Anime The Best in Shoujo

[MamoruAlpha]

I don't know if this sort of thread has already been done here, but I wanna know, if you are a shoujo fan, what are you top three shoujo anime of all time. Here are my favorites:

1. [B]X/1999-TV [/B] (referred to as just "X") By CLAMP The apocalyptic anime about 2 groups of superhumans fighting each other for the fate of Earth. This anime has one of the deepest stories ever and the most complaex characters. Even thought there seems to be quite a large number of characters, you'll end up memorizing and liking each one.

2.[B] Fushigi Yuugi [/B] (The Mysterious Play) By Yuu Watase A tale of a high shool girl who is transported to mystical world and is suddenly given the role of "Pristess of Suzaku" and is in charge of gathering the "Seven Stars of Suzaku". Not only will you be pulled into the romantic triangles that insue, but you'll laugh your a** off at the characters personalities!

3. [B]Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon [/B] by Naoko Takeuchi I grew up on this one so it always gets my props. Most of us know the story here: A teenager who is clumsy, ditzy, cries alot, and makes bad grades in school suddenly finds out (thanx to a talking black cat) that she is the sodlier of the moon, and one of the protectors of Earth.

[r2vq]

Atashi wa Shoujo ja arimasen ga. shoujo no anime wa suki desu yo. ^^

Although I'm a guy, I like anime directed towards girls (as well as those directed towards guys XP). Of course one of the first anime I've ever seen was like you,

[b]Sailor Moon[/b], or Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon was a great anime that I still watch... Have to get through those Sailor Stars Volumes ^^. The daily plot was repetitive and episodic but the story between the characters and the romances and tragedies was why one watches the series. I especially liked Mizuno Ami, but my favourite character was and always be Hotaru. ^^. I hear the manga was more detailed and beautiful, I wouldn't be surprised.

[b]Fushigi Yuugi[/b] one of the first series that I've seen all the way through. Such a hillarious show with great action and plot, I loved it. The characters were great no da. But I didn't like the continuations so much. I watched this show in a group of mostly guys who get together to watch Anime at school. Usually they are rowdy and make jokes, but Fushu made us all choked up and teary eyed when the sad scenes came around, namely the [spoiler]death of Nuriko[/spoiler].

[b]X/1999[/b] was OKAaaaaaaaaaay.... I wouldn't call it the best in Shoujo Anime though. I found a lot of the anime to be taken up with boring fillers. Though I do like the concept of the angels and the seals. Each with a cool l33t pawa. My favourite character is Nataku. I have a wallscroll of him and there's a picture of him in my agenda. ^^

If you like Shoujo anime you should watch Aishiteruze Baby (I can't help by advertise this everywhere I go ^^) a wonderful shoujo anime, though not mainstream. There's a thread about it here that I started ^^ (coughshamlessplugcough)

Other new series that I've noticed are Mahou Shoutai, and Kyou Kara Maou. Take a look into these series if you'd like something new to munch on. ^^

-ArV

[Dagger]

I haven't seen enough shoujo to construct a top three list, but I do think that [b]Fruits Basket[/b] deserves a mention. Sweet, funny and beautifully animated, Furaba is simply one of the best series I've ever seen. Even people who aren't ardent fans of anime will probably enjoy its spunky humor and heartwarming relationships. Furaba's storyline may seem to meander, but it's well-paced and consistently interesting.

Despite the fact that the show is often billed as a romantic comedy, it doesn't contain much in the way of tangible romance. The characters' feelings are for the most part left unstated, which gives Furaba an atmosphere of innocence.

In case I haven't already made my opinion clear, allow me to mention that I really, really love this series. It's made me laugh [i]and[/i] cry more often than any other anime.

~Dagger~

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]I haven't seen a huge number of Shoujo anime apart from a few done by CLAMP, my favourite of which was [b]Magic Knight Rayearth[/b]. I think almost every single character was likeable in it for some reason or another- although there were evil characters they always had redeeming qualities that enabled you to empathise with them, and even the nicer characters showed some nasty, reckless or antisocial qualities. Lady Debonair in the second season was probably the only character that had little to no development, revelations or interesting side. She was just plain evil.

I love the animation in Magic Knight Rayearth; more specifically the second part of it. It's just that much cleaner, and the characters have changed in their looks- they seem more grown-up than before. And you can never go wrong with swooshy cloaks, pretty armour and stylish weaponry ^_~

I must admit though- they look best in the Rayearth OVA (I guess mostly due to the increased budget they had to produce it). But the storyline of that was very confusing, and not anywhere near as good as the series. But then I suppose there wasn't a huge amount of scope for character development to be done in three episodes. It's still a firm favourite of mine, though.[/color]

[MamoruAlpha]

[quote name='r2vq']" Atashi wa Shoujo ja arimasen ga. shoujo no anime wa suki desu yo. ^^[/quote]

"Ore mo. Shoujo anime o ai suru wa, anata wa shoujo inakute mo ii desu!"


[quote name='r2vq] " [b]X/1999[/b'] was OKAaaaaaaaaaay.... I wouldn't call it the best in Shoujo Anime though. I found a lot of the anime to be taken up with boring fillers. Though I do like the concept of the angels and the seals. Each with a cool l33t pawa. My favourite character is Nataku. I have a wallscroll of him and there's a picture of him in my agenda. ^^"[/quote]

" X is one of the few anime to touch me, emotionally; especially at the end of episode 19... My favorite character is Satsuki, btw."

[quote name='r2vq']"If you like Shoujo anime you should watch Aishiteruze Baby (I can't help by advertise this everywhere I go ^^) a wonderful shoujo anime, though not mainstream...Other new series that I've noticed are Mahou Shoutai, and Kyou Kara Maou. Take a look into these series if you'd like something new to munch on. ^^"[/quote]

I say: "Thanks! I'll check them out. I've also wanted to try 'Alice 19th', too."

[MamoruAlpha]

[QUOTE=densuke]Gee, Sailor Moon is [i]mahou shoujo[/i] - not that it's a big crime to lump mahou shoujo in with shoujo titles, but mahou shoujo is generally aimed at a younger age group and I think overall those shows are not as strong in the writing and production values. It's not that I don't like them either. I just think they fare better when considered separately...

...[b]Kareshi Kanojo no Jijyou[/b] Thoughtful and charming, also hilarious and explosive. Kare Kano gives the look and feel of a first-rate shoujo manga better than any other adaptation. It also probably has the most crossover popularity, due to the strong male and female characters. Flawed by too many recap episodes, which to some make the ending seem forced. I think the ending is fine but would have liked to see better flow and more content. Licensed.[/QUOTE]

I know that sailor moon is a "magical girl" anime, but it seem that the sexual themes and the blatent violence(i.e. Usagi getting cut in the face by the clock monster in season 1) made it more attractive to teens and young adults; btw, I never really found it necessary to separate [i]mahou shoujo[/i] from shoujo; labeling too many sub-genres can get irritating.

As for [b]Kare Kano[/b], I never had a high school romance myself, and since I know that many shoujo anime work best when one can [b]relate[/b] to the story, I never bothered to watch it.

[noelmvilla]

I'd have to say.... Ultra Maniac.
Why? Well, I think that It's a really cool anime with shoujo mains.
I really like it, cause its..... the only shoujo anime I like.
Nina and Ayu can get so cool (and romantic) at times.
[SIZE=3]I really liked it when Ayu and Kaji [spoiler]confessed their love for each other![/spoiler][/SIZE]
I jumped around the room [SIZE=2]again[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]and again [/SIZE] [SIZE=4]and again [/SIZE] when Ayu declined the [spoiler]date Kaji asked for[/spoiler]!!!
Well, whatever.......

noelmvilla, logging off.........................

[XxmagentaxX]

I think Fushigi Yuugi has got to be one of the shoujo series out there.
There is also everything else by Watase Yuu, Alice 19th, Ayashi no Ceres, and Imadoki; just to name a few.

Angel Sanctuary is also a REALLY great shoujo series.

Eventhough I don't really watch shoujo that much anymore, it's all shonen-ai and shonen stuff.
Fushigi Yuugi and Angel Sanctuary will always be at the top of my list. FY has this really great universal appeal, everyone has at least one character that they can't get enough of.
And with AS, there are so many things in it that are just so taboo in society that you can't help but love it.

[MamoruAlpha]

[quote name='densuke']Nobody has any intention of irritating you personally...[/quote]

I was referring to sub-genre labeling, in general. I never accused anyone of intentionaly irritating me.

[quote name='densuke']... battles taking up most of the last half of every episode in many series. That only leaves half a show to put some decent writing into, and some shows don't get even that much...[/quote]

Point noted, though one could say the same thing about the mecha genre.

[quote name='densuke']I don't understand the gist or intent of your comment about or even mention of Kare Kano.[/quote]

I was simply stating an opinion.

[quote name='densuke'] This thread seemed to be inviting members to post about series they liked.[/quote]

Does that mean that no one has the right to share their opinions on other people's favorites? r2vq said that X/1999 was just ok, but I didn't get all hot and bothered and start re-evaluating what this thread is meant to be about.

[quote name='densuke'] It is all one to me whether you trouble yourself to watch it or not...[/quote]

So you don't mind if I choose not to watch it? Thank Goodness! :rolleyes:

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]Mamoru, densuke- please don't start arguing. It's pointless. If you really want to nit-pick at each other's statements, do it via PM. Let's keep to the discussion at hand.[/color]
[quote name='densuke']I prefer the OAV because it is less bogged down in RPG-style filler and the story of the friendship among the three girls works better. There are some awfully talky scenes but the basic plot is fairly straightforward and there is much less of the cruel betrayal of the characters and fans that the TV series is noted for.[/quote][color=#503f86]Oh yeah- the filler in both seasons did get irritating, especially in the second. Like CardCaptor Sakura, it seemed to take forever to reveal a plot point that was really rather obvious from near the beginning. [spoiler]A comparison would be actually 'finding out' that Nova was created by Hikaru and 'finding out' that Eli was Clow Reed/his messanger (I forget which- I stopped paying attention part-way through). CardCaptor Sakura was more frustrating though, because the dub was so bad. [/spoiler]

But I still think the OAV was too condensed. I watched it again today and some of the more interesting things about it were never really explained. [spoiler]What was the Divine Test that Clef was talking about? Why was Emeraude seemingly wishing for Earth to be destroyed when in a peaceful dream?[/spoiler] I could try and work out a theory for myself if I sat and thought about it for long enough, but it still would have been nicer to have had it explained, and also to find out more about Cephiro and the different characters as they were in that series as opposed to the originals.

I still really enjoyed it, though. The mech designs were really cool, heh. Better than the Rune Gods in MKR.[/color]

[MamoruAlpha]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine][color=#503f86']Mamoru, densuke- please don't start arguing. It's pointless.[/color][/quote]Sorry. I'm being as civil as possible here, but densuke needs to quit being so condecending towards the other members and myself; it's insulting. Again, I apologize.

[color=navy]I appreciate the respectful spirit in which your post was made, but this kind of thing is best saved for PM. Thanks. ^_^

~Dagger~

[color=#503f86]Addendum: If you do find he or anyone else is being insulting or condescending then either PM him directly to sort it out or tell a Moderator if you feel the problem really is that bad. Simply throwing a second opinion to a comment isn't necessarily being condescending/insulting/deragatory anyway, though. And that goes for anyone at any time, so it's best to think before you retaliate.

It doesn't matter who starts an argument, so long as someone has the initiative to finish it. It can take as long as you want to drag it out for, but the main thing to remember is to keep it out of forum topics. Thanks. -Solo[/color][/color]

[Solo Tremaine]

[QUOTE=kagomekiss]um i like:
1:tokyo mewmew
2:fusigi ugi! shut up about my spelling
3:salior moon :sweat:
oh you can go to [color=#503f86][i][Link removed][/i][/color] and read my story my panname is himurainuyasha.[/QUOTE][color=#503f86]kagomekiss, this post is spam. Please add as much detail to your reaons behind your choices as possible, as is described in the first post. Anything this short is against OtakuBoards rules.

Try and use correct punctuation as much as you can: it makes posts look that much nicer and make it easier for everyone else to read and follow. Finally, if you want to advertise a story of yours, do it in your signature and not as an addition to a post that it's not related to.

[quote name='kagomekiss']haha i see you!!!![/quote]This is [b]definately[/b] spam. One sentence-posts and unrelated attachments are against OB rules, which I suggest you take a look at before posting again: [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"]Rules[/url]
[/color]

[Adora]

Shoujo Kakumei Utena; It warped my fragile little mind in so many marvellous ways. Really it did. And the art and animation was brilliant. I have always had a thing for gender-benders, and the shoujo ambiguity was really distilled in this one. The characters really touched me, and the music was to die for

Angel Sanctuary: More delicious warping. I liked the useage of the old Hebrew cosmology as well, and frankly, I'm a sucker for anything that involves a sexy Lucifer.

Hanazaki to Kimitachi E has to be the final of my favs. *obviously has a thing for gender-benders*. It's probably the cutest and the fluffiest out of all my favs. I love the artstyle as well. Though obviously it's a manga and not an anime... but it still counts, right?

[Guest Patita]

[SIZE=1][FONT=Courier New][SIZE=1][SIZE=2]I dunno much about anime, but I know lots of mangas (get in the net - for free ^^ - well, I have *poor complex*). Ultra Maniac sure is Kawaiiiiiii (the manga is VERY cute).
In anime I like Clamp and Watase's work, both are great.
In the manga, one that HAVE to be said here, is [B][COLOR=Red]FULL MOON WO SAGASHITE[/COLOR][/B], very beautiful art and story (I don't know the anime).
Pretear and Parfait Tic are also good storys. [B]Fruits Basket [/B] is BASIC for the ones who likes shonen (both anime and manga). And the art of CC Sakura in the manga is gorgeous, and the story too (much better the manga).
Well, I've already said too much ^^ Sorry for being so long.
See yá!!!![/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE]

[crobo]

I haven't really seen a lot of shojo anime but my favourites out of the ones i've seen have to be Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon.

Fruits Basket was just beautiful to me. Some of the time there wasn't really much of storyline but i think the character really just pull you in and make you watch! I was a bit disapointed with the ending (most likely becuse it meant it was over. heh) But i've started collecting the manga so i can see what happens after episode 26.

Sailor Moon was one of the first animes i saw and it's just alwys been a favourite. Sailor Moon S was the best season in my opinion, because of the outer senshi making an apperance and Hotaru is one of my favourite anime characters ever! :babble:

[Guest the Jackal]

Furuba is a recent favourite of mine, and like everyone has said before me it's great becuse its really all about the charchters emotions. However, I found the first few episodes really hard to follow as they were so SLOW, every few min I was thinking "they're still going on about that?"
howver, I still love the series. especially Shigure and Momiji. hehe.

Its true that Sailor Moon and Fushigi Yugi seem to be the most popular Shoujo anime, but MY favourites are Utena and Cardcaptor Sakura.
(its been a while since I saw any shoujo stuff other than Furuba :p)
Utena was great becuse it was so origional, and diffrent from the manga in little ways. Also the music was great.
and Cardcaptor Sakura was just so cute and fun to watch, there are many more series I like better that it - but they dont count as Shoujo :p