shojo
/ˈʃəʊdʒəʊ
/(also shoujo)
noun [mass noun]
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: [as modifier]: the world of shojo manga is the natural habitat for love stories of all possibilities and combinations...
- In the field of Japanese studies, the cult of the shojo has received a great deal of attention.
- Renowned "Astro Boy" manga artist Osamu Tezuka created the first shojo title in 1953.
- More than a quarter of the top 50 manga properties in the U.S. listed for the third quarter of 2005 were shojo.
Origin
1980s: from Japanese shōjo 'young woman, girl'. Compare with shonen.