Reiko Shimizu has a long experience with gender bender and shoujo manga. Tsuki no Ko centers in a fairy like tale. A legend states that a half-girl, half-mermaid will bring destruction to the Earth and end life as we know it... either that, or save everything. A merman under the name of Shona finds an amnesic boy called Jimmy when he is returning to his birthplace. Together, they will search for the legendary half-mermaid.

As everything mysterious and adventurous in Sailor Moon, the main action in Tsuki no Ko happens by night. There are tons of scenes underwater and under the moon, which helps to give the manga an eerie feeling. We should also mention the artwork of the talented Shimizu, who alternates daily life scenes with the most beautiful art-nouveau and art-deco inspired illustrations. Naoko Takeuchi, the mother of Sailor Moon, also likes to use such props in her story, so you will feel like home on this manga if you are the antique visual type.

Tanemura is no stranger in the shoujo and magical girl genres. She has also participated in animations such as Full Moon wo Sagashite and Arakawa Under the Bridge. Well, meet Maron Kusakabe, the protagonist of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne. She is no one else but the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, who has the mission of fighting demons by night with the help of the Angel in Training called Finn. By day, Maron tries her best to survive the school life with a smile despite of her family issues.

Magical girl alert! The double identity and the adventures by night are secured in this manga. The protagonist is a happy-go-lucky girl pretty much in the fashion of Usagi Tsukino. We also have the romance with a mysterious guy under the name of Kaitou Sinbad. The dynamics of the relationship between him and Jeanne are very similar to those of Usagi and Mamoru. The demons who haunt works of art and possess people also remind us of the youma. Perhaps this manga is the most similar to Sailor Moon, with some differences by the middle of the story, when the true nature of the battle between goodness and evil is revealed. Just give it a chance 🙂

Another experimented shoujo mangaka, Chi Shinohara offers us the many adventures and tribulations of Yuri Suzuki. Imagine that you are a perfectly normal teenager who is kidnapped through a well and arrives in ancient Anatolia. The bad news is that an evil queen wants your flesh and blood. The good news is that, because of your modern upbringing, you know a lot of things that make you look as a wise person. Under the protection of Prince Kail Mursili, Yuri will have to find her way back to Japan while she survives the intrigues of the courtesans in this ancient world.

Star crossed romance? Check. Magic? Check. Something to do with reincarnation? Yeap. A girl who does what is needed in times of crisis instead of being passively saved? You bet! The originality of the place of action (the old Turkish peninsula) brings an exotic flavour to this classical shoujo. If you are fond of Middle Eastern cultures, you should check Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori out! 🙂

Takaguchi has a long experience in manga (particularly shoujo) despite her relatively young age. Miracle Dieter Miyuki tells us the many adventures of Yukimi, a teenage girl with overweight. Thanks to a magical dumbbell, she transforms in the beautiful Miyuki, who fights against the evil three-star chef. Together with her friend Miracle Dieter Emiri, they will try their best to protect people from overweight while living the normal student life by day.

Miracle Dieter Miyuki has been called as a hearty parody of Sailor Moon. We have the magical powers, the transformation and some enemies. We have the emphases on friendship and enjoying the normal life when it is possible to well, live it. We even get a mysterious guy and a cat thrown in the mix! Also, the graphic style and the short skirts of the heroines remind us of Sailor Moon. The main difference is that Usagi would eat all that food instead of destroying it with her magical powers :p Oh, and we also should add points for the unconventional heroine.

Arina Tanemura hits again with an adventure inspired in Japanese traditional legends and magical creatures. The time is the Heian period and the place is deep in the mountains. Sakura, as the grandchild of Princess Kaguya, has the ability to destroy demons with her magic sword. Her best friend can transform into Yuki-Onna and her fiancee, the prince of Japan, transforms into a wolf. Despite it all, Sakura lives an uneventful life with her maidens… until the prince calls her to his side.

If you ever wondered how a combination of Sailor Moon and InuYasha would have been, here you have it. Sakura is a magical girl (with a pretty short skirt and everything) who fights against evil by herself. She hates Prince Aoba (her fiancee) and fights with him. And well, Tanemura’s style is all flowery and cute like Takeuchi’s. The main difference is the period setting, but given that Tanemura’s other famous manga is inspired in France and Western works of art, Sakura-hime Kaden comes to balance her portfolio.

Yuu Watase is a legend among shoujo mangakas, as she has produced famous works in the adventurous shoujo department. Among them, we encounter Ayashi no Ceres and Fushigi Yuugi, which also count with anime versions. In the case of Genbu Kaiden, this is a prequel about the first priestess and her adventures in the world of the Universe of the Four Gods. Takiko Okuda is a normal girl from the Showa Period who has a terminated ill mother and a bad relationship with her father. When he comes back home with a translation of the Universe of the Four Gods, he is absorbed with the interpretation of the book instead of paying attention to his wife’s funeral. Enraged, Takiko steals the book, and with that act, she is transported to the world inside the book. Thus, the legend of the Priestess of Genbu is set in motion.

If what you love about Sailor Moon is the action and the romance with a slight touch of tragedy, Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden might be the manga for you. Around a decade sets it apart from the first chapter. Thus, the plot, character development and drawing are tremendously improved. This is shoujo manga with interrelated connections among friends and foes, while we can explore the world of the Four Gods more in depth than in the anime.