Shōjo

Shōjo manga runs in magazines aimed at girls, such as Ribon, Nakayoshi and Hana to Yume. Romance is central but not universal: shōjo also covers fantasy, school life, history and science fiction.

The 1970s generation

In the 1970s a group of women artists, often called the Year 24 Group, transformed the demographic with ambitious stories and experimental layouts. Moto Hagio and Keiko Takemiya are among its best-known members; their work also laid foundations for boys' love manga.

Well-known series

Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, serialized in Nakayoshi from 1991, defined the magical girl genre for a generation. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya and the works of the collective CLAMP are among the most widely read shōjo in English.

Reading shōjo today

Many classic shōjo series have been reissued in English in collector's or omnibus editions, often with restored colour pages. Newer shōjo includes fantasy, historical romance and stories about school and work, and a growing share of English-language manga sales comes from it.

Shōjo style

Recognisable features include large expressive eyes, flowers and screentone patterns that express mood rather than setting, and panels that break apart around emotional moments. These conventions influenced manga as a whole and are visible in many works outside the demographic.

Shōjo series are often shorter than shōnen and complete in fewer volumes, which makes them good first manga.