Shojo

Shōjo (少女 lit. young woman), often spelled shoujo is, in western usage, a style of anime and manga intended for girls and may have some crossover appeal to boys as well.

Typically, "pure shōjo" manga revolves around love stories and strong female protagonists; however, some shōjo anime and manga are more plot/action oriented to attract a wider audience. For instance, a lot of older salarymen were drawn to a manga called Banana Fish for its hard-edged yakuza action (which is more often found in seinen manga). What kept female audiences interested in this work was a gentle relationship between two gay bishōnen lovers amongst all the violence.

Shōjo anime and manga often contain elements of shōnen-ai or even yaoi (sexual relationship between male characters) not to mention shōjo-ai and, recently, yuri (sexual relationship between female characters). The aesthetic of the bishōnen is very prominent. Another very popular genre is Magical Girl, of which the famous series Sailor Moon is a prime example.

Shōjo should be distinguished from bishōjo (pretty young girls); the latter term refers, somewhat confusingly, to content rather than target market. Shōjo is manga/anime for girls; bishōjo is manga/anime that has pretty girls, usually targeted towards a male audience.

Many shōjo titles are often described as dark and moody, which is sometimes counterintuitive from a Western viewpoint.

See also shōnen, anime and manga intended for boys; josei, anime and manga intended for adult women; and seinen, anime and manga intended for adult men.

List of shōjo anime and manga

• Aishiteruze Baby
• Alice 19th
• Angel Sanctuary
• Aquadom
• Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango)
• Cardcaptor Sakura
• Ceres, Celestial Legend (Ayashi no Ceres)
• CLAMP School Detectives
• Clover
• Citrus Eyes
• D.N.Angel
• Fancy Lala
• Fruits Basket
• Full Moon wo Sagashite
• Fushigi Yūgi
• Gravitation
• Hana-Kimi (Hanazakari no Kimi-tachi e)
• Kodocha (Kodomo no Omocha)
• Love Witch
• Magic Knight Rayearth
• Magical Angel Creamy Mami
• Magical Pokémon Journey
• Majokko Megu-Chan
• Maria-sama ga Miteru
• Marmalade Boy
• Mars
• Please Save My Earth
• Prétear
• Pretty Sammy
• Princess Tutu
• Red River
• Ribbon no Kishi
• Revolutionary Girl Utena
• RG Veda
• Sailor Moon
• Suki (Suki Dakara Suki)
• The Rose of Versailles
• The Vision of Escaflowne
• Time Stranger Kyoko
• Tokyo Babylon
• Tokyo Mew Mew
• Ue Wo Muite Aruko
• W Juliet
• Weiß Kreuz
• Wish
• X/1999
• XXXHolic
• Yami no Matsuei
• Yuuwaku Healing

Shojo are also sea demons from Filipino myths.