- Bishōjo
" and
Haruhi Suzumiya from "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya."] is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. "Bishōjo" is not listed as a word in the prominent Japanese dictionaryKōjien . A variant named Nihongo|"biyōjo"|美幼女 refers to a girl before the age ofadolescence .Bishōjo in manga and anime
"Bishōjo" characters are seen in almost all genres of
anime andmanga , especially indating sim s andvisual novel s, known asbishōjo game s, and so-called harem anime and manga. It is distinguished from the similar sounding "shōjo " demographic by referring to the gender and traits of the "characters" rather than that of the "audience". Although "bishōjo" is not a genre but a character design, series predominantly featuring such characters such as so-called ' [harem anime|"harem"] orvisual novels are sometimes informally called "bishōjo" series". Since one of the main draws of these series are typically the art and the attractive female characters, the term is occasionally perceived negatively as a "genre" solely depending on its marketability of cute characters rather than its content or plot.Bishōjo contests
A beauty pageant, the
Japan Bishojo Contest , has been run since 1985. Singing starAya Ueto first became famous through this contest televised at the age of twelve. Model and actressRyoko Yonekura also won a "bishōjo" contest in 1992.ee also
*
Bishōjo game
*Bishōnen (pretty boys)
*Cuteness in Japanese culture
*Moe
*Emotion
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