Shoujo anime, or shojo, are not quite as inescapable as shonen shows. For example, when it comes to the latter, the Winter 2022 season has Attack on Titan, The Case Study of Vanitas, Orient, Demon Slayer, Doraemon, and Teasing Master Takagi-san. Conversely, the only shojo series set to air during January 2022 is Requiem of the Rose King, although a new Pretty Cure is also expected to drop in February.
Unsurprisingly 2021 was not overly packed with shojo anime, with less than a dozen shows or movies coming out that target the demographic. However, while quantity might have been lacking, the anime industry didn't hold back on quality. Let's take a look at the best shojo anime of 2021.
7 Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure
- Japanese Title: Tropical-Rouge! Precure
Something would feel wrong in the cosmos if a new Pretty Cure anime fails to come out in any given year. Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure is unlikely to convince non-believers of the magical girl anime franchise, however, for those who are already along for the ride, this season is a respectable, if not forgettable entry.
Natsuumi Manatsu moves to a city deeply lacking in motivation, leading to the girl (and a whole host of others) to set things straight. Largely consisting of standalone episodes, Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure is a colorful children's show and an easy sit for shoujo fans looking to add a touch of magic to their lives.
6 My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X
- Japanese Title: Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... X
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! offers a nice twist on the isekai anime formula; a female otaku is reincarnated into a game world as its main villain, Catarina Claes, who is destined to meet a bad end. Naturally, the protagonist spends all of the first season trying to divert fate. Catarina is successful and ends the season with more suitors than she could ever need, although her oblivious nature means their affection goes largely unnoticed.
Season 2 lacks drive compared to its predecessor, feeling more like a slice of life since there isn't much in the way of stakes for Catarina to overcome. Thankfully, the characters are still charming and funny.
5 Pretty Boy Detective Club
- Japanese Title: Bishounen Tanteidan
Developed by Shaft, Pretty Boy Detective Club didn't get too much attention when it aired during the Spring 2021 season, which is a shame as it is one of the better mystery anime of the year. Looking to answer a question that has been plaguing her for the best part of a decade, Mayumi Doujima turns to Yubiwa Academy's Pretty Boy Detective Club, a group of students who will take on any case.
Split into short arcs revolving around different mysteries, Pretty Boy Detective Club is fun, gorgeous, and willing to ask its share of thought-provoking questions. Mayumi is a fantastic lead who complements the more eccentric characters who make up the detective club, all of which are likable in their own right.
4 Natsume's Book Of Friends: The Waking Rock And The Strange Visitor
- Japanese Title: Natsume Yuujinchou: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihousha
Natsume's Book of Friends has more than cemented itself as one of the best slice of life anime ever. The series follows Natsume, a boy who can see yokai and inherits a book from his grandmother containing the names of many spirits, giving its owner control over them. Natsume sets out to return these names to the yokai, freeing them in the process.
The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor is a compilation movie consisting of two OVAs, both of which present Natsume as a supporting character rather than the main focus. Although neither story ranks among the franchise's best, they both showcase the qualities that have made Natsume's Book of Friends such a beloved anime.
3 Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movies
- Japanese Title: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Eternal Movies
A sequel to Sailor Moon Crystal's season 3, Netflix's Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal movies cover the Dream arc that was originally adapted into anime form by 1995's Sailor Moon SuperS. Like the manga and classic anime versions, the movies find the legendary heroes going up against the Dead Moon Circus, a villainous group that targets the girls through their nightmares. This story is one of the franchise's best, and these films offer a wonderful, albeit streamlined take.
Sailor Moon needs no introduction to shoujo or magical girl fans, and the franchise's appeal has not lessened since its heyday roughly three decades ago.
2 Opera Girl!
- Japanese Title: Kageki Shoujo!!
Set in the world of Kouka theatre, Ai Narata and Sarasa Watanabe attend a school designed to prepare its female students to take the stage as both men and women characters. Opera Girl! is predominantly about the friendship between the reserved Ai and the ambitious Sarasa, two widely different girls who come together through their love of acting and their drive to achieve their dreams.
This shoujo anime does not underestimate the challenges faced by girls seeking to succeed in this area, highlighting both the physical and mental strain they take upon themselves. Grounded, gripping, and well written, Opera Girl! was one of 2021's most underrated anime.
1 Fruits Basket: The Final
Outside of Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket is arguably the definitive shoujo anime, and the modern incarnation went out with a masterclass. The show's final season was not only the best shoujo anime of 2021 but also one of the year's greatest shows regardless of genre, demographic, or type. Bringing to a satisfying close the character journeys of Tooru, Kyou, Yuki, and a myriad of supporting personalities, Fruits Basket: The Final accomplishes a lot in its short 13 episodes.
Outside of 2022's Fruits Basket: Prelude, which primarily summarizes the series, this anime is now complete. Therefore, anyone craving a touching, complex, and rich story should look no further than Fruits Basket.