What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?
Shojo is a type of manga and anime. It is a genre. This genre covers storylines from drama to science fiction but they are all focused on one type of audience: that of young females, though older Japanese males are a large portion of the audience, primarily because it shows a different kind of theme that they are used to.
The term "shojo" can be translated to "female" in English but is always specifically a young female in Japanese culture. Cavallaro (2006) says "on the whole, the worlds depicted by shoujo stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder..." and Prindle (1998) claims "the shoujo nestle in a shallow lacuna between adulthood and childhood, power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence as well as masculinity and femininity."
A great example of shojo in anime is in Miyazaki's creations. "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke" both contain the ideal heroines by aesthetic means. They are both female and young. However, the storylines Miyazaki creates require these heroines to be more active than the generic ones. Although, in my opinion, Chihiro in "Spirited Away" may be more courageous than most shojo protagonists but she is the ultimate expression of a young female with her whining and complacency (in the beginning at least.)
Other examples of shojo anime and manga is "Sailor Moon", "Cardcaptor Sakura" and that hampster one that was super kawaii (cute).
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