Hold your criticisms if you have any, because honestly, I am shameless. You will do nothing productive, for your preachings will fall on deaf, fujoshi ears.) And because I am a BL fan, I am often flamed online by yuri fans. I shudder to think of being even close to such a hypocrite, so I want to broaden my horizons by seeing what it's like on both sides of the fence. I tried doing this already, so I chose a shoujo ai at random.

Strawberry Panic, to be exact. Well, the experience wasn't all that enlightening. The white haired girl was a pompous bitch and Pinky was just your typical, annoying as hell, shoujo lead. But it seemed to be like the GL version of Nakamura Shungiku's works, so I'd hate to let one silly anime build prejudice against this genre. So if you know any good shoujo ai manga or anime that is actually tasteful, that'd be cool.

1) Shoujo: Nodame Cantabile and Paradise Kiss. Maybe Nana and Honey Clover.
3)Shoujo Ai. Em... Anime of this genre all typical and very very boring, really. Maybe this: Oniisama E..., Gokujo., or Sasameki Koto.

Im not really good at recommending but here are some anime that I loved. Ill try to say a lot so its easier to get one to like.Also im not sure what youve watched.

D.Gray-man
Pandora Hearts
Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood)
Soul Eater
Kyo Kara Maoh
Shugo Chara
07 Ghost
Shounen Onmyouji
Kurokami
Nabari No Ou
Sekirei
World Destruction
Venus Vs Virus
Black Butler (1&2)
Ghost Hunt
Familiar Of Zero

Thats some that I really liked so I hope you at least like one.:)

For Shoujo, maybe you'd like Seiyuu ka (though there is a love triangle, but the tsundere-ish guy isn't on the losing side).

and now I'm just gonna list off whatever you may like:

Nineteen, Twenty-One (webcomic)
Karakuri Odette
Emma
Nodame Cantabile
Cat Street
Beauty Pop
Houou Gakuen Misoragumi
Romeo x Juliet
Arakawa Under the Bridge
Spice and Wolf

Shounen:
Soul Eater
Ao no Exorcist
Fullmetal Alchemist
Gintama?
Durarara/Baccano- both are really awesome, you have to watch these, not brainless at all
Sankarea- somewhat ecchi, but not too much usually, interesting romance

I don't know anything about Shoujo Ai, but Maria Holic might be good. Some of these I'm just throwing out there, so they might not all be that great.

I'm a big shoujo ai fan, so I can help you out there.

To the above poster about Maria Holic- It's not a real shoujo ai. Also, I personally found it hard to watch and only got through one episode before turning it off.

I agree with you, OP, that Strawberry Panic is pretty silly. It's not a good example of the shoujo ai genre. If you want something much more realistic, try Aoi Hana. It's the best shoujo ai out there in my opinion because it's just very soft and realistic and not exagerrated at all. Both the anime and the manga are good, but the anime is complete and although it stops halfway through the series, many people, myself included, LOVE the anime ending. It fits the tone of the series perfectly.

Revolutionary Girl Utena. I feel like I'm constantly recomending this series these days, haha. It's amazing. It really is just a fabulous, wonderful series. It's twisted and dark (not really violent, I mean it's got action but it's not violent) and sort of plays on the prince-princess fairytail genre. The best comparison I can give you is Princess Tutu, if you've ever seen that, although Utena is vastly superior and has more shoujo ai and other fun things. You may also enjoy the fact that, since it's purely shoujo, there's some yaoi implications as well. http://myanimelist.net/anime/440/Shoujo_Kakumei_Utena The manga is good as well, although not even close to as dark or metaphorical.

El Cazador de la Bruja seems like it would be a good anime for you. It's a shoujo ai (although not listed as one it IS, it is NOT just implied as some people think) and it's an action series. All the characters are really likeable and it's overall just fun and fairly lighthearted.http://myanimelist.net/anime/2030/El_Cazador_de_la_Bruja

Gentlemen's Alliance Cross- It's a shoujo series that has BOTH shounen ai and shoujo ai and the main romance is of course hetero. It is, however, FULL of drama. Lots and lots of drama, so take that as you will. Beautiful art though as it is an Arina Tanemura manga (there is no anime as of yet.) http://myanimelist.net/manga/37/Shinshi_Doumei_Cross

You're a yaoi/shounen ai fan, I demand you go read and watch X/1999 (the anime and manga, but not the movie) RIGHT NOW. CLAMP is always good for some shounen ai and X is a MASTERPIECE. Beautiful story, AMAZING characters, and just a really really great series. The manga has been on hiatus for 10 years however.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/156/X
http://myanimelist.net/manga/27/X

Most of the shoujo series you hate have one thing in common...they focus too much on the romance. And on top of that its a childish cheesy romance,The setting is very cliche(usually at school and few episodes at the beach). What you need is a shoujo series with great story-line and little romance. or a shoujo series with more mature and/or dark romance. In other word i think the genre you looking for is josei not shoujo. Anyway here is my recommendation:watashitachi no shiwase na jikan (manga),bitter virgin(manga),nana(anime). Also you should check out glass mask the heroine is passionate and intense(toward acting not love) and there is a fragile bishi in it too. You watched skip beat right? Well skip beat is a poorly done imitation of glass mask(mogami is funny and interesting though)

i swear up and down to God that one piece is the god of anime(not cartoon). You asked if there exist a thought provoking shounen series? Well you got your answer,onepiece is.
If you are looking for typical shounen series with flashy fights you will find a lot of them out there but if what you want is a masterpiece shounen anime with great characters(characterization is one of onepiece strongest points) dramatic moments(yep you will definitely cry in some of them) and great plot and storyline i highly recommend onepiece for you.
Anyway try marathon-ing through the first 45 episode in one go, if you like them well congratulation it will only get better. But if you dont like the first 45 episode then you should drop onepiece and try full metal alchemist brotherhood instead

I second:
Beauty Pop (Complete 10 Volume / 51 Chapter Manga)
Shinshi Doumei Cross (Complete 11 Volume / 59 Chapter Manga)
Glass Mask (2005) - (Complete 51 Episodes)

I also recommend:
Fujoshi Kanojo (Complete 5 Volume / 21 Chapter Manga)
Saruyama! (Complete 8 Volume / 34 Chapter Manga)
Zettai Kareshi (Complete 6 Volume / 35 Chapter Manga)
Kitchen Princess (Complete 10 Volume / 50 Chapter Manga)
B.O.D.Y. (Complete 15 Volume / 60 Chapter Manga)
D.N.Angel (Ongoing Manga) / D.N.Angel (Complete 26 Episodes)
Princess Tutu (Complete 38 Episodes)

I hope these help and good luck finding what you are looking for.

Amen. One Piece is at the least the king of shounen anime for damn sure, it's got plenty of everything (except serious romance) and I say in all seriousness that it just gets better and better throughout 500 episodes until your nothin' but a fuckin' One Piece junkie for life.

Bleach, Naruto, and Fairy Tail are pretty much garbage in comparison.

I dont know the exact definition of the genres you mentioned but I have some series I think you would like.
Shugo Chara- ( Based on your "message" i'm not sure if you would like it).
Kyou Kara Maou-( This was one of my favorites).
Sukisho- ( Shounen Ai).
Yumekui Merry-("In my opinion," very entertaining).
Cluster Edge- (Only male characters).
Venus Vs. Virus-( I rated this a 10).
Nabari No Ou- ( I really like this one).
Some more anime series like these, and more, can be found in my list.

shoujo/josei mangas:
Hot Road - influential shojo about a troubled girl who becomes a delinquent, it draws from the author's personal experiences as a juvenile delinquent
Kisshou Tennyo - josei with an extremely cunning and charismatic female lead
Taiyou no Ijiwaru - a collection of thought provoking one shots, sort of like what Inio Asano would write if he wrote josei
Miriam - a cowboy western shojo with a crafty female lead
A, A' - if you like intelligent shojos with complex themes and a sci-fi backdrop

As for shonen mangas, I find almost all of the genre derivative and boring. The only exception is Adachi Mitsuru's works, which are sports romantic comedies with witty dialogue and subtle character development. The main leads are really cool and composed as opposed to the lame protagonists you find in many shonen mangas. If you are looking for action, I recommend Banana Fish, although it is shojo/BL. There's also Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which doesn't fit into any demographic but is a fantastic action/adventure manga.

GL mangas: I second the Aoi Hana recommendation. If you like that you should also checkout Hourou Musuko, a similarly sensitive and realistic portrayal of LGBT kids.

Well for starters it would help if you made your anime list PUBLIC instead of private, asking for recommendations when we can't see what you've already seen is troublesome.

On the shounen side, if you despise Tsuna's weak character but still like KHR, then whats to say that you won't like other shounen with weak protagonists? Tengen Toppa Guren Lagann and Deadman Wonderland both feature weak leads, granted they both become tougher, but their growth is largely what makes their respective series so brilliant.

Well, if people read my description of what I do and don't like, then they shouldn't have to have a list so badly. It's not like I've seen every anime out there, or even a close to it. So it's not that hard to find at least five recommendations I've haven't seen, per person.



I was forced as a child to watch it by my shounen-obsessed friends. It was my first shounen ever and only my second anime. I became quite attached to it. As I continued to watch it, however, I would become impatient whenever Tsuna had screen time, and would actually sometimes skip the scenes with him talking. Whenever he is in a fight (I don't care if he is in orange eyes mode or not), I cheer on the villain, hoping Tsuna will get injured and not take up ant screen time until he gets healed.

There is a clear difference between tolerance and enjoyment. Perhaps...I don't feel like watching another shounen with crap characters, specifically the ones with the most lines. Hmm....

NAH! I'm just some idiot who doesn't even know what they like to watch!

I'll be checking out first (in no particular order):
Nana
One Piece (seriously, guys, it's that good?)
Nineteen, Twenty One
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Glass Mask
Aoi Hana
A, A'
Kisshou Tennyo
Bitter Virgin seems a bit too cliche for me, but for some reason I feel like trying it, at the least.
And, most definitely Hourou Musuko

I'll reply again if I enjoy any of these, just to say thanks.

And, well, thanks for giving me these recommendations in the first place! Really appreciate it.

Yes, I figured that already. I've just been hesitant to look up any josei because I am fifteen and probably wouldn't be able to relate to an older age.

As for the shoujo cliche..Yes, there is always a beach episode, isn't there? -amused out of her freaking mind- Never even noticed that, but it's so true!

I go with Kemmi. I loved Ao no Exorcist.

For shoujo-ai, I really liked the manga Voiceful. It was really easygoing and sweet, if short. Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime) also approached the topic in an interesting way.

Bitter Virgin is in no way cliche. Dear goodness, no.

As for shoujo, I'd recommend Escaflowne (anime- tv series, not movie), which also crosses a good deal over with the shounen/;action genre. It's different.
Ginban Kaleidoscope (anime)- has an original premise and a passionate heroine. At lest, she becomes likeable over the series. And it's short.
Kaleido Star- some cliches, but really focuses on her becoming a star, and that's don0e well and realistic.
Kuragehime (josei, but still rather funny)- perhaps a tad unrealistic, but has come great comedy and is not a typical premise. And not that far off from how otaku act irl in Japan.
Princess Tutu (anime)- mahou shoujo, and done right. I found it boring for the first three, but the fourth is where I realized it's atypical and definitely something speciaL.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (anime)- it's sci-fi, but it keeps it pretty low-key and sweet.


As a former person that really wasn't sure about One Piece, I can attest that yes, it is that good. I started it, kicking and screaming, and am a convert.

Shounen

Hajime no Ippo- other than OP this would be my favorite shounen anime. Even if you don't care about boxing (I didn't when I watched it) the fights in this anime are just thrilling. The other great thing here is the anime doesn't waste time focusing on shit you don't care about. There is no pointless drama and it doesn't get overly technical with boxing terms even a novice that doesn't know shit about boxing can sit down and enjoy this anime. As an added bonus this anime has a great sense of humor. It's one of the funniest non-comedy anime I've seen.

OP is awesome is it certainly is the king of the shounen demographic. It takes some time to get into the meat of it but it is so worth it. Each arc is better than the last as the story tell gets more refined and the world grows into a living breathing entity.

Shoujo:

Princess Tutu is by far my favorite shoujo anime. It's a dark fairy tale with beautiful music and lovable characters. I really love how it takes traditional fairy tales and puts it's own spin on them to create something unique.

If you're looking for something more romancy then I would skip shoujo and go for josei.

I would second Nodame Cantabile which is my favorite anime rom-com. A genuinely lovable cast, plenty of laughs and a romance that actually progresses throughout the story. The drama is kept to the minimum and actually makes sense when it comes up. There are no retarded misunderstandings or fake emotionally manipulative drama. And once again the music in this one is just beautiful. All of the musical performances in this anime are brilliant and if you like classic it's an eargasm. Even if you don't like classical I still think you'd enjoy music here.

Honey and Clover is also a very nice choice. There is romance but this anime is also growing up and life in general. It's a bunch of twenty something art students unsure about their direction in life and their often humorous lives. It's got a very nice balance of dramatic and comedy. The drama is a bit heavier than in Nodame Cantabile but it's good drama that is quite believable.

Well, so far I've watched Sweetpea's (I love your name, by the way) The Jellyfish Princess (the anime, hence the word "watched") - two episodes to be exact. I'd hate to judge a show so early in the series, but so far I really like it. The main character is very unique, and I love how not shallow the show is. Usually in shoujo, if the MC is ugly, she gets a huge makeover. I really hope that doesn't happen to Tsukimi. I like her the way she is.

Very refreshing. I hope that doesn't change as the anime progresses.

^ Glad you're liking it! It definitely has more to it than the average, and that made it great! (and thanks, glad you like the name as well! xD )

I second:
Ginban Kaleidoscope (Complete 12 Episodes) - I loved this show.

I also recommend:
Nanaka 6/17 (Complete 12 Episodes)
Kanon (Complete 13 Episodes)
Kanon (2006) - (Complete 24 Episodes)
Gakuen Alice (Complete 26 Episodes)
Sugar Sugar Rune (Complete 51 Episodes)