New Poll Asks Men Which Shōjo Manga They'd Recommend to Other Men
posted on 2016-09-12 19:45 EDT by Lynzee Loveridge
Japanese manga magazines usually have distinct demographic targets narrowed by age and sex. This is usually evident within the title, like Shōnen Magazine, Shōnen Jump, Shōnen Gangan, Shōnen Champion, Shōnen Sirius, and the list goes on. That said, many readers will walk across the aisle and read manga even if it isn't "for" them. There are plenty of men reading shōjo and women reading shōnen manga.
A survey carried out by the BookLive! service asked men who purchased shōjo manga between August 29 to September 1 what shōjo series they would recommend to other men. A total of 560 men responded.
The winner is Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru, a story about a high school girl named Chihaya who begins participating in the competitive world of Karuta, a card game based on Japanese poetry. Respondents said they thought the series' good mix of romance elements and club activities would be easily received by male readers and the manga has a solid story.
The full results are:
Chihayafuru by Yuki Suetsugu
My Love Story!! by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko
Kimi ni Todoke - From Me to You by Karuho Shiina
Honey and Clover by Chika Umino
Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida
Patalliro! by Mineo Maya
Natsume's Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa
Nodame Cantabile by Tomoko Ninomiya
Aozora Yell by Kazune Kawahara
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As someone who recommends Chihayafuru, Kimi ni Todoke, and Nodame Cantabile often, I thought this was interesting.
Aozora Yell sounds pretty good, I might check that one out.
Also: "Male readers previously weighed in on their favorte shōjo manga last year. Nodame Cantabile topped that list followed by Please Save My Earth and Boys Over Flowers." Boys Over Flowers is pretty awesome, too. The drama series (the Japanese version) was amazing. The Korean version was pretty good but differed a lot. Haven't seen the Taiwanese or Chinese versions. The anime was fantastic for its time. Talk about popular.
Turns out India had a version, as well. The original story is just that damn good and Makino is one of my favorite heroines ever because of how strong she was.
