Shojo anime continues to be a popular subgenre explicitly aimed at adolescent females and young adult women. While some of the all-time best shojo anime series like Nana, Banana Fish, and Your Lie In April have only one season for fans to indulge in, there’s no shortage of acclaimed anime series that last longer than one season and improve over time.
Indeed, for many anime series, it takes a while to find their footing, establish the characters, and develop deeply compelling narrative arcs that keep viewers invested as the series progresses. As such, it’s time to highlight examples of the best shojo anime series that clearly improve following the first season.
10 Sailor Moon (1992-1997)
The holy grail of shojo anime, Sailor Moon ran for five seasons and 200 episodes. While Sailor Moon’s first season drew fans in and established the cute magical girl’s mythical backstory, the show clearly got better as it progressed, with nearly every fan considering season three (Series S) the absolute pinnacle of the show’s dramatic appeal.
Season three of Sailor Moon finds Usagi and her sailor guardians taking on the mighty Death Busters, a vicious gaggle of villains hellbent on conquering Earth. The season’s best episode, according to IMDb and a 1995 Animage popularity poll, is “Death of Uranus and Neptune? The Coming of Talisman,” which finds Haruka and Michiru connecting with Eudial.
9 Cardcaptor Sakura (1998-2000)
Cardcaptor Sakura ran for three seasons and 70 episodes, with half of the episodes produced during seasons two and three. The all-time great magical girl anime follows Sakura, a young girl who must collect a deck of magical cards after inadvertently setting them loose in a library.
The problem with the first season of the popular anime is that it took too long and overstayed its welcome. Learning the lesson and making an effort to create quality over quantity, season two is when the series really began to hit its stride. With 11 episodes, the drama is mainlined with a sharp narrative focus and culminates with the highest-rated episode of the series. The season two finale (8.6 IMDb rating) hits a high note when Sakura finally musters the strength and courage to defeat Yue.
8 Kamisama Kiss (2012-2016)
Kamisama Kiss lasted three seasons and 31 episodes, with the latter chapters standing out the most. The story concerns homeless Nanami who transforms into a magical deity after saving a man named Mikage’s dog. Like most first seasons on TV, the first 13 episodes of the anime served more as an introduction to Nanami while adapting the tone and tenor of the manga.
However, the next two seasons include an additional 18 episodes that really flesh out Nanami’s character, fill in her backstory, and raise the dramatic stakes as she gains more responsibility as a newfangled queen. The season two finale stands out for exploring Nanami’s childhood, with the series reaching its climax in the penultimate series episode in which Nanami finally gets to become the bride she always dreamed of becoming.
7 Natsumi’s Book Of Friends (2008-2017)
Lasting six seasons and 74 episodes from 2008 to 2017, Natsumu’s Book of Friends traces Natsumi Takashi, a boy who is given a book that belonged to his grandmother. Inside the book are the names of the grandmother’s many conquests, prompting Natsumi to give the victims their namesake back and free their spirits.
With more than 60 episodes produced after season one, fans really got to see how Natsumi uses his altruistic outlook to help those trapped by his grandmother, while also learning more about his family’s past in the process. Whether reflecting on his time growing up in Miyoko’s house as a boy in the season four finale or Natusmi finally letting Natori know about his secret in the series finale, the show definitely got stronger over time.
6 Fruits Basket (2019-2021)
Among the most acclaimed anime series on record, Fruits Basket ran for three seasons and 63 episodes. The touching fairy-tale based story follows Tohru, a young girl who overcomes an abusive past after being taken in by the Soma family, the members of which use the Chinese Zodiac to morph into animals.
While the first two seasons featured 25 episodes apiece, the final season remains the absolute best in part due to its shortened, 13-episode arc. With multiple IMDb ratings of 9+, the conclusive season of the great shojo love story gives fans all they could ask for in a faithfully adapted Fruits Basket manga. The way in which Tohru painfully reconciles with Kyo comes full circle with an emotionally devastating explanation of the original Zodiac story that inspired the series is truly unforgettable.
5 Snow White With Red Hair (2015-2016)
Among the most empowering shojo anime, Snow White With Red Hair completely reimagines the Snow White fairy tale to give agency to the all-time great female anime hero Shirayuki, a young girl who avoids becoming the property of a Prince and meets a more suitable boy named Zen.
With two seasons split equally among 24 episodes, Shirayuki really becomes stronger, more independent, and wiser following season one. She comes into her own, realizes what she wants rather than what society deems is best for her, and finds the strength to pursue her own individual path. A great coming-of-age story that shows a young girl maturing without compromise, season two gives fans the full satisfying arc of Shirayuki’s quest.
4 Kimi No Todoke (2009-2011)
Lasting 38 episodes over two seasons, Kimi No Todoke concerns Sawako Kuronuma, a young girl demonized for appearing like the ghostly girl from The Ring. A classic outcast tale of mistaken identity, Sawako meets the dashing Kazehaya and begins to increase her happiness and fit in.
Much like Cardcaptor Sakura, Kimi No Todoke suffers from a major episodic imbalance that hurt the first season. The first season included 25 episodes, overloading viewers with too much filler. By contrast, season two featured a much tighter and more compelling 13 episodes, with the series finale sticking the landing to rank as the all-time highest episode on IMDb.
3 Chihayafuru (2011-)
With three seasons and 74 episodes aired since 2011, Chihayafuru also started slow but improved over time. The plot tracks the Chihaya, a young girl who dreams of becoming Japan’s most esteemed karuta card player after meeting the skilled player Arata.
In addition to increased IMDb ratings per episode in seasons two and three, the first season drew mixed reviews for its over-reliance on CG animation (via Anime News Network). However, the next two seasons really amplified the karuta card playing dynamic and expanded its fanbase as a result. By the end, it’s impossible not to root for Chihaya’s success more than in the uneven first season.
2 Kodocha (1996-1998)
Kodacha is an enchanting anime that ran for two seasons and 102 episodes, with bigger and better production values allowing for great expansion following the first season. The story follows Sana Kurta, an ebullient 11-year-old girl who stars in a variety show at school and befriends the mischievous Akito.
While the show has drawn the most praise for its deft tonal balance between comedy, romance, and mystery, season two really feels much larger in its scope. For instance, the title of the show refers to the Broadway show, Kodocha, which Sana gets invited to American to participate in. Accepting the role instills newfound confidence in Sana and helps her overcome her depression, deep issues largely devoid in the first season.
1 Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War (2019-)
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War has aired 43 episodes and counting over four seasons so far, with the most recent reaching an apogee that’s hard to eclipse. The plot involves Kaguya, the Vice President a wealthy private academy who competes with the President, Miyuki, to confess their feelings of love. Whoever shows signs of vulnerability first loses.
A delightfully fun series that shows the two characters coming of age under the spirit of romantic competition, Love is War has clearly become more amusing over time. Season four alone boasts an average episode rating of 9.3 on IMDb, proving a consistent level of high-quality entertainment that was simply lacking to begin with. And that doesn’t even include the best episode of all, in which Miyuki dresses as Arsene Lupin to trick Kaguya in the season three finale.
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