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[Aubrey McFatum]

Well. Soon will be my cousin's birthday. I often buy anime stuff for people I know, when they are interested in these things. My cousin is not very much into anime, but expressed the desire to be introduced to some cool series more than once. I was thinking to buy for her some anime box set for this special occasion. Since she's a newbie and she loves girly stuff, but I'm not an expert when it comes to these genre of anime series, I'd like to ask your opinion: which series could be the right one for her? I don't want to buy something banal, like the average shoujo series, but as I said she likes stuff that is especially made for girls. So please, could you help me find anything that is a mix of traditional shoujo and more original series?

Thanks in advance!

[happy_doughnut]

Ah, sounds like a great gift, Aubrey.

I say... Sailormoon! I mean, if she doesn't like it, she can send it to meeee.

*ahem*

Shoujo, eh? Well, there are some series that can be considered "mainly for girls" that are, well, girly, but have more to them that purely superfficial nonsense. Sailormoon, unfortunately, does not fit into this category.

There are several, though. I think that it also depends on what she likes, besides shoujo. For example, does she like drama, action, comedy, sci-fi, and so on?

Since you haven't specified, I'll give you a list of what I can think of right now:
[list][*] Revolutionary Girl Utena [*] His and her Circumstances [*] Escaflowne - admittedly, this is an action anime. However, there is a vast number of bishounen in this anime. I myself am quite into the girly stuff and found to like this series much. The story is amazing, too, btw.[*] Fushigi Yuugi[*] Someday's Dreamers - this one is not famous at all, I think. It's quite nice. Heart warming story.

But, above all these, this is my favorite recommendation:

Fruits Basket

This is for girls and for guys. Beatiful blend of characters, story, animation and music. I'm sure almost any girl would enjoy this... well, I'm sure almost anyone would enjoy this.

Hope that helps.

[kupoartist]

Originally Posted by happy_doughnut

But, above all these, this is my favorite recommendation:

Fruits Basket

This is for girls and for guys. Beatiful blend of characters, story, animation and music. I'm sure almost any girl would enjoy this... well, I'm sure almost anyone would enjoy this.

Hope that helps.

Exactly. I'd go as far as to say that if you can't get her interested in Fruits Basket, she'll not get interested in Anime. I'm yet to hear anything bad at all from anyone regarding Fruits Basket - even people wholly uninterested in Shoujo seem to be drawn in by it. Also, if your region's release is anything like me, Fruits Basket on DVD is extremely good value for money - 4 DVDs, 6/7 episodes on each DVD.

Other series to recommend... well, i'm only repeating Ms Doughnut but Escaflowne is a great series that is classically enjoyed by both Guys and Girls - As I understand it, it's the quintessential "Crossover" anime, encorporating many Shoujo elements into what could otherwise be a Shounen anime. Also I can recommend Fushigi Yuugi (i've seen it spelt "yugi" btw), even though the animation is a bit no thrills and the second half of the series seems to be the far better half, though i'm personally only on episode 33 (/me sniffles for important character death). Getting it on DVD is also pretty expensive - the box-sets on amazon are over $150, for a 4 disc set!

Just generally, I can always recommend Ghibli for sheer all encompassing anime appeal. Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service seem to get the best reception amoung girls.

[merylsilverburg]

As already mentioned here by doughnut and kupo, Fruits Basket is probably the best choice for shoujo series and anyone who wants to be introduced into the shoujo genre.

Of course, there are many different types of shoujo: action, comedy, drama, and so on and there are a lot of series that fall into these categories.

Again, as mentioned above, Fushigi Yuugi (The Mysterious Play) is a general good action and shoujo series. It's got a lot of melodramatic moments and plenty of drama, but also has its comedic moments. It's a good series for a person who enjoys the theme "love-and-devotion-through-supreme-hardships." The relationship between the two main characters is almost believable, but it can be too mushy and a bit "overdone" at times...but its fine for a shoujo lover who enjoys action as well.

Shoujo Kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) is a good choice, but it's not exactly "shoujo" in the sense of "girl-loves-boy, boy-loves-girl, they-get-together, sugar-and-flowers" etc. It's considered "shoujo" for the theme it conveys and the whole fairy-tale setting (because the main character considers herself a "prince" who wants to save a princess) but the entire series has a bit of dark humor and tone. There are themes of incest and lesbianism (very mild though, but it's there) which I'll leave up to you to decide if it's appropriate for your cousin. I think this series is very good and is still one of my favorites, but for a person who is expecting something ordinary, this may not be the best choice.

Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) is the typical shoujo story of what I mentioned above (girl meets boy, boy meets girl, etc.). It's a very nice series and definitely shoujo. I haven't seen the entire thing because I lost interest ( ) but I would still highly recommend this series along with Fruits Basket.

Super GALS is a good choice too if your cousin enjoys "goofy" stuff. It's a very bright and hip series that involves the ko-gals, which was a fad in Japan a while back. Ko-gals are girls who get dark tans, wear anything "American" (like Hawaiian-prints, Cowboy/Western gear, etc.), bleach their hair to beyond-blonde colors, and basically are the "in-crowd." Yes, this sounds superficial and completely stupid, but surprisingly this anime series is done in a way where it doesn't make you want to commit suicide. The main themes in this series are friendship (a lot) and, of course, love. What's nice about this series is that the themes aren't done in an overly sappy or cheesy kinda way. At the end of the episodes, it makes you feel kinda good and happy and you end up knowing a bit more about each character and their personalities and you end up liking them a lot.

For a more milder and mature tone, try out Princess Tutu (wait, is this out yet?). Well, if it's out in the states, check it out...it's a very nice and kid-friendly series but it's also a magical-girl series, like Sailormoon where there's transforming involved. It's about ballet and ballerinas which sound so pathetic, but it's not. The story starts off with the storyteller Drosselmeyer, who wrote a tale of an epic battle between a prince and a raven. But, before the tale could be finished, Drosselmeyer died and the prince decided to shatter his own heart to seal the raven away. The pieces have been scattered around and the stories are coming to life. Very nice series that's not done in a silly or stupid way...but episodes can get a bit repetitive and if your cousin doesn't enjoy calmer, quiet series, this wouldn't be a good choice.

For magical-girl series, you can't go wrong with Sailormoon. It's a very typical choice, but it's kinda the basic/essential series for a newbie anime watcher or a person who enjoys shoujo stories.

If your cousin enjoys slapstick comedy, then I would recommend any one of the following: Love Hina, Ah! My Goddess, Onegai Teacher (Please Teacher). It's a typical story of one boy...many women. Craziness ensues, panty-shots, eye-candy, girl-coming-out-of-bath-and-boy-trips-over-box-and-lands-on-her-bosoms sort of stuff. Except Onegai Teacher is a bit different, since the teacher (whatever her name is...the one with magenta hair) is an alien who has come to Earth and is now posing as a teacher. Only one student knows and, of course, it's a guy. They form a "special" relationship or bond which I think is completely innocent, but they like to make it seem raunchy or something. A complete and total hit in Japan.

Then, for a slapstick-ish comedy with a more mild tone, try Chobits or Ai Yori Aoshi (Bluer than Indigo). Chobits is a story by CLAMP and it involves a romance or a close relationship between a guy and a robot girl named Chii. Then Ai Yori Aoshi involves a boy and a girl. The boy and girl were friends when they were younger and somehow, they separated/moved away. They're both grown up and the boy doesn't remember the girl anymore. One day, a girl comes and visits him, claiming to be his fiancee. And...that's all I really know...but it was a huge hit in Japan too.

As for Studio Ghibli films, kupo recommended Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service which are both very good films for girls. A truly shoujo story that involves romance and no action whatsoever is a film called Mimi o Sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart) which is a great film, but it's not released yet unfortunately. So....the next best thing would be Porco Rosso or The Cat Returns (stupid how they didn't release "Whisper" first then "Cat") which were just released recently (ugly-a$$ covers might I add...shame on you Disney). They both contain the typical "feel-good" and family-friendly themes/stories common among Ghibli films, but Porco is a bit more mature-toned.

Well, there's plenty more, but that's all I'm gonna recommend for now. Good luck to you.

[Aubrey McFatum]

Forgot to say... I got her Sailor Moon, the first series, and Kare Kano. She loved both. Thank you for suggesting. Couldn't find Fruits Basket, so I had to get the other two, but she liked them a lot