1. Kyoko Mogami (Skip Beat!)- Oh my gosh, this girl rocks every sock in my drawer. She starts off really idealistic about love. She does everything she can for her boyfriend- working, cleaning, and sacrificing the things she wants. Then she gets ditched. But Kyoko doesn't just sulk around, she goes after revenge. Her boyfriend is in showbiz, and she decides to beat him at it. So she goes into acting. It's really hilarious at first, because Kyoko is so obsessed with her grudge. But she starts to find herself through acting. She gets a lot stronger and more confident over time, and she retains her giving nature. I also think it's hilarious that she's obsessed with fairy tales, and how she has all these ideals about friendship and stuff. Kyoko's really easy to relate to. I also love how she's able to grow as a character while staying true to her nature.
2. Risa Koizumi (Love Com)- One of my favorite things about Risa is she's not a perfect, sparkly shojo heroine. She's loud and can be a little course, but not in that annoying "defender of justice" way in so many shojo. She's just an average girl. She love Umi Bouzu, her favorite band, and neo-romance video-games. She can be childish and embarrassing at times (Risa makes the ugliest faces I have ever seen a shojo heroine make). And she often overreacts. But Risa is also strong-willed without being unrealistic. She goes after what she wants and doesn't give up. And she's not afraid to say exactly what she thinks, either. I think those are wonderful qualities.
Karen Kasumi (X/1999)- Karen is a very mature character. She devalues herself because of things that happened in the past and her work as prostitute, but she's very loyal to her friends. She's able to see others' true natures, like when she recognized that Nataku was really just a child. She's also in love with Mr. Aoki, but she keeps it to herself because he's married. I think she's pretty complex.
4. Sawako Kuronuma (Kimi Ni Todoke)- This manga isn't published in English, but I can read just enough Japanese to know what's going on. Sawako has long, dark hair, and is really quiet. Her classmates think that she is cursed, and think that her name is "Sadako." However, Sawako is a really sweet, gentle person. She wants to make friends, but she doesn't want to bother anyone. Eventually, she makes some friends, and, with encouragement, starts to say what she thinks. I love her kind nature, and the courage she must have to speak when she's so shy. Also, she's very accepting of others. Her first two friends are yanki girls, who most would be afraid of, but Sawako doesn't seem to think anything of it.
5. Ren Tsuruga (Skip Beat!)- Rin is an enormously popular actor. He's very cool and professional, but he has a secret mean streak toward Kyoko. He keeps it hidden, but he has this "gentlemanly smile" and angry aura sometimes. He also has conflicting feelings about Kyoko, and he starts to get to know himself as the manga progresses. It's hilarious that he's so mature and professional, yet knows nothing about love. He has a mysterious past, and that's interesting. It's affected his personality a lot... I love that he has a lot of elements, instead of just being a flat, stereotypical character.
So there you go. Characters are really important to me, no matter the work. If I don't care about the characters, I usually don't care about the story or romance.