View source for Bishōjo

{{Short description|Cute girl character in manga and anime}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
[[File:Mahuri.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Moe (slang)|Moe-style]] illustration of an original {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} character]]
In [[Japanese popular culture]], a {{Nihongo|'''''bishōjo'''''|美少女||{{lit}} "beautiful girl"}}, also romanized as '''''bishojo''''' or '''''bishoujo''''', is a cute girl character. {{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} characters appear ubiquitously in media including [[manga]], [[anime]], and computerized games (especially in the [[bishōjo game|''bishojo'' game]] genre), and also appear in advertising and as mascots, such as for [[maid café]]s. An attraction towards {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} characters is a key concept in ''[[otaku]]'' (manga and anime fan) subculture.
The development of the {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} aesthetic in manga of the early 1980s marked a departure from previous realistic styles, and the emergence of the aesthetic of "cute eroticism" (''kawaii ero'') and ''[[Moe (slang)|moe]]''.
==History==
Several characters created by [[Hayao Miyazaki]] are considered icons of the {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} boom, particularly Clarisse from the film ''[[Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro]]'' (1979), Lana from the TV series ''[[Future Boy Conan]]'' (1978), and [[Nausicaä (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)|Nausicaä]] from [[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga)|his manga]] and film [[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'']] (1984).{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=98–99}} Another creator strongly associated with the boom was [[Rumiko Takahashi]], whose character [[Lum (Urusei Yatsura)|Lum]] from her manga ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' (1978–1987) gained immense popularity.{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=107}} Cultural critic [[Hiroki Azuma]] identifies Lum as a key development in fan interaction and response to {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} characters:{{sfn|Galbraith|2019|pp=108–109}}
{{blockquote|
I first visited Tokyo's gathering for producers of fanzines, the Comic Market, in 1984 or 1985, and fanzines devoted to characters from manga and anime series such as ''Urusei Yatsura''&nbsp;... were everywhere. The fans were responding to characters, without a doubt. Actually, to me, ''Urusei Yatsura'' is really an ancestor of ''bishōjo'' games and ''moe'' media—a completely useless male character is surrounded by all these cute girl characters, including Lum, an alien girl who wears a bikini and is in love with this male character.
}}
==Features==
{{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} characters are typified by design elements (such as personality archetypes, clothing, and accessories) that are known and acknowledged by the audience.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nozawa |first1=Shunsuke |title=Characterization |journal=The Semiotic Review |date=2013 |volume=3 |url=https://www.semioticreview.com/ojs/index.php/sr/article/view/16/15}}</ref>
==Media==
{{expand section|with=Not enough information or examples in general, especially for anime and manga|date=December 2020}}
{{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} characters appear in almost all genres of [[anime]] and [[manga]] and in many video games, especially in [[dating sim]]s and [[visual novel]]s, sometimes to get more players or simply just to make a game look good. {{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} characters tend to attract  males. {{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} characters sometimes are the most popular female characters as most people like anime, manga, dating sims, and visual novels more when the art stands out, looks pretty, and has beautiful females.
===''Bishōjo'' games===
Games that are made with the intent of featuring ''bishōjo'' characters are known as [[Bishōjo game|''bishōjo'' games]]. Because [[visual novel|visual novels]] are considered games as well, ''bishōjo'' games also encapsulate [[visual novel|visual novels]] made with the intent of featuring ''bishōjo'' characters. Although ''bishōjo'' games are made with a male audience in mind, they can extend to a female audience as well, such as the ''[[Touhou Project]]''.
===Confusion regarding terminology===
Although {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} is not a genre but a character design, series which predominantly feature such characters, such as harem anime and [[visual novels]], are sometimes informally called {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} series. The characters and works referred to by the term {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} are typically intended to appeal to a male audience.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Endresak |first=David |date=2006 |title=Girl power: Feminine motifs in Japanese popular culture |url=https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1321&context=honors |journal=Digital Commons @ EMU |pages=58 |via=Eastern Michigan University}}</ref> Since one of the main draws of these series is typically the art and the attractive female characters, the term is occasionally perceived negatively, as a genre which is solely dependent on the marketability of beautiful characters rather than the actual content or plot.
The word {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} is sometimes confused with the similar-sounding ''[[Shōjo manga|shōjo]]'' ("girl") demographic, but {{lang|ja-latn|bishōjo}} refers to the gender and traits of the ''characters'' it describes, whereas ''shōjo'' refers to the gender and age of an ''audience'' demographic – manga publications, and sometimes anime, described as "''shōjo''" are aimed at young female audiences.
{{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} is not to be confused with [[bishōnen]] – beautiful boy. It is also not to be confused with [[Moe (slang)|moe]] – which is a definition for a genre of entertainment which features cute/adorable girls rather than "sexy" girls. Although elements of Moe and {{lang|ja-latn|Bishōjo}} are often blended together, so the two elements are closely entwined and cannot be completely separated from one another.
==See also==
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{lang|ja-Latn|[[Bishōnen]]}}
* [[Bishōjo game|{{lang|ja-Latn|Bishōjo|nocat=y}} game]]
* {{lang|ja-Latn|[[Kawaii]]}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
===Works cited===
* {{cite book |title=Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan |last=Galbraith |first=Patrick W. |location=Durham |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2019 |doi=10.2307/j.ctv1220mhm |isbn=978-1-4780-0509-4 |jstor=j.ctv1220mhm |oclc=1148100778}}
{{Stock characters}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishojo}}
[[Category:Female stock characters in anime and manga]]
[[Category:Japanese slang]]
[[Category:Girls]]