At the standard level, shojo anime is Japanese animation that is specifically intended for girls. It can cover a wide variety of topics, which range from idealized romantic relationships to girls who fight crime and monsters making use of their magical powers. The animation style that is typically found in shojo anime is quite pretty, and several shojo anime have a tendency to utilize the “big eyes, small mouth” convention of art. The simple truth is that despite the fact that shojo anime is aimed at young girls between the ages of eight and thirteen, it really is a genre that could be enjoyed by fans of any ages. For example, Sailor Moon was among the very first anime imported and widely distributed in America, and contains a cult following that covers fans of each type revenge animes
When considering shojo anime, you might be a bit surprised at the diversity of topics. For example, one common kind of shojo anime may be the magical girl story, where a young girl realizes that she has magical powers and must use them to fight evil and to save the planet. Sailor Moon is one anime that falls neatly into this kind, though there are certainly others. Another common theme that you might see is really a more realistic story about a young girl who deals with romance and friendship in a familiar setting just like a junior high school. One example of this type of anime includes Hana Yori Dango, also called Boys Over Flowers, where Makino Tsukushi, an operating class girl, attends at the very top academy and must deal with both bullying and her first proper relationship.
Interestingly, some anime usually do not cope with girls as main characters at all, and are merely directed at girls. One example of the will be Kuroshitsuji, or Black Butler, which is set in Victorian England and features the adventures of a boy named Ciel, who investigates crimes for the queen and is assisted by his demonic butler.
Though each anime is different, and though you can find exceptions to every rule, shojo anime is commonly focused more on emotions and feelings over action. There’s special emphasis on the way the characters behave and what they think, and though all of the series in the above list have action sequences, you will find a fair amount of time spent on what those actions mean and what the results might be.
One terrific example of an excellent shojo anime is Princess Tutu, which tackles love, relationships, responsibility and fairy tales! In this anime, a small duck called Ahiru is granted her wish to become a girl also to dance with the “prince,” a beautiful silent boy named Mytho. She realizes that his heart has literally been shattered and that she must restore it, which can she can perform by touching an amulet and becoming Princess Tutu. The story takes place at a ballet school, and Ahiru slowly learns that nothing is as it seems, and that the people she originally believed were enemies are nothing of the type.