What is the 'Shojo' and how does it often function in anime?
As defined by Freiberg (2006) Shojo consists of three parts. First is identity as shojo characters, the females in particular, are found in-between childhood and adulthood with their outward appearance being closer to that of the child while maintaining the independence of freedom that come with adulthood.
Second is the relation to popular culture. The Shojo genre has become associated with kawaii (cute) consumer culture and goods. Products like kitschy fashion and plushie toys seemingly targeted at children yet adored by adults especially women are examples of this.
The third and most important in my opinion is the relationship between the text and the audience. Shojo is manga (comics) or anime which are targeted at females. A work of Shojo generally contains a young female lead character which in appearance resembles a young girl but in behaviour acts more mature. It generally revolves around or concerns a romance of some kind between the lead female and a male character usually older than the female.
In anime shojo is often used as a form of nostalgia and escapism for adult women. It also serves as an attractive portrayal of femininity for adolescent and adult men who are intimidated by adult women.
Shojo has also been accused of encouraging and exhibiting regressive forms of female narcissism and infantilism due to the depiction of the lead female characters.
Miyazaki's characters tend to be classically Shojo in terms of appearance, age and sexual innocence. However his characters also stray away from traditional Shojo with their personality and characteristics being that of a typical masculine hero.
A perfect example of this is San in Princess Mononoke. Her outward appearance is that of a petite young girl with a typically cute face and a love of animals. But her personality is abrasive and rash, she is also incredibly adventurous, confident and can be violent. She fights for the forest spirits and makes a large portion of the heroic actions in the film. All of which are not traditional aspects of female characters in Shojo.
References:
Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2006). Princess Mononoke. Tokyo: Studio Ghibli Productions.
Freiberg, F. (2006). Senses of Cinema - Miyazaki's Heroines. Retrieved from http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/feature-articles/miyazaki-heroines/
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