What is the 'shojo' and how does it function in anime?
The archetype of a ‘shojo,’ to be precise means ‘virgin/maiden’ or ‘little female’ (Cavallaro, 2006), and in regards to manga this genre is aimed at a demographic audience of young females. Another popular (one of many) subgenre of shojo is the ‘maho shojo’, meaning magical girl. The maho shojo is popular because the heroine receives magical powers to fight evil while maintaining a double identity (Reid, 2009), and tends to have more action than the more conventional shojo manga, for example Sailor Moon.
The shojo is the embodiment of innocence, power and powerlessness, temporarily suspended between adulthood and childhood, who also possess elements of masculinity and femininity (Prindle, cited in Cavallaro, 2006).
Miyazaki’s shojo protagonist in Princess Mononoke is San, she demonstrates independence, is fiercely courageous and actively tries to kill Lady Eboshi. This is typical of a shojo manga, where the shojo embarks on an adventure/cause or as Reid (2009) states, “flung into uncertain circumstances” (p.g, 178). In this case, San battles Lady Eboshi, who is hell-bent on destroying the forest and its creatures/Gods through her ignorance of the forest and nature, something of which San has an affinity with.
The shojo manga has a predominantly male readership despite its intended female audience, perhaps as a means of ‘escape’ into an environment unfamiliar to them. I understand the text, but what I don’t understand is the fascination Japanese males have to the young shojos, this part made me particularly uncomfortable, after all San looks like a child with slight androgynous features and the body of a pre adolescent male, other than the circular earrings she adorns signifying her gender. Maybe culturally, by Western standards, I and probably others too would consider this as a Lolita complex with the sexual innuendos “sexlessness and budding eroticism” (Cavallaro, 2006), but in Japanese culture (anime male readers) it is generally accepted?
If that were the case, then I fail to see how San from Princess Mononoke is able to draw such attention, considering Princess Mononoke is a stark contrast to the likes of Hana Yori Dango (one of my favs), where Makino Tsukushi herself is ‘dreamy’ in features and is a story of girl meets/hates/loves boy (typical of shojo driven mangas). San on the other hand is not ‘dreamy’, but more tomboyish and the only time we see San shift from androgynous tomboy to a small glimpse of a young female is when Ashitaka calls her beautiful, she is unsure how to react.
References
Cavallaro, D. (2006). The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. In Introduction (pp. 5-13). London: McFarland & Company.
Reid, A. R. (2009). Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy; Volume 1 and 2. Connecticut: Greenwood.
Youko, K. (1992). Hana Yori Dango. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from Mangareader.net: http://www.mangareader.net/283/hana-yori-dango.html
It was beautifully written on your standards of an adolescence should appear. Your analytical ability has indicated you have a thorough understanding after you have read Princess Mononoke about the conflict between Lady Eboshi and San and why they are opposing against each other till to the end.
ReplyDeleteHey Joe,
ReplyDeleteI really really enjoyed the movie. I watched it with my niece who is 10 and she is really was really empathetic towards Lady Eboshi of all people. She asked why a child; San would want to kill a grown lady who my niece said "is kind". She never watches anime because it was never really made available to them. My sister gives them movies with a 'family orientated theme', but her eyes were opened to the elements of the story. She had a different reaction to Tales of Earthsea though :)
I completely agree with the uncomfortable feeling you get when thinking about the fascination of Japanese males to the shojo's. That is, it doesn't seem right. But perhaps this is just a cultural difference. I'm not sure, and i can't say it will be something I look into too much. But i really liked your analysis and found it very easy to read. It helped me understand this question a lot more.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, I'm slightly confused about their fascination with the shojo's. I think the shojo could've been used to entice more male readers. I don't believe their admiration is strictly aimed at the shojo in mangas. If you do a quick search on YouTube for some Japanese game shows, you'll quickly find that there is a high volume of 'mature' Japanese games shows that I thought were rather risque. In one particular game show, two women who are clearly young compared to the male contestants - early to late 40s; wore short skirts and white blouses; like that of a school girl, were subjected to some pretty raunchy advances from the men. I think the Japanese are alot more open about their sexuality as opposed to the Korean or Chinese. It's something i'd probably find interesting to research because i'm still not sure if it is a culture thing.
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