Must Read Josei Manga

I have been reading manga since I was in primary school. I can still remember the day when my mother got me my first Doraemon manga from the local bookstore. That store was one of my favourite place to go to stock my shelves with different volumes of all the mangas I love to read. Now that I am much older, I developed a preference in Josei manga compared to shoujos that I usually read in secondary school. Here are a list of must read josei manga.

• Chihayafuru

Genre: Josei, Drama, Romance, School life, Slice of life, Sports

Summary:

All her life, Chihaya's dream was to see her model sister become Japan's best. That is, until a quiet, unassuming transfer student named Arata tells her otherwise. Arata plays a competitive version of a traditional Japanese card game known as Hyakunin |Isshu. After taking Arata's place in a game, Chihaya discovers she has a passion for it. Now Chihaya watns to become number one in the world, the Queen of Karuta.

Status: Ongoing

• Paradise Kiss

Genre: Josei, Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Comedy, Mature

Summary:

Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashionistas calling themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends own exclusive clothing model. In this manga we meet characters from Gokinjo Monogatari like Mikako (and her little sister, Miwako - she's in "ParaKiss" staff) and Arashi father (only poster, but still) and new like Isabella.

Status: Completed

• Kimi wa Pet

Genre: Josei, Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Comedy, Slice of life

Summary:

Smart, successful and good-looking Iwaya Sumire works for a big newspaper. However, her boss asks her to leave for being too "perfect" a woman. Feeling angry and dejected Iwaya returns home depressed, and most of all lonely. However, she finds an unconscious young man lying in a box out the front of her home and takes him in. He looks like a dog she used to own called Momo. She dubs him Momo and decides to "keep him as a pet." It's the start of an unexpected life together as they overcome obstacles and become quite attached to one another.

Status: Completed

• Hapi Mari

Genre: Josei, Drama, Romance, Comedy, 

Summary:

In order to help her father, Chiwa Takanashi agrees to an arranged marriage with the company president Hokuto Mamiya – a man she doesn’t know – at the request of Hokuto’s grandfather. Chiwa believes the arrangement isn’t binding, but her new partner seems to think otherwise. Can two strangers living together find their way to a happy marriage?!

Status: Completed

• Nana

Genre: Josei, Drama, Music, Slice of life, Tragedy, Romance

Summary:

This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

Status: Hiatus

• Ou-sama ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi

Genre: Josei, Drama, Romance

Summary:

Ayaka who is working at bridal section in a hotel is a beauty with bad personality! and right in front of her comes the hotel owner, name Tougou but full of mockery with [Ousama] and out from no where they both getting "marry"..!? an unlikely wedding story finally has begun

Status: Ongoing