Romance and love abound in many of the best shojo anime. Quiet tales of supernatural beings are also frequently seen in shojo. With so many great stories from which to choose, it can be frustrating to begin a show only to be disappointed by it. Shojo especially is a genre that tends to have great premises that fall flat in execution.
While many of these anime can still be enjoyable, they nevertheless disappointed fans in the end. Lackluster stories and underdeveloped characters can lead to great premises going bad; these anime are prime examples. Had they been written differently or handled by another studio, these shojo might have lived up to their potential.
10 Convenience Store Boy Friends
Convenience Store Boy Friends was a show that had a lot of promise. The story presents itself as focusing on various high school couples and their romantic journeys. It would have been a different change of pace than most shojo anime. Unfortunately, the show truly only focused on two relationships.
Additionally, Convenience Store Boy Friends left a lot to be desired with its ending. The final scene is purposefully left ambiguous, so audiences never know if Miharu Mashiki made it through her surgery or not. Plus, there was no true closure to any of the relationships either. The whole show was disappointing, considering how much romance it promised.
9 Tsuki Ga Kirei
Tsuki ga Kirei is an adorable anime about two middle schoolers who fall in love. The show follows Kotaro Azumi and Akane Mizuno as they meet, confess their feelings, and navigate being in a relationship. The show offers audiences many heartwarming and dramatic moments. However, just as the story gets good, it ends.
This abrupt ending is further punctuated by the credits that show stills of Kotaro and Akane’s life together. Tsuki ga Kirei had the potential to be one of the best shojo anime, but it falls short with its somber ending.
8 Prétear
Prétear is a spiritual successor to Sailor Moon. The tale follows Himeno Awayuki as she becomes a Prétear and learns all about the Leafe Knights and their sworn duty to protect the land. To save the world from the Princess of Disaster, Himeno teams up with individual Leafe Knights, who all have different powers.
Prétear has a great reverse harem premise that could have worked well in this genre. However, the creators squandered this story, making it much more like a cheap magical girl knockoff. Plus, it ended too abruptly before fans could learn anything more about the Leafe Knights aside from Hayate and Sasame.
7 Maid Sama!
Maid Sama! sounds like an interesting premise from the onset. A female student council president works at a maid café to make extra cash for her family when she is spotted by one of her male classmates. Misaki Ayuzawa begs Takumi Usui not to tell anyone her secret, and he uses his new knowledge to his advantage.
Although Maid Sama! could have explored Misa’s trust issues and shown that being a maid is nothing to be embarrassed about, the show sharply dives into Usui manipulating Misa to his will. He regularly teases her about being a maid and essentially stalks her despite Misa telling him to stay away on multiple occasions. Maid Sama! could have made some great commentary about working-class families and academic pressure, but it opted to portray increasingly creepy behavior instead.
6 Free!
Free! could have been so much more than it was. The swimming sports anime focuses on four friends working together (and separately) to compete in the upcoming meet. While the friendships between Haruka Nanase, Rin Matsuoka, Makoto Tachibana, and Nagisa Hazuki are endearing, many fans felt that the show missed several Boys Love opportunities.
The show hints at some BL moments, but it says away from actually pairing any of the characters together. This came as a shock to many fans who felt the romantic chemistry between the characters was obvious. Free! is a great show that depicts the stakes of friendly competition, but it still disappoints fans looking for LGBTQ+ representation.
5 Kiss Him, Not Me
Kiss Him, Not Me is a unique reverse harem anime in the sense that the heroine has no interest in any of her beaus. Instead, she would much rather watch and ship her favorite BL characters. Yet, most of her suitors do not take no for an answer and actively try to see who can win her heart by the end.
Although Kiss Him, Not Me is dated, it’s funny and has a lot of references to other anime. It even introduces another girl into the romantic interest mix. However, this is where the show misses an opportunity, as they could have showcased a Girls Love romance, further subverting the reverse harem genre. Unfortunately, the show has Kae Serinuma rejecting Shima Nashina’s advances, too, missing a not-often-seen opportunity in the anime.
4 Ouran High School Host Club
Ouran High School Host Club promises many uproarious hijinks from the core club members and an enduring love story that would last a lifetime. However, fans were met with two short seasons and a lackluster romance ending that left them hungry for more.
Although there are many outdated things about Ouran High School Host Club, it is still praised for its female protagonist, Haruhi Fujioka, and her no-nonsense approach to life. Her perspective gives the club (and audiences) a chance to see troubling situations from another point of view, making them appear more manageable. Not having the show continue deprived fans of even more of Haruhi’s wisdom. Plus, her romance with Tamaki Suoh deserved more than just an ending hug.
3 My Love Story!!
My Love Story!! is an endearing anime about two complete opposites who fall in love. Takeo Gouda and Rinko Yamato are so sweet together that they make audiences melt with their love. Although the show is a fun and adorable romp from beginning to end, the fact that there are not any more episodes wastes its premise.
Takeo and Yamato’s love has so much to offer the world. Though they have their normal teenage moments, the purity of their romance pulls audiences in. Having the show end just as Takeo and Yamato’s love is flowering wastes all their growth that viewers could have been privy to had the show continued.
2 My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!!
My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!! is a unique take on the isekai genre, as Katarina Claes discovers that she has become the villain of her favorite otome game. Determined not to be killed or exiled, Katarina beefs up her skills so that she can defend herself or survive in the wild. In the process, she ingratiates herself with all of her classmates, making them all (girls included) turn their affection toward her.
While My Next Life As A Villainess brilliantly plays up the “everyone loves Katarina” angle, the anime seems to miss the mark about where it wants the story to go next. So far, characters continue to be introduced, making the love dodecahedron even more complex. This tends to overshadow the core cast, making them feel underdeveloped. The show’s refusal to lean toward one romantic direction or the other and the continual addition of new characters make it feel bogged down, thereby wasting the fun premise.
1 Yona Of The Dawn
Yona of the Dawn is an excellent anime full of action and romance. Although it is technically a reverse harem story, the show never feels like it forces Yona into meeting these young men. Plus, they are all allowed to form deepening relationships with Yona, even if the relationships are only platonic on her side.
The intrigue and magic in Yona of the Dawn are fascinating, yet the creators wasted any potential the show had by canceling it after only 24 episodes and a few OVAs. Yona of the Dawn has so much more to offer the world in terms of adventure, but it sadly seems like it will never get the chance to continue. Thankfully, the manga by Mizuno Kusanagi is still ongoing.
#Shojo #Anime #Wasted #Great #Premises
