by AyuHikaru » Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:58 am
Moe was a huge trend a few years ago and pretty much got me to stop watching anime all together. There's still a lot of Moe out there but it's starting to die down in favor of, shock shock, anime geared toward women.
Seriously, I just read an article about it not long ago that stated Females have become a larger purchasing power in anime merchandise than males so they're starting to make anime appealing to them more. This doesn't just mean Shoujo either, Blue Exorcist (Which you should go watch RIGHT NOW), Tiger and Bunny (Which should also be on your to watch list), and a few other shows were made into anime with women in mind. Turns out we women don't like our anime full of cute boys who don't do anything (Like Moe blobs) but we also need a story to get attached too.
I assume this is why we'll probably see more Otome games become anime which should be.... weird.
Recomendations:
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) - turns the Magical Girl genre on it's head, then puts it in a blender, then eats it, then spits it out. It's dark but yet... cute. I'd call it a deconstruction of the genre, really.
Blue Exorcist - It's just a decent action anime with cute male leads. It's really, really good I promise
Tiger and Bunny - I enjoyed it and one of the main characters is in his 30's! And has a kid! And a goate! And is treated as a bishi character! High school? FEH.
Chihayafuru - About the game of Kurata, and kind of a slice of life, shoujo thing. It's really addicting for an anime about some poem game.
Moribito - Came out in 2007 so it's not really recent, but I watched it about 2 years ago and loved the fuck out of it. It has a very strong female lead, who's 30, and a BAMF. It's so beautifully drawn as well, like really beautiful.
ToraDora! - Came out in 2008 and is my first shoujo on the list! It's so good my boyfriend likes it. He doesn't like a lot of Shoujo (You should hear him complain about Ouran School Host Club).
Sword Art Online - About a bunch of people who get stuck in a Virutal Reality MMO. Kind of Science Fiction, kind of Fantasy. You get pretty attached to the characters, the second half is kind weird, but it's a solid anime.
Usagi Drop - Usagi fucking drop. About a dude who gets stuck having to take care of a young girl after her parents die. It is... it is something. I cannot with this anime.
Princess Jellyfish - A Josei (Basically shoujo for older women) about a bunch of Fujoshi's living together. Oh, it is wonderful.
That's all I got offhand. My tastes are pretty varied but I have a deep seeded hatred for anime with no substance.
All of these are on Crunchyroll or Hulu.