Kanata kara
From Far Away

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The Seiun Award (星雲賞, Seiunshou) is a Japanese speculative fiction award for the best science fiction works and achievements during the preceding year. Organized and overseen by the Science Fiction Fan Groups' Association of Nippon (SFFAN; 日本SFファングループ連合会議, Nihon SF Fan Group Rengou Kaigi), the awards were given each year at the annual Japan Science Fiction Convention. It is the oldest SF award in Japan, which was first given in 1970 at the 9th Japan Science Fiction Convention and has been awarded every year since that.

(Source: Wikipedia)

When some people hear the phrase "shoujo manga", the first image that comes to their mind is high school romance with cookie-cutter characters and the same melodrama recycled over and over again. Frequently they say to me, "I don't like shoujo"—as if an entire demographic of manga magazines that have been publishing for decades are only capable of writing one type of story.

This stack exists to dispel the stereotypical image of shoujo manga.

Long before the current isekai boom directed towards the male demographic, shoujo magazines in the 1990s were serializing grand adventures where female leading characters were transported to other worlds and faced adversity. At approximately the same time (late 1980s), shoujo manga titles were at the forefront of the reincarnation boom, where main characters living in the modern day discovered they had memories from the past.

Epic tales and past lives aside, manga written for the female demographic tend to emphasize character development before plot. This means good series excel at making the characters' emotions transparent to the reader and their progression or growth feel natural. When the leading character is male instead of female, this can also be very refreshing.

This list is curated from manga I've read and will not include every available title. It will be updated over time. If there is a manga you think that should be added, please feel free to leave a comment on my profile and I'll check it out~

Isekai with Female Leads/Girl Transported to Another World. This list is to compile mainly mangas

Quality of stories may vary

Of course, this list is subjective, but these are mangas that really stood out to me due to refreshing story elements, subject matter, or unique characters. I'm not asking for reccomendations.

Must Have:
1. Romance as one of the primary focuses (no romantic subplots/romantic subtext only)
2. Set in a historical era or a world that resembles one
3. Be good

**Eras are listed! Use list view.

List of fully translated manga from 1991 for a potential group read

Shoujo and josei manga that have victorian/gothic or historical themes, aristocrats or other noble characters.

shoujo and josei manga that started publishing in the 1990s

Manga series that, according to TV Tropes, need more love.

Here are all the shoujo manga I think one should read in order to cover all bases. I organized this list by general theme, with publishing series at the bottom.

We start off with serious drama and slice of life series, then period and fantasy action and war series, then science-fiction series, then magical girl series, then series for younger audiences, then romance comedies, then drama slice of life romances, then horror and supernatural manga, and lastly, important ongoing series.

I'm currently using this list too, despite me being the one who created it!

Part 2:
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/35259

A collection of romance mangas that have fantasy or supernatural element in them.

These are all having romance as main or sub element in the plot. Some of the recommendations may get a bit dark but still are romance mangas.

The best way for the items chosen to be represented would be:
Something close to if Witch Hat Atelier (Tongari Boushi no Atelier) had a little older cast and a touch of romance.


{Sorted by Name}

Mangas that have a sword and sorcery, sword-and-sandal, medieval/fantastical middle ages like setting

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9140
Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/16896
Part 3: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/27783
Part 5: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/51956

Unusual/intriguing premise, complex worldbuilding, well-written characters, big cast, supporting characters play important roles, multiple arcs, psychological themes. Long-running series (longer than 5 volumes).

The main plot has to be something other than just romance. It can be romance-focused if it equally focuses on another genre such as supernatural, action, adventure, psychological etc.

Highschool setting or slice of life themes are excluded unless the story has more interesting/unusual themes other than the two.

Manga that were published under the Shojo Beat/Shojo imprint by Viz Media.

* = i had to use the advanced search to find these, possibly not the most accurate result
2001-2050: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/48905
Anime 1951-2050: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/48293
Anime 2001-2050: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/45933