shoujo manga - is it deep?

[walkwithheroes]

I was having a discussion with someone last week, about cool college courses. It started when we read that several universities in America are offering course about different aspects in the Harry Potter universe. And, we then remembered that one semester, our local college offered a course on the albums of the Beetles and how their music affect(ed) youth culture. We got to talking about cool, out there, courses we would want to teach if we were professors. I decided that I would want to teach a course on shoujo manga.


Shoujo manga is aimed for girls/women between the ages of 10-18. However, many boys/men and older women (in their 20s) read shoujo, as well. The first shoujo mangas appeared in the early 1900s (1903 was the year they were first released); they were simple one to two page stories. Over time, shoujo's have become rather cliched and most of them are about some "clumsy but good spirited" girl who falls for some handsome guy. And all the OTP interlopers, misunderstandings, family issues, and all the drama comes with them.


But. . .there are a few that deal with deeper issues, social issues - they are actually about story rather than high school romance. I'd love to teach a course about deeper shoujo mangas and how they fit into the traditional shoujo cliches and how they are more mature. Like Mars would be an example of something that is marketed as a shoujo manga, but is much more deeper and is not just about a romance. Or a lot of CLAMP stuff deals with social and psychological issues, but they are almost always marketed as a shoujo.


So, yeah. . .what are some non-cliched shoujo mangas you love?

Comments

[isanah.livejournal.com]

Keiko Suenobu's stuff (LIFE, LIMIT) has never failed in addressing societal issues, I think--the former dealing with bullying and the latter with...human relationships in dire circumstances.Neither of them have any romantic storylines: it's about friendships and enduring whatever crap life gives you.

For more lighter-hearted fare, I like Otomen and Dengeki Daisy--while there's romance stories at the core, the characters and issues dealt with are more complex and interesting (like in Otomen, how it's the guy that's girly and the girl that's boyish, but without going into straight-up parody). The relationships are allowed to develop without interlopers, since the issues everyone has tend to provide enough baggage.

Also, while I'm here: Hikari no Umi, Kuragehime, and Kingyo Sou are also great either because they're not romance-centered or have deeper issues that make them stand out from the dime-a-dozen cliches.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I saw the drama based on LIFE - it was so good! I loved the bits on friendship and the issues those kids had.

I love Dengeki Daisy and have enjoyed the little bits I've read of Otomen. They have lovely love stories, but also deal with some deeper stuff. And, I love the way the characters and relationships slowly grow and develop and change.

I watched the anime based on Kuragehime, and really liked it. Fruit's Basket, I'm told, has a lot of deeper issues at work. Cat Street has some really great stuff in it, with finding yourself and friendship. Honey and Clover is one of my favorites, but I think it is more Josei. Ouran High School Host Club can be wacky, but I think there is more going on then just wackiness.


BTW: I am still writing. . .slowly. I need to catch up on reading, too.

[isanah.livejournal.com]

I almost couldn't watch the entire thing because it was so horribly cruel, but it was handled really well, nonetheless.

What stood out in Dengeki Daisy is that Teru, despite being your everyday hero, had quirks that made her seem real to me as a reader instead of the flat cardboard cut-out that other heroines are like. And I can't say enough about Otomen, because, damn, it's just totally awesome, from the art to the writing.

I should probably check out some Fruits Basket one of these days, but I remember liking Ouran as an anime, and come to think of it, Switch Girl! is pretty darn underrated as shoujo manga goes...

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

LIFE was tough to get through at times, but worth it. Such a great series.

Teru, despite being your everyday hero, had quirks that made her seem real to me as a reader instead of the flat cardboard cut-out that other heroines are like.

Yes! 100 times yes! That's what I like about her. She has quirks and seems real.


You're making me want to start up Otomen again. I read the first four volumes, but it was going so slow. I was immature then. I did watch the live action and really enjoyed it.

I only watched the Fruits Basket anime, but I liked it. The Ouran anime was so fun. The live action series is just as awesome. But, I think the manga is my favorite of the three. I'll check out Switch Girl.

[isanah.livejournal.com]

I liked it because it was so brutal--Suenobu really didn't hold anything back when it came to the antagonists. On the other hand, seeing Ayumu make friends and have fun despite the crappy situation she was in was tearjerking, and I really felt like at the end of the manga, at least, that she'd grown stronger for it, and earned her happy ending.

Haha, Teru totally stands out to me because I've always wanted to write stories with an interesting main female protagonist, and for someone who's really quite ordinary (aside from her family situation), she's still very interesting to watch anyway.

Definitely check out Switch Girl! It's tons of fun and more.

(good luck on the writing, by the way--I've been slow with it, myself.)

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

and I really felt like at the end of the manga, at least, that she'd grown stronger for it, and earned her happy ending.

So true. I only watched the series, but I felt the same way. The character earned their happy endings. Though, the series ended with a hopeful tone, it didn't end with everyone totally happy. But, the characters were stronger.


I completely agree about Teru. Aside from her family situation, she's a rather ordinary girl. She's not a clone of all the other shoujo main characters.

I read the first chapter of Switch Girl, and really liked it. Have you read Kimi ni Todoke? Its another unique take on the shoujo manga. A slow build up to romance, but the story is really about a shy girl coming out of her shell and making friends and finding herself.

[lightsjustright.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I'd call them deep (haha, that's a lie: I never would, my taste is ridiculous) but my fave shoujo mangas are Perfect Girl Evolution and High School Debut. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

Perfect Girl is wacky fun. High School Debut - I've read half of it and liked it.

To be honest, my taste in manga is usually not that deep. I like my rom-coms and romance too much.