Japanese manga magazines usually have distinct demographic targets narrowed by age and sex. This is usually evident within the title, like Shōnen Magazine, Shōnen Jump, Shōnen Gangan, Shōnen Champion, Shōnen Sirius , and the list goes on. That said, many readers will walk across the aisle and read manga even if it isn't "for" them. There are plenty of men reading shōjo and women reading shōnen manga.

A survey carried out by the BookLive! service asked men who purchased shōjo manga between August 29 to September 1 what shōjo series they would recommend to other men. A total of 560 men responded.

The winner is Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru , a story about a high school girl named Chihaya who begins participating in the competitive world of Karuta, a card game based on Japanese poetry. Respondents said they thought the series' good mix of romance elements and club activities would be easily received by male readers and the manga has a solid story.

The full results are:

Chihayafuru by Yuki Suetsugu My Love Story!! by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko Kimi ni Todoke - From Me to You by Karuho Shiina Honey and Clover by Chika Umino Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida Patalliro! by Mineo Maya Natsume's Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa Nodame Cantabile by Tomoko Ninomiya Aozora Yell by Kazune Kawahara

The poll also looked at what might draw male readers to a shōjo series. 33.6% said they'd read a shōjo series if the main character is attractive while 23.6% said they like "youth manga." The poll then asked if there were any physical gestures in shōjo manga that the male readers would try out, like kabe-don. 18.9% said they would try "asunaro daki" (embracing from behind), 15.4% said they would try "kami kusha" (rumpling hair), 9.3% would try "ago kui" (lifting a girl's chin up), 7.6% would try "kata zun" (leaning his head toward her) and finally, 5.4% would give the aggressive kabe-don (wall block) a try.

Women previously gave a list of their favorite romantic gestures, with "asunaro daki" ranking in at #2.

Male readers previously weighed in on their favorte shōjo manga last year. Nodame Cantabile topped that list followed by Please Save My Earth and Boys Over Flowers.

Source: Mantan Web via Otakomu