The anime industry is rife with male-created shows. However, this does not imply that women have fallen behind the times, as they have also produced some of the best anime shows in history. From My Dress-Up Darling to Mushishi, here are 16 great anime created by women for you to check out!
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Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto
First off in the list is Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, or in Japanese, Sakamoto Desu-Ga. It is a popular comedy anime created by the female mangaka, Nami Sano.
This comedy anime follows Sakamoto, a popular high school model student, and his day-to-day life as a cool person.
Sakamoto is the living embodiment of perfection for many people, despite getting himself into strange situations caused by some of the people who despise him.
Furthermore, Sakamoto possesses a diverse set of skills and abilities, which he frequently utilizes to get out of trouble and emerge with absolute perfection.
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Fushigi Yuugi
Released in 1995, Fushigi Yuugi is a prominent adventure and romance anime authored by Yuu Watase, the same female mangaka who created Ayashi no Ceres.
Fushigi Yuugi revolves around an outgoing and carefree high school student named Miaka Yuuki.
During a visit to the National Library, Miaka and her childhood friend Yui discover a strange old book that takes them inside its unfamiliar world.
Miaka and Yui are in trouble inside the book after encountering hostile slave traders.
Fortunately, a powerful and alluring young man with a Chinese symbol on his head appears and saves the two girls.
All of a sudden, Yui has been thrust back into the real world alone, leaving Miaka inside the book.
Miaka's destiny is reshaped from this point forward as she becomes the Priestess of Suzaku, the main heroine of the strange book.
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Itazura na Kiss
Itazura na Kiss, a hit shoujo romance anime written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada, has become a worldwide sensation.
This manga has been adapted into three live-action TV series in addition to an anime adaptation.
Itazura na Kiss, or Playful Kiss in English, revolves around the odd love-hate relationship between Kotoko Aihara and Naoki Irie.
Kotoko and Naoki, despite being polar opposites, find themselves caring for each other after moving in together.
While Kotoko is a dimwitted high school girl, Naoki is a brilliant, handsome, and genius high school boy who consistently ranks first in his class.
A minor earthquake destroyed Kotoko's family home one fateful day.
Because of this, Kotoko's father has decided to stay at the home of his childhood best friend, the son of whom is revealed to be Naoki, while their family's home is being rebuilt.
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My Dress-Up Darling
What happens when an introverted and reserved boy who enjoys dolls meets an outgoing and extroverted girl who enjoys anime and cosplay?
In Shinichi Fukuda's My Dress-Up Darling, beautiful and popular high schooler Marin Kitagawa meets the antisocial Wakano Gojo after school hours in the home economics room, where she is about to use the sewing machine.
Marin asks Gojo for a huge favor, knowing that he can use the sewing machine properly: to experience cosplaying in real life!
Despite his reservations, Gojo eventually agreed to assist Marin with her cosplay needs.
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Ranma ½
Ranma ½ is a classic and one of Rumiko Takahashi's best-known works. She is the same female mangaka who created the insanely popular Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Kyoukai no Rinne, Rinne of the Boundary.
Ranma ½, as the title suggests, follows Ranma, a young man who transforms into a girl when exposed to cold water.
As it turns out, Ranma fell into a strange magical spring at Jusenkyo while training in China. This incident cursed Ranma and his father, who can transform into a giant panda.
Not only that, but Ranma's life becomes even more complicated when his father proposes that he marry his best friend's daughter, Akane Tendo.
There hasn't been a dull moment in Ranma's life since that day, as more and more people come after him as he tries to find a cure for his curse.
The Rose of Versailles
Yet another classic anime, The Rose of Versailles is written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda.
It is one of the most influential shoujo animes in history, having emerged during the rise of stories with complex narratives centered on sexuality and politics.
The Rose of Versailles is still a popular shojo manga among fans and critics today.
The anime is set in the years leading up to and during the French Revolution.
It revolves around the lives of two women: the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and the commander of the Royal Guard, Oscar Francois de Jarjayes.
The anime begins with Marie Antoinette's story, but later shifts to Lady Oscar, who was raised as a son by her military general father from birth.
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Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Unlike other shonen anime, Katekyo Hitman Reborn is made by none other than a female mangaka, Akira Amano.
Tsunayoshi Sawada, an ordinary middle school student, discovers that he is a member of the powerful Vongola family.
What's more, he is not just a regular member but has been chosen to be the next mafia boss.
Unwillingly, Tsuna embarks on his path to becoming the next mafia boss with the assistance of his ostensible tutor, Reborn, and a few of his friends.
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Beastars
Beastars is an anime created by Paru Itagaki that is not just for furries. Take it like Zootopia, except the premise of Beastars is a little darker.
Beastars revolves around a large gray wolf named Legoshi, who lives in a modern world of civilized anthropomorphic animals with a cultural divide between carnivores and herbivores.
Legoshi is a shy and timid Cherryton Academy student who lives in a dorm with other carnivorous students.
He's also a member of the school's drama club, where he works as a stagehand and cheers on the actors led by the red deer Louis.
The peace in the academy was disrupted when an alpaca named Tem was discovered brutally murdered and devoured in the middle of the night.
That's when Legoshi meets a dwarf rabbit named Haru and develops feelings for her.
Mushishi
An anime that is unlike any other, Mushishi is created by Yuki Urushibara.
It is a combination of supernatural, fantasy, and seinen anime genres that are episodic in nature.
Every episode of Mushishi is like food for the soul due to its melancholy atmosphere and meaningful stories.
Mushishi follows Ginko, a Mushi-shi who travels around in search of more information about the Mushi.
Ginko assists people who are experiencing problems that may be related to the Mushi in order to gather intelligence.
The Mushi are neither plants nor animals, and they are distinct from other types of life such as microorganisms and fungi.
What is certain is that the Mushi closely resembles the primordial body of life. However, the existence of the Mushi is not known to many people.
Princess Jellyfish
Princess Jellyfish is a lighthearted comedy anime based on Akiko Higashimura's manga of the same name. This anime features a lot of otaku outcasts as each one of the characters is into the otaku culture.
Princess Jellyfish is about an otaku girl named Tsukimi Kurata, who is obsessed with jellyfish and wants to be an illustrator.
She lives in Tokyo in a communal apartment with other otaku-type girls.
Tsukimi meets crossdresser Kuranosuke Koibuchi and his older brother, Shu Koibuchi, due to her fondness for jellyfish.
From here on, Tsukimi’s life changes.
My Little Monster
Unlike other female mangakas, My Little Monster's creator uses a pen name, and her real name is unknown.
Robico created the anime, and she is best known for her other works, such as Our Precious Conversations, Skip! Yamada-kun, and Himikoi.
The anime follows the blossoming romance of high school students Haru Yoshida and Shizuku Mizutani.
Shizuku is an aloof, yet prim and proper, studious girl, whereas Haru is a problem child with very unpredictable behavior.
One day, one of the teachers asked Shizuku to visit Haru at home to check in on him and bring him notes. After all, both of them sit next to each other in class.
One thing led to another and Shizuku found herself in front of Haru, who suddenly confessed his love for her.
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To Your Eternity
Yoshitoki Oima is the creator of To Your Eternity, an emotional and dramatic anime, as well as the well-known A Silent Voice film.
The anime's premise begins with a mysterious and powerful otherworldly white orb sent from the infinite cosmos to Earth.
This white orb has no sense of self, feelings, sensations, or emotions, but it can assume the form of a living being that stimulates it.
It changes from a white orb to the shape of a rock, then to moss. When an injured lone wolf approaches the moss, it assumes the animal's form.
After meeting a young girl named March, the wolf eventually imitates a young boy and takes the name Fushi.
Fushi has since learned everything there is to know about humanity, including its greed and beauty.
One day, the beings known as Nokkers appear as humanity's greatest threat, and only Fushi is capable of defeating them.
Kekkaishi
Next on the list is Yellow Tanabe’s Kekkaishi, an action-fantasy shonen anime that is 52 episodes long and features demons and exorcists.
Tokimori Hazama was summoned 500 years ago to protect a feudal lord's mysterious inner power from demons.
He saved the feudal lord, but three days later, both of them became ill and died, along with his two students.
In the present day, Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura protect the feudal lord's power that was buried at the site of the Karasumori manor from Ayakashi demons.
Yoshimori and Tokine are the heirs of Hazama's assistants' clans, and they have been tasked with becoming the Kekkaishi.
They can use a magical barrier known as Kekkai to capture and destroy Ayakashi demons drawn to the feudal lord's powers.
March Comes in Like a Lion
Chica Umino's March Comes in Like a Lion is an essential addition to this list.
Given how well-written its plot development and core characters are, it is easily one of the most compelling slice-of-life and drama anime there is.
March Comes in Like a Lion, also known in Japanese as 3-gatsu no Lion, depicts Rei Kiriyama's life as a professional shogi player, as well as his interactions with the Kawamoto sisters and their cats.
Apart from them, Rei has no friends, and his family has also abandoned him.
xxxHolic
CLAMP, a group of female manga artists best known for shows such as Magic Knight Rayearth, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Chobits, Angelic Layer, and Cardcaptor Sakura, created xxxHolic.
xxxHolic is a comedy and supernatural anime with a story that incorporates Japanese mythology, including yokais.
Watanuki Kimihiro, a befuddled young man with the ability to see spirits and ghosts, is the protagonist of the anime.
Watanuki wanders off to a supernatural shop, where he meets the shop's owner, the powerful witch, Ichihara Yuko.
Yuko offered Watanuki a deal to rid him of his curse by working at her shop after sensing his ability to see ghosts.
Dorohedoro
Last but not the least, Dorohedoro is a studio MAPPA anime based on the manga of Japanese artist Q Hayashida.
Dorohedoro is an action and dark fantasy anime with elements of horror, mystery, and the supernatural. Hence, expect to see a lot of demons and magic in the show.
The anime is set in the Hole, a desolate city where people live in constant fear of Magic Users, also known as Sorcerers.
They terrorize the humans in the Hole by putting their strange and gruesome magical abilities to the test.
They not only disfigure humans in a sadistic manner, but they also abuse them fatally.
Caiman, an amnesiac young man with a reptilian head, and his partner, Nikaido, brutally murder Magic Users.
He bravely patrols the Hole, hoping to find a solution for the Magic Users that will allow him to regain both his original face and past memories.
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