Summary
Shojo and josei romance are often underrated compared to their shonen counterpart. They’re known for slow-burn relationships and unrequited love, but that doesn’t mean the romance is something to bring into question. Shojo and Josei, shojo’s more “mature” counterpart, bring out the inner workings of female characters as they fall in love.
Though not exclusively, shojo and josei are told from the perspective of female characters as they grow as people. Many popular tropes, like the shy girl falling for the popular guy, are seen in shojo and josei romance titles, but the stories are vastly different. Shojo and josei romance are typically pure, feel-good stories with dreamy male leads.
Updated on July 31, 2025, by Oluwatokiloba Folami:Romance is a staple in any work of art,and in anime, it is no different. The romance genre has captured fans regardless of their age, gender, and so on. However,shojo romance anime targets female anime fansand with its heartfelt love stories, emotional depth, and unforgettable characters, it is no surprise that the female demographic cannot seem to get enough.Wholesome first love, dramatic love triangles,slow-burn relationships, the list of what to expect from shoujo romance is long as it tries to explore the joys, struggles, and complexities of love in ways that resonate deeply with its target audience.
This anime has so much to offer to fansfrom the slow burn romance to the growth that comes with finding love in an unexpected person. The heartwarming romance between the two main characters, Uka and Kia, takes viewers on a journey of love, self-growth, and overcoming insecurities in a school setting. Unlike typical high school romances, it beautifully portrays howUka grows from a socially anxious girlinto someone who finds her voice and confidence.
Uka’s relationship with Kai, a kind and charismatic boy with lemon-colored hair, is filled with gentle encouragement, mutual support, and authentic emotions rather than forced drama.This anime steals the hearts of viewersfor its perfect balance of romance, friendship, and personal growth.
This anime beautifully captures the delicatetransition from friend to loveras unexpected gestures from Souta make Sakura question her feelings about him. They have been childhood friends for so long but now, she is not so sure and neither is he.
Unlike rushed romances, this anime takes its time to slowly unravel the delicate feelings of first love, uncertainty, and the fear of change, creating an emotional experience for viewers. The dynamic between Sakura and Souta can be found relatable by some viewers as it is built onyears of friendship, making their growing bond feel authentic, natural, and deeply touching.
Mito sold her blood to have a roof over her head. Sounds dramatic but with nothing left to lose while standing at the edge of a bridge, Ruka’s offer sounded delightful. As a vampire, Ruka needs blood to survive and Mito needs a place to stay. Together, they enter an agreement but unknowingly to Ruka, Mito is a girl.
This lie grows bigger and bigger as Mito goes on to enroll in an all-boys school to be closer to Ruka. As they spend time together, Mito starts developing strong feelings for Ruka, putting her secret at risk of being exposed.The gender-bending twistadds a refreshing dynamic, making the romance feel unique and unpredictable.
Maybe everyone is destined to experience love because Hotaru never thought she would, yet somehow she manages to find a boy, Hananoi, who falls in love with her at first sight. As someone who has accepted that she is not meant to experience love,she hesitates to give Hananoi a chance.
Giving Hananoi a chance takes Hotaru on a journeyof self-discovery, emotional growth, and understanding what love truly means. Unlike many high school romances,A Condition Called Lovedoes not just focus on sweet momentsbut on the challenges of love, emotional maturity, and personal boundaries.
Real Girl
When it comes to pitting an extroverted female with an introverted male, few do it like3D Kanojo: Real Girl. This anime series is highly acclaimed for its friendship, romantic, and self-development themes. At the center of the show lies Iroha Igarashi, a girl widely known to everyone at school, and Hikari Tsutsui, an extremely introverted boy.
Hikari is often chastised by his classmates for his quirky behavior and prefers to interact with 2D characters in video games and anime, but with the 3D girl who forces him out of his comfort zone again and again, he begins to discover feelings he never knew he had, and 3D characters don’t seem that bad after all.
A mismatched duo featuring a girl at 5 ft 7in and a guy at 5 ft 1in seem unlikely to fall in love with each other; however, love is all about exploring the unknown and certainly much more than who’s the taller one. This reality sets in on Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ootani, who find solace in each other, particularly as their crushes fall in love.
While many might consider them mismatched, Koizumi and Atsushi come together, finding values and similarities they respect in one another. But deemed mismatched by outside influence, the blooming love they have for one another is tested by their own feelings and outside influences, which hold much more weight than they’d like to admit.
The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor
Mortal enemies getting reincarnated to face each other once again is not unheard of; however,The Do-Over Damsel Conquers The DragonEmperorportrays a unique twist. In her new life, Jill Savelle, adamsel who was formerly betrayedand framed by her fiancée, Gerald de Kleitos, proposes to a supposedly villainous dragon emperor, Hadis Teos Rave.
However, unlike what she’d heard in her last life, Jill sees a different side of the tyrant emperor than what she remembers and seeks to prevent him from engulfing the kingdom in madness once more. But changing the strings of fate wouldn’t be so easy.
Studio Ghibli is well known for its distinct art and traditional drawn animation. Among many of their masterpieces lies this masterpiece.From Up On Poppy Hillfeatures Umi Matsuzaki, a young girl who, with the rest of her schoolmates, tries to stop the destruction of an old clubhouse.
During the many activities she carries out in trying to stop the demolishing of the clubhouse, she meets Shun Kazama, a charming young lad whoturns out to be an orphan. Together, the duo looks into Shun’s origins and finds out that they’re not as different as they thought, but this truth could eventually threaten their status as budding lovers.
The beauty of love is that it comes when one least expects it, and Yuki definitely did not expect love or romance in her life, especially assomeone who is deaf. Yuki is used to communicating with sign language or through her phone, and the moment a tourist asks her directions, she panics. Luckily, the tourist is not left stranded, as Itsuomi steps in to offer help. As someone who is bilingual, he speaks to the tourist in English, and when he learns that Yuki is deaf, he is drawn to her and her method of communication.
Yuki and Itsuomi’s lives get intertwined after their encounter on the train, and he starts learning sign language so that he can better communicate with her. Yuki, on the other hand, is scared of opening herself up to experience what could happen with Itsuomi. This anime tugs at the hearts of viewers as it follows the pair’s delicate and heartwarming journey into experiencing and exploring their feelings towards each other.
Yona lived a protected life as her dad, King II of the Sky Tribe, took it upon himself to protect her from the realities of life. Yona’s existence was sheltered, but she was not sheltered away from love, as she had a massive crush on her cousin, Su-won. Yona was basically in love with him, which was why her heart was shattered whenshe watched him kill her dad. Not only had she lost her dad, but the person she loved the most was responsible, and she had to leave the life she had known to survive.
One thing about love is that, sometimes, it can be right in front of a person, and that person will not know it.As Yona flees with Hak, her childhood best friend, she starts to see him in a different light. This anime shows how their love for each other grows as they go through trials and tribulations while they try to restore peace to their world.
