manga fans only?

Question

I got the first issue of shojo beat and the first page said that shojo is just for girls. I also read an article saying that since shojo is popular with guys there starting to sell shojo to guys. but the article I just read said shojo was just for girls. so what up here. I know shojo and shonen are read by both sexes. so do we not know what the meaning is or do we know a good thing when we see it.

truly yours: not going to stop reading shojo manga

Answer 1

hmm.. Let say,, i'm a girL but in fact,, i don't reaLLy Like shoujo mangas. i LOVE shounen ones! =D so the thing is,, shoujo and shounen mangas are not onLy for girLs or boys,, but for anyone who Like 'em. that's aLL..

Answer 2

There is nothing wrong reading a Shojo manga/anime if you are a guy and vice versa. Sailor Moon, Cardcaptors, and Tokyo Mew Mew are all Shojo titles, but despite being made entirely for the young female audience, it has caught the attention of male audiences as well. The same can be said in shows like Rurouni Kenshin, Gundam SEED, and Samurai 7, all Shonen shows that has gained a female fanbase.

So to point out, if a manga/anime made for a certain audience is received well not just by the target audience but outside of it as well, then it is a good thing.

Answer 3

Well Shojo means Girl and Shonen means Boy. They are different. Shojo is more of a lovey dovey adventurus story and Shonen is just more of action and bloody(not really) and you know not a love story. I love manga too. Shojo and Shonen manga can be read by anyone but girls perfer shojo Beat cause lets say its more of our type. And for guys they like Shonen cause its something like their type of thing.

Answer 4

Shojo is for both sexes but it is amied mainly at girls. (mostly because they're about romance) However, many guys read shojo and enjoy it just as much as girls! I love reading shonen manga... and im a girl. So why can't boys read shojo? You have every right to.

Answer 5

Shojo IS aimed at a young female audience. It is generally stereotyped as being melodramatic stories of romance. But some of the stories are science fiction or historical fiction and that can appeal to anyone.

If it will make you feel better, VIZ Media is attempting to change the stereotypes around shojo but providing the following definition:

shô·jo (sho'jo) n. 1. Manga appealing to both female and male readers. 2. Exciting stories with true-to-life characters and the thrill of exotic locales. 3. Connecting the heart and mind through real human relationships.

Don't worry about the meaning of shojo....just enjoy it!

Answer 6

shojo is japanese for teenage girls and shonen is japanese for teenage boys. theres nothing wrong with reading shojo manga if u r a guy n vice versa. different people like different types of manga. those labels r just 2 show that girls will prefer which type n guys will prefer which type. so theres nothing wrong. continue reading shojo manga if u really like those types! =]

Answer 7

"Shoujo" is the Japanese base word word for (young, as in unmarried age) girl, and "shounen" is the base word for boy (of the same age). So, as you can see, both of those kinds of manga are aimed at a specific gender, and generally at tweens and/or teens. However, there is't anything wrong with someone of a gender different than that it was intended for reading it. I'm a girl, and I RARELY read shoujo.

Basically, manga series are published in big collective books called "phonebooks", like Shoujo Beat or Shounen Jump, and each of these magazines is targeted at a specific demographic. However, the series inside tend to vary, at least a little. Pretty much every series is someone on a slider of girly or boyish. And the reason it's trageted at that specific group is, well... they'e more likely to buy it. A young boy is more likely to spend his allowance or paycheck on some with heavy action and things that appeal to boys in general, like Naruto, Dragon Ball, etc. A girl is more likely to spend HER money on something like Fushigi Yuugi or Peach Girl.

What it really comes down to, however, is the strange gender culture in Japan. Your average teen is going to be more stricly adhered to gender ideals than one in America is. However, Japanese pop culture idolizes the idea of gender-bending, be it Ranma changing genders with cold or hot water, the Dragon Knights crossdressing to get into the lair of a demon, or a shoujo star dressing as a boy to make her sports dream come true (note how I don't read much stuff starring girls. XD). It's a strange phenomenon, I think, but nevertheless, that's the way it works. It's for the same reasons that most Japanese men don't eat a lot of sugary snacks -- that's considered feminine.

Really, though... I wouldn't worry about what kind of manga you read. Genres like shoujo and shounen are just ways of gathering manga together that a certain reader group has been polled as liking. You can read whatever you like.

Answer 8

I figure its just the way the Japanese decided to organize manga. Shoujo is mainly drama and romance which appeals mainly to a female audience. Shounen is mainly action and adventure which mainly appeals to a male audience. Also you will notice the art tends to differentiate between the two as well as some of the content. You've probably noticed that shounen manga usually has girls who have enlarged attributes whereas in shoujo manga the guys all seem to be undeniable attractive.

There are many more categories to manga than just those though. Yaoi, shounen-ai, seinen, yuri, shoujo-ai, hentai, ecchi, doujinshi, and the such.

Basically you can think of it as categorizing by stereotypes if that helps you out.

Answer 9

Maybe the authors are just joking I mean shojo is a cool maazine even thought I only have one.... It's thick as an apple.Well now that I answer your question can I ask you a favor and register in my site.... in my source...

Answer 10

shojo is mainly for girls but it is also appealing to male readers...