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Josei anime target adult women with realistic portrayals of romance, career challenges, and daily life. These series offer mature storytelling with relatable characters navigating the complexities of adulthood.
Prefer anime? Best Josei anime
Thirty-five-year-old novelist Makio Koudai never had a good relationship with her older sister Minori, who always berated her for being different. Due to this, Makio is not stricken with grief upon hearing the news that Minori and her husband die in a car crash. But when Makio...
Always deemed inferior to her elder sister, the strong-willed yet aimless Chihaya Ayase has no dream of her own. In contrast to her, Taichi Mashima, the son of a surgeon, is gifted yet insecure as he is burdened by the heavy expectations of his strict mother, who wants him to be...
Constantly transferring schools since childhood, Kaoru Nishimi has always been seen as a social outcast when he transfers due to his intellectual nature and wealthy background. But after moving to Kyushu for his first year of high school, things begin to change. Kaoru befriends...
Akiko Hayashi has soaring but strangely specific dreams: to make a successful manga debut while still in school, have her favorite actor star in its adaptation, and end up marrying him. However, she is far from having the motivation or skills to realize these hopes. When a...
The diligent high school freshman Akira Kagiura and his senior Taiga Hirano have been roommates for half a year. Kagiura used to be anxious about his future dormitory life, but thanks to his energetic senior looking out for him, he has come to feel content and at ease. As he...
Shinichi Chiaki, the perfectionist son of a famous pianist, is in his fourth year at Momogaoka College of Music, hoping to achieve his secret dream of being a conductor. His admiration for his father led him to pursue a career in music. As much as he wants to return to Europe,...
Young Yotarou has just left prison after serving a short term for a crime he does not know anything about, but without family, he has nowhere to go. Instead, he is going straight to the unrivaled master of rakugo—a form of comedic Japanese storytelling—Yakumo Yuurakutei himself....
After two eccentrically dressed individuals ambush her, high school student Yukari Hayasaka promptly passes out due to shock. She soon awakens to find herself surrounded by even more strangely dressed people in the basement studio of Paradise Kiss—a fashion design club composed...
Yuki Nomoto, although a complete amateur, enjoys cooking more than anything. The young office worker has big ambitions for the dishes she wants to create, but there is a recurring problem: she has no one to share her cooking with. Much like an artistic masterpiece that never...
Born during the sunrise—an auspicious beginning—the Azumas' newborn son is named Hikaru, which means "light." But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In this alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young...
Takemoto lives in a run down student apartment, where his greatest worry is when he'll next be able to afford to eat meat and whether he'll get to class on time. Although he's away from home and living on his own, Takemoto is far from finished growing up. Along with his crazy...
Beyond the mist-filled alleyways in the concrete crevices of Los Angeles' Chinatown hides a mysterious pet shop, home to many bizarre yet friendly creatures. The store's proprietor is an enigmatic young man who goes by the name of Count D. Count D welcomes those who feel lonely...
Tsukimi Kurashita has wanted to be a princess ever since her youth. However, at 18 years old, she finds herself far from that dream. Instead, she has become a plain and shy girl who spends most of her time and money on her biggest obsession: jellyfish. Tsukimi lives with her...
Average college student Totonou Kunou's usual morning making curry gets interrupted when police officers come knocking at his door, questioning him about his whereabouts on the night before. As it turns out, one of his classmates was found dead near his house—and the police take...
The fearsome foursome continue their journey west towards Shangri-La, encountering new challenges and new adventures along the way. Their legend precedes them, but not always in the way one might expect. The Minus Wave that apparently drove all the youkai in the land mad looks...
Kobayashi just can't focus—not on studying, not on work—and the adults in his life think he's in danger of becoming a worthless dropout. Then, one day, a strange new presence arrives in his class: an energetic and naïve kid named Uno. Kobayashi saves Uno from getting scammed,...
This time, subsequent to the story that wrapped up in Volume 9, is the release of a wondrous "side story"! In response to the many sorrowed voices, the author Asano Atsuko proclaimed, "Then I'll write a supplementary story!" The author herself, recalling her love for the...
Fresh out of college, Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi becomes a math teacher at an all-boys high school. Unfortunately for her, she's assigned by the school board as the homeroom teacher for class 3-D, which happens to be the class of delinquent students. When the class attempts to...
First-year Japanese major Yuu Sasaya is a naive country girl who has yet to adjust to the sophisticated city lifestyle. After watching a stage play for the first time, a particular minor role's performance leaves such a profound impact on her that she decides to pursue a career...
It has been 10 years since Momo "Maki" Makimura's first relationship ended, but she still has not gotten over her feelings for Midori Oonishi, who broke up with her because they were "getting too old" to date. However, after a chance encounter, the two meet again, and Midori...
Shinjuurou Mamiya works as an embalmer—a profession seen as "unclean" by Japanese society due to religious traditions and lack of demand for the service. Driven by his passion to preserve the dignity of the deceased, he has resigned himself to the outcast lifestyle that comes...
At last, the Sanzou Party has arrived in India. In this foreign land, where the anomaly's influence runs rampant, their battles only heighten in their violence. And also awaiting them is their tragic fate from 500 years ago— What will they find at the end of their long and...
From a young age, Minami Harusumi has had recurring dreams of Veronica, a princess whose kingdom is on the verge of destruction. He believes them to be recollections of his past life, and that he is her reincarnation. Because of this, he is ridiculed by his classmates. One day,...
Fed-up with a life of being under-appreciated and disrespected, Sumire Iwaya decides to change things when she picks up a young boy off the street and brings him into her house. Despite being total opposites, the two seem to complement one another as they try to carve out an...
Naive boy Nai has been looking for someone important to him, with only an old bracelet and the name "Karoku" as his clues to their whereabouts. Along the way, he becomes ensnared by a monstrous woman hellbent on keeping him as a pet. But soon, he is saved by a clever and crafty...
Based on community ratings, Journal with Witch is the highest-rated josei manga with a score of 8.66. Thirty-five-year-old novelist Makio Koudai never had a good relationship with her older sister Minori, who always berated her for being different.
There are over 3,008 josei manga tracked on AnimePulse.
For newcomers to josei manga, we recommend starting with Journal with Witch, Chihayafuru, or Sakamichi no Apollon.