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Shōjo (少女 lit. young woman), often spelled shoujo, is 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/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 part of.
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 rather, 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.
Shojo are also sea demons from Filipino myths.
List of shōjo anime and manga
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