Summary
Shojo manga isn’t all sugar, spice, and everything nice. A diverse array of manga are aimed at the young female demographic, including some truly spine-chilling horror series. Legendary horror manga artist Junji Ito got his start writing for the shojo demographic, and that led to him becoming one of the most beloved and respected names in the medium.
These series often blend their horrific offerings with the romance genre and feature female protagonists. Despite seeming like two completely different worlds, shojo horror manga can be just as disturbing and engaging astheir seinen counterparts, sometimes even more so, with their beautiful artwork and compelling characters.
1Hell Girl
MyAnimeList Score: 7.08
Adapted from the anime of the same name,Hell Girlfollows a girl named Ai Enma, the titular Hell Girl. Ai Enma runs a website called Hell Correspondence, in which users can submit the name of anyone who’s wronged them so that they can be sent to Hell. Hell Girl then appears before the user, presenting them with a doll with a red string around its neck. If the string is pulled, the target of their vengeance will be sent to Hell.
There’s a catch, however. In return for fulfilling their revenge fantasy, the user’s soul will also be sent to Hell.Hell Girlis athought-provoking series exploring themes of justice, vengeance, forgiveness, and redemption.
2Zekkyou Gakkyuu
MyAnimeList Score: 7.73
The Best Children’s Manga Award winner at the 59th Shogakukan Manga Awards,Zekkyou Gakkyuuis a collection of standalone horror stories. Each story is presented by a ghost girl named Yomi, who observes and comments on the happenings of each tale.
The stories' protagonists are school-aged children who deal with various supernatural phenomena and other terrifying situations, facing cruel twists and turns along the way. The series was adapted into a voiceover comic featuring the members of the J-pop group AKB48 in 2010 and a live-action film in 2013.
3Trinity Blood
MyAnimeList Score: 7.80
Adapted from a light novel,Trinity Bloodis aboutAbel Nightroad, a Catholic priest who also happens to be a Crusnik, a vampire who feeds on other vampires. He’s a member of the AX (Arcanum Cella Ex Dono Dei), an organization that seeks to maintain peace between humans and vampires.
As the story progresses, Abel and his comrades become entrenched in various political intrigues and religious conflicts. Trinity Blood combines horror with the sci-fi and supernatural genres, with slick action scenes and gorgeous artwork.
4Tomie
MyAnimeList Score: 7.78
TomiewasJunji Ito’s first published manga and is one of his most well-known series. The titular Tomie is a hauntingly beautiful woman who can make any man fall madly in love with her, to the point of wanting to kill and dismember her. Most disturbingly, Tomie has regeneration abilities, meaning she can spread her reign of terror over and over again.
The series contains many of Ito’s trademarks, including highly detailed body horror, unexplained supernatural phenomena, and a dash of psychological horror as well. Tomie’s origins and powers are never explained, and that makes her all the more terrifying.
5After School Nightmare
MyAnimeList Score: 7.86
After School Nightmarecan be considered an example of queer horror, as itexplores the concepts of gender dysphoria and sexuality. The protagonist is an intersex teenager named Mashiro Ichijou. Raised as a boy, he has deep insecurities about the fact that he’s female from the waist down.
He meets a mysterious nurse at the school clinic, who tells him he has to enroll in a special class if he wants to graduate. This “class” turns out to be a dream world, where everyone appears as their “true selves.” Along with getting caught up in a love triangle with a girl and a boy, Mashiro has deep tribulations about his identity, sexuality, and a need to find acceptance.
6The Cain Saga
MyAnimeList Score: 7.88
The prequel toGodchildand set in Victorian England,The Cain Sagafollows a 17-year-old aristocrat named Earl Cain C. Hargreaves as he tries to unravel various dark and supernatural mysteries around him and the circumstances of his birth. Throughout the series, he deals with occult forces, family secrets, and complicated relationships.
The Cain Sagaisrich in Gothic themes and offers a blendof psychological drama, horror, and the supernatural, with intricate mysteries and plotlines that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
7Psychic Detective Yakumo
MyAnimeList Score: 7.95
Psychic Detective Yakumowas originally a light novel series but has since been adapted into two manga series, an anime, and a live-action drama. The story follows a college student named Yakumo Saito, who was born with heterochromia. His red left eye gives him the power to see spirits.
Along with a fellow college student named Haruka Ozawa, he embarks on a mission to free these spirits tethered to the Earth. Together, they investigate various mysteries related to the supernatural with the help of Yakumo’s unique psychic abilities.
8Godchild
MyAnimeList Score: 8.14
The sequel toThe Cain Saga,Godchildtells the story of Earl Cain as an adult as he continues to solve mysteries in Victorian England. This time, however, he’s accompanied by his loyal servant Riffael, his 10-year-old half-sister Mary Weather, and other characters fromThe Cain Saga.
Along withsolving dark and supernatural mysteries in a Gothic setting, Earl Cain seeks to atone for his past sins, protect those he cares about, and uncover secrets about his lineage.
9Ghost Hunt
MyAnimeList Score: 8.23
Readers who can’t get enough of theparanormal mystery genrehave another series to add to their reading list.Ghost Huntfollows a group of paranormal investigators who work for Shibuya Psychic Research. Mai Taniyama, the teenage protagonist, has an encounter with the group’s president, a high school student named Kazuya Shibuya.
Mai is forced to work for Kazuya (nicknamed “Naru”) after breaking an SPR video camera and accidentally injuring Naru’s assistant in a separate incident. Along with a priestess, a former monk, a Catholic priest, and a medium, Mai and Kazuya solve a range of cases throughout the series.
107 Seeds
MyAnimeList Score: 8.22
7 Seedsis set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is faced with an imminent extinction event. To ensure humanity’s survival, the government launched the “7 Seeds Project,” where five groups of young, healthy individuals are cryogenically preserved.
The survivors of Team Summer B have woken up in a world dramatically different from the one they knew, and now must band together for survival and to rebuild society. A mishmash of a variety of different genres,7 Seedswon the 52nd Shogakukan Manga Award for the shojo category in 2007 and was adapted into a Netflix original anime in 2019.
