#withoutfurtheraplomb

Well, I don’t know what you’ve seen or what types you like! But I’ll do my best.

For magical girl, I definitely suggest Princess Tutu for a shorter series (26 episodes) and Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura for a longer series. The Precure currently airing (Happiness Charge!) is pretty good, and I’d also suggest Fresh Precure and Heartcatch. Those are usually around 49 eps. 

Revolutionary Girl Utena (the anime) is the best for symbolic wacky shoujo that deconstructs common tropes, picks apart misogyny and has queer themes ans swordfights. Rose of Versailles is a classic shoujo anime and manga from the 70s about a crossdressing bodyguard lady workin’ for Marie Antoinette. Liveblog here. (Since I don’t have a review, I’ll warn there’s a (not terribly graphic) attempted sexual assault which is very disturbing because the heroine ends up marrying the dude who does it).

Kaleido Star is a shoujo anime about a girl pursuing her dream to be an acrobat in California! Very fun. Liveblog here. Basara is a shoujo manga about a girl who is passed over as being the prophecied “chosen one” due to her gender and her twin brother is chosen instead, but then he totally gets killed and she has to be the chosen one anyway. And also gets in a romance with the dude she’s trying to kill without knowing his identity, as you do. 

Chihayafuru i think is technically josei and not shoujo, but it’s a very nice tale of a girl trying to conquer the world of karuta (and unwittingly not realizing both her childhood guy friends are super into her). Liveblog here. Inari KonKon Koi Iroha is also I guess not technically shoujo, the manga ran in a seinen mag, but it had a pretty shoujo feel. Very cute and positive story about a girl who befriends a goddess and gets transformation powers. Available on funimations website, only 10 episodes, also there’s a manga. Review here.