Shoujo Sect

Shoujo Sect is set mainly at Kagome Girls’ School, an all-girls institution with both junior and senior high divisions.

The story focuses on intense romantic bonds between girls, mixing school drama, emotional tension, and playful character comedy.

Although the manga was serialized in an adult-oriented magazine, its collected volumes were not designated as adult comics.

The series is especially known for its delicate linework, sharp dialogue, and a cast full of eccentric students with tangled affections.

The manga was written and illustrated by Aya Kurogane.

It ran bimonthly in Comic Megastore from the August 2003 issue to the August 2005 issue.

The series was collected by Core Magazine into two volumes under the Megastore Comics label.

A side story titled Day After Shoujo Sect appeared in the November 2005 issue.

The second volume also included newly drawn bonus material, such as character notes, four-panel comics, a later epilogue, and the story of how Momoko Naitou and Shinobu Handa first met.

Momoko Naitou is a bright, responsible member of the school’s disciplinary committee.

She is kind, quick-witted, and surprisingly open-minded about relationships between girls, often helping couples come together from behind the scenes.

Her calm school life begins to shift when she becomes increasingly aware of Shinobu Handa, a charismatic and notorious playgirl.

Shinobu lives with a group of devoted admirers and seems to flirt with almost every beautiful girl she meets.

Momoko is frustrated by Shinobu’s carefree behavior, yet she cannot ignore the moments when Shinobu’s words reveal surprising insight.

One day, Momoko visits Shinobu’s residence to deliver school papers and unexpectedly receives a confession from her.

Confused by her own feelings, Momoko runs away, only to find herself drawn deeper into a complicated emotional web involving Shinobu and her teacher, Kyoko Hayato.

As Momoko loses one emotional anchor after another, her feelings for Shinobu grow stronger.

The story follows her slow realization that what she feels is not simple curiosity, but something far more serious.

Most of Shoujo Sect takes place in the senior high division of Kagome Girls’ School.

The junior high division appears mainly during school festival scenes.

The school uniforms differ sharply between divisions.

Senior high students wear white blouses and checked skirts, while junior high students wear black one-piece uniforms.

The story also uses clothing as a subtle social signal.

Shinobu, Kirin, and Maya often wear distinctive outfits rather than standard uniforms, suggesting their special place within Shinobu’s circle.

The student dormitory, Sakuragi Dorm, is described as being located in the suburbs of Yokohama.

This places the broader setting in or near Kanagawa Prefecture.

Momoko Naitou

Momoko Naitou is a senior high second-year student and a member of the disciplinary committee.

She comes from a single-mother household, but her mother runs a company, so she is financially comfortable.

Momoko is serious, sociable, intelligent, and quick to act when angered.

She has no prejudice toward romance between girls, which makes her quietly popular across the school.

Her trademark hairstyle is a chignon.

Despite her refined appearance, she is a heavy eater and very particular about taste.

She is good at cooking and playing the bass guitar.

After becoming an adult, she drives a Honda Integra.

Her height is 164 centimeters.

Shinobu Handa

Shinobu Handa is Momoko’s classmate and one of the most magnetic figures at school.

She has a “take anyone who comes” attitude and is surrounded by girls who adore her.

Shinobu lives in a house originally meant as a dormitory for scholarship students born out of wedlock.

There, she forms something like a private harem with her admirers.

She was once apparently a model student, but a past incident involving Kirin changed her behavior.

Behind her arrogant and relaxed surface, Shinobu is sensitive and careful.

She watches the world closely and protects herself through confidence, wit, and distance.

She has a complex about having a small chest, which becomes a recurring comic detail.

Her height is 169 centimeters.

Kirin Suwabe

Kirin Suwabe is Shinobu’s classmate, attendant, lover, and closest confidante.

She is brilliant academically and serves as one of Shinobu’s most trusted companions.

Kirin has dark skin and wears a bindi as a personal fashion choice, which makes her look Indian, though she is Japanese.

After the major incident involving Shinobu and Momoko, she cuts her hair.

Her height is 167 centimeters.

Maya Enjoji

Maya Enjoji is another of Shinobu’s classmates and close companions.

She becomes Shinobu’s servant after Shinobu blackmails her over a stolen kiss.

Nicknamed Maya, she continues to have a long-lasting relationship with Shinobu.

Her height is 162 centimeters.

Matsuri Yoshioka

Matsuri Yoshioka is Kirin’s junior and dormmate.

She is earnest, devoted, and has the air of a loyal young wife.

Matsuri is deeply attached to Kirin and often causes little problems simply to get her attention.

After crossing a major emotional line with Kirin, she becomes part of Shinobu’s wider group.

Her height is 150 centimeters.

Kyoko Hayato

Kyoko Hayato is Momoko’s homeroom teacher and later becomes her lover.

She teaches mathematics and has a childish, needy personality that contrasts with Momoko’s maturity.

Kyoko’s past shaped her attraction to women.

She eventually leaves Momoko due to illness and hospitalization.

She drives a Mazda RX-8.

Her height is 174 centimeters, and she is 27 years old at the beginning of the story.

Sayuri Ogami

Sayuri Ogami is Shinobu’s senior and one of the story’s most unsettling figures.

She wants Shinobu for herself and uses manipulative tactics to try to claim her.

Even Shinobu, who rarely rejects attractive admirers, finds Sayuri difficult to deal with.

Though she appears only briefly, Sayuri plays a major role in the story’s dramatic development.

Her final major scene is one of the manga’s most shocking moments.

Her height is 170 centimeters.

Benio Takashiro

Benio Takashiro is Momoko’s senior and dormmate.

She wears glasses, has long hair, and carries around a large stuffed sleeping lion nearly a meter long.

Her height is 148 centimeters.

Ayame Isurugi

Ayame Isurugi is Benio’s childhood friend, two years younger than her.

She is independent, quiet, and not especially sociable.

Her height is 158 centimeters.

Chizuru Komai

Chizuru Komai is Momoko’s classmate and friend.

She wears a ponytail and once visits Momoko’s dorm for romantic advice.

She belongs to the stage research club, where she focuses on watching performances and hopes to become a scriptwriter.

Her height is 157 centimeters.

Shigure Komai

Shigure Komai is Chizuru’s older sister.

She has loved Chizuru since childhood and stages a small performance to test her sister’s feelings.

Her height is 164 centimeters.

Tomoi Yuhazu

Tomoi Yuhazu is a transfer student in Momoko’s class.

She originally wants to join the clothing club, but is invited by Suu Sumi to join the animal-raising club instead.

After joining, she begins wearing a collar.

Her height is 143 centimeters.

Suu Sumi

Suu Sumi is the head of the animal-raising club.

She likes pretty faces and treats many younger students as her “pets.”

She is the one who invites Tomoi into the club.

Her height is 168 centimeters.

Setsuka Inubosaki

Setsuka Inubosaki is Momoko’s senior and dormmate.

She has extraordinary strength and can throw a stepladder with one hand.

She repeatedly confesses to Asafuki Nio, but is turned down each time.

Her height is 152 centimeters.

Asafuki Nio

Asafuki Nio is a dormmate of Momoko and a classmate of Setsuka.

She likes Momoko but cannot bring herself to confess.

She pays little attention to self-polishing, and Setsuka complains that her nails are dirty.

Her height is 170 centimeters.

Utano Yoshikiri

Utano Yoshikiri is one of Momoko’s classmates.

She does not speak and communicates entirely through gestures.

Some scenes imply that she may not be entirely human.

Her height is 156 centimeters.

Chikae Kai

Chikae Kai is Utano’s roommate and classmate.

She wears glasses and ribbons in her hair.

Chikae acts only for Utano’s sake and often serves as her interpreter.

Her height is 169 centimeters.

Hatoko Tsukudajima

Hatoko Tsukudajima is Momoko’s junior and a member of the light music club, where she plays drums.

She is friendly, affectionate, and approachable, even kissing Momoko on the forehead despite barely knowing her.

She was previously in the wind ensemble club and still has many fans among her former juniors.

Her height is 158 centimeters.

Aki Kasagi and Nori Kasagi

Aki and Nori Kasagi are identical twins and juniors of Hatoko.

They look so alike, and style their hair so similarly, that it is almost impossible to tell them apart.

They move into the dormitory to live away from their parents.

Both are 151 centimeters tall.

Kaori Yuze

Kaori Yuze is a classmate at the school Momoko transfers to.

She hides her attractive figure behind a plain look, wearing braids and glasses.

Her favorite food is grilled chicken skewers.

Sonoko Mochida

Sonoko Mochida is Kaori’s childhood friend and attends the same school.

She loves Kaori but struggles to say so.

Her braided hairstyle takes thirty minutes to prepare every morning.

Shinobu’s Workplace Colleagues

In later material, Shinobu works at a cosmetics company in Planning Section Four.

Her boss is Kobayashi, a relaxed section chief who is gentle with Shinobu and often plays the “carrot” role.

Fujioka is the assistant section chief and takes the stricter “stick” role.

She has a tough athletic personality and enough grip strength to crush walnut shells.

Other coworkers include Sasaki, Miyauchi, Hayami, and Okazaki.

Their workplace scenes show a different side of the story, moving the characters beyond their school years.

The original manga was released in two volumes by Core Magazine under the Megastore Comics imprint.

The first volume was released on August 19, 2005.

The second volume was released on April 19, 2006.

A budget omnibus edition, commonly similar to a convenience-store comic edition, was released on November 14, 2015.

This edition collected the magazine versions of the first and second volumes together.

It did not include the extra pages or newly drawn comics from the original collected volumes.

However, it added a new afterstory about Maya titled Extra Chapter III, set around the same time as Extra Chapter II.

The OVA adaptation was released in 2008 under the title Shoujo Sect: Innocent Lovers.

It consisted of three episodes released by GP Museum Soft.

The anime follows the main events of the manga but reorganizes them to make the story easier to follow for viewers unfamiliar with the original.

Sayuri appears earlier in the OVA than she does in the manga.

The adaptation also adds original scenes, including a clearer parting scene between Momoko and Kyoko.

The OVA was directed by Ryusei Heki.

Character design and chief animation direction were handled by Seigetsu.

Kotaro Murakami served as producer.

Animation production was handled by Amarcord.

The work was produced and released by the Shoujo Sect Production Committee.

Momoko Naitou was voiced by Kaname Yuzuki.

Shinobu Handa was voiced by Minami Hokuto.

Kirin Suwabe was voiced by Ai Miyashita.

Maya Enjoji was voiced by Fukei Hanataba.

Matsuri Yoshioka was voiced by Ataru Nishihara.

Kyoko Hayato was voiced by Asuka Hojo.

Sayuri Ogami was voiced by Elena Kaibara.

Chizuru Komai was voiced by Kaede Yamazaki.

Shigure Komai was voiced by Risa Matsuda.

Hatoko Tsukudajima was voiced by Yuri Michikusa.

Aki Kasagi and Nori Kasagi were voiced by Ichigo Hinata.

Akane Shinomiya was voiced by Soyogi Tono.

Isuzu’s Counter is a short spin-off series set several years after the main Shoujo Sect story.

It follows Isuzu Nyukawa, a single woman in her twenties who desperately wants to meet cute girls but has neither the luck nor the courage.

Each chapter has Isuzu receiving “promising” information from the master of her favorite bar.

These tips include rumors about a women-only limousine and a rule-breaking nun who supposedly preys on young maidens.

Unfortunately for Isuzu, the encounters never quite work out.

The spin-off ran for three chapters in Comic Hot Milk in 2007.

The first two chapters were later reprinted in Mebae Vol. 2 in 2014.

The third was reprinted in Hirari Vol. 14 and later collected in the first volume of Iita-san Payload.

Isuzu Nyukawa

Isuzu Nyukawa is the title character of Isuzu’s Counter.

Despite wanting to flirt with cute girls, she lacks opportunity, partners, and courage.

She mostly functions as a comic observer who never fully connects with either Aoi or the original Shoujo Sect cast.

Aoi Kamo

Aoi Kamo is the other central figure of the spin-off.

She runs a small company and owns a black credit card.

Normally she is not especially interested in women, but when she drinks, her memory cuts out and she ends up behaving scandalously with girls.

The Bar Master

The bar master is the owner of Isuzu’s regular drinking spot.

He speaks normally with most customers but uses slightly feminine speech when talking with Isuzu.

Feeling sorry for her lack of romantic luck, he offers tips and even organizes a women-only anything-goes day to help her out.

The spin-off includes appearances by several characters from Shoujo Sect.

The first chapter features Hatoko, Aki, and Nori.

The second chapter includes Kirin, Matsuri, Ayame, Shigure, Chizuru, and Tomoi.

The third chapter features Asafuki and Setsuka.

These appearances show the cast several years after the main story and connect the spin-off to the later timeline of the series.