r/josei • • Mar 10 '22

[FAQ] What is josei?

80 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

10 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 • • 1d ago

Makai Ouji Illustrations (Utako Yukihiro GOING2009-2021 artbook)

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9 Upvotes

r/josei • • 1d ago

I need a recommendation!

1 Upvotes

I'm looking for a well spiced josei (smut will be appreciated) to kill my hunger after reading "Game, suit no sukima"

Thank you!


r/josei • • 1d ago

I've Been Looking for this Manga for a few years.

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1 Upvotes

r/josei • • 2d ago

Female Rage Recs?

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339 Upvotes

I'm having a bit of frustrating time and I'm yearning for some female rage depictions. It can be loud and bold anger or quite and stealthy anger. But she's got to be angry and act on it. None of this taking shit lying down and a man saving the day. I want MC's brandishing knifes, staring dangers, terrifying aura ect.

Sauces:

  1. The Margrave's Daughter & the Enemy Prince
  2. Skip Beat
  3. Yona of the Dawn

r/josei • • 1d ago

Why it is so hard to adapt seinen mangas ??

0 Upvotes

r/josei • • 2d ago

Help me find this manga

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35 Upvotes

I've been looking for chapter 2 everywhere... cant find it.. id be happy even with the Japanese translation😭

The title is: Hajimari wa Suna no Ichiya.


r/josei • • 2d ago

Name of Series about ex mma Fighter turned isekai noble woman

2 Upvotes

I’m trying to remember the name of an obscure but awesome manga to see if it ever had updates.

The plot is a female mma fighter who ends up isekai-ed into the body of a noblewoman. Everyone is trying to kill this noblewoman for some reason, but little do they know a badass now inhabits her body.

The FMC proceeds to drop kick, punch, and german suplex all of her assassins. At one point she punches an evil horse that falls in love with her. MMC is a gentle nobleman who wears a mask. The art is kind of old school. I want to say the word “god” was in the title.

I’m not sure if it’s a series that was just abandoned by scanlators, cancelled, or renamed on one of the pay sites.


r/josei • • 3d ago

[Searching for a manga] Japanese black-and-white drama featuring a cross-dressing character and a blonde guy

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1 Upvotes

r/josei • • 4d ago

I want to be scandalized. Recs?

16 Upvotes

Shoujo or Josei. Heck, it doesn't even technically need to be a manga if you know a really good drama that fits, but manga is my preference.

I just love to clutch my pearls, what can I say? But mostly, I've been stuck on older series. If it's before 2010, I've probably read it-- but not DEFINITELY! So go ahead and rec anything you think might fit.

Normally, I really like Male Yandere, but I am NOT looking for Yandere at all right now. I want actual love to bloom, and uh... Healthy for the fictional environment even though it would NEVER work out in real life.

Stories like... Bara no Tame Ni, or Black Bird. You know, things that make you go "where are this young lady's parents?!" Or "oh no girl what are you DOING?"

I LOVE a sunshine female lead and a grumpy male lead, for instance, ItaKiss is my favorite romance, but it's not a necessity. I am NOT looking for something wholesome, is all. No Honey Lemon Sodas or A Sign of Affections here (although I love those, too). Althought I AM looking for happy ends! No tragedies, please. More like... A Fake Affair, ya know?

Mostly I'm looking for recs from a more mature audience, from people old enough to know taboo ain't gonna suddenly lose all sense and try to emulate the heroine. Most things aren't too taboo for me, though I'm looking for romance, not violence.

Edit: when I say scandal, I mean like the examples I used of Bara no Tame ni (fl in love with her 'brother'), a Fake Affair (romance only starts because the guy thinks FL is married!) and Blackbird (Girl drops out of high school to marry her (yokai/childhood best friend) teacher, there's an abortion plotline), or heck, I'll even take Midnight Secretary (Boss x Employee)

Not really "FL makes dumb decisions and the man kind of sucks" even though I love those too >> very fun reads


r/josei • • 4d ago

Series about the horrors of being a woman?

24 Upvotes

I just watched perfect blue and I NEED more. I love stories that explore the psychological anxieties that come with being a woman.


r/josei • • 4d ago

Help me find the manga

3 Upvotes

I remember a manga from 20 years ago (but maybe more) set in a very dark European Middle Ages, in which women with the powers or roles of the tarot fight in a magical but also very bloody way.

I remember a heavy and very dark trait like Gachiakuta or Berserk with triangular faces and gigantic eyes, designs of objects and clothes typical of the late Baroque and many nuns with magical powers.

Can you help me identify manga with these characteristics?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.


r/josei • • 5d ago

Help me find a manga

3 Upvotes

Please help me find this manga omg please. It's not that GOOD of a story but it's been stuck in my mind and I NEED TO find it. It's lowk like a one shot with almost 15 chapters and it's set in high school. The fl sits next to this rumoured delinquent guy but it turns out he isn't that bad and he's actually nice to her so she starts falling in love with him ( he likes her too ) . So they have this flirtationship going on. One day she invites him to karaoke with her friends but this time he rejects the offer and said he needs to stay back in their classroom while her and her friends were going to go she changed her mind and goes back to their class where she finds him kissing this popular girl ( intentional ) and she's obviously heartbroken and runs away. Next day she ignores him and all and he knows that she knows about it. He makes no excuses about it so it's awkward between them ( idk if this part is right ) . He apparently kisses her or gives her company whenever she feels lonely because she helped him during their middle school when he felt lonely ?? And she was his only friend back then I think. And the reason he kissed the popular girl that day was because she broke up with he bf and was lonely. They do end up together and he breaks the deal with the other girl


r/josei • • 5d ago

Angsty runaway FL recs

4 Upvotes

Hi all,

Does anyone have any runaway FL recs? Much better if it's angsty. Thank you!


r/josei • • 7d ago

7 knights of Marronnier Kingdom Ep 1 is out on Prime Video!

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6 Upvotes

r/josei • • 8d ago

Josei with OL (office lady)

2 Upvotes

So I'm looking for this old manga where this office lady is dating one of the higher ups. She has short hair and looks a bit boyish. It's a manga from the 80s or 90s maybe?

I don't think it was ever officially translated. It was translated on JanimeS if that helps. Or even remembers that site lol


r/josei • • 8d ago

Fl and ml are childhood friends. Ml kidnaps fl on her way to wedding (Historical Japan, oneshot manga)

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1 Upvotes

r/josei • • 8d ago

what is this title

0 Upvotes

I BADLY NEEEED THE TITLE OF THIS YAOI… but i don’t remember. just a specific scene in the middle of the story. the ML leaves the mafia/yakuza in a room with his boss and a colleague/friend, to be with his lover. then on his way out his friend stops him to ask if his sure about his decision (THATS ALL I REMEMBER. i also think that the codename of the friend is ’Mo’ and has a scar on his face? IM NOT SURE) help please


r/josei • • 10d ago

I’m looking for a manga with like a sister taking care of a younger brother.

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1 Upvotes

r/josei • • 11d ago

Please help me find this manga

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31 Upvotes

I lost my batoto list and I can't remember the name of this manga. I think his name is Naruse or something, it's about a girl who think she is the replacement of some other girl, she goes to meet the guy in the photo in her place. He is kind of a yandere, when I read the last time, he was going to another country because he is a lost prince or something and they get married


r/josei • • 11d ago

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - rant MAJOR SPOILER Spoiler

2 Upvotes

I just finished watching both seasons of the series. The whole thing was beautiful, but so ruined by that reveal in the final episode. What the hell was that??? I feel disgusted, horrified, and heartbroken that a show that was so good with characters I fell in love with was ruined with this... Mostly just looking for support, because wtf. Spent my life watching anime, finally feeling like I can't keep forgiving Japan moments my god...

Basically - Eugenics horror in your Rakugo anime? More likely than you think!


r/josei • • 11d ago

Looking for a josei similar to Sand Chronicles from [Hinako Ashihara]

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Anyone has a good recommendation similar to Sand Chronicles from Hinako Ashihara? The way every character was so well written, had their own feelings, trauma, dreams & the way we see them grow throughout their teens & adulthood got me extremely attached to this manga. I don't think I've ever read anything similar despite reading so many mangas. The closest I can think of is Bokura ga ita but it's still different.

Thank you for your help 🙏


r/josei • • 11d ago

Title: Give Me Her Kiss

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5 Upvotes

r/josei • • 11d ago

Please help me find this manga, it's been a while since I least read it

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0 Upvotes

Help please, I can't remember the name, it was on my batoto list so it's been a while. The art is really pretty and besides it being a smut, I can't remember anything else.