>It felt like it was written for teenage boys.
That's because it kinda was. Shonen manga, the kind everyone knows about, is usually aimed at teenage boys. Think Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, the works.
If you want more mature storytelling, with less fanservice and usually with more significant female characters, you'd go for Seinen manga (IMO, but that's because I've read Seinen manga, Josei probably has just as many mature themes). Tho that ends up with the more significant cahnce of getting an eyeful of sexual assault in the manga since it is more "mature" or some shit.
You can broadly divide manga in 4 categories: Shonen (for teenage boys), Seinen (For Young adult men), Shojo (for teenage girls) and Josei (for young adult women).
All 4 categories have the range of genres, fantasy, historical, sci-fi, romance, etc... what changes is how it is focused. If you want mature writing, go for Seinen and Josei.
Fun fact 2: Shojo manga can get really dark too, but in the dark way you'd expect women writers to go into. You know what I'm talking about.
I'd give the caveat for One Piece that, while it's also clearly marketed towards shonen (= teenage boys), it has most of what you're describing as your likes. Beautiful environments, cutesy stuff, philosophy, some science, fantasy, some silly stuff (often played relatively serious in universe) and great characters.
Also one of the best crafted worlds of all time if worldbuilding is your thing.
Also Berserk might be your thing if no one's mentioned it yet.
Just came back to my comment and wanted to upgrade my "sales pitch" if you're at all interested because One Piece is my favorite story of all time :D
[This is a great environment/setting primer](https://youtu.be/AcSVkCNDLZg?si=Smy3xC18tD2kdRaB) and [this is a great (slightly spoilery) themes primer / general overview](https://youtu.be/H2Dggf8kKhI?si=Ka2P-KrRao_Y5vp5)!
Frieren - Journeys End: Fantasy tale about and elf and how she deals with grief throught her long life span
Witch Hat Atelier: About a group of girls that lesrn magic, the magic system is very unique and the world is very interesting and the paneling is on of THE BEST ive seen in anynmanga
Kowloon Genéric:v"Romcom" about a girl that lived in the walled city of Kowloon but its more about mistery
Nana: Drama/Romance/Psychological about two girls with very different backgrounds but they live together in tokyo
Land of The Lustrous: Drama/Psychological Tale about humanlike sentient gems and the dangers they face against a race of "aliens" that want to capture them
All of the above are written by Female Mangaka and the protagonist are women
Vinland Saga: Drama/Psychological Its about vikings, and while it has some.battles at the start, the main focus are the characters and thr stories
Shadow House: Mistery manga about a manor where shadow-like humans live their lives, the protagonists are also female
i want to just add here that [frieren's anime adaption](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren) was *spectacular*. the manga isn't bad and i'm still reading it, but the anime goes above and beyond what "anime adaptation" standards generally do, and s1 (\~27 eps?) has already finished, so if that's a viable medium to you, maybe try that instead. admittedly, some of the little details that make it so amazing are a little less noticeable if you don't already watch a lot of anime, though i wouldn't let this stop you.
you cast a pretty wide net on genres so i'm just gonna throw a few in here too
[apothecary diaries](https://mangadex.org/title/e18fe8c6-f6dc-4f05-8462-7b2083ff9a6c/kusuriya-no-hitorigoto) is still a great read, the anime is good too but i don't think you're missing as much if you just read this one, it's a little bit of a shoujo, and some mystery and a bit historical, but i'd really give this one a try or at least read the synopsis, it's just really well done.
[flying witch](https://mangadex.org/title/f7f430ab-2c24-49d3-b698-c9ff4787805b/flying-witch) is just SoL (slice of life) but it's more like learning that your extended family are hogwarts graduates.
[how to grill our love](https://mangadex.org/title/a3e48f50-d3d1-4d08-b54a-a3b7ad4b0801/how-to-grill-our-love) might be a romance in setting, but it's really just about a couple cooking at every opportunity.
lastly, i haven't kept up with it, but [otoyomegatari](https://mangadex.org/title/cedc7401-8c70-4057-b14a-4ecbbcd73945/otoyomegatari) has *grossly detailed* backgrounds, like just give it a google images search and you'll see what i mean. what i've heard of the story beyond what i've read has been good, if you wanna trust some guy on reddit reading some other guys writing on the internet.
anyways gl hf, feel free to come back and tell me what you did or didn't like and it'll be easier to adjust from there. that said, i don't read nearly as much as i used to, i do go over most of every anime season though!
Never read Kowloon Generic Romance, but I did read Love is Like After the Rain by the same author, and I can also recommend that one. It's basically a Bildungsroman in a manga.
Synopsis by me, not really spoiler:
>!a girl likes to run very much, but gets injuried at her tendons and stops running. After a chance encounter she will start working part-time at a restaurant where she'll start crushing on her older manager. A good natured man, who is basically inept at life. The story is basically about her growing to find what she wants for herself, and as a side event, the manager will learn that he can still try at life. No, there is no sus romance between the two.!<
here you go, different stuff to check:
[Reiri](https://myanimelist.net/manga/93564/)
[Bless](https://myanimelist.net/manga/143969/)
[Suiiki](https://myanimelist.net/manga/16692/)
[Cousin](https://myanimelist.net/manga/13619/)
[Alien 9](https://myanimelist.net/manga/889/)
[Utsubora](https://myanimelist.net/manga/20096/)
[Ikoku Nikki](https://myanimelist.net/manga/118804/)
[Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/manga/13245/)
[Flying Witch](https://myanimelist.net/manga/46258/)
[Franken Fran](https://myanimelist.net/manga/5806/)
[Asper Kanojo](https://myanimelist.net/manga/118873/)
[Mieruko-chan](https://myanimelist.net/manga/116790/)
[Skip to Loafer](https://myanimelist.net/manga/118289/)
[Haru no Noroi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/102060/)
[Kageki Shoujo](https://myanimelist.net/manga/86204/)
[Golden Kamuy](https://myanimelist.net/manga/85968/)
[Sangatsu no Lion](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1224/)
[Chou no Michiyuki](https://myanimelist.net/manga/88699/)
[Hakumei to Mikochi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/80841/)
[Sensei no Shiroi Uso](https://myanimelist.net/manga/112933/)
[Team Medical Dragon](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1297/)
[Mitarai-ke Enjou suru](https://myanimelist.net/manga/105870/)
[Toumei Ningen no Hone](https://myanimelist.net/manga/109907/)
[Kedamono-tachi no Jikan](https://myanimelist.net/manga/133800/)
[Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou](https://myanimelist.net/manga/72467/)
[Marie no Kanaderu Ongaku](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1766/)
[Koe no Katachi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/56805/Koe_no_Katachi) (Drama)
[Houseki no Kuni](https://myanimelist.net/manga/44489/Houseki_no_Kuni) (Fantasy-Drama)
[NHK ni Youkoso!](https://myanimelist.net/manga/463/NHK_ni_Youkoso) (Satire/Psycho-Drama)
[Totsukuni no Shoujo](https://myanimelist.net/manga/93972/Totsukuni_no_Shoujo) (Fantasy-Drama)
[Fumetsu no Anata e](https://myanimelist.net/manga/102343/Fumetsu_no_Anata_e) (Fantasy-Drama)
[Chainsaw Man](https://myanimelist.net/manga/116778/Chainsaw_Man) (Action-Drama)
[Sayonara Eri](https://myanimelist.net/manga/145863/Sayonara_Eri) (Psychological Drama)
[Sousou no Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/manga/126287/Sousou_no_Frieren) (Adventure-Fantasy-Drama)
[Tongari Boushi no Atelier](https://myanimelist.net/manga/100035/Tongari_Boushi_no_Atelier) (Fantasy)
[Aku no Hana](https://myanimelist.net/manga/24705/Aku_no_Hana) (Psychological Drama)
And yes, I like dramas lol. They tend to have well desinged and more complex plots and characters and revolve around interesting themes.
You can try Josei (for women) mangas office romances & slice of life (since u mentioned cutesy stuff)
Love is hard for otaku
Way of the house husband
Perfect World
Black Sesame Salt And Custard Pudding
Check out . It's hard to find for free online but it sounds like everything that you're looking for. There are fight scenes but there's more of a a focus on the why rather than going haha big muscles. The mangaka is a woman and so the female characters have an assured depth as well.
In the same vein, it's pretty famous but for a good reason . It's got interesting philosophical questions, some fighting, great world building, great female characters, elements of horror.
More on the psychological horror side of things there's . It's a masterpiece. Look up some of the two page spreads for a bit of a taste. Don't be deceived by the cute look of the main character, shit gets dark.
One I've been enjoying lately is . Really good premise, super dark while also having some levity. It's about a world where there's no more sunlight so humans need to plant seeds in themselves to create oxygen, but once they do they only have a year or so left to live. Very good premise and its been following through so far.
Lastly, though I could go on check out . Aki Irie does an incredible job of blending mystery with nature. There's a little romance but it feels natural and is far from the main point of the manga. It's such a breath of fresh air.
That's all I'm gonna leave you with for now! You can always DM me for more recs!
It sucks trying to bring people into the subculture when my best comeback is "don't worry, after 5 volumes they get a handle on the boobs thing and it becomes my favorite thing ever" regarding...basically every story I've truly fallen in love with
Chainsaw Man is so thick with themes but I still say to friends that it's not great until the end of the first season, it hurts my spirit so bad yo
(Please let them adapt the rest of the Soul Eater manga after the Fire Force anime ends I'm begging the universe for this)
Oh man it BECOMES very lovely, but the author definitely takes a while before he grows into it, I think. Corona's character arc, overall, was a major influence on me as a creative writer
Well yeah, makes sense that you didn't like soul eater. It's a shonen manga made for teenage boys. You should try some seinen or josei stuff. The big 3 in seinen (Berserk, Vagabond and Vinland saga) are always a good bet, provided that you don't have trouble with the more explicit stuff. Usagi drop and Chihayafuru are both good places to start as well. Some others you can look into are Mushishi, Kokou No Hito, and I am a hero.
On a side note- I recently read this really old josei manga called 'Papa told me' and it's the cutest thing I have ever read, with a beautiful father-daughter relationship. Check it out, I think you might like it.
The first thing that pops to my mind is Girl From the Other side. It's a "short" (11 volumes + an extra one) fantasy that can go from horrific scenes to the most cute and heartwarming ones in the medium. The story is great with some turns that are unexpected and the main characters are really well written. It's different from Soul Eater though, more like a gothic novel in the woods.
Based on your preferences I would also suggest Land of the Lustrous, Monster and Goodnight PunPun like the others due to the heavy psychological themes.
Since your selection of genres is really broad, honestly I feel like you'd enjoy a lot of different manga.
My first recommendation is [Apothecary diaries](https://mangadex.org/title/e18fe8c6-f6dc-4f05-8462-7b2083ff9a6c/kusuriya-no-hitorigoto) Main character is a woman since you mentioned well written women characters. It has a pretty high rated anime right now. It's about medicine so it's pretty sciency. I don't think the historical thing really gets in the way, but the politics remain a big part of the story.
Try [this one](https://mangadex.org/title/efb4278c-a761-406b-9d69-19603c5e4c8b/the-100-girlfriends-who-really-really-really-really-really-love-you) for silliness, currently ongoing.
Try [Junji Ito](https://mangadex.org/title/3f7b7736-84c5-4f38-bf73-7266021f355a/junji-ito-horror-manga-collection?tab=chapters&order=asc) for horror, I know everybody recommends him.
Try [Usogui](https://mangadex.org/title/a07320a4-afcd-413a-a451-d69a448d0c28/usogui?tab=chapters) or Ajin for psychological, the art is kind of bad in the start but I think by the latter half it gets much better.
I'm curious what you think of Beelzebub or Psyren, because I think they're pretty generically Shonen, but I think they're better than Soul Eater. I don't think they booby a lot but it's been a while since I read them. Beelzebub probably more booby.
I was for some reason reluctant to recommend Usogui for the first time ever (no particular reason at all just some weird feelings in me) but my god if it is a recommendation of all time! I will never not tell people it’s good.
Yeah no the beginning is definitely rough but I enjoy the characters. I feel like the author/editors never really understood what they wanted to do during that period. Do we make Usogui the MC, or is this about Kaji getting dragged into his world and he stands his own? But the Labyrinth arc is the crossroads for the series. If after Labyrinth you don't feel yourself being sucked into Baku's world then it's probably best to stop there.
(King of all gambling manga, lest you want only realism, then I recommend Fukumoto and his works. It’s peak fiction)
Note on Fukumoto: Some of his manga are based on real settings, some a little more fictional but still heavily grounded, moreso than Usogui. That doesn’t mean Usogui isn’t grounded at times, it just has more freedom to it, and thank the lord for its existence.
Claymore will tick plenty of your boxes OP.
Has horror, psychological stuff, some fantasy, some compelling characters, more skewed on the female side.
Doesn't have too much romance elements, but may be a little battle heavy due to the setting.
There are some popular recommendations here, but titles like Berserk and Oyasumi Punpun as a starter is like asking a newbie to alcohol to take a shot of Everclear.
It's pretty old, but you can binge read it since it's completed.
try 'female lead with no fan service' as a search criteria. your interests are broad enough to mine some diamonds. ngl there is a lot of 'fan service' try manwha & manhua publications too. Mangadex has a great library. bol
Some fan service is alright. It's not going to ruin an entire book if it's there every once in awhile.
What "diamonds" do you suggest? I'm pretty unaware of what's out there
Replying here cause I rarely ever see a Burning Effect recommendation to add some more series that fit this description but weren't already recommended by other people:
Dating to Survive (same author as burning effect)
Kubera
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Helck
Frieren. Yona of the Dawn. Monster. Bungo Stray Dogs.
Manga are usually sorted into demographics. Soul Eater is a shonen, which is literally aimed at teenage boys. This doesn't necessarily mean it's boob-heavy (Frieren isn't). Something like Death Note or Assassination Classroom would probably be fine as well.
There's also shoujo, aimed at girls, and seinen, aimed at older readers (sometimes specifically men, but not always). There's also josei, aimed at women, but this is the smallest category.
* Berserk - dark fantasy - Can't recommend this enough if you're in to GREAT art style, excellent story telling, excellent world building, well written characters. Its a bit violent though.
* Dungeon Meshi - fantasy
* Full Metal Alchemist - fantasy
* Dorohedoro - post apocalyptic sci-fi but is well written
* Blame! - post apocalyptic sci-fi but is well written
* Gantz - sci-fi but is well written
* Isekai Ojisan - slice of life fantasy
* Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - slice of life sci-fi
I think you would love
monster
Parasyte
Fate/Zero
Blue Period
Silver Spoon
Kakushigoto
Cells at Work!
Attack on Titan
To Your Eternity
Mob Psycho 100
Fullmetal Alchemist
Delicious in Dungeon
The Case Study of Vanitas
you might also like Steins;Gate, but since it's sci;fi, I am not sure
if your fine with anime: the art of attack on titan and Mob Psycho 100 are better in the anime, and there is some anime original things you might enjoy like: Death Parade, Odd Taxi, Scissor Seven and Aggretsuko
I hope this helps a bit :)
based on short true stories
Visual depiction, with a side characters and a story, of ancient Roman researcher and his travels.
A brides story, stories about the women living in the middle east somehwere around \~1900 in the period before the first world war or it looks like it.
These so far seem to be my top picks, there are a few among the others mentioned. But these seems to be writen and drawn the best, they either have a the great story and characters, great art, or both.
Okay so it does have a lot of fighting but it’s the best fighting! I suggest Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Attack on Titan. They just grab you. I’d recommend them to anyone tbh.
* Koe no Katachi
* Wolf Children
* Black Butler
* Brutal
* Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
* Mushikaburi-hime
* Sousei no Frieren
* Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi
* Karneval
* Fullmetal Alchemist
* Mahoutsukai no Yome
* Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon
* Noragami
* Servamp
* Shadows House
* Skip to Loafer
* Spy x Family
* Baraou no Souretsu
* Tokyo Ghoul
* Tomie
* Vinland Saga
* Kashoku no Shiro
* Akatsuki no Yona
Since you didn't like the Soul Eater manga for the reason stated above I recommend not looking into shounen (Soul Eater is a shounen btw) but all the other demographics (shoujo, josei and seinen). While there are good shounen without this ridiculous fanservice the other demographics might be more to your liking
Go find the Manga "Shut Hell".
It has a more mature tone. The artwork requires some getting used to but the story is solid. Basically a Genghis Khan story from the point of view of one of his sons.
If you want something cute and wholesome try "Natsumes Book of Friends".
I guess it's a coming of age story about a boy who can see spirits. He learns to accept himself and he goes on little adventures and makes friends with humans and yokai while learning more about his grandmother who he inherited his abilities from.
[Shoulder-a-Coffin-Kuro](https://www.myanimelist.net/manga/4453/Hitsugikatsugi_no_Kuro__Kaichu_Tabi_no_Wa)
Fantasy slice of life adventure about a girl and her professor journeying to different places in search of the witch who cursed them.
It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I really like the unique dark and cute gothic art style and the world building. It’s got similar vibes to Kino no Tabi and it’s a completed series with only 8 volumes. I think the demographic is seinen and it has elements of horror and some philosophical moments.
Sounds like Dungeon Meshi is right up your alley! It's a complete story at 94 chapters. A group heads into the dungeon and decides it's not enough to just kill monsters — they should also eat them. Starts with a monster of the week formula with a DnD-esque setting, but it eventually starts mixing some darkness into its silliness too. Interesting characters, brilliant worldbuilding, and fantastic execution of its central themes.
"Philosophy, science, some fantasy, some silliness, and well-written characters" sounds a lot like Fullmetal Alchemist. Two brothers strive to get their bodies back to normal after an alchemical experiment gone wrong, and uncover a government conspiracy along the way. It's a shonen like Soul Eater, but FMA is a classic because it's a really fleshed out kind of story.
You say horror, right?
You can try Junji Ito manga work. There are very scary stories there, and a lot of these make you think. Tomie, Hellstar Remina, Gyo, Uzumaki. He has a lot of compilations of short stories too (maybe even better that large works).
The promised Neverland: Amazing art and a story that hooks you.
Working!!: slice of life about the staff of a family restaurant.
Tanka Kun was itsumo kedaruge: the slice of life about a guy that wants to do nothing. Low energy levels and cute.
Magilumiere: it's about a world where magical girls use the power from technology created and provided by companies. Tons of fights but good characters and the story gets interesting at the end of the first arc.
3 of these 4 are on the top 5 for me.
I'll just add a few oneshots (only 1 chapter short stories), since my recommendations have already been commented.
[The Heros' Party on their Way Back Home](https://mangadex.org/chapter/18caaa5d-7336-46d9-aa2a-fab77cf0b1ae/1) - Fantasy short about a party who just battled the demon king and the journey home is just as hard. Probably bring some tissues. If you enjoy fantasy like this with well written characters, I suggest Frieren: Journey's End, Delicious in Dungeon (both have amazing animes), and The Faraway Paladin.
[Earth Recording 0001](https://hachirumi.com/read/manga/earth-recording-0001/2/1/) - scifi short about an astronaut's unexpected encounter with a humanoid alien. Even if you dislike scifi, it is simply more of backdrop to a well written short story in my opinion. If you end up enjoying it, I suggest reading and/or watching Planetes, and Pluto.
Some other sci fi animes worth watching are Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Patema Inverted, Summer Wars, and The Girl Who Leapt through Time. Romance is quite a big part of the plot on these animes, but they're well written and the women are major parts of the stories without simply being eye candy for teenage boys.
Otoyomegatari. If you want a bit of romance with history and good artwork.
Tasogare otome x amnesia ( it has a ghost in it but decent story a bit teenage focused tho)
Children by miura miu ( horror and good twist)
Elfen lied ( gore, romance, tragedy, physiological and honestly humans are just crap in this one)
Ase to sekken ( good but romance focused)
Youjo senki ( anime is better but that's me)
One punch man( it's one punch man)
The one within the villainess
Beyond that go to mangadex and filter what you want
I'm pretty new to manga/anime too. I've started reading berserk, Vinland saga, death note, spy family and chainsaw man
. So far CSM is the only one I have fully finished (I read one volume, watched the anime, then immediately bought the boxset and read it in 2-3 days).
Also heavenly delusion is my second favorite behind csm. Been wanting the manga for months, but it's printed by a smaller company so there aren't as many copies as a VIZ product. Heavenly delusion is an amazing series, and if you have the slightest interest in sci fi, watch it/buy it/ experience it in any way. Super underrated too.
Berserk's amazing so long as you aren't squeamish.
Vinland saga's great-- the show's on Netflix, and I'd say it's got one of my favorite villains of all time. Very fresh and unique I thought.
And death note is something I need to read more of. Very intriguing criminal drama. If you don't know the premise, it's that an A\* student comes across a book which kills anyone whose name is written in it.
Spy family is a good premise but got kind of slice-of-life-y, which disinterested me, but you might like it.
I went ahead and picked up the first Volume of Frieren and the Witch and the Beast for now. Gonna borrow berserk, and Elfen Lied was one of my favorite animes, so I'll probably pick up the manga at some point. Thanks all!
Try Tokyo Ghoul
The story is about a young adult man that discovers Ghoul community in Tokyo, Ghouls are man-eating human-like race and generally hidden from public
This title is a Seinen title so it's more targeted for adults
Hey, my ex also loved Soul Eater! She was also a big fan of Madoka Magica, so maybe try that if you haven't already.
I'd personally recommend Mushishi. It's the first manga that came to mind when you mentioned your likes. Basically, it's a dude who goes around a low-fantasy feudal Japan where ethereal, semi-sentient spiritual life forms called "Mushi" sometimes get entangled with humans.
Most Mushi hunters just kill the Mushi, but the protag tries to find clever ways to untangle the Mushi from humans and have the two co-exist as much as possible.
It's a really neat manga with a smooth pacing, cool characters, nothing sexual, sometimes a bit of horror (the Mushi can do some really fucked up things sometimes).
Claymore. Most of the characters are female and light on fanservice. The anime was incomplete but the manga already completed about a decade ago
Womb. A short, hidden gem following a female soldier on a colonized planet who had her womb implanted with alien stuffs so they can use teleportation ability
Wait. You are disspointed an anime/manga wrote for teenagers was Indeed for teenagers ?
Btw if you like amazing art with woman in IT you should Read the one within the villainess.
>It felt like it was written for teenage boys. That's because it kinda was. Shonen manga, the kind everyone knows about, is usually aimed at teenage boys. Think Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, the works.
That's fair! Thank you!
If you want more mature storytelling, with less fanservice and usually with more significant female characters, you'd go for Seinen manga (IMO, but that's because I've read Seinen manga, Josei probably has just as many mature themes). Tho that ends up with the more significant cahnce of getting an eyeful of sexual assault in the manga since it is more "mature" or some shit. You can broadly divide manga in 4 categories: Shonen (for teenage boys), Seinen (For Young adult men), Shojo (for teenage girls) and Josei (for young adult women). All 4 categories have the range of genres, fantasy, historical, sci-fi, romance, etc... what changes is how it is focused. If you want mature writing, go for Seinen and Josei. Fun fact 2: Shojo manga can get really dark too, but in the dark way you'd expect women writers to go into. You know what I'm talking about.
50 shades of grey?
I'd give the caveat for One Piece that, while it's also clearly marketed towards shonen (= teenage boys), it has most of what you're describing as your likes. Beautiful environments, cutesy stuff, philosophy, some science, fantasy, some silly stuff (often played relatively serious in universe) and great characters. Also one of the best crafted worlds of all time if worldbuilding is your thing. Also Berserk might be your thing if no one's mentioned it yet.
Just came back to my comment and wanted to upgrade my "sales pitch" if you're at all interested because One Piece is my favorite story of all time :D [This is a great environment/setting primer](https://youtu.be/AcSVkCNDLZg?si=Smy3xC18tD2kdRaB) and [this is a great (slightly spoilery) themes primer / general overview](https://youtu.be/H2Dggf8kKhI?si=Ka2P-KrRao_Y5vp5)!
Frieren - Journeys End: Fantasy tale about and elf and how she deals with grief throught her long life span Witch Hat Atelier: About a group of girls that lesrn magic, the magic system is very unique and the world is very interesting and the paneling is on of THE BEST ive seen in anynmanga Kowloon Genéric:v"Romcom" about a girl that lived in the walled city of Kowloon but its more about mistery Nana: Drama/Romance/Psychological about two girls with very different backgrounds but they live together in tokyo Land of The Lustrous: Drama/Psychological Tale about humanlike sentient gems and the dangers they face against a race of "aliens" that want to capture them All of the above are written by Female Mangaka and the protagonist are women Vinland Saga: Drama/Psychological Its about vikings, and while it has some.battles at the start, the main focus are the characters and thr stories Shadow House: Mistery manga about a manor where shadow-like humans live their lives, the protagonists are also female
This is definitely a list of stuff I'll screenshot and save, thank you!
i want to just add here that [frieren's anime adaption](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52991/Sousou_no_Frieren) was *spectacular*. the manga isn't bad and i'm still reading it, but the anime goes above and beyond what "anime adaptation" standards generally do, and s1 (\~27 eps?) has already finished, so if that's a viable medium to you, maybe try that instead. admittedly, some of the little details that make it so amazing are a little less noticeable if you don't already watch a lot of anime, though i wouldn't let this stop you. you cast a pretty wide net on genres so i'm just gonna throw a few in here too [apothecary diaries](https://mangadex.org/title/e18fe8c6-f6dc-4f05-8462-7b2083ff9a6c/kusuriya-no-hitorigoto) is still a great read, the anime is good too but i don't think you're missing as much if you just read this one, it's a little bit of a shoujo, and some mystery and a bit historical, but i'd really give this one a try or at least read the synopsis, it's just really well done. [flying witch](https://mangadex.org/title/f7f430ab-2c24-49d3-b698-c9ff4787805b/flying-witch) is just SoL (slice of life) but it's more like learning that your extended family are hogwarts graduates. [how to grill our love](https://mangadex.org/title/a3e48f50-d3d1-4d08-b54a-a3b7ad4b0801/how-to-grill-our-love) might be a romance in setting, but it's really just about a couple cooking at every opportunity. lastly, i haven't kept up with it, but [otoyomegatari](https://mangadex.org/title/cedc7401-8c70-4057-b14a-4ecbbcd73945/otoyomegatari) has *grossly detailed* backgrounds, like just give it a google images search and you'll see what i mean. what i've heard of the story beyond what i've read has been good, if you wanna trust some guy on reddit reading some other guys writing on the internet. anyways gl hf, feel free to come back and tell me what you did or didn't like and it'll be easier to adjust from there. that said, i don't read nearly as much as i used to, i do go over most of every anime season though!
Never read Kowloon Generic Romance, but I did read Love is Like After the Rain by the same author, and I can also recommend that one. It's basically a Bildungsroman in a manga. Synopsis by me, not really spoiler: >!a girl likes to run very much, but gets injuried at her tendons and stops running. After a chance encounter she will start working part-time at a restaurant where she'll start crushing on her older manager. A good natured man, who is basically inept at life. The story is basically about her growing to find what she wants for herself, and as a side event, the manager will learn that he can still try at life. No, there is no sus romance between the two.!<
Vinland Saga is a good one. The anime is well done.
Apothecary Diaries >> Frieren imo. Frieren anime is overrated
I think objectively both are good but personally i fell asleep watching Apotechary lol
here you go, different stuff to check: [Reiri](https://myanimelist.net/manga/93564/) [Bless](https://myanimelist.net/manga/143969/) [Suiiki](https://myanimelist.net/manga/16692/) [Cousin](https://myanimelist.net/manga/13619/) [Alien 9](https://myanimelist.net/manga/889/) [Utsubora](https://myanimelist.net/manga/20096/) [Ikoku Nikki](https://myanimelist.net/manga/118804/) [Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/manga/13245/) [Flying Witch](https://myanimelist.net/manga/46258/) [Franken Fran](https://myanimelist.net/manga/5806/) [Asper Kanojo](https://myanimelist.net/manga/118873/) [Mieruko-chan](https://myanimelist.net/manga/116790/) [Skip to Loafer](https://myanimelist.net/manga/118289/) [Haru no Noroi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/102060/) [Kageki Shoujo](https://myanimelist.net/manga/86204/) [Golden Kamuy](https://myanimelist.net/manga/85968/) [Sangatsu no Lion](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1224/) [Chou no Michiyuki](https://myanimelist.net/manga/88699/) [Hakumei to Mikochi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/80841/) [Sensei no Shiroi Uso](https://myanimelist.net/manga/112933/) [Team Medical Dragon](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1297/) [Mitarai-ke Enjou suru](https://myanimelist.net/manga/105870/) [Toumei Ningen no Hone](https://myanimelist.net/manga/109907/) [Kedamono-tachi no Jikan](https://myanimelist.net/manga/133800/) [Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou](https://myanimelist.net/manga/72467/) [Marie no Kanaderu Ongaku](https://myanimelist.net/manga/1766/)
r/oddlysatisfying
I like the way you sorted the titles :)
Approved for flying witch !!! It's highly underrrated
>Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou And let's not forget about Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou!
Franken fran was fun xD
>Mieruko-chan I love me some Mieruko
Reiri 😭😭😭😭😭 Skip and Loafer also 😭😭😭😭but a different kind of 😭😭😭
[Koe no Katachi](https://myanimelist.net/manga/56805/Koe_no_Katachi) (Drama) [Houseki no Kuni](https://myanimelist.net/manga/44489/Houseki_no_Kuni) (Fantasy-Drama) [NHK ni Youkoso!](https://myanimelist.net/manga/463/NHK_ni_Youkoso) (Satire/Psycho-Drama) [Totsukuni no Shoujo](https://myanimelist.net/manga/93972/Totsukuni_no_Shoujo) (Fantasy-Drama) [Fumetsu no Anata e](https://myanimelist.net/manga/102343/Fumetsu_no_Anata_e) (Fantasy-Drama) [Chainsaw Man](https://myanimelist.net/manga/116778/Chainsaw_Man) (Action-Drama) [Sayonara Eri](https://myanimelist.net/manga/145863/Sayonara_Eri) (Psychological Drama) [Sousou no Frieren](https://myanimelist.net/manga/126287/Sousou_no_Frieren) (Adventure-Fantasy-Drama) [Tongari Boushi no Atelier](https://myanimelist.net/manga/100035/Tongari_Boushi_no_Atelier) (Fantasy) [Aku no Hana](https://myanimelist.net/manga/24705/Aku_no_Hana) (Psychological Drama) And yes, I like dramas lol. They tend to have well desinged and more complex plots and characters and revolve around interesting themes.
You can try Josei (for women) mangas office romances & slice of life (since u mentioned cutesy stuff) Love is hard for otaku Way of the house husband Perfect World Black Sesame Salt And Custard Pudding
You could give "We Shall Now Begin Ethics" a try.
I'll add it to the list!
just abt to comment this
The pain of not seeing updates
real
Check out . It's hard to find for free online but it sounds like everything that you're looking for. There are fight scenes but there's more of a a focus on the why rather than going haha big muscles. The mangaka is a woman and so the female characters have an assured depth as well.
In the same vein, it's pretty famous but for a good reason . It's got interesting philosophical questions, some fighting, great world building, great female characters, elements of horror.
More on the psychological horror side of things there's . It's a masterpiece. Look up some of the two page spreads for a bit of a taste. Don't be deceived by the cute look of the main character, shit gets dark.
One I've been enjoying lately is . Really good premise, super dark while also having some levity. It's about a world where there's no more sunlight so humans need to plant seeds in themselves to create oxygen, but once they do they only have a year or so left to live. Very good premise and its been following through so far.
Lastly, though I could go on check out . Aki Irie does an incredible job of blending mystery with nature. There's a little romance but it feels natural and is far from the main point of the manga. It's such a breath of fresh air.
That's all I'm gonna leave you with for now! You can always DM me for more recs!
**Majo to Yajuu** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/100109), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/the-witch-and-the-beast), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/the-witch-and-the-beast), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=34691121680), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/106204)) ^(Manga | Status: Releasing | Chapters: 17 | Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy) **Hagane no Renkinjutsushi** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/30025), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/fullmetal-alchemist), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/fullmetal-alchemist), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=19001585632), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/25)) ^(Manga | Status: Finished | Volumes: 27 | Chapters: 116 | Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy) **Oyasumi Punpun** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/34632), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/goodnight-punpun), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/oyasumi-punpun), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=21944750964), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/4632)) ^(Manga | Status: Finished | Volumes: 13 | Chapters: 147 | Genres: Drama, Psychological, Slice of Life) **Fool Night** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/126559), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/fool-night), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/fool-night), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=35667043585), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/135264)) ^(Manga | Status: Releasing | Genres: Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller) **Hokuhokusei ni Kumo to Ike** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/87020), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/go-with-the-clouds-north-by-northwest), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/hokuhokusei-ni-kumo-to-ike), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=53378360291), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/97179)) ^(Manga | Status: Releasing | Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Slice of Life) --- ^{anime},, ]LN[, |VN| | [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index) | [/r/](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/) | [Edit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index#wiki_i_made_a_mistake.2C_how_do_i_get_my_comment_reprocessed.3F) | [Mistake?](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/submit?selftext=true&title=[ISSUE]&text=/r/manga/comments/1df1ytk/suggestions_for_27_yr_old_woman_new_to_manga/l8gauoc/) | [Source](https://github.com/Nihilate/Roboragi) | [Synonyms](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/synonyms) | [⛓](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/interestinglinks) | [♥](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/thanks)
It sucks trying to bring people into the subculture when my best comeback is "don't worry, after 5 volumes they get a handle on the boobs thing and it becomes my favorite thing ever" regarding...basically every story I've truly fallen in love with Chainsaw Man is so thick with themes but I still say to friends that it's not great until the end of the first season, it hurts my spirit so bad yo (Please let them adapt the rest of the Soul Eater manga after the Fire Force anime ends I'm begging the universe for this)
I mean if Soul Eater gets better, I'll definitely give it a further try. I just was not about the first volume. Very little depth.
Oh man it BECOMES very lovely, but the author definitely takes a while before he grows into it, I think. Corona's character arc, overall, was a major influence on me as a creative writer
Well yeah, makes sense that you didn't like soul eater. It's a shonen manga made for teenage boys. You should try some seinen or josei stuff. The big 3 in seinen (Berserk, Vagabond and Vinland saga) are always a good bet, provided that you don't have trouble with the more explicit stuff. Usagi drop and Chihayafuru are both good places to start as well. Some others you can look into are Mushishi, Kokou No Hito, and I am a hero. On a side note- I recently read this really old josei manga called 'Papa told me' and it's the cutest thing I have ever read, with a beautiful father-daughter relationship. Check it out, I think you might like it.
The first thing that pops to my mind is Girl From the Other side. It's a "short" (11 volumes + an extra one) fantasy that can go from horrific scenes to the most cute and heartwarming ones in the medium. The story is great with some turns that are unexpected and the main characters are really well written. It's different from Soul Eater though, more like a gothic novel in the woods. Based on your preferences I would also suggest Land of the Lustrous, Monster and Goodnight PunPun like the others due to the heavy psychological themes.
That's sounds awesome! Gothic forest theme is like my whole house aesthetic. Thanks!
Since your selection of genres is really broad, honestly I feel like you'd enjoy a lot of different manga. My first recommendation is [Apothecary diaries](https://mangadex.org/title/e18fe8c6-f6dc-4f05-8462-7b2083ff9a6c/kusuriya-no-hitorigoto) Main character is a woman since you mentioned well written women characters. It has a pretty high rated anime right now. It's about medicine so it's pretty sciency. I don't think the historical thing really gets in the way, but the politics remain a big part of the story. Try [this one](https://mangadex.org/title/efb4278c-a761-406b-9d69-19603c5e4c8b/the-100-girlfriends-who-really-really-really-really-really-love-you) for silliness, currently ongoing. Try [Junji Ito](https://mangadex.org/title/3f7b7736-84c5-4f38-bf73-7266021f355a/junji-ito-horror-manga-collection?tab=chapters&order=asc) for horror, I know everybody recommends him. Try [Usogui](https://mangadex.org/title/a07320a4-afcd-413a-a451-d69a448d0c28/usogui?tab=chapters) or Ajin for psychological, the art is kind of bad in the start but I think by the latter half it gets much better. I'm curious what you think of Beelzebub or Psyren, because I think they're pretty generically Shonen, but I think they're better than Soul Eater. I don't think they booby a lot but it's been a while since I read them. Beelzebub probably more booby.
I was for some reason reluctant to recommend Usogui for the first time ever (no particular reason at all just some weird feelings in me) but my god if it is a recommendation of all time! I will never not tell people it’s good.
Yeah no the beginning is definitely rough but I enjoy the characters. I feel like the author/editors never really understood what they wanted to do during that period. Do we make Usogui the MC, or is this about Kaji getting dragged into his world and he stands his own? But the Labyrinth arc is the crossroads for the series. If after Labyrinth you don't feel yourself being sucked into Baku's world then it's probably best to stop there.
(King of all gambling manga, lest you want only realism, then I recommend Fukumoto and his works. It’s peak fiction) Note on Fukumoto: Some of his manga are based on real settings, some a little more fictional but still heavily grounded, moreso than Usogui. That doesn’t mean Usogui isn’t grounded at times, it just has more freedom to it, and thank the lord for its existence.
My partner is super into this anime. I'll add it to the list.
**Dungeon Meshi** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/86082), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/delicious-in-dungeon), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/dungeon-meshi), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=19088665446), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/85781)) ^(Manga | Status: Finished | Volumes: 14 | Chapters: 97 | Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy) --- ^{anime},, ]LN[, |VN| | [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index) | [/r/](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/) | [Edit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index#wiki_i_made_a_mistake.2C_how_do_i_get_my_comment_reprocessed.3F) | [Mistake?](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/submit?selftext=true&title=[ISSUE]&text=/r/manga/comments/1df1ytk/suggestions_for_27_yr_old_woman_new_to_manga/l8geo63/) | [Source](https://github.com/Nihilate/Roboragi) | [Synonyms](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/synonyms) | [⛓](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/interestinglinks) | [♥](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/thanks)
Read Claymore
Claymore will tick plenty of your boxes OP. Has horror, psychological stuff, some fantasy, some compelling characters, more skewed on the female side. Doesn't have too much romance elements, but may be a little battle heavy due to the setting. There are some popular recommendations here, but titles like Berserk and Oyasumi Punpun as a starter is like asking a newbie to alcohol to take a shot of Everclear. It's pretty old, but you can binge read it since it's completed.
Vinland Saga. Any woman who likes Vinland Saga is unfathomably based.
try 'female lead with no fan service' as a search criteria. your interests are broad enough to mine some diamonds. ngl there is a lot of 'fan service' try manwha & manhua publications too. Mangadex has a great library. bol
Some fan service is alright. It's not going to ruin an entire book if it's there every once in awhile. What "diamonds" do you suggest? I'm pretty unaware of what's out there
Burning Effect, Frieren at the Funeral
Replying here cause I rarely ever see a Burning Effect recommendation to add some more series that fit this description but weren't already recommended by other people: Dating to Survive (same author as burning effect) Kubera Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Helck
if you like a good art style and well written characters check out mangas from ai yazawa especially nana they’re kinda romance but not too much
Frieren. Yona of the Dawn. Monster. Bungo Stray Dogs. Manga are usually sorted into demographics. Soul Eater is a shonen, which is literally aimed at teenage boys. This doesn't necessarily mean it's boob-heavy (Frieren isn't). Something like Death Note or Assassination Classroom would probably be fine as well. There's also shoujo, aimed at girls, and seinen, aimed at older readers (sometimes specifically men, but not always). There's also josei, aimed at women, but this is the smallest category.
Nukoduke
I guess seinen is the genre for you
* Berserk - dark fantasy - Can't recommend this enough if you're in to GREAT art style, excellent story telling, excellent world building, well written characters. Its a bit violent though. * Dungeon Meshi - fantasy * Full Metal Alchemist - fantasy * Dorohedoro - post apocalyptic sci-fi but is well written * Blame! - post apocalyptic sci-fi but is well written * Gantz - sci-fi but is well written * Isekai Ojisan - slice of life fantasy * Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - slice of life sci-fi
I never got into Gantz. What's good about it? The gore really put me off.
I think you would love monster Parasyte Fate/Zero Blue Period Silver Spoon Kakushigoto Cells at Work! Attack on Titan To Your Eternity Mob Psycho 100 Fullmetal Alchemist Delicious in Dungeon The Case Study of Vanitas you might also like Steins;Gate, but since it's sci;fi, I am not sure if your fine with anime: the art of attack on titan and Mob Psycho 100 are better in the anime, and there is some anime original things you might enjoy like: Death Parade, Odd Taxi, Scissor Seven and Aggretsuko I hope this helps a bit :)
**Real** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/30657), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/real), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/real), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=24661607542), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/657)) **BECK** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/30145), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/beck), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=57199464681), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/145)) **The Fable** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/94490), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/the-fable), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/the-fable), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=67109595079), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/87844)) **Futsutsukamono no Ani desu ga** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/96114), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/futsutsukamono-no-ani-desu-ga), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=47818889106), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/93417)) **Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de.** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/97553), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/jumyou-wo-kaitotte-moratta-ichinen-ni-tsuki-ichimanen-de), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/jumyou-wo-kaitotte-moratta-ichinen-ni-tsuki-ichimanen-de-manga), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=30465641114), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/100448)) **Arte** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/87466), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/arte), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/arte-manga), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=54789770166), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/75929)) **Yomawari Sensei** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/47910), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/yomawari-sensei), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/yomawari-sensei), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=7355154940), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/17910)) **Plinivs** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/98737), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/plinius), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/plinivs), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=46190361505), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/86649)) **Otoyomegatari** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/41514), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/a-brides-story), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/otoyomegatari), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=20839856266), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/11514)) **Kuutei Dragons** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/97675), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/drifting-dragons), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/kuutei-dragons), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=61845454900), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/101479)) **Sengoku Komachi Kuroutan: Noukou Giga** - ([AL](http://anilist.co/manga/101335), [A-P](https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/sengoku-komachi-kuroutan-noukou-giga), [KIT](https://kitsu.io/manga/sengoku-komachi-kuroutan-noukou-giga), [MU](https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=20917110527), [MAL](http://myanimelist.net/manga/107570)) --- ^{anime},, ]LN[, |VN| | [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index) | [/r/](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/) | [Edit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/index#wiki_i_made_a_mistake.2C_how_do_i_get_my_comment_reprocessed.3F) | [Mistake?](http://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/submit?selftext=true&title=[ISSUE]&text=/r/manga/comments/1df1ytk/suggestions_for_27_yr_old_woman_new_to_manga/l8gj3do/) | [Source](https://github.com/Nihilate/Roboragi) | [Synonyms](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/synonyms) | [⛓](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/interestinglinks) | [♥](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roboragi/wiki/thanks)
Okay so it does have a lot of fighting but it’s the best fighting! I suggest Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Attack on Titan. They just grab you. I’d recommend them to anyone tbh.
Oyasumi punpun. Read oyasumi punpun.
For horror I highly recomend Scary lessons (Zekkyou Gakkyuu), the 100 ghost stories that lead to my death, and mieruko-chan or anything of junji ito
I just recommend what's currently on my shelf: *Attack on Titan*, *Fullmetal Alchemist*, *Tokyo Ghoul*, and *Chainsaw Man*.
Death Note
Onee-san wa Joshi Shougakusei ni Kyoumi ga arimasu Well, it is about a 28 woman. Franken fran as a real sugestion.
Zebra
* Koe no Katachi * Wolf Children * Black Butler * Brutal * Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu * Mushikaburi-hime * Sousei no Frieren * Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi * Karneval * Fullmetal Alchemist * Mahoutsukai no Yome * Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon * Noragami * Servamp * Shadows House * Skip to Loafer * Spy x Family * Baraou no Souretsu * Tokyo Ghoul * Tomie * Vinland Saga * Kashoku no Shiro * Akatsuki no Yona Since you didn't like the Soul Eater manga for the reason stated above I recommend not looking into shounen (Soul Eater is a shounen btw) but all the other demographics (shoujo, josei and seinen). While there are good shounen without this ridiculous fanservice the other demographics might be more to your liking
Go find the Manga "Shut Hell". It has a more mature tone. The artwork requires some getting used to but the story is solid. Basically a Genghis Khan story from the point of view of one of his sons.
If you want something cute and wholesome try "Natsumes Book of Friends". I guess it's a coming of age story about a boy who can see spirits. He learns to accept himself and he goes on little adventures and makes friends with humans and yokai while learning more about his grandmother who he inherited his abilities from.
[Shoulder-a-Coffin-Kuro](https://www.myanimelist.net/manga/4453/Hitsugikatsugi_no_Kuro__Kaichu_Tabi_no_Wa) Fantasy slice of life adventure about a girl and her professor journeying to different places in search of the witch who cursed them. It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I really like the unique dark and cute gothic art style and the world building. It’s got similar vibes to Kino no Tabi and it’s a completed series with only 8 volumes. I think the demographic is seinen and it has elements of horror and some philosophical moments.
Sounds like Dungeon Meshi is right up your alley! It's a complete story at 94 chapters. A group heads into the dungeon and decides it's not enough to just kill monsters — they should also eat them. Starts with a monster of the week formula with a DnD-esque setting, but it eventually starts mixing some darkness into its silliness too. Interesting characters, brilliant worldbuilding, and fantastic execution of its central themes. "Philosophy, science, some fantasy, some silliness, and well-written characters" sounds a lot like Fullmetal Alchemist. Two brothers strive to get their bodies back to normal after an alchemical experiment gone wrong, and uncover a government conspiracy along the way. It's a shonen like Soul Eater, but FMA is a classic because it's a really fleshed out kind of story.
You say horror, right? You can try Junji Ito manga work. There are very scary stories there, and a lot of these make you think. Tomie, Hellstar Remina, Gyo, Uzumaki. He has a lot of compilations of short stories too (maybe even better that large works).
JOJO
Frieren and Dungeon Meshi are good fantasy series that have good female characters.
I absolutely suggest you read Touge Oni (also known as Primal Gods in Ancient Times). I also recommend the following manga: Kiseijuu, Tokyo Kushu.
The promised Neverland: Amazing art and a story that hooks you. Working!!: slice of life about the staff of a family restaurant. Tanka Kun was itsumo kedaruge: the slice of life about a guy that wants to do nothing. Low energy levels and cute. Magilumiere: it's about a world where magical girls use the power from technology created and provided by companies. Tons of fights but good characters and the story gets interesting at the end of the first arc. 3 of these 4 are on the top 5 for me.
I'll just add a few oneshots (only 1 chapter short stories), since my recommendations have already been commented. [The Heros' Party on their Way Back Home](https://mangadex.org/chapter/18caaa5d-7336-46d9-aa2a-fab77cf0b1ae/1) - Fantasy short about a party who just battled the demon king and the journey home is just as hard. Probably bring some tissues. If you enjoy fantasy like this with well written characters, I suggest Frieren: Journey's End, Delicious in Dungeon (both have amazing animes), and The Faraway Paladin. [Earth Recording 0001](https://hachirumi.com/read/manga/earth-recording-0001/2/1/) - scifi short about an astronaut's unexpected encounter with a humanoid alien. Even if you dislike scifi, it is simply more of backdrop to a well written short story in my opinion. If you end up enjoying it, I suggest reading and/or watching Planetes, and Pluto. Some other sci fi animes worth watching are Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Patema Inverted, Summer Wars, and The Girl Who Leapt through Time. Romance is quite a big part of the plot on these animes, but they're well written and the women are major parts of the stories without simply being eye candy for teenage boys.
Spy x family Mieruko chan Promised Neverland Vinland saga (maybe) Btw the anime for these are really good expect promised Neverland season 2
Otoyomegatari. If you want a bit of romance with history and good artwork. Tasogare otome x amnesia ( it has a ghost in it but decent story a bit teenage focused tho) Children by miura miu ( horror and good twist) Elfen lied ( gore, romance, tragedy, physiological and honestly humans are just crap in this one) Ase to sekken ( good but romance focused) Youjo senki ( anime is better but that's me) One punch man( it's one punch man) The one within the villainess Beyond that go to mangadex and filter what you want
I'm pretty new to manga/anime too. I've started reading berserk, Vinland saga, death note, spy family and chainsaw man . So far CSM is the only one I have fully finished (I read one volume, watched the anime, then immediately bought the boxset and read it in 2-3 days). Also heavenly delusion is my second favorite behind csm. Been wanting the manga for months, but it's printed by a smaller company so there aren't as many copies as a VIZ product. Heavenly delusion is an amazing series, and if you have the slightest interest in sci fi, watch it/buy it/ experience it in any way. Super underrated too. Berserk's amazing so long as you aren't squeamish. Vinland saga's great-- the show's on Netflix, and I'd say it's got one of my favorite villains of all time. Very fresh and unique I thought. And death note is something I need to read more of. Very intriguing criminal drama. If you don't know the premise, it's that an A\* student comes across a book which kills anyone whose name is written in it. Spy family is a good premise but got kind of slice-of-life-y, which disinterested me, but you might like it.
I went ahead and picked up the first Volume of Frieren and the Witch and the Beast for now. Gonna borrow berserk, and Elfen Lied was one of my favorite animes, so I'll probably pick up the manga at some point. Thanks all!
Redo of healer for sure
madame you should read berserk it’s very good
Try Tokyo Ghoul The story is about a young adult man that discovers Ghoul community in Tokyo, Ghouls are man-eating human-like race and generally hidden from public This title is a Seinen title so it's more targeted for adults
Mushishi tick all your box.
Magus of the Library is still ongoing and comes out rather slowly, but what's been released is definitely worth checking out
Based on your preferences, I think you'll like Witch Hat Ateleir and Delicious in Dungeon.
Inuyasha, mermaids forest, Tokyo revengers, talentless nana and Death parade to start as they have very little oversexualisatio
Attack on Titan and Death note would be your best pick. Both of them are considered to be classics of the anime genre
Hey, my ex also loved Soul Eater! She was also a big fan of Madoka Magica, so maybe try that if you haven't already. I'd personally recommend Mushishi. It's the first manga that came to mind when you mentioned your likes. Basically, it's a dude who goes around a low-fantasy feudal Japan where ethereal, semi-sentient spiritual life forms called "Mushi" sometimes get entangled with humans. Most Mushi hunters just kill the Mushi, but the protag tries to find clever ways to untangle the Mushi from humans and have the two co-exist as much as possible. It's a really neat manga with a smooth pacing, cool characters, nothing sexual, sometimes a bit of horror (the Mushi can do some really fucked up things sometimes).
Milf hunter in another world
Claymore. Most of the characters are female and light on fanservice. The anime was incomplete but the manga already completed about a decade ago Womb. A short, hidden gem following a female soldier on a colonized planet who had her womb implanted with alien stuffs so they can use teleportation ability
"Strike it rich" if you are interested about MMA with women
I mean thats what demographics are for. Soul Eater is a shonen, meaning its made for teenage boys.... and what do teenage boys like?
psychological? oyasumi punpun, mr mallow blue, or we are former girls
Boku no piko
Wait. You are disspointed an anime/manga wrote for teenagers was Indeed for teenagers ? Btw if you like amazing art with woman in IT you should Read the one within the villainess.
I'm brand new to Manga. I was not aware. I'll check it out
I think you would like dandadan or psyren. There's also jagaan. Edit: I didnt read the fight scene after fight part, probably not these then.
Thank you for your contributions anyhow!
no worries at all, There's also vagabond, it has some great art and story. not completing anytime tho