The year 2022 provided fans with a slew of new shows to binge-watch and new manga to obsess over. The year may now be over, but it leaves behind plenty of great shows and series for fans to look back on, including some of the best new manga in recent memory.
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The majority of these new series fell under the shonen genre in some way. However, whilethe shonen series surged in popularity, there was also plenty of new shoujo manga series that made their debut in 2022. Among the many great examples, these titles are the ones to look out for.
Updated on May 19, 2025, by Izabella Molina:Even long after 2022 has ended, there are still numerous shoujo manga titles that are worth reading. Amidst older, more beloved titles, such asFruits Basket,receiving new anime adaptations, itmay take a little bit of searching to find greatshoujo titles that started in 2022, many of which have premises that differ from the genre’s signature tropes. Therefore, this article has been updated to feature even more fascinatingshoujo mangawith interesting stories and characters. For readers looking for something fresh from the shoujo genre, these titles are certainly worth reading.
16Aka no Tachi
Whereas most shoujo manga protagonists are usually portrayed as demure school girls, Aka no Tachi, written and illustrated by Chitose Kaido, balances both the shoujo andsports aspects of the manga. The main protagonist, Akane, is established to be a former kendo champion, having participated in the sport since elementary school.
Naturally, kendo plays a tremendous role in both Akane’s life and the story overall. In this story, Akane is determined to surpass her rival Taki, who managed to beat her the first time they crossed swords. But amidst her resolution, Akane soon finds that someone else is enthralled by her strong will.
15Olivia and the Never-Ending Dream
Written by Milk Nakashima,Olivia and the Never-Ending Dreamisa prime example of a reverse isekai mangaseries, which is usually defined as a female protagonist being sent to another world instead of a male protagonist. This is more or less the case in this manga, though the way she is transported to another world is quite unorthodox to some readers.
After being accused of attacking Prince Luke’s new fiance, Olivia is captured and publicly executed in front of her former fiance. However, immediately after her execution, Olivia finds herself reincarnated in the body of Hanabi Kaburagi, a girl who is constantly being bullied by her peers at school.
14Shinimodori Reijou no Lucetta
Similar toOlivia and the Never-Ending Dream,Shinimodori Reijou no Lucettaalso involves a case in which the protagonist is killed off only to awaken sometime later. However, this manga does not send Lucetta, the heroine of the story, to another world; as a result, many readers may not consider this series a reverse-isekai manga.
Determined to pay her family’s debt, Lucetta enters a passionless marriage with the wealthy aristocrat Kyle, but things turn very grim when the two of them are assassinated during their wedding. After waking up two years before the wedding, Lucetta disguises herself as a fortune-teller to support her family, but when Kyle asks for a love fortune from her, Lucetta finds out thathe was just a tsundere.
13Sleeping Pizzicato Forest
Published on July 19, 2025,Sleeping Pizzicato Forestprovides more of an adventurous experience to its readers instead ofthe romantic experience that is typically found in shoujo manga. Written and illustrated by Alto Yukimura, the artwork may be likened toThe Promised Neverlanddue to the youthful appearances of the two protagonists.
Sleeping Pizzicato Foreststars Emily, a girl who has lived in seclusion for most of her life. Wanting to live like the protagonist of her favorite novel, after whom she is named, Emily decides to look for her great-great-grandfather’s villa, which results in her meeting Shura, who claims to know where the villa is located.
12Choking on Love
Published on June 29, 2025,Choking on Lovefirst appeared in the December 2022 issue of the shoujo magazine Dessert. Unlike most other popular shoujo manga today, this series has the distinction of having its main protagonist being a college student as opposed to a high school student.
The main heroine ofChoking on Love, Hibari Akinishi, is a graphic design major who strives to create a trendy and appealing fashion design amidst her hectic school and work schedules. By chance, she meets the up-and-coming guitarist Gaku Sausei after he ruins her laptop. Though Hibari understandably lashes out at Gaku, she begins to warm up to him after learning he is a fellow art student.
11Magic Circle Chronocanon
Taking a step away from the more casual titles,Magic Circle Chronocanonis a bit more action-packed thanChoking on Love.With eleven chapters already released at the time of writing, this manga may be appealing to shoujo fans due to its detailed art style and unique magic system.
The story revolves around Kano, a girl who is inexperienced in the art of magic despite possessing magic powers of her own. Seemingly imprisoned for her vast arsenal of dangerous spells, Kano is set free and enrolled into the Sefira National School of Magic alongside her savior Touma.
10Merit Egyptian God
Serialized by Hana to Yume magazine,Merit Egyptian Godis a collaborative work between the author Fuyu Tsuyama and artist Yukari Sakai. Though the manga came to a conclusion on Jun 07, 2025, that certainly doesn’t take away from this shoujo manga’s main appeal: the Egyptian setting and motifs.
Convinced that she did not die, Merit, the main heroine, turns to the Egyptian God Anubis for help, as he is the bridge between the realms of the living and the dead. However, what starts as a bid to return to the world of the living turns into a bid to get rid of the curse plaguing Anubis.
9Tiger & Dragon
Unlike the similarly named seriesToradora,Tiger & Dragonhas the distinction of following a love triangle between three main characters as opposed to a slow-burn romance between two. In regard to the art style, courtesy of Mizuki Hoshino, it can also be described as more innocent and cute, which is on par with other shoujo manga released in 2022.
InTiger & Dragon, Konomi is reunited with her childhood friend Mikkun, who asks her out on a date. Before she has a chance to take Mikkun up on his offer though, Konomi is suddenly reunited with her other childhood friend Tora, whom she has longed to see again since moving away when she was five years old.
8Romantic Dark
Written by Natsumi Shirado and Kana Watanabe,Romantic Darkwas released on September 13th, 2022. Only three chapters have been released so far, butthis manga blends together the paranormalwith the humorous implications and situations that come along with it.
Romantic Darktells the story of Neo, a young musician who mysteriously keeps getting injured, a phenomenon that has been occurring his whole life and is gradually worsening. When he decides to get himself exorcised, as per his friends' suggestion, he meets Yomi Yobashira, better known as Yoyo, who reveals that the two of them are seers.
7Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love
Having made its English debut on March 1st, 2022,Ima Koi: Now I’m in Loveis unique among shoujo titles in the sense that the main leads, Satomi and Yagyu, start their relationship early on in the series. As a result, the manga exploresthe tumultuous beginnings of their relationship, from the awkward text messages to Satomi’s overall shyness around Yagyu.
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Satomi first meets Yagyu after he saves her from a pervert while riding the train. After thanking him for his act of kindness, the two of them start to meet regularly, which eventually culminates in the start of their relationship.
