shoujo corner #1

comedy

I’ve been meaning to write about some shoujo manga for a while, but I’ll finally get to it now. There’s been a lot of really great hidden-gem releases, mostly on the side of comedy, so here are just five of my favorite comedies.

I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags…, Destruction Flag Otome

Eight-year-old Katarina Claes is the only daughter of a duke, living her life peacefully and without incident until she hits her head on a rock… and then remembers that she is not actually the duke’s daughter. She used to be an otaku who died on her way to school after spending the entire previous night playing Fortune Lover, her favorite otome game. After noticing that her current surroundings seem oddly familiar, she is shocked to discover that she has been reincarnated into the world of Fortune Lover as the villainess. The villainess in the game usually winds up dead or exiled, so Katarina decides to use her knowledge of the game and its routes to avoid any bad situations. But is it even possible for the villainess to reach a good ending?

– MAL Rewrite.

If you’re a fan of otome games, you’ll love this manga. Katarina starts out as the ultimate villainess in terms of personality, and her angry resting face doesn’t help at all. But if she wants to survive, she has to get by without getting in the way of the heroine. This manga is hilarious and the art is amazing. The protagonist’s story of desperate attempts to avoid death and/or exile is an amusing must-read.

Spy x Family

The master spy codenamed “Twilight” has spent his days on undercover missions, all for the dream of a better world. But one day, he receives a particularly difficult new order from command. For his mission, he must form a temporary family and start a new life?!

– MANGA Plus.

I know, I know. This is more shounen than shoujo. But the interactions between a meticulous spy, an oblivious hitwoman, and an adoring ESPer make for the perfect comedy in this lighthearted manga sprinkled with cool spy crimes and humorous assassinations. This series started off with a bang in Japan, so look forward to many more chapters.

Mousou Telepathy

One would think that the ability to read minds would be incredible, but for Ayako Nakano, it is an involuntary power she wishes she never had. Being exposed to the harsh thoughts of others is one thing, but knowing what people want of her has made it difficult to act on her free will. Having quickly learned that revealing her power would alienate her from her peers, she keeps her abilities a secret, deciding that it is better to stay isolated and keep them hidden. Gloomy and friendless as a result of her power, Nakano is set to begin her final year of high school alone, as always.

This changes when she meets Hayato Toda. Though virtually expressionless, Toda is a popular student, and Nakano is puzzled to discover that he has an intense crush on her. Yet, his thoughts reveal something more: he has lewd, perverted fantasies of her nearly every minute of the day, which Nakano now has to suffer through on a daily basis. Even so, Nakano soon finds herself becoming a part of his group of friends, thrusting her into her very first foray into friendship and romance.

– MAL Rewrite.

Written in a 4-koma style, this webcomic has grown increasingly popular with its unique art style and cute character developments. It’s both entertaining and endearing to see Nakano grow from a gloomy, friendless introvert to one with many positive relationships. Hayato’s fantasies may get out of hand sometimes, but NOBEL somehow combines this with a touching story of growth to create an adorable, hilarious manga.

SSB: Super Seishun Brothers

The story involves two pairs of teenage elder sister and younger brother, the Shinmoto’s who are a bit narcissistic and the Saitou’s who look a bit mysterious. It follows their everyday life in school and at home.

– MAL News.

This cute slice-of-life manga follows two pairs of siblings with their everyday quirky lifestyles. They seem as different as night and day, but the sisters being best friends and the brothers being best friends lead to some amusing interactions between all. Their carefree and playful dynamics, along with an equally whimsical world, make for a relaxing and humorous read. This was also turned into an anime with four-minute long episodes.

Nijiiro Days

Nijiiro Days follows the daily lives of four high school boys: the hopeless romantic Natsuki Hashiba, the sadist Keiichi Katakura, the playboy Tomoya Matsunaga, and the smart otaku Tsuyoshi Naoe. Even while constantly struggling in their studies, they spend their days goofing around and having romantic misadventures.

On Christmas Eve, however, Natsuki is dumped by his girlfriend. While crying alone, he receives a pack of tissues from a girl wearing a Santa Claus costume, and, in return, gives her the scarf originally meant for his ex-girlfriend. As the holidays end and Natsuki returns to school, he finds out that the girl is named Anna Kobayakawa—who luckily goes to the same school as him! Having fallen in love with Anna, Natsuki aims to get closer to her, despite his friends interfering with his plans.

– MAL Rewrite.

Cute and lighthearted, this manga follows four high school boys with completely different personalities going about their days deepening their friendships and looking for love. While the pacing can seem a bit slow at times, the endearing interactions between the four boys mixed in with a dash of comedy as we really get to learn about all of these captivating, humorously-realistic characters keep the reader hooked. This is a good touching read that was also turned into an anime worth watching.

Hopefully you find one of these as interesting as I did! I plan on writing about more manga in the future as well.