My Josei Manga Reading List!

When I was in college, I started reading a lot of manga. Shoujo was cute maybe because I'm a girl, but after reading tons of 'em I got worn out of the same ol' formula (I discovered the word "trope") that you thought only exist in movies. Cute girl, hot guy, popular cliques, you name it. But when I became a fan of Honey And Clover that's when I graduated from reading shoujo and moved on to reading josei.

Josei means "woman". So obviously it's geared for older women. If shoujo is for high school kids, josei is for women 18 and above. Jobs, family, life issues, friends and body image are normally the themes of these manga (aside from romance, of course). But I also like josei more because the designs are not common.

I think josei is not as popular as shonen and shoujo, for that matter. It's quite underrated, but after reading tons of them, there are definitely gems out there that people will enjoy. Plus, I think guys will like some, too, because the main characters are not always women.

Want to see some recommendations? I've read a lot, and I can vouch for these titles in the list:

Gokusen
I remember watching this anime first on Animax. It's about Kumiko Yamaguchi, who teaches Math in an all-boys high school, but in secret is actually a heiress Yakuza gangster who will get fired if ever she gets caught. Kinda like GTO, although it's way more preachy and annoying.

Nana
This is about two women sharing the same name who accidentally forged a friendship while living together. More character-driven and a bit mellow on the side.

Kuragehime
The main character Tsukimi is a homely, nerdy country girl living in Tokyo with her also homely, nerdy friends. One day, she caught a jellyfish being fed improperly in a pet shop so she had to tell the hipster employee, but because she's always insecure of her appearance she gets nervous just thinking about it. Luckily, a pretty girl who happens to pass by helps her out, so in return she has to let her sleep in her dormitory. The next day, Tsukimi finds out the kind stranger is actually a guy in drag - and for the right reasons.

Ristorante Paradiso
Nicoletta was vacationing in Rome to see her divorced mother. She left her years ago when she was a kid for a man, and now as a grown woman she wanted to pay her a visit through her husband's restaurant where nothing but old, bespectacled gentlemen work. Nicoletta was enamored by one of them, Claudio, and so she blackmailed her mom into giving her a part-time job or else she'll spill to her husband what she's hiding.

Honey And Clover
Takemoto is a college freshman living with his three other friends. One day, his professor brought Hagu, a young girl who'll study art in their university. Their story is about their lives together as college students.

Nodame Cantabile
Chiaki, an aspiring conductor meets a quirky, but talented pianist Noda in a university. Chiaki is afraid of flying and is too aloof, while Noda is carefree and finds joy in music. This story is kinda like Honey and Clover because it's set in college, though it focuses on two characters and how opposite they are.

5-ji Kara 9-ji Made
Sakuraba Junko hooks up with Hoshikawa Takane, a young monk and finds herself choosing between romance and her career.

Piece Of Cake
Shino just left her job, but worse, she and her boyfriend just called it quits. SO to start over, she moved to the countryside and began picking up the pieces. She begins working again, befriends a couple, but just when things were getting better, that's when she becomes more and more drawn to the mysterious man next door.

Paradise Kiss
The story is about an ordinary student who has a normal life, until one day she was found by a strange guy who wants to model for their group. She was not interested at first, until she decides to join and learns to like it.

Natsuyuki Rendezvous
This one is a pretty serious, sad story because the main character's love interest just lost her husband, but he still wants to win her heart. So he decides to work for her flower shop - except he can see her husband, hovering and loitering around, even distracting him whenever he makes a move on her.

Of course, there's a lot more out there - &, Futago, Ashita No Ousama, Hotaru No Hikari, and others I have not mentioned because there are just many great stories out there - you just have to look for them!