bishojo

Bishōjo (美少女; literally, "beautiful young girl"), often spelled bishoujo, is the Japanese term used to refer to pretty girls, usually below college age. Bishōjo are seen in almost all genres of anime and manga, ranging from shōjo to mecha, but especially renai games and so-called harem anime. It is sometimes considered the most mild form of fanservice, particularly if older women would be more appropriate characters. A 'bishōjo series' is a series directed towards a male audience predominantly featuring such characters, which may or may not include a few token male characters. The main draws for this audience are typically the art and the attractive female characters, although the subgenre has a poor reputation for overall quality. Some bishoujo series exclude men entirely, although they do not necesarily have yuri content. It is distinguished from the similar sounding shoujo demographic by refering to the gender of the characters, not the intended audience. Compare to bifauxnen.

Bishojo

See also