Shojo is a manga that has a young teenage girl target demographic; young girls who are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, typically aged 12 to 13. Cavallaro describes shōjo as “nestled between adulthood and childhood” (2006).The term literally defines a ‘young woman’. According to Oxford Lexico (2020), Shojo is “A genre of Japanese comics and animated films aimed primarily at a young female audience, typically characterized by a focus on personal and romantic relationships”. Shojo manga doesn’t adhere to a fixed genre however, it utilises a number of narrative styles inclusive of sci-fi, action, horror etc with the prime focus being on the romantic relationships present within them, under a magic filled dreamy setting. Additionally, another way to look at shojo anime or manga is by understanding that while the demographic is appealing to young girls, the viewers are not necessarily just females as it can appeal to male audiences. In hindsight, shoujo anime explores multiple ideas of innocence, coming of age, femininity and masculinity as well as many other ideologies. According to Susan Napier ‘shoujo characters could embody the potential for unfettered change.”
Shojo anime usually has female leads, and a romantic plotline that amplifies the protagonists inner growth.The imagery used within shojo incorporates not only conventional female images but also aspects of purity, innocence, vulnerability, virginity, and romantic nostalgia- usually “contrasting it with themes of vulgarity and sexuality”. (Berndt, 2019). Furthermore, shojo within anime allows young girls to maneuver through the many struggles they may encounter within the pre-teen ages. Aspects such as finding oneself, adapting to the new changes in their bodies, building strong personal and interpersonal relationships, under a romantic light, these issues have been prevalent within shojo anime, and have provided encouragement to young girls. (Mesuda, 2015).
The creation of shojo started to progress during the pre-war era in which men who were influenced by a male dominated government began to write articles. The Meiji Restoration period, following 1898 called for the westernisation of Japan as the country forced gender segregation through dictating and implementing strict dress codes which allowed Japanese Men to wear westernised clothing whereby Women were restricted to the traditional Japanese Meiji civil code. without room for discussion. The code enforced Women to carry out orthodox roles such as living life as an obedient wife and exceptional mother, limiting their freedoms, and giving absolutely no right to career choices amongst society. It is interesting to note that, although heterosexuality was something that was a norm in Japan during the time, so was intimate relationships between girls in an all girls school. Sasaki (2013) makes readers aware of this by stating how female same sex relationships were“an accepted means of delaying heterosexual experience until girls were old enough for marriage.” ( Sasaki, 2013). Shojo anime uses same sex relationships between girls in their works, in order to break free from an anti-heteronormative view. Examples of this are shown in the series Sasameki Koto and Maria-sama ga Miteru. As Napier (2005) states, shojo “encapsulates both the increasing fluidity of gender identity in contemporary popular culture and the tensions between the sexes that characterize a world in which women’s roles are drastically transforming.”
Additionally, shojo anime favors romance to fighting which is a bit of a juxtaposition; romance isn’t something often associated with girls of such a young age, and comparing romance to fighting or placing them under the same light doesn’t really seem fair. Moreover, shojo anime strongly encouraged young girls’ physical appearance, by using characters that are exceedingly cute and beautiful. Cute young female characters within shojo anime is really what made it so popular. “Nozomi Masuda writes in her chapter: “The Japanese word and concept of kawaii (‘cute’) has become popular in East Asia and Europe as a result of manga and anime and related merchandise. Japan may be a unique country in that kawaii is everywhere in Japan and is loved by people of all ages and genders. The kawaii culture developed alongside shojo (girls’) culture, with shojo manga as the benefactor” (p. 23). Masuda states that the middle Meiji era accounted for a modernised education system in which the classes were segregated in schools. The creation of shojo anime is a byproduct of Japan’s modernisation process in which males and females were perceived as separate target groups.
Shojo anime can be summarised into a unique sense of femininity, in which girls are acknowledged just as much as boys; breaking free from the past patriarchy of Japan. Shojo characters are metaphors for necessary change in the current times, for females. Its purpose as a genre is significant, as there are many points of self and societal reflection that are presented to the viewers. The deeper messages arising from shojo are disguised under a romantic light to disembark from violent tactics that are sometimes used in other forms of anime.
References
Masuda, N. (2015). Shojo manga and its acceptance: What is the power of shojo manga? In Toku, M (Eds.), International perspectives on shojo and shojo manga: The influence of girl culture (23–31). Taylor & Francis Group.
Berndt, J. (2019). Introduction: Shōjo mediations. In Berndt, J., Nagaike, K., & Ogi, F (Eds.), Shōjo across media: Exploring girl practices in contemporary Japan (1-21). Springer International Publishing AG.
Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In the Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13). London: McFarland & Company.
Mountfort, P. (2020). Pop genres week 5 anime 2 part 1 [PowerPoint Slides]. Blackboard. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/
Pop Genres 2020 