5 Most Anticipated New Shoujo Manga of 2023

Welcome back to Honey’s Anime’s semi-definitive list of all the best new manga hitting the shelves in 2023. Join us as we uncover new series and exciting debuts across all your favorite genres!

Look out for girl power with even more shoujo isekai in 2023, along with new heart-warming romances and slice-of-life stories that make the shoujo genre so special. All these and more are coming to a bookstore near you in the first half of 2023!

Get those pre-orders ready and join us today as we discuss 5 New Shoujo Manga in 2023!


5. Gekkakoku Kiiden (The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom)

  • Authors: Himuka Tooru
  • Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Shoujo
  • Volumes: 1+
  • Published: March 2023

Dive into a romantic mystery of medicine and royal intrigue inspired by historical China in Gekkakoku Kiiden (The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom).

In the Moon Flower Kingdom, illnesses and injuries of all manner are healed with the country’s superstition-riddled medicinal baths. When the kingdom’s Prince Keiun is attacked by an unknown assailant, he witnesses a brand-new lifesaving medical technique—carried out by a mysterious young girl called Koyo. Conspiracy, religion, and deep-seated medical beliefs are all set on a collision course in the Moon Flower Kingdom!

Perfect for readers of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries), The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom is headed to our shelves in March 2023.


4. Cinderella Closet

  • Authors: Yanai Wakana
  • Genres: Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life
  • Volumes: 1+
  • Published: April 2023

Cinderella Closet is a Cinderella-inspired story of a plain country girl’s glamorous transformation in a heart-warming romance about office crushes and glow-ups!

When Haruka leaves her small countryside town and moves to Tokyo for college, she finds herself crushing on a colleague at her part-time job. But Haruka is desperately lacking self-confidence and is sure that her country bumpkin vibes will be a turn-off. Enter her very own fairy godmother—a sharp-tongued fashionist called Hikaru, who agrees to give Haruka the makeover she’s always dreamed of!

Complete in Japanese at 8 volumes, the fairytale romance of Cinderella Closet will be making its grand entrance in English in April 2023.



3. Lady Rose wa Heimin ni Naritai (Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner!) [Manga]

  • Authors: Koori Ame (Story), Kiyose Yura (Art)
  • Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Harem, Historical, Romance, Shoujo
  • Volumes: 1+
  • Published: January 2023

Adapted from the light novels of the same name, Lady Rose wa Heimin ni Naritai (Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner!) is an otome-game reincarnation story about romance, drama, and…baked goods?!

Transported into an otome game she’s playing, our protagonist is Felicia Schwarose, whose engagement to the crown prince has just been shredded. But she isn’t heartbroken, because she never wanted the high life to begin with! Taking the name “Fii Crow,” she becomes a humble baker in the local village—but the game’s love interests just won’t leave her alone! Can Fii avoid her doom flags and live a peaceful life?

Settle in for a fun romantic drama with Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner’s manga adaptation, coming early in January 2023!


2. Ano Ko no Kodomo (My Girlfriend’s Child)

  • Authors: Aoi Mamoru
  • Genres: Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life
  • Volumes: 1+
  • Published: April 2023

A tender and honest drama about high school relationships and teenage pregnancy takes shape in Ano Ko no Kodomo (My Girlfriend’s Child).

Sachi is a typical high school girl, hanging out with her boyfriend Takara. When their relationship starts moving in a more intimate direction, her life takes an unexpected and shocking twist in the form of two red lines on a pregnancy test. While trying to keep the pregnancy a secret from both of their parents, Takara and Sachi must decide the fate of their unborn child despite still being children themselves.

This poignant and careful story about teenage love and pregnancy is due for release in April 2023.


1. Watashi wa Gotsugou Shugi na Kaiketsu Tantou no Oujo de aru (The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices) [Manga]

  • Authors: Mamechoro (Story), Yoneda Kazusa (Art)
  • Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo
  • Volumes: 1+
  • Published: February 2023

An uproarious comedy about making true love become a reality at any cost, our top pick for new shoujo manga in 2023 is the manga adaptation of Watashi wa Gotsugou Shugi na Kaiketsu Tantou no Oujo de aru (The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices).

Reincarnated into her favorite Boys’ Love novel, Maki Tazawa assumes the role of Princess Octavia, getting to watch over her favorite OTP—crown prince Sirius, and his lover Lord Sil. But the throne still needs an heir—and according to the script, Octavia is supposed to agree to a political marriage. But Maki won’t accept such an unfair fate. If her fave couple can have a happy ending, she can too—even if she’s living in a BL novel!

A wonderful fantasy that’s LGBT-positive and genuinely funny, The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices’ manga is reincarnating onto a shelf near you in February 2023!


Final Thoughts

These are just five of the many shoujo titles releasing in the first six months of 2023!

From tender, bittersweet stories about teenage pregnancy, to historical dramas, the shoujo genre is wider than ever, with a little something for everyone!

Are you interested in any of these titles? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thank you for reading!

Cinderella-Closet manga-wallpaper-700x414 5 Most Anticipated New Shoujo Manga of 2023

Writer

Author: Brett Michael Orr

I'm a writer, gamer, and reviewer of manga & light novels, from Melbourne, Australia. When I'm not creating a new world, I'll be absorbed in a good JRPG, watching some anime, or reading up a storm!

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