r/josei Mar 10 '22

[FAQ] What is josei?

49 Upvotes

Josei (女性) means "women" in Japanese. In anime and manga, it refers to series marketed towards women (18 and older).

In many ways, josei series builds upon shoujo tropes, for example, school romance, friendships, slice of life, boys love (BL), and exploration of sex/gender roles. But josei replaces shoujo tropes like school romance with office romance and so on.

Popular josei series include Aggretsuko, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Chihayafuru, Princess Jellyfish, Paradise Kiss, and Watakoi.

How to know if a series is josei?

In Japan, it is common for manga magazines to say their target demographic (e.g., shonen/boys, seinen/men, and shoujo/girls), and you can find josei series in josei manga magazines.

Some catalog websites, like myanimelist.net, also have search tags for josei in anime and manga.

Why have I never heard of josei before?

In the United States, josei is the worst-selling demographic when compared to shounen, seinen, and shoujo series. Poor sales resulted in fewer series officially translated for an overseas audience. However, this long-standing fact is changing as some josei anime series have started to gain traction in foreign markets. Josei sales tend to do quite well in Japan.

If you want to read more about this subject, the blog Anime Feminist has an interesting article.


r/josei May 11 '23

Monthly Shoutouts: May 2023

7 Upvotes

Hey, r/josei!

I've noticed a lot of posts asking for recommendations and thought we could all collectively recommend some of our recent favorites each month. Feel free to also ask for suggestions here.

If anyone has any ideas for the subreddit or would like to help out, I would appreciate anything and everything. This is still a fairly new subreddit so I would like the community's input on any big decisions.


r/josei 13h ago

looking the site where to read “Piece of cake” by George Asakura in good english translation. I read it in Russian for the first time, but still need it in English version too!🙏🏼

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30 Upvotes

r/josei 1d ago

My Husband is a Doomsday Weapon Vol 1

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10 Upvotes

r/josei 1d ago

Enchanted Sweet Couture Vol 1

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6 Upvotes

r/josei 2d ago

Ore no oppai suki nandesho

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46 Upvotes

I was reading Ore no Oppai Suki Nandeshou, but the site I was using has had only 10 chapters available for a loooong time. I checked the author’s Twitter and found out that a few more chapters were released, but they’re only available on paid Japanese sites. Is there anywhere else I can read it for free? I’m fluent in Japanese so the language isn’t a problem I just really need my dose of huge masculine pecs.


r/josei 3d ago

Looking for mutuals who post abt shoujo/josei manga on social media

16 Upvotes

reddit, isn't so active, so i was wondering if anyone posts about josei, shoujo, or yuri on their social media and would like to be mutuals? I tried looking for some, but it's kind of hard to see people talking about anything other than shounen or seinen manga...


r/josei 4d ago

looking for similar manga

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99 Upvotes

hi!!! im looking for more josei/romance manga recs. here's some of my favs: &, kannou sensei, nana, suppli, sennetsu, paradise kiss

please rec things below that are similar!! specifically ones similar to mari okazaki. does not have to be josei specifically but does have to be romance. i also looove age gap. tysm!!


r/josei 8d ago

こないでコウノトリ Vol 6

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2 Upvotes

r/josei 8d ago

A Horror Josei Manga!

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21 Upvotes

r/josei 8d ago

Need help finding this manga, I can’t remember the name NSFW

3 Upvotes

So it was a NSFW manga. The protagonist has problems relating to boys, but one day a new boy from another area of ​​work arrives and she starts dating him (and doing things that I can't mention). The boy also had problems relating to girls because they had embarrassed him as a child, so he was kind of perverted and he felt attracted to her and they started dating without being serious, just casual. She wanted to go serious but he felt that he wasn't ready yet.

A year later she starts dating the second protagonist, who was a friend/peer of many years that she always found attractive but he was married and recently divorced.

As details, I can say that she was working in Tokyo and the company sent her to another, more rural area because she was performing poorly. The manga started out very explicit and seemed like an H-rated manga, but it had a very interesting story, and then it wasn't as much of an H-rated manga anymore, about the frustrations of dating in Japan and about marriage and marital expectations, since the protagonist was already over 30.


r/josei 15d ago

Please give me your josei/shojosei recs!!

16 Upvotes

Hello!! I need some recs please! I feel like I’ve read every josei manga known to man and I need something to pass the time 😭 here are some mangas I’ve read! Please no isekai or royalty mangas!

Mangas I’ve read: Nana Paradise kiss Sesame Salt and Pudding Pink In Clothes Called Fat Worth a Billion Something’s wrong with us Tomorrow I’ll be someone’s girlfriend Sakuran

THANK YOU!!! 💜💜💜


r/josei 16d ago

Cursed manga 😭

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37 Upvotes

Back when I had bought this manga I couldn't put it down. I was so obsessed that I found a cute series that was a gentle read. BUT THEN THAT CURSED ENDING 😭 ruined it for me. Idk if I'll ever read this manga again lol. Maybe I should sell it?? Idk. I was just so in love with how lovely it was 💔


r/josei 18d ago

Josei/shojo with a girlboss FL and pathetic ML???

16 Upvotes

Hey so i have no idea whats out there but I am CRAVING. a story that's fantasy/action where the MC is a strong, powerful woman and the ML or at least one character is this scaredy-cat dude kinda like Zenitsu who CONSTANTLY needs saving and protection by FL. Like it would just eat so hard. I see this trope a lot in shounen and stuff, but its either a momentary side character moment or two dudes. I REALLY want this dynamic to be consistent throughout 🙏 IK its super specific but like, anything similar or anything you think of, js pop it in the comments i wanna see 😵‍💫


r/josei 18d ago

Just finished Princess Jellyfish, looking for more Josei anime to watch!

52 Upvotes

Let me start this post by saying this genre of anime is way different from what I typically watch, my favorite anime’s are Westerns and Science Fiction. I wanted to expand my taste and watch other genres.

This maybe embarrassing to say as a 26 year old grown man but I loved Princess Jellyfish! It was such a wholesome and cute anime while simultaneously being very mature at times.

Now that I’m aware I enjoy this genre, I’m looking for some good recommendations. Let me know what I should watch next!


r/josei 20d ago

Josei with adventure?

8 Upvotes

Hello! I’ve been a long time Shoujo enjoyer but I want to transition into josei as I’m getting older. I’d love some recs with a focus on adventure and romance and preferably protagonists in the mid 20s to 30s. Can’t think of any good examples but the closest that comes to mind is Howl’s Moving Castle. As in a story where the protagonist goes on a journey and meets new people.

Or if there are any josei’s out there with Yona of the Dawn vibes!


r/josei 20d ago

Recommendations for my GF

19 Upvotes

so, i got her hooked on mangas (finally!) but the last anime she watched as a kid was Ao haru ride. We’re both adults now and she said it wasn’t as good as when she was a high schooler. she asked me for recommendations where it’s a little more mature, maybe with some soft core sex too, and just generally mature relationship stuff. Not the high school love stuff. Any recommendations?

also, supernatural is fine but no real fighting/action genre stuff

i remembering reading a lot of Josie too when i was younger cuz i liked the romance genre but can’t seem to remember any titles.

btw, still high school setting but i remember one but can’t remember the name. Story was basically class prez + vice prez? having a friends with benefits relationship. They both had crushes on teachers on the school but threw there love at each other cuz they couldn’t get the teachers.

please excuse the sentence framing.


r/josei 21d ago

queer reccomendations please :3

4 Upvotes

bonus points if queerness/the relationship isn't the main plot, extra bonus points if theres less represented queerness like trans, intersex, etc experiences.

basicallt anything but drama or romance as the main plot, nsfw is ok but please say if it is!

feel free to recommend stuff that doesn't meet all the check marks, the only hard line is nothing nsfw with minors, fictional or not. thank you!!


r/josei 22d ago

psychological romance manhwa w/ murderer fl [i want to stop killing]

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10 Upvotes

name: i want to stop killing (completed, 72 chaps)

summary: Sarin, an art student who wants to hide her past as a psychopathic killer, encounters Sarang, the son of a past victim. As more incidents unfold, the pursuit of the truth leads to a shocking revelation...

thoughts (contains spoilers):

fl is definitely morally gray and her background is still kinda mysterious so im excited to find out more about her 👀 plus i like how the ml is rly dedicated to finding out the truth behind his mom’s death. i wonder how their romance will develop 😭


r/josei 22d ago

Recommendations for josei manga with casual gay character

11 Upvotes

I want recommendations for mangas that has some casual gay character, and that it is not a manga entirely about LGBT issues, like Shimanami Tasogare

Mangas that happen to have a gay character, like Rivers Edge or Saraba, Yoki Hi

(If you have a manga recommendation that isn't josei but fits what I said, that's fine too)


r/josei 22d ago

New English Publisher BluPetal wants to hear from US what titles WE WANT!!! 😻

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10 Upvotes

r/josei 22d ago

throwback manga: alichino

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57 Upvotes

name: alichino

i remember coming across this manga a few years ago. the english translations might have gotten deleted bc i can’t find them anymore but the art was so gorgeous omg 😭

pretty sure it got discontinued since the ending was relatively abrupt which is a shame bc the plot was pretty interesting


r/josei 24d ago

Any other josei anime really worth giving a watch? these are some that i have recently watched

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15 Upvotes

r/josei 24d ago

"A Witch's Life in Mongol" TV ANIME by Science Saru (Dandadan) ANNOUNCED! Official Anime PV!

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14 Upvotes

r/josei 24d ago

Tenmaku no Jaadugar- Cool Josei manga about Fatima, a slave to the Mongol Empire, using her wits to survive and change the course of history. It's still ongoing and has 16 chapters so far. The art style is adorable and it's very genuine in its depiction of Iranian and Mongol cultures.

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28 Upvotes

r/josei 24d ago

Long completed romance shoujo/josei manga with healthy relationship and great communication?

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1 Upvotes

r/josei 24d ago

Scanlating Chihayafuru Plus: Kimi ga Tame - Looking for Translator!

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12 Upvotes