Josei is what you get when shoujo characters grow up: more adult relationships, messy careers, and problems you can't solve with a school festival. *Honey and Clover* is a standout, tackling art school burnout, unrequited love, and that drifting feeling in your twenties. The tone shift toward bittersweet realism makes it feel totally different once you've lived a little.
Prefer manga? Best Josei manga
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 died in a car crash. But when Makio...
Even after having risen to the utmost rank of shin'uchi, Yotarou struggles to find his own identity in the world of rakugo. Caught between his master's teachings and the late Sukeroku's unique style, his performance lacks an important ingredient—ego. And while his popularity...
Yotarou is a former yakuza member fresh out of prison and fixated on just one thing: rather than return to a life of crime, the young man aspires to take to the stage of rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of comedic storytelling. Inspired during his incarceration by the...
Winning the high school team tournament was a great accomplishment for the Mizusawa members. Each of them has made great strides in improving themselves, and the victory symbolizes how far they have come. But after accomplishing one goal, their individual aims are within reach....
Daikichi Kawachi is a 30-year-old bachelor working a respectable job but otherwise wandering aimlessly through life. When his grandfather suddenly passes away, he returns to the family home to pay his respects. Upon arriving at the house, he meets a mysterious young girl named...
Introverted classical pianist and top student Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year....
Shinichi Chiaki is a first class musician whose dream is to play among the elites in Europe. Coming from a distinguished family, he is an infamous perfectionist—not only is he highly critical of himself, but of others as well. The only thing stopping Shinichi from leaving for...
Ever since her late mother took her to an aquarium when she was young, Tsukimi Kurashita has been obsessed with jellyfish, comparing their flowing tentacles to a princess's white dress. Now living with five other unemployed otaku women, 19-year-old Tsukimi spends her days as a...
Yuuta Takemoto, a sophomore at an arts college, shares a cheap apartment with two seniors—the eccentric Shinobu Morita, who keeps failing to graduate due to his absenteeism, and the sensible Takumi Mayama, who acts as a proper senior to Takemoto, often looking out for him. ...
On her way home from school, Yukari Hayasaka is approached by a weird-looking guy who starts looking at her body intently. He's got blond spiky hair, a spiked choker, and multiple piercings on his ears and face. She wants nothing to do with him, and runs away, only to bump into...
Second part of two Hakuouki movies.
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...
Disguised as a boy, young Chizuru Yukimura leaves her quiet home and heads to Kyoto in search of her missing father—a medical doctor by the name of Koudou. She soon learns that the volatile capital city is a dangerous place to be in as she is ambushed by a pair of ronin while in...
Rumors about a potential plot to dismantle the Shinsengumi by setting fire to their headquarters have spread amok. As most of the talk stems from an inn in Shimabara, the Shinsengumi place trust in Chizuru Yukimura for help with the investigation. Disguised as a geisha, Chizuru...
Bundled with the special editions of the manga's 7th and 8th volumes. When a certain man is released from prison, he knows exactly where he's heading first. After falling in love with a traditional comic storyteller's rendition of the story called "Shinigami," he is determined...
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Shinichi Chiaki's relationship with eccentric pianist Megumi "Nodame" Noda, most would assume it is a romantic one—especially Nodame herself, who has professed her love for Chiaki on many occasions. But when a petty quarrel over soy sauce...
Once upon a time, there were two rival kingdoms that did not get along. Every day, they argued over insignificant matters. When a dispute over removing dog waste ultimately turned into a war, God swiftly intervened and directed the two nation's leaders to exchange the most...
Taeko Okajima is a 27-year-old, independent woman who spent her entire life in Tokyo. Looking to unwind from the rush of the big city, she decides to visit her family in the country to help out during the harvest. On the train there, Taeko vividly recalls her memories as a...
Uta Koi tells the "super-liberal interpretation" of the Hyakuninisshu anthology compiled during Japan's Heian period of 100 romantic poems from 100 different poets such as The Tale of Genji's Murasaki Shikibu.
Kumiko Yamaguchi is smart, enthusiastic, and ready to start her dream job as a math teacher at Shirokin Academy. But as her first day opens on atrocious students and cowering teachers, Kumiko realizes that the all-boys high school is a cesspool of delinquents with no intention...
Hino Kahoko goes to a summer training camp to play the violin with all the members who participated in the concours. Also known as "La Corda d'oro - Special Episode 26"
San and Mayu are two schoolgirls living in Okinawa during the closing months of the Pacific War. Together with their classmates, the two friends are drafted into the war effort as nurses for wounded soldiers. When ordered to die for their country, the remaining members of the...
Seiso Academy is a prestigious high school that sorts students into two majors: General Studies, characterized by distinct grey uniforms, and Music Studies, characterized by pristine white uniforms. While rushing to class one morning, General Studies student Kahoko Hino has a...
The Shaderan family has fallen on hard times, and the avaricious and callous baron and baroness will stop at nothing to regain status. They favor their beautiful daughter Anastasia, hoping to marry her into wealth, while they treat the second daughter, Marie, no better than a...
Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze Returning to Japan to visit her parents after five years abroad, Noriko does not know what to expect. While some things in Kanazawa have changed and some things have stayed the same, Noriko cannot help but dredge up memories of her youth and secrets she...
Right now, Journal with Witch holds the #1 spot with a 8.73 on MAL. Thirty-five-year-old novelist Makio Koudai never had a good relationship with her older sister Minori, who always berated her for being different.
MyAnimePulse tracks over 147 josei anime — from 90s classics to shows airing this season. This list focuses on the 25 highest-rated.
If you've never watched josei anime before, Journal with Witch, Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, and Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju are all safe bets. They're highly rated for a reason — any of them will hook you.
