WARNING! This is just my opinion and to be fair not all shoujo manga are like that (most) so just enjoy the journey and take this as a pinch of salt! :)
This post will be about the female characters, because they are usually the main ones.
1. Annoyingly naive
Okay there's always this one female protagonist that gets on our nerves. In a typical shoujo manga forum there's always this group of people commenting, "God! She's so stupid.", "I can't stand her!", "She's too dumb to be with X!", etc. Most of the time this character is not perceptive neither is she intelligent. She is usually in love with someone but is too dumb to realise that someone else is in love with her or that her love is reciprocated. Often times, she will hurt the feelings of others because she of her insensitivity. But there are good points to such a character; when her friend betrays her she will forgive that person because she has an extremely kind heart. She may be a little insensitive but when she realises something is wrong she will be a concerned friend. So in all, she's sweet but too naive
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| Kotoko from Itazura na kiss https://www.pinterest.com/jazmeensingh/itazura-na-kiss/ |
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| Ninako from Strobe Edge https://www.pinterest.com/pin/317926054919323956/ |
2. Maturely Immature
This character is very mature. Sometimes she may have a sad backstory which includes neglected family or because she has too many siblings to take care of. As a result, she becomes very independent and sometimes she even thinks she is superior than the others around her. This female character can be extremely intelligent or a very determined character. However when she falls in love, all hell breaks lose and she often becomes a blushing bride and to some extent reverting back to your typical shoujo stereotype. Sometimes because of her independence, she may be harsh but on the inside she means well. She is usually mistaken as cold, harsh or scary but really as time progresses other characters start to get to know her better and accept her. Often such characters are relatively quite popular because it shows some form of depth in the character rather than the annoyingly naive one. (Again that's my opinion)
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| Shizuku from Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun http://myanimelist.net/character/37685/Shizuku_Mizutani |
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| Yukina from Watashi ni xx Shinasai http://comicvine.gamespot.com/watashi-ni-xx-shinasai |
Who doesn't love a good Cinderella story, plain girl who feels that no one ever will fall in love and she hopelessly pins onto a guy. An unrequited love but guess what an extremely unnecessarily handsome/ cute guy starts to notice her...and so begins her road to romance. Yes as the title states it's very straightforward. This character is normally down-to-earth very kind, sweet and friendly but the only problem is that she is too plain-looking/ ugly. There are manga who give her a makeover so that she looks ridiculously pretty and then proceed to capture her crush's attention while other manga play the "I just love your inner beauty" road. Of course there's also the storyline where she's constantly overshadowed by her sister or friend who is way more popular/ prettier than her but sometimes hastier too. (Who doesn't love a good catfight)
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| Ageha by Pappilon-Hana to chou http://www.mangareader.net/papillon-hana-to-chou |
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| Mairu from Mairunovich http://myanimelist.net/manga/23688/Mairunovich |
4. Am I a girl/ boy
If you're thinking of gender bender then...you're not entirely wrong. This can mean literally or metaphorically. The female character can be dressed up as a boy for several reasons like being mistaken as one, trying to get into a boy's school, etc. But it can also mean that she is very boyish in nature. She is usually seen to be very close to guys or to the point that guys fear her. In some cases she can fight well or is just plain rowdy. However she has always wanted to be girly and fall in love (most of the times) and is seeking out for compatible partners. Because she has always been mistaken as a guy hence usually at the start of the manga it shows her changing her whole appearance and disassociating herself from her past "identity".
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| Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruhi_Fujioka |
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| Haruna from High School Debut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_School_Debut |
5. Notice me sempai
Instead of your bubbly or cold female heroine readers are introduced to an overwhelmingly depressing and guilty heroine. Often, this character faced a tragic event or constant bullying before hence she changes into this quiet and isolated person. Her thoughts can be very depressing to the point that she starts to affect everyone else around her. She always thinks she's not good enough or distances herself from others so that she won't feel abandoned again. Notice me sempai characters can also be wallflowers in general, she may have a normal family but is just generally quiet and shy. This then begins the journey of a sweet girl and her painful blossoming romance. The manga will usually allow the character to progress into someone slightly more optimistic and even start to open to people around her. Do note that this is different from the Cinderella type, although some traits matches.
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| Hiyori from Hiyokoi http://mangafox.me/manga/hibi_chouchou/ |
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| Suiren by Hibi Chouchou http://mangafox.me/manga/hibi_chouchou/ |
These are the top 5 commonly known female character in shoujo manga, at least to me.You have to understand there are many other types of characters and even some of them cannot be easily be categorized because of their unique traits and personalities. Hope that you enjoy reading it and stay tuned for my other updates! Let me know if I've missed out on any other types. Till then!
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