You know what I've come to realize while attempting to create the beginnings of a shoujo-style story? Literally everything in shoujo has been done to death, to the point where everything is cliché.

MC can cook, and/or cooks regularly for her love interest?

Cliché.

MC can't cook but instead her love interest can?

Cliché.

MC falls for love interest at first sight?

Cliché.

MC doesn't fall at first sight but instead gradually develops feelings for the other party?

Cliché.

MC doesn't realize how much she cares for the love interest until he does something drastic (i.e. kiss her)?

Cliché.

MC is a violent character who has no qualms about throwing her boyfriend to the ground and/or protects said boyfriend?

Cliché. 

MC is a total wimp and/or is constantly protected by her boyfriend?

Cliché.

...what I'm getting at is, that no matter which extreme you go to, there are hundreds of works that have done it before you. And it's hard to even meet in the middle, because you've been beaten to the punch there as well. The good thing is that it's shoujo and we expect this going into it, so while most everything is something we've seen before, we still find it endearing. Usually. Sometimes I stop reading because I can basically see the entirety of the plot going off the first chapter, but most of the time I like the characters enough that I keep reading.

Anyway, my point: I'm going to try writing a shoujo-style story again (like Ai no Toshi, but hopefully longer-lived[?]) and I've decided I don't care if I'm cliché, because that's honestly part of the shoujo charm. I'll just try to make my characters lovable and the plot at least somewhat realistic (though going off the standards set by the more popular manga, realism isn't that much of an issue...).

Hope anyone who reads it has the same views as me, I guess.

(Crappy cover should be in the media section, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Also, if I publish it soon, I'll get one of the better cover creators to help out with it, so it won't always be that... ugly)