Shoujo/Josei shows that more about women than men

[Satomi87]

Every time I saw any female-oriented shows and I always see girls that are too obsessive about guys and the guys usually ignored them, harshly. Okay, not all shoujo and josei about that situation but I just annoyed when to see women were "abused" like that. Even more annoying that the target audience, women themselves laughed at those unlucky girls. Like it or not women can be sexists as their male counterpart.

I'm not a feminist or lesbian but I just want to see shoujo or josei shows that actually more about women themselves than on men. No yuri shows either because I just want to see how other women interact each other with no romance and sex involved. Taishou Yakyuu Musume is a good example even thought its technically seinen. No wonder why I'm more interested at shoujo shows for preeten girls better than those aimed towards older ones.

[jedinat]

Check out Haibane Renmei and Aria the Animation/Natural/Origination

[MrMagpie]

You might enjoy Ooku: The Inner Chamber. It deals with an alternate reality of medieval Japan where, thanks to an epidemic that only attacked males, most of them have been wiped out. Women have come to occupy all of the societal roles traditionally held by men, including the position of Shogun. Although the main character in the first volume is a man who enters the Shogun's harem, the commentary on gender roles and society might be of interest to you, and by the second volume the story's focus shifts to Yoshimune, a woman of the Shogunate in line to become Shogun herself.

I'd also like to second Haibane Renmei, which is a wonderful series.

[SeijiSensei]

I avoid the demographic categories as they usually just get in the way of deciding what's worth watching. Here are some options that are officially shoujo or josei, and a few that are seinen:

These two shows definitely fit your request

Hataraki Man - 28-yo female editor working for a Japanese magazine publisher; workplace sexism is a central topic

Saiunkoku Monogatari - young woman aspires to become the first female Imperial official in her country; with a couple of exceptions, the men are largely decorative

Seinen/josei/shoujo/shounen - who cares?

Kemono no Sou-ja Erin - technically a kids show that follows the heroine from 8 to 18, but she's strong-willed like her mother and not very interested in men

Nijuu Mensou no Musume - technically seinen, but the focus is on the "musume" and her two female companions who eventually become the "detective girls"

Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo - great characters burdened with a silly plot; Ryoko heads the "supernatural bureau" of the Tokyo Police; too bad Ryoko's female rival isn't better developed

Rocket Girls - teen-aged female astronauts rescue a struggling Japanese commercial space venture; the Japanese Space Agency collaborated on this series to encourage girls to consider space as a career

Nodame Cantabile - Nodame is a bit ditzy and very enamored with her senpai Chiaki, but she's also a world-class pianist

Seirei no Moribito - Balsa is a spear-wielding female bodyguard approaching thirty. Given her upbringing and career she's rather "manly" at first glance. She becomes the protector of a 12-yo prince for whom she develops maternal feelings. Balsa has a suitor, but it's not a high priority.

Toshokan Sensou - a young woman joins a force of armed librarians charged with protecting the right to read; there's a male romantic interest, but a lot of good interactions between the heroine and her female roommate as well

[AnimeFangirl]

Azumanga Daioh is neither shoujo nor josei but it does fit the bill. I'm sure you must have seen it by now, though.
Also try Noir.

[deathreape98]

Kimi ni Todoke - While it does focus a good bit on the main female character's relationship with the male lead, her coming out of her shell and making friends (primarily girls) is a large part of the show.

[Satomi87]

From your recs:

May watch:

1. Harataki Man
2. Nijuu Mensou no Musume
3. Haibane Renmei
4. All Aria series

Need reconsideration:

1. Saiunkoku Monogatari. Too fabulous for my taste and saying it as "Ouran with ancient Chinese setting" is an insult. However at least the lead girl is much better than that living zombie Haruhi(Ouran).

2. Nijuu Mensou no Musume. Not really what I'm looking for but it does fit most of my criteria.

3. Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo . I think already have enough info about it.

4. Rocket Girls. Too bad this one is largely unknown outside Japan.

5. Those I didn't mention.

It is weird for a young woman like to enjoy more seinen moeblob shows more than shoujo ones. Yes, even moeblob Lucky Star and K-On are better shows than most shoujo out there because those girls are not crazy for guys. Unlike most girls who rather sit and wait for their charming princes come to them, those girls are more interested doing better stuffs like music for an example.

I just wonder why some seinen shows portray teenage girls better than shoujo ones.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Satomi87

Saiunkoku Monogatari. Too fabulous for my taste and saying it as "Ouran with ancient Chinese setting" is an insult. However at least the lead girl is much better than that living zombie Haruhi(Ouran).

I would never have called it "Ouran with ancient Chinese setting." My comment about the men being "decorative" had more to do with the fact that the focus remains fixed on Shurrei and her quest to help the citizens of Saiunkoku by becoming a bureaucratic official. Despite the trappings of a reverse harem with a main female surrounded by lots of bishie guys, Shurrei would rank romance near the bottom of her concerns.

It's one of my favorite shows (see my signature); I'm sad if what I said came across as an "insult" to it.

Rocket Girls. Too bad this one is largely unknown outside Japan.

Remarkably it's been licensed in R1. I can't imagine that it has sold very well though, since, as you say, it's pretty obscure over here.

It is weird for a young woman like to enjoy more seinen moeblob shows more than shoujo ones.

I forgot to include Hidamari Sketch and its sequel, x365, in my list. I'm guessing you've seen it already, but if not, you should add that to your list. The first season is licensed, but you could watch x365 without having seen the original. Each episode focuses on a single day in the life of the four girls, and the story is not presented in chronological order.

I have no deep insights into why this genre appears in seinen publications. Perhaps it's because it allows the men to fantasize about the girls without having any male competitors in the story itself. In Sketch, for instance, each of the girls is pretty much an archetype. Yuno is the cute, lovable, innocent one; Miyuki is a tomboy; Sae is a meganekko bookworm; and Hiro is a housewife in the making. Offering up a set of archetypes helps guarantee that a male reader will find at least one girl that appeals to his particular tastes. Sketch also has a mild shoujo-ai, or at least "Class S" relationship, between two members of the quartet, which as the Wikipedia article on yuri observes, has become more common in seinen material.

By the way, even though it's outside your request, I think you should take a look at Dennou Coil if you haven't ever seen it. Call it intuition, but I think you might like that show as well, even though the protagonists are about eleven.

[Izayoi]

Originally Posted by Satomi87

It is weird for a young woman like to enjoy more seinen moeblob shows more than shoujo ones.

Dammit I am weird and I don't even read shoujo~Your fellow of the same gender

I shall first second Aria....

Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! - Slice of life
Minami-ke - Comedy Slice of life

Meh I don't know, it is not really shoujo.