A shoujo anime is an anime whose source material is a manga published in a shoujo magazine. In other words, it is an adaptation of a manga with a shoujo audience.
The concept of shoujo is generally aimed at girls, which is not to say that other genres or age groups cannot enjoy this anime. However, the target audience influences everything else, from themes, to art styles, and even how words are translated from Japanese.
What is shoujo anime?
Shoujo is a demographic for anime and manga aimed at pre-teen and teenage girls, as the word translates to “girl” in Japanese. However, among Western fans, the concept is often associated with a visual and narrative style rather than a demographic.
Shoujo anime are often based on the daily lives of young people, especially in high school, and generally focus on the complexity of interpersonal relationships. This often allows shoujo to fit into other categories, such as romance.
In general, shoujo explores narratives in which the character thinks aloud and explains why they decided to do what they did. By showing internal dialogue and self-analysis, shoujo builds the story and characters.
While it is a category unto itself, there is a certain vagueness to shoujo that allows it to become an entirely different genre simply by adding certain elements.
Shoujo and the anime “magical girl”.
Shoujo anime and manga traditionally tend to have a strong focus on relationships and character development, they are too diverse to be categorized so simply.
For example, there is a popular subgenre of shoujo called mahō shōjo, better known in the West as “magical girl.” While there are many subgenres of shoujo, this one is widespread enough to deserve special mention.
In this subgenre, heroines are given magical powers, usually with the goal of fighting evil in the name of love and justice. Elaborate transformation sequences and cute costumes are a staple of this manga and anime style, which is why it is also very popular among cosplayers. This subgenre also tends to feature more action and fighting than traditional shoujo.
Some shoujo anime
Some shoujo anime titles, many of which you can find on Crunchyrollinclude: Onegai My Melody, Say “I love you.”, Blue Spring Ride, Yona of the Dawn and Kiss Him, Not Me.
When it comes to magical girls, the main titles are: Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Little Witch Academia, Pretty Cure and Tokyo Mew Mew.
The post What is Shoujo Anime? first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
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