Shoujo is a style of anime/manga intended for girls that may have some crossover appeal to boys as well.
Typically, "pure shoujo" manga revolves around love stories and strong female protagonists, however, some "shoujo anime/manga" are more plot/action oriented to attract a wider audience (particularly the "Magical girls" sub-genre). Sailor Moon, for example, combines elements of "pure shoujo" and "action" anime that gives it wide appeal among both 10-year old girls and 40-year old salarymen alike.
Shoujo anime and manga often contain elements of shounen-ai or even yaoi (same-sex pairings between young men,) not to mention shoujo-ai and, recently, yuri (the equivalents with young women). The aesthetic of the bishounen is very prominent.
In Japanese, "shoujo" is written as 少女 which literally means young girls. Its hiragana are しょうじょ. Its pronunciation in SAMPA is /So:dZo/.
Also spelled shojo, shôjo.
See also shonen, anime and manga intened for boys.
List of shoujo anime and manga
