While shojo manga tends to be aimed at a younger female audience of readers, there's nothing wrong with enjoying their stories of romance and other personal relationships no matter age or gender. Plenty of amazing new series in the genre are coming out each day, but sometimes it can be excruciating waiting for a story to continue as novels slowly release.
Fortunately, there are several incredible shojo series that ended in 2021 which are perfect for those who want to read a story from start to finish without having to wait. For those who love to binge read, these may be the perfect choice to pick up.
10 We Must Never Fall In Love!
We Must Never Fall in Love is a must-read for fans of forbidden love stories so long as they don't mind an awkward angle of that being between two step-siblings. After Sakura tries to confess her love to a crush only to get turned down, she ends up finding out that someone actually saw the embarrassing moment and that said someone is her new tall, strong, and handsome step-brother Kaede.
The story has an amazing second love interest that's introduced partway through that makes it quite the thrilling read to see just who Sakura will choose in the end, especially since her brand new step-brother as a romantic interest is a bit awkward. With just nine volumes to read, it's a great story to pick up and quickly read through.
9 Those Not-So-Sweet Boys
So many shojo stories are based around romance and Those Not-So-Sweet Boys is no exception. Written and drawn by Youko Nogiri, famous for other shojo manga like Love in Focus and That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!, this story follows a young girl named Midori. When someone discovered that she has a job she's not supposed to, she either has to be removed from school and lose her scholarship or convince three different boys with some serious shady rumors surrounding them to stop being delinquents and attend classes.
8 D.N.Angel
Despite getting a full anime adaptation back in 2003, D.N. Angel only just released its last volume in January 2021. This is due to a bit of legal work when the publisher of the series in North America was forced to change as well as two several year-long hiatuses in production.
With so much extra time to develop the story, Yukiro Sugisaki was able to create her most popular story to date. It follows Daisuke Niwa, a student with a strange condition. Whenever he sees his crush, he magically transforms into his alter ego — Dark Mousy. However, whenever his alter ego sees said crush's twin sister, he transforms back into Daisuke. The story gives off some serious Ranma ½ vibes so anyone who's a fan of that classic story should be sure to check D.N.Angel out.
7 Defying Kurosaki-Kun
Sometimes, there's an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. In this case, it's a "White Prince" and a "Black Devil" that form an intense love triangle with high school student Yuu Akabane. Yuu has to fight her urges to fall for the devilish charm of one boy to try and stay true to her feelings for her prince in shining armor. Defying Kurosaki-kun spans over nineteen novels as well, making it a nice read for people to sink their teeth into.
6 My Sweet Girl
A small content warning about My Sweet Girl: It contains a lot of discussions of body image issues. For some, that may make things a bit difficult to read it. For others, seeing Tsugumi Koeda overcome those fears that no one will love her with how her body looks be able to slowly become more confident in herself and find the romance she desires extremely empowering and inspiring.
While Rumi Ichinobe hasn't drawn or written many published stories yet, this one shows that she has a strong future in the manga industry.
5 We Don't Know Love Yet
Any fans of the anime Nijiiro Days need to make sure they check out this creation by the same writer and artist. Both tell the story of high school romance with slice of life elements thrown in. We Don't Know Love yet follows six different students, all trying to figure out just what exactly the meaning of love really is. It's extremely relatable to anyone who remembers the struggles of being young and trying to figure out their love lives.
4 Fiancé's Observation Record Of A Self-Proclaimed Villainess
A healthy mix of isekai, romance, and a creative twist on the otome game genre, this manga is sure to be a hit with anyone that enjoyed the anime My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! as they both have similar vibes. Both feature a girl who seems to know they have been transported into an otome game and are both placed in the role of the villainess.
However, where they differ is how in Fiancé's Observation Record of a Self-proclaimed Villainess its main character trying to keep two partners apart, but doing so in such a weirdly wholesome way that the main character just proceeds to fall deeply in love with her. It's cute, comedic, and absolutely worth checking out.
3 Living-Room Matsunaga-San
While Living-Room Matsunaga-san does have quite the age gap in its romance, it has still proven to be quite popular with readers across its eleven-volume run. Watching high school student Miko Sonoda get used to living at her Uncle's boarding house with five adult men is a fascinating look at generational divides and provides a classic love triangle that gets quite heated near the end to boot. The story is fluffy for the most part and the art quite stylish to boot, making it a worthwhile read.
2 Cheeky Brat
Cheeky Brat is an extremely refreshing manga in the world of shojo stories. The author and artist Mitsubachi Miyuki must have seriously wanted to forgo clichés often found in the genre — making sure the romance starts early, no forced drama, and skipping over overused tropes like school festivals are all things readers have to look forward to. Getting to see a boy just absolutely doing all he can to win over a disinterested girl may be a bit uncomfortable at times, but when the genuine feelings shine through, Cheeky Brat really pulls on the heartstrings.
1 Colette Decides To Die
Most people who are overworked and need a break wouldn't take a "vacation" to the underworld, but that's exactly what happens to Colette when she decides to jump into a well. When she wakes up in the Land of the Dead, she finds that Hades is incredibly ill, so she still ends up working to try and help treat him at the request of all of his servants who don't know how to help him.
Now is a particularly good time to pick up the series as a sequel is currently in the works, with its first volume set to release in 2022.