The History Of Josei Manga
Manga started off being very male-centered. According to Jappleng, most of the characters, creators, and stories centered on men and young boys, but there was an audience for manga targeting women readers. In the early ’80s, only a couple of publishers were creating what were previously known as girl or lady comics.
Josei Manga vs. Shouju Manga
The easiest way for me to describe the difference between josei and shouju is to think of it in terms of YA versus general fiction. Young Adult lit is written for teens similar to shouju while josei is written for new adults and contains more mature content. That doesn’t mean it has explicit content (though it may), but the characters are older and the stories tend to reflect the interests and lives of adult women.
Who should read josei manga?
Anybody can read josei manga! If you like your manga women-centered with mature themes, josei manga will especially appeal to you. If you love Aggretsuko on Netflix, you should read the Aggretsuko comics and other similar manga as well. Here is a list of josei manga titles that will expand your manga collection.
