What is this genre all about? Media targeting women roughly 18-40
We present you the list of Josei anime you should watch right now.
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Top 20 Josei anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 20. Ikoku Nikki
- 19. Higeki no Genkyou to Naru Saikyou Gedou Last Boss Joou wa Tami no Tame ni Tsukushimasu.
- 18. Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai sareru
- 17. Chihayafuru
- 16. Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi
- 15. Mignon
- 14. 30-sai made Doutei da to Mahou Tsukai ni Nareru Rashii
- 13. Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!
- 12. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...
- 11. Chihayafuru 2
- 10. Karneval (TV)
- 9. Servamp
- 8. Kids on the Slope
- 7. Hoshi Furu Oukoku no Nina
- 6. Honey and Clover
- 5. Kuragehime
- 4. Paradise Kiss
- 3. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... Season 2
- 2. Koroshi Ai
- 1. Hakuouki
20. Ikoku Nikki
Reclusive novelist Makio Koudai has always preferred the company of books—but when her sister and brother-in-law pass away, Makio unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her 15-year-old niece, Asa Takumi. As they navigate grief, clashing personalities, and the challenges of living together, the two slowly open their hearts to each other, discovering warmth, understanding, and the meaning of family.
Journal with Witch is currently airing and will have 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 違国日記, Different Country Diary, Foreign Country Diary
19. Higeki no Genkyou to Naru Saikyou Gedou Last Boss Joou wa Tami no Tame ni Tsukushimasu.
Pride Royal Ivy is only eight years old when she realizes that she’s been reincarnated, destined to become the future wicked queen and final boss of an otome game. She’s got it all in this new life: razor-sharp wit, boss-tier powers, and influence over the kingdom as crown princess. Determined to sow despair and destruction across the land, she… Wait, what kind of a rotten future is that?! Princess Pride decides to drop the maniacal villainess plan and protect the male love interests instead, cheating her way to saving everyone she can! Will this final boss end up earning the adoration of her kingdom?
The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 悲劇の元凶となる最強外道ラスボス女王は民の為に尽くします。, LasTame
18. Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai sareru
Marie, the second daughter of a poor baron’s household, is treated like a servant by her parents. Even at Marie’s birthday party, her beautiful elder sister, Anastasia, is the star. Outside, Marie bumps into Count Kyuros Granado, who falls for her at first sight. Yet, due to a misunderstanding, the Count proposes to Anastasia. After a tragic accident, Marie must marry the count instead!
Betrothed to My Sister's Ex has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ずたぼろ令嬢は姉の元婚約者に溺愛される, Loved by Her Sister's Former Fiancée
17. Chihayafuru
Chihaya Ayase, a strong-willed and tomboyish girl, grows up under the shadow of her older sister. With no dreams of her own, she is contented with her share in life till she meets Arata Wataya. The quiet transfer student in her elementary class introduces her to competitive karuta, a physically and mentally demanding card game inspired by the classic Japanese anthology of Hundred Poets. Captivated by Arata's passion for the game and inspired by the possibility of becoming the best in Japan, Chihaya quickly falls in love with the world of karuta. Along with the prodigy Arata and her haughty but hard-working friend Taichi Mashima, she joins the local Shiranami Society. The trio spends their idyllic childhood days playing together, until circumstances split them up.
Now in high school, Chihaya has grown into a karuta freak. She aims to establish the Municipal Mizusawa High Competitive Karuta Club, setting her sights on the national championship at Omi Jingu. Reunited with the now indifferent Taichi, Chihaya's dream of establishing a karuta team is only one step away from becoming true: she must bring together members with a passion for the game that matches her own.
Chihayafuru has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: ちはやふる, Chihayafull
16. Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi
Himuro-kun is a living descendant of the Snow Woman from Japanese folklore. But anytime he's around his eccentric yet kind colleague, Fuyutsuki-san, he totally freezes up! Despite the snowstorm of love that rages on in his heart, and her complete cluelessness, will he take a step forward or stay frozen in place?
The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 氷属性男子とクールな同僚女子, Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi
15. Mignon
Mignon is an original BL anime from South Korea. The animation follows a complex and exciting story of drama and desires. It revolves around a boxer named Mignon, and a vampire doctor Young-on Oh, who find solace in the presence of one another through an aggressive and romantic affair.
Mignon has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Mignon
14. 30-sai made Doutei da to Mahou Tsukai ni Nareru Rashii
Adachi's 30th birthday as a virgin came with the oddest gift—the ability to read the mind of anyone he touches. Pondering what to do with this mysterious power, he gets a lead when he accidentally reads his colleague Kurosawa's mind. Turns out the handsome hotshot of the sales team has got a thing for him! How will Adachi respond to overhearing these affectionate thoughts?
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい, 30-sai made Doutei da to Mahou Tsukai ni Nareru Rashii
13. Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!
"This is the punishment for a fat, ugly girl like me falling in love with someone as beautiful as you..." Yumeko had a mountain of complexes about herself. Then, a terrible accident befalls her. Though somehow saved from the brink of death, Yumeko wakes up a completely different person. "This is...me...?! I'm SO cute!!" Those around her can't hide their surprise and wonderment at this 180°change... But, Yumeko's new hyper-positive attitude starts to change her surroundings, too. Worries and complexes can affect anyone, and Yumeko will chop right through those of her various supporting characters!! In love, work, friendship... And an attempted murder case?! This frenzied romantic comedy will leave you bubbling with energy!
Plus-sized Misadventures in Love! is currently airing and will have 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: デブとラブと過ちと！, Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!
12. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...
After hitting her head particularly hard one day, Duke Claes' daughter suddenly recalls all the memories of her past life: that of a teenage Japanese girl. Just before her untimely death, this girl recalls playing an otome game... that is exactly like the world she's living in now!
She is now Katarina Claes, the antagonist of the otome game, who nastily hounded the protagonist until the end. Knowing all the possible outcomes of the game, she realizes that every single possible route ends with Katarina being murdered or exiled! In order to avoid these Catastrophic Bad Ends, she has to use her knowledge of the game and her own wiles, starting with breaking off this engagement with the prince...
Will Katarina survive while making her way through this world, where bad flags trip at every turn?
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった…, Hamefura
11. Chihayafuru 2
Chihaya Ayase is obsessed with developing her school's competitive karuta club, nursing daunting ambitions like winning the national team championship at the Omi Jingu and becoming the Queen, the best female karuta player in Japan—and in extension, the world. As their second year of high school rolls around, Chihaya and her fellow teammates must recruit new members, train their minds and bodies alike, and battle the formidable opponents that stand in their way to the championship title. Meanwhile, Chihaya's childhood friend, Arata Wataya, the prodigy who introduced her to karuta, rediscovers his lost love for the old card game.
Chihayafuru 2 has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: ちはやふる 2, Chihayafull 2
10. Karneval (TV)
While in search of his precious friend, a young boy named Nai falls captive to a beautiful woman, whose looks are matched only by her taste for human flesh. Meanwhile Gareki, a clever thief, is in the midst of robbing her luxurious home. After causing a distraction, Gareki agrees to help Nai escape, but they are discovered upon the woman's return. As she transforms into a ghoulish monster, the boys flee.
On the run, Nai and Gareki are found by "Circus," a government defense agency that deals with criminal activity too difficult for the police to handle and protects civilians from "varuga"—terrible monsters that devour humans for sustenance. In the hope that it will lead Nai to his missing friend, he and Gareki decide to join Circus. On their perilous journey, they face dangerous varuga and begin to uncover the secrets behind a shadowy organization known as Kafka.
Karneval has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: カーニヴァル, Karneval (2013)
9. Servamp
The story revolves around a high school student named Mahiru Shirota, who likes simple things and dislikes difficult things. One day, he picks up a stray black cat he finds in the middle of the road and gives him the name Kuro. From this moment on, a contract between the servant-vampire Kuro, called "Sleepy Ash," and Mahiru is formed, and Mahiru is pulled into a war between the seven deadly servamp and their eighth sibling Tsubaki.
SERVAMP has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: SERVAMP（サーヴァンプ）, Servamp
8. Kids on the Slope
Introverted classical pianist and top student Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year. That is, until he encounters the notorious delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi.
Sentarou's immeasurable love for jazz music inspires Kaoru to learn more about the genre, and as a result, he slowly starts to break out of his shell, making his very first friend. Kaoru begins playing the piano at after-school jazz sessions, located in the basement of fellow student Ritsuko Mukae's family-owned record shop. As he discovers the immense joy of using his musical talents to bring enjoyment to himself and others, Kaoru's summer might just crescendo into one that he will remember forever.Sakamichi no Apollon is a heartwarming story of friendship, music, and love that follows three unique individuals brought together by their mutual appreciation for jazz.
Kids on the Slope has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Sakamichi no Apollon, 坂道のアポロン, Sakamichi no Aporon, Apollo on the Slope
7. Hoshi Furu Oukoku no Nina
Nina had a rough start to life, stealing to survive—and eventually being sold into slavery by her own brother. But to her surprise, her captor, Prince Azure, ordained that she would live the life of a princess...specifically, that of the recently deceased princess-priestess, Alisha. But despite her changing fortune, Nina won't give up her old life without a fight...and Azure might just be the one to finally match her wits. But how much can she trust Azure? And can she stop the feelings budding in her heart, knowing she must eventually marry another...?
Nina the Starry Bride has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 星降る王国のニナ, Hoshi Furu Oukoku no Nina
6. Honey and Clover
Yuuta, Takumi, and Shinobu share a six-tatami room apartment with no bath. The rent is low and it's perfect for poor college students such as themselves. Shinobu is a mysterious, quirky person, who does things on a whim. Takumi is passionate both in work and love, and Yuuta is a simple person with simple dreams and desires. That is, until he meets Hagumi, a petite girl with enormous amount of talent. Hagumi is fondly called Hagu by Shuuji, who serves as Hagu's guardian. Hagu meets Ayumi, nicknamed Ayu, and they become close friends almost instantly. Meanwhile, Ayu falls for one of the boys...
The joys of falling in love, the pain of letting go, discovering one's self, and finding the courage to move on—these are some of the things that the characters in Hachimitsu to Clover experience as they take part in the play staged by fate.
Honey and Clover has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: Hachimitsu to Clover, ハチミツとクローバー, HachiKuro, Honey & Clover
5. Kuragehime
Tsukimi and her wallflower friends are hopeless nerds with bizarre hobbies. Their crippling social anxieties keep them from setting foot outside the all-girl apartment complex they inhabit, but a late night jellyfish rescue mission and the arrival of a “Stylish Girl” are about to turn their lives upside down!
Princess Jellyfish has finished airing and it has 11 Episodes. It is also Known as: 海月姫, Kurage-hime
4. Paradise Kiss
Third-year high school student Yukari Hayasaka has no time for frivolous things. She needs to study hard and attend cram school so she can do well on her university exams. She doesn't care which university she gets into; she just wants to leave the town she's grown bored of. Too bad her parents have other opinions on the subject.
One day, while Yukari is walking down the street, a guy with multiple piercings and bleached hair flags her down. Suspicious of the stranger, she tries to get away from him but fails and ultimately ends up meeting his friends: a group of third-year fashion design students at a prestigious art school. They want her to be their model for their final project, but Yukari thinks it will only get in the way of her studies. But the more she gets to know them, the more she grows to admire the way they go after their dreams. Will modeling for this eccentric group of would-be fashion designers give Yukari a much-needed push to strive for her own goals? And what about her attraction to the group's leader, George Koizumi? Can a relationship between them work? Watch Paradise Kiss to find out!
Paradise Kiss has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Paradise kiss, ParaKiss
3. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... Season 2
Second season of Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Season 2 has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった…Ｘ, Hamefura 2, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X, Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta… X
2. Koroshi Ai
The silent and stoic Chateau Dankworth is a bounty hunter. Her target: Son Ryang-ha, a notorious killer known for killing 18 high-class officials in a single night. To this day, his murders remain swift, efficient, and bloody. However, after Son Ryang-ha overpowers Chateau in their first encounter, he reveals his own intentions: he too is after her, aiming for her heart.
Son Ryang-ha's attempts to catch her eye are quite unique, to say the least. He offers gifts to her in the form of her current targets, tied up and battered, and will do anything to spend more time together. Reluctantly, Chateau goes along with this act, and so begins the cat-and-mouse game of love between two killers.
Love of Kill has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 殺し愛, Koroshi Ai
1. Hakuouki
In 1860's Edo, Japan, 16-year-old Chizuru Yukimura lives a simple life as the daughter of a doctor. When her father's work takes him away from home and into the capital of Kyoto, Chizuru is left alone with only the letters from her father as a means to stay in contact with him. After the letters stop coming though, Chizuru becomes gravely concerned. Disguising herself as a man for safety, she travels to Kyoto to find him, only to find herself being attacked by a group of samurai and a strange, almost inhuman man. Chizuru is saved by a mysterious member of a group known as the Shinsengumi, but because of what she witnessed, she's taken back to their base of operations to be interrogated and possibly silenced…forever.Hakuouki features the striking young men of the Shinsengumi and their secret clan of warriors, who decide to spare Chizuru upon finding out who her father is, revealing that they too are looking for him, but for different reasons. Now Chizuru must not only continue the search for her father among her new friends, but discover secrets bigger than she ever imagined, all the while forming bonds with the handsome young men that will forever change the course of their lives.
Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~ has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 薄桜鬼, Hakuoki,Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan, Hakuoki, Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan
