The inevitable Christmas episode (The Best Shoujo Manga/Anime holiday episodes)

Hello all and happy 8th day of Weebsmas! Can you believe we’ve only got four days to go? CRAZY! Catch up on all the previous days with the links at the bottom of this post, but for now let’s get into today’s topic—the inevitable Christmas episode.

Now, most anime, slice of life, shoujo, shounen, etc. —they all have some kind of Christmas episode. But there’s a particular kind of shoujo episode I absolutely love to watch for entertainment purposes (meaning laugh at). And that my friends, is the romantic christmas episode. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love shoujo. I’m not making fun of christmas confessions or love stories, I just find the formula for Christmas episodes very…similar. And every shoujo and slice of life has one.

The formula for a shoujoriffic episode is easy. Couple exchanges gifts. Couple sees tree lighting. There’s a love confession in a romantic place (usually in front of a christmas tree or in the snow). It’s cute and fluffy and makes us want to die a little inside. But some make me want to die more than others, and some are more entertaining than others. So here are my top 5 favorite manga AND anime Christmas episodes and why they fill me with absolute cheer.

5) Cardcaptor Sakura

Undeniably an already cute show, Cardcaptor Sakura really nailed it’s holiday episodes (aka Valentine’s and Christmas). The Christmas episode was absolutely adorable, and featured a very cute Sakura trying to figure out what to get Yukito for his birthday (which is on Christmas), and of course the capturing of a clow card. All and all, super cute, and a great finale for the first season.

4) My Love Story

The episode from My Love Story features (go figure) a love confession at the scene of a Christmas tree. However there are two twists to this scenario, first off, this confession comes from a very minor side character who gets a hefty plot of wanting to confess to a girl on Christmas. Our main character Takeo (bless this man) helps his friend out while also enjoying Christmas in his own adorable relationship. When his friend confesses to the girl in the end, he does it by CLIMBING a christmas tree to retrieve a star. So…fits the common formula but with a quite unexpected and manly twist. A++

3) Ancient Magus Bride

First off, Ancient Magus Bride is very pretty to look at, and it’s winter episode is no different. What makes this a refreshing and great episode to watch is the fact Chise and Alice go walking around town looking for presents for Elias and Mikhail. Of course there is some “drama” and action that happens this episode but it ends with Elias and Chise exchanging gits and that’s honestly just some beautiful fluff right there.

2) Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

Switching gears to manga for the last two, Tonari no Kaibutu-Kun (My Little Monster)’s chapter 41 is aptly titled “Christmas”. What I super enjoyed about this one is that it actually had very little romance in it. Much of the chapter was actually spent gathering the ensemble cast together to “enjoy” Christmas together, and it was really fun to see them all interact together. Of course there was a little drama as Haru and Yamaken have a moment where Yamaken threatens to take Shizuku away. Of course that’s all overshadowed by the most straightforward and honest “I like you Haru” from Shizuku. It’s like the perfect scene because even though it isn’t all glitz and drama and romance like most shoujo, it’s just brilliant and totally fitting of these characters whose affection for one another literally bleed from the pages.

1) Usotsuki Lily

I need to start this by saying I am in love with Usotsuki Lily. It is a brilliant, funny, cute, and heartfelt manga. It has various christmas chapters over the course of it’s story, and each are adorable in their own way. Hinata and En are the typical idiotic and cliche shoujo couple, and the christmas chapters hit all of the tropes, and I love it. By far my favorite Christmas chapter is, of course, a present exchanging chapter. This is the second christmas where they’ve exchanged gifts, and last time Hinata gave En a men’s scarf, which is fine but he’s always crossdressing. This second time they exchange gifts, she gives him a pair of beautiful snowflake earrings in a gesture that makes both him, and ME tear up. It shows just how much Hinata’s mindset about him crossdressing has come, and how she loves him so much and it’s just too. stinking. cute. Hinata and En will always take my number one.

So there you have it! Those are my favorite shoujo episodes/chapters that revolve around Christmas! All of them are super great and I highly encourage you to check them out. Of course there’s a world of anime Christmas episodes out there that are just as good, and I’d love to hear yours in the comments below!

Until next time!

xxx

Luna

Catch up on Weebsmas!