When it comes to a shoujo series, sometimes, you just know that it will be something special, even within the first few chapters or the first volume of a series. Here is a list of 10 of my favorite first volumes.
10) Skip Beat, Vol. 1
Skip Beat! is a still ongoing classic and celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this year. The first volume introduces us to Kyoko, who is devoted to making her childhood friend and crush Sho’s dreams come true. All Of Kyoko’s devotion soon turns to hatred when Sho betrays her. How will she get her revenge? By destroying Sho in show business. I first started reading the series when I was 16. I am now 31, and I’m still hanging in there, hoping Kyoko gets her happy ending.
9) Hana Yori Dango, Vol. 1
A.K.A. Boys Over Flowers was my first dive into hot mess soup. Parts of it are a blast, and parts of it definitely need a trigger warning by today’s standards. What made volume one special back then was how spunky the heroine, Tsukushi, was. She puts a target on her back to defend her best friend, Makiko, when she goes up against Tsukasa and the F4 gang. Tsukushi, Tsukasa, and Rui go through A LOT later in the series, but the initial confrontation sets everything off. This series has had about half a dozen movie and drama adaptions. My favorite Japanese drama adaption stars Oguri Shun as Rui. Meteor Garden 2018 is good, too.
8) Hana Kimi, Vol. 1
Full title Hanazakari no Kimitachi e AKA For You In Full Blossom was the beginning of my love for the gender bender sub-genre. In volume one, Mizuki Ashiya moves from California to Japan with one dream, to meet and help her high jump crush Izumi Sano back into the sport. The catch is that she is a girl undercover at an all-boys school. My favorite character will always be Nakatsu and his “vision.”
7) Kaichou Wa Maid Sama! Vol. 1
A.K.A. Maid Sama! is one of those series where suspension of disbelief is vital because what Mizaki and Usui get up to is unbelievable in the best possible way. In volume one of the series, we discover that Misaki is her newly co-ed academy’s new student council president. She’s desperate to make the school look presentable to get more female classmates. She never takes it easy on the boys of her school as a result. Then Usui finds out her secret. She works in a maid cafe to help her family.
6) Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1
Ouran is one of my all-time favorite comedy shoujos. In volume one of this gender-bender classic, we meet the unassuming Haruhi, A scholarship student at a school for the wealthy elite. One day, while she is trying to mind her own business, she breaks a priceless vase belonging to the “host club.” To pay off the debt, she must become the only female member of the host club. How each member discovers she is a girl is classic.
5) Shugo Chara! Vol. 1
Shugo Chara! is from the same shoujo magazine that serialized Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Everyone thinks that Amu Hinamori is a super cool standoffish girl in volume one of the series. The truth is she’s shy and kind and trying to figure it out just like every other 10 year old. In order to help Amu figure out who she wants to be, she has Ran, Miki, and Su, three guardian characters born from her hopes and dreams with a magical girl twist.
4) Full Moon Wo Sagashite, Vol. 1
The first series I read from my second favorite mangaka Arina Tanemura. In volume one, we meet Mitsuki Koyama, a 12-year-old girl living with her grandmother because her parents, including her pop star father, have passed away. She dreams of being a singer, but a throat tumor nearly derails her dreams until Takuto and Meroko, two shinigami, help grant her wish to be a star.
3) Cardcaptor Sakura, Vol. 1
Like many millennials, I grew up with Cardcaptor Sakura including the original English dub called Cardcaptors. With the hindsight of an adult, I will say that the age-gap romances, including several student-teacher relationships, are a bit problematic but an excellent series nonetheless. In volume one, we are introduced to Sakura and Kero. Sakura is a kind, athletic 10-year-old doing her best to recapture the magical, often temperamental Clow cards she accidentally unleashes upon Tokyo. We are also introduced to the initially antagonistic Syaoran descendant of Clow Reed, the creator of the cards
2) Fruits Basket, Vol. 1
I love that the series has had a resurgence in popularity due to the 2019 anime adaption it is my second favorite series of all time and the first I ever collected. As a young teen, I waited with bated breath for the Tokyopop releases. What I love about volume one is that we get a glimpse of Tohru’s infinite kindness and her struggles early on. Despite the often comical magical twist, you also see just how complex the story with Kyo will be.
Sailor Moon, Vol. 1
It’s my favorite series, my first anime. The reason I learned Japanese is because the manga was out of print in English for so long. What makes the first volume special is that it has two of my favorite moments of the whole series. Usagi’s first transformation and battle as Sailor Moon and the masquerade ball where Usagi and Mamo-chan dance together without knowing each other’s full identities.
