Hello, welcome!!! In this post we will discover some shoujo animes that are more than “girls animes” and that teach us very important things, at least they did for me, and I hope they are as valuable and pleasurable an experience for you as they were for me.
Akatsuki no Yona
In this work, we are introduced to Yona, the only princess of the kingdom of Kouka, who lives a luxurious and carefree life, but on her 16th birthday ends up witnessing the murder of her father. Because of this, her life is completely transformed and Yona can only count on her bodyguard and childhood friend Son Hak to stay alive.
Along her journey, Yona is faced with the state of misery in her kingdom and decides to go in search of the 4 dragons from the legend of her kingdom's origin to make her kingdom get out of the deplorable state in which it finds itself.
Yona is a formidable character. She starts off innocent and a little spoiled, but throughout her journey she grows and evolves magnificently.
His relationship with Son Hak is very well constructed and worked on, making the audience identify with the characters and the rest of the story.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Madoka Magica tells the story of Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki, who encounter a small magical cat-like creature called Kyubey, who offers them a dangerous contract so that the girls can have any wish granted in exchange for gaining magical powers. .
They take charge of fighting witches and meanwhile, a transfer student named Homura Akemi, who is also a magical girl, tries to stop Madoka from making the contract with Kyubey.
Madoka and Sayaka then meet Mami Tomoe, another magical girl and senior student at the same school they study at. She offers to take them on her witch hunts. On this journey, they learn about the responsibilities that come with being magical girls.
While Madoka thinks about whether or not to accept the contract proposed by Kyubey, she sees a witch killing Mami and realizes that the life of a magical girl is full of danger, anguish and suffering. She also discovers that magical girls give up their souls to form their Soul Gems, the source of their magic.
This anime is different from any other mahou shoujo that I have ever seen in my life, as it shows not only the consequences of the wishes that girls make, but also the difficulties of facing witches and the entire story behind the souls. gems, making Madoka Magica, above all, a reflective and extremely well-crafted anime that deviates from the traditional.
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon tells the story of Usagi Tsukino, a normal and innocent 14-year-old girl—at least, that's what she thinks—who one day meets Luna, a talking cat who reveals Usagi's identity as “Sailor Moon”, a magical warrior destined to save Earth from the forces of evil.
The cat, who originally lived in the Moon Kingdom, gives him tasks, such as finding the Moon Princess and protecting the Earth from various antagonists, starting with the Dark Kingdom that had destroyed the Moon Kingdom.
Throughout the story, Usagi discovers that she is actually the reincarnation of Serenity, the princess of the Moon Kingdom who had been sent to Earth by the Moon Queen, along with the cats Luna and Artemis, her advisors and the Prince of the Moon Kingdom. Earth, Endymion. He also ends up meeting his guardians — the intelligent Sailor Mercury, the clairvoyant Sailor Mars, the delicate but strong Sailor Jupiter and the cheerful Sailor Venus. Princess Serenity fights evil and, in time, meets Tuxedo Mask, her true love.
Sailor Moon is that type of story that first captivates you with the characters, but grows and transforms the story into something much more meaningful about friendship, love and courage. It introduces us to a diversity of female characters that is unique, as each of the sailors has her own identity, and yet, they care for each other and become loyal friends as the story develops.
Finally, I consider Sailor Moon to be a story about transformation in which people from all over the world can identify and learn about friendship, being yourself and that it's okay to receive help from friends when necessary.
Kimi ni Todoke
Sawako Kuronuma, who was nicknamed Sadako by her classmates because of her resemblance to the character in the movie “The Ring,” has always been feared and misunderstood because of her appearance and rumors at school that she is able to see ghosts. and curse people.
Despite her frightening appearance, she is actually a very kind and shy girl, who would only like to make friends and be admired by others.
When her idol at school, the popular Kazehaya, starts talking to her, her world transforms, she starts making new friends and talking to different people. Eventually, she and Kazehaya fall in love, while having to overcome several obstacles in their paths.
Kimi ni Todoke is a work that can only be described as pure, because the way in which the relationship between Sawako and Kazehaya develops is so beautiful and natural that it even has a certain tone of innocence.
The evolution in Sawako's personality is wonderful and surrounded by kindness that further enhances the story and her relationship with the other characters, showing that when everyone gives a chance, something incredible and unforgettable can happen, respect for others.
Fruits Basket
The anime tells the story of Tohru Honda and the tragic accident that led to her mother's death. Therefore, she needs to live in her grandfather's house, however, before she can stay, the house needs to undergo renovations, which means she needs to find a place to live. Unsuccessful in her search due to several events, she decides, on her own and without telling anyone, to live in an improvised shack.
While living there, he discovers the house of Yuki Souma (his schoolmate) and his cousin Shigure nearby.
One day, a landslide leaves her homeless and is supported by Yuki and her cousin who allow her to live in the house.
Later, Tohru ends up discovering a secret of the Souma family: There are 13 people in the family and they have a curse that transforms them into Chinese zodiac animals when they are very weak or are hugged by someone of the opposite sex.
Tohru promises to keep the secret and gains permission to continue living with them. As the story unfolds, all the cursed people are introduced and begin to live with the protagonist.
All the characters have unique personalities, all related to their sign, some more friendly, others not so much, which makes the experience of coexistence unique.
Fruits Basket is a story about kindness, family, courage and determination. Tohru, with her peculiar way of being, transforms the lives of each of the characters she interacts with. The anime makes the characters believe that happiness is something possible if they want it, make an effort and, above all, that we all have the right to seek our place in this world.
Pray Monogatari
Takeo Gouda and Makoto Sunakawa are childhood friends. The two maintained their friendship despite their physical and psychological differences.
The first, despite appearing strong and tough, is quite sensitive, falls in love easily, but is never reciprocated; Meanwhile, the second is very handsome, but is indifferent towards the girls in love with him.
One day, Takeo gets involved in a fight to protect young Rinko Yamato from a pervert on the train, she becomes eternally grateful to Takeo, although she always stands awkwardly by his side. Thus, Takeo comes to the conclusion that she certainly fell in love with Sunakawa, but it seems that this time, things will be different.
Ore Monogatari is that type of work that appears rarely and makes us have a different view of other things we've seen before, because in addition to being presented through the boy's vision, it is well outside the standards we are used to in other works. of this genre and yet it does not lose its sweetness and beauty, being a unique and extremely necessary work.
Lovely Complex
Lovely Complex tells the story of Risa Koizumi, a 1.72m tall girl who is considered a “little” tall for her age, and Atsushi Otani, a 1.56m tall boy who is considered a “little” low for your age.
Because of this, and also because they are funny together, they are known at school as “All Hanshin Kyojin” (Japanese comedians with different heights).
In the first episode, Koizumi and Otani make a bet to see who can find a boyfriend the fastest. If Otani wins, Risa will pay for a pair of new sneakers for him, otherwise, Otani will pay for any game she wants, but at the end of it all, they end up falling in love and causing a lot of confusion.
Lovely Complex, like Ore Monogatari, is a rare and totally different story, as it deals in a light and fun way with several serious issues such as acceptance and living with differences. The anime presents us with characters that are just them, avoiding any stereotype that girls always need to be cute and boys always strong and manly.
Above all, Lovely complex is about learning to love and accepting that whoever you love is not always who you idealize, but who you simply are.
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
In this work we are introduced to a girl named Sunako, who was called ugly by the first and only person to whom she confessed her love. This incident causes a life change and as a result, Sunako shuns all forms of beauty, both in herself and in life.
Worried about this change for the worse, Sunako's aunt, owner of a huge mansion where four beautiful high school students live (for free), demands that the boys transform her niece into the “perfect lady”, and in return, they will be able to to continue living there for free. They have a deadline, and if they cannot fulfill the agreement, they will have to pay a lump sum of money or vacate the premises.
Yamato Nadeshiko is an immensely fun work about facing your fears, starting over and, in the end, falling in love. Sunako is unique, funny, fearful and her evolution is very enjoyable to follow throughout the anime, however here, we end up noticing a great character development, not only of the main one, but also of all the other boys, who end up transforming and even even if we get attached to the girl wanting to help her, anyway, Yamato Nadeshiko is a delightful, fun work that gradually captivates us.
Full moon wo sagashite
It all starts when Hazuki falls in love with Aoi (leader of the band Route L), the relationship is not approved by Hazuki's mother, which causes the couple to run away and get married in secret.
The couple have a daughter named Mitsuki, but after an accident Hazuki and Aoi end up dying.
Mitsuki starts living in an orphanage and meets Eichi, a boy 6 years older, they become great friends and end up falling in love.
A few years later, Eichi is adopted by a couple who live in the USA, but before saying goodbye, they make a promise that when they meet again, they will be closer to their dreams. Eichi wanted to be an astronomer and Mitsuki a singer.
Mitsuki ends up leaving the orphanage because of her fragile health and goes to live with her grandmother, a woman with strict habits who blames music for all the problems in her life.
Two years have passed, Mitsuki is now 12 years old and her health is worse, the family doctor, Keiichi Wakaouji, diagnoses that she has throat cancer and that she would need to have an operation, which would make her dream of becoming a singer very distant. and consequently he would need to break the promise he made with Eichi.
Just when you think that nothing could get worse, Meroko and Takuto appear, two shinigami in charge of watching her for a year until the day they take her soul. But Takuto takes pity on the girl and decides to help her become a singer. To do so, he transforms her into a 16-year-old girl and from that point on, Mitsuki/Takuto/Meroko's adventures begin to prevent anyone from discovering that the young 16-year-old Full Moon singer is actually the fragile 12-year-old Mitsuki.
Full Moon is simply a sad but beautiful story. Mitsuki's determination to achieve her dream at any cost is inspiring and her love for Eichi is admirable. I consider it one of the most meaningful and beautiful works I've ever seen, because the way Mitsuki deals with the inevitability of things is very impressive and honestly, I believe it's something to be seen by many people.
Magical warriors of rayearth
In this work, we learn the story of three young people – Hikaru, Umi and Fuu – who, while taking a trip to Tokyo Tower, are transported to a completely new and magical world, Cefiro.
The girls were summoned to this fantastic place by Princess Emeraude, who is called the Pillar of Cefiro. In this place, being the Pillar means that the person is the one who will define the destiny of that world through their prayers and feelings, being able to bring peace or chaos.
Emeraude ends up being kidnapped by Zagato, a powerful wizard who wants to destroy Cefiro and the Princess' former right-hand man. Therefore, Emeraude summons the three girls, who are predestined to become the legendary Magical Warriors, those who will save Cefiro from destruction.
From then on, the girls undergo training and apprenticeships with several different people, such as Guru Clef and the blacksmith Presea (or Priscila).
Here we have a work full of twists, new worlds, characters that are immensely well constructed and full of personality. Magical Warriors is one of those stories that accompanies us for life, as it teaches us that the love we carry in our hearts can move mountains, that the courage to fight is within each one of us and that everything we need to win is ourselves.
I hope you have fun and see you next time!!!!
