 ★-⋆-⋆-⋆-⋆-⋆-⋆-⋆-⋆-⋆-★ Dear hella based shoujo enjoyers, I know it's hard to be an enjoyer of such right now. I know many of you think that shoujo is seemingly dead in the anime industry. I bet many of you have also seen this video (check out her new video that further touches on a popular counterargument to that video too btw!) at least a thousand times with some kind of hope for whatever reason. But constantly whining about a severe and very visible lack of shoujo anime, as justified as doing so is, isn't going to do anyone any favors, and it's just going to make the rest of the anime community take us less seriously. So let's try to put our cynicism aside for a moment and celebrate a big part of why we like this demographic tag. It's personally why I fell in love with anime and manga in general, so I'm admittedly a little excited to start this kind of conversation... And what I'd like to converse about this time is: What shoujo anime has your favorite art style/aesthetic? Shoujo series are not just known for their huge emphasis on romance and stereotypical ditzy/"bland" female leads. Many series from this demographic are also described as appearing girly, artsy, kira✨kira, fuwa🍞fuwa on the visual side, and there is often some really detailed artwork. That last part is especially present within the manga scene, but of course, several shoujo anime don't shrug this aspect off in many people's opinion, and I'm sure some would like to see more anime in general take some visual cues from them.  Here's some questions you can answer to complement your post + provide reasoning to pass the charalimit if you want:
Nobody likes reading my long-ass self-responses to my own questions, so I hope nobody minds if I just cheat here instead— Fario-P said: I'll probably share more answers as time goes on with people replying anyway :PI think many will agree with me that we all need more of something like Ikuko Itoh's art style, especially how it looked like during the 90s and early 2000s. For those not familiar with Itoh, she is best known for being a major character designer and animation director for the later seasons of the 90s Sailor Moon anime, and the creator of Princess Tutu. Even if you don't know her name, you've definitely seen her style before, as it's so popular that someone's literally dedicated an entire Tumblr blog to her work!  Is this a productive way to share the love of shoujo anime/manga over complaining over the lack of it? Honestly, I have no idea. Even so, I still decide to write another letter, in hopes of shaking things up around here in Anime Discussion again... Have a great night everyone, and happy discussing. ♥  that reminds me, i need to properly start ^ this anime ^ soon... Sincerely from your local MAL forum threadreaper, Fario-P ✩ |
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| In regards to shoujo I always loved the cuteness that comes from the big and colorful eyes and slender bodies, the hair also must be somewhat detailed in order for me to love it. A good example is Ultra Maniac, pretty straight forward. For me a stereotypical shoujo look is the characters being super skinny, big eyes, detailed hair, big eye lashes, well, sounds a bit like what I said about my fav shoujo but I like it more down to earth and not as exaggerated so to say. I don't think I remember shoujo anime that I disliked while watching. But I dislike some boy character designs, for example the guys from Fukumenkei Noise look a bit weird for my taste. Maybe they should have give Kuragehime a shoujo look, the manga is seinen if I remember correctly but the mangaka is a famous shoujo manga writer |
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| Need more of those girls from case study of vanitas and their look. WHatever style that was (sorry, I don't read shoujo, but I like the art as a novelty). I think it has to do with the eyes of both heroine, now that I think about it. Stereotypically I think of just this and longer limbs. Sometimes longer fingers. |
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| Mainly stuff like Natsume Yuujinchou and Touhou Niji Sousaku Doujin Anime: Musou Kakyou (if it counts since it's not targeted at girls...but it's kind of about girls...not in a sexual way mind you). For some reason the PreCure aesthetics don't appeal to me...too much sugar? Or simply because their stories are too bland - a question of content, not style? From the josei spectrum - visuals like the ones from Nodame Cantabile and Hachimitsu to Clover. |
| I like fantasy shoujo series so my pick would be either Natsume's Book of Friends or Kamisama Kiss. |
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| I really dig the mid-90s style of Marmalade Boy in particular. I think it encapsulates everything about shojo in 1990s in general, lol. Big eyes, flowy hair, slender bodies. |
90s CLAMP drew the greatest looking shoujo evar! We need more anime that look like Code Geass, except with good stories. I'm not actually a fan of the way many shoujo are drawn. There is of course a lot of variation, but I believe I prefer shounen art on average. I greatly appreciate the style of Terra e (TV), which is unlike the manga's. The manga looks too much like shoujo, even though it isn't. But even though I like the manga less, it did grow on me over time. |
| その目だれの目？ |
| Any shojo done by Production IG cause they generally have the best artstyle |
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I really like Akazukin Chacha's artstyle, which basically had many of the common tropes we see from shoujo artstyles, but with an added cartoony and chibified look to it, which made it extra appealing to me. Gallop's other Ribon adaptations weren't too shabby, either. And then there's Cardcaptor Sakura looking like the prettiest anime of all time.  |
YoshiKiller01Jun 29, 2022 10:11 AM
| I love the soft colours and cute character designs (and maybe a transformation sequence) from shoujou anime. The one which has captured both the cuteness and some really lovely designs the best is: Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo. I particularly love the backgrounds, because some of the backgrounds are amazing. The style is super cute and so are the transformations and character designs. Second place goes to Kaitou Saint Tail, because I have a really soft spot for anime with that art style. I believe a lot of shoujou anime from that time have a bit of a similar art-style (it definitely has the same vibe as Sailor Moon as far as art style is considered), but I really like it. And Kaitou Saint Tail just has a particularly pleasing colour scheme going on. Maybe I just love that it looks so typical for my favourite genre? Also, Princess Tutu is not a shoujou? I never realised before until I was looking for it in the list and couldn't find it. How surprising. |
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23feanor said: I like fantasy shoujo series so my pick would be either Natsume's Book of Friends or Kamisama Kiss. What he said..this is exactly the kind of characters, stories and artstyle I want to see .. But I'm not critical of artsyle as long as the story and the characters appeal to me.. |
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| @YoshiKiller01 I too like the look of Gallop's magical girls, and Madhouse really went all out with Cardcaptor Sakura. After thinking about it some more, I realize I heavily prefer the 90s over other decades of shoujo art. |
LucifrostJun 29, 2022 1:12 PM
| その目だれの目？ |
| I realized I talked about character designs and not about backgrounds, Tokimeki Tonight looks super pretty in regards to that. I love the painting-like imagery that we get from the episodes and also the style, almost all are gothic or guess gothic-like for I am not an expert, anyways, just see for yourself, it's almost like we're not in japan but in afantasy world where everything is chic and cool |
CatalanoJun 29, 2022 12:52 PM
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| ^ I totally forgot about Tokimeki Tonight’s background art, oh wow. The actual series’ artstyle isn’t anything special, but the background artwork is probably some of the best I’ve seen in any anime ever. It’s a very abstract style that you really don’t see often and the color palette just makes the whole thing look gorgeous. Very fitting towards the show’s semi-vampiristic theming too. I’d love to see more anime with similar stylized background art. |
YoshiKiller01Jul 3, 2022 10:52 PM
YoshiKiller01 said: I really like Akazukin Chacha's artstyle, which basically had many of the common tropes we see from shoujo artstyles, but with an added cartoony and chibified look to it, which made it extra appealing to me. Gallop's other Ribon adaptations weren't too shabby, either. And then there's Cardcaptor Sakura looking like the prettiest anime of all time. I agree with this person. I'm a big fan of "Akazukin Chacha" and "Nurse Angel Ririka SOS," and I would love to see more anime with that 90s Gallop style. |
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| I have to admit I'm a total sucker for abundant pastel sparkles and glittery colorful geometrical shapes!😊 Yes I know that sounds weirdly specific xD Some people consider them annoying, but I always loved that particular effect, and it's pretty much only really common in shoujo manga and anime. Triangles, circles, hearts, stars, etc. fluttering across the screen or forming a soft, pastel-colored background. To give some examples of the effect I mean: As for character designs, I just like the "regular" shoujo look with cute faces and big eyes but otherwise normal proportions, nothing too stylized? 😅 Sorry for being so boring, haha. (Examples: Stuff like Orange, Hiyokoi, Ao Haru Ride, etc.) I appreciate more unusual styles too of course, but in general I'm just kinda happy with the general basic designs. |
| I almost forgot to acknowledge the effort that went into drawing Unico, the only full color shoujo manga I've read. It looks glorious. |
| その目だれの目？ |
| Urano Chikako, Miyako Maki, Saeki Kayono Yumiko Igarashi |
| shoujo made before the 90s is the best. |
| :v |
| 19 replies for a new thread from me in a long while, so far so good~ Catalano said: In regards to shoujo I always loved the cuteness that comes from the big and colorful eyes and slender bodies, the hair also must be somewhat detailed in order for me to love it. A good example is Ultra Maniac, pretty straight forward. mwinner said: Never thought I'd see Wataru Yoshizumi mentioned here so quickly, but I agree! I really like her style for Ultra Maniac, simple but very cute.I really dig the mid-90s style of Marmalade Boy in particular. I think it encapsulates everything about shojo in 1990s in general, lol. Big eyes, flowy hair, slender bodies. Catalano said: Princess Jellyfish is actually a josei manga (aimed at women), but it could also be interesting to see in a shoujo art style.Maybe they should have give Kuragehime a shoujo look, the manga is seinen if I remember correctly but the mangaka is a famous shoujo manga writer ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ChouunShiryuu said: Oh, The Case Study of Vanitas is actually a shounen anime!Need more of those girls from case study of vanitas and their look. WHatever style that was (sorry, I don't read shoujo, but I like the art as a novelty). The original manga was serialized in the same magazine as Akame ga Kill, Kakegurui, and Happy Sugar Life, none of which are shoujo. ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ alshu said: What did you like about the art direction for these anime? Do you like casual, but still cleanly presented art styles perhaps? :)Mainly stuff like Natsume Yuujinchou . . . From the josei spectrum - visuals like the ones from Nodame Cantabile and Hachimitsu to Clover. ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶  I'll try and get some more replies out soon, I promise. Please be patient~ ✩ |
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Fario-P said: What did you like about the art direction for these anime? Do you like casual, but still cleanly presented art styles perhaps? It's weird to describe visuals with words...especially for a person with such poor english like mine. - I guess part of Nodame's charm is looking like a shoujo and its characters reacting like in a shoujo show...but at a drop of a hat can switch to look elegant. Kind of romanticizes and makes the hard work which is being a musician look like an adventure. - Yes, the art in Hachimitsu to Clover looks casual and taken from everyday life...but almost every character has certain quirk in their design...some look more quirky...and everyone can pull exaggerate expression if the situation requires it. If I am not mistaken, balancing between dreams an reality is the core idea in the story too, so it fits. And answering to why I chose those two...not because I am big fan of their respective styles, it has more to do with the fact that those visuals propery used. Another example could be Usagi Drop. In my original post I mentioned disliking PreCure. Its style (well collection of very different styles) is cutesy and bubbly and all...but its stories and twists are so empty, cliche and soulless. Watching at those characters and pretty backgrounds makes you feel somehow baited - nice colorful wrapper but no candy inside. A counter example would be Maoujou de Oyasumi which has nice exterior and interior (sort of speak) not a shoujo tho. PS And yeah, I like ascetics in Princess Tutu but I see them more as one off thing. Mass produces shows with those would be boring to watch. |
alshuJun 30, 2022 7:35 AM
| I have been summoned. @Fario-P Nostalgia is hitting me so hard right now because of Amu's outfits/designs picture you posted. I think Shugo-Chara's art style is the ultimate art style for me. I like to think that it's so similar to Kaichou-wa Maid-sama art style, but better. The author and the studio put so much effort into coming up with the different outfit ideas and worked so hard on the color coordination as well. I still think that Amu's outfits look so badass and complimented her personality so much. The entire effort of trying to give characters different styles that suited/matched their personality was very appealing. The attention to detail was also impressive and made me a bigger fan of the show. I also liked the change in tone? When Amu was sad for example, she wore darker colors. The contrast also in the outfits and environments of the protagonists and the antagonists was very clever. This can all be summarized in one sentence: expression of the characters and their surroundings through art. I'm a sucker for that. |
| I sometimes forget to finish my sentences. |
Oh, The Case Study of Vanitas is actually a shounen anime! The original manga was serialized in the same magazine as Akame ga Kill, Kakegurui, and Happy Sugar Life, none of which are shoujo. Damn wasn't expecting that lmao, in the words of my good friend, Jonhson:-  |
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| Love Akio Sugino's style. How to put it? Everyone is a 10/10: Also, Kimi ni Todoke. Compared to the manga thecharacters are cuter and the color paletteis soft: |
BatoKusanagiJul 1, 2022 2:11 AM
on | I love the design that if you had no idea, about the genre prior to watching, you 'd have no idea the Anime was shojo. One reason the series Igano Kabamaru became a cult classic despite the manga being published in a shojo magazine. Yet no one knows about this even today. But he is even more popular and recognisable than Goku in my country, due to the bad dub and the funny scenes   |
| Hmm, that's a hard one....I really like the art style of the Sailor Moon manga. Something about it gives me good vibes. My absolute favorite art style of any manga is Yona of the Dawn, though-it takes on more of a historical feel while still being very shoujo. I really like the watercolor look of the volume covers. I also really like the direction the 2019 Fruits Basket took with their art style; it's modern but the characters are still faithful to the manga. |
The siren of a flightless bird Quietly destroying its cage Dance, until tonight, with a raised voice- For I don't want to lose hope! -Utsuro wo Aogu, Vivid BAS SQUAD |
| @gintokisbicep Does that include X? Or is it not old enough for you?  |
| その目だれの目？ |
gintokisbicep said: the art is gorgeous but i wanna read it before watching it. I tried watching X before reading it, but found it boring. Who knows, maybe reading first is better. |
| その目だれの目？ |
| @gintokisbicep CLAMP's anime are usually very different from their respective manga, which means I sometimes prefer the anime. The stories they write vary in quality, but I feel most are good or mediocre rather than bad. At least the manga look consistently good, as you said. Not all of their adaptations are animated as well as Cardcaptor Sakura. |
| その目だれの目？ |
| i like Basara and 7 seeds art, also Pygmalio and natsume yuujinchou art. |
nanashi796Jul 2, 2022 1:37 AM
Lucifrost said: I haven't seen Code Geass, but as a fellow CLAMP fan, I don't feel compelled to disagree.90s CLAMP drew the greatest looking shoujo evar! We need more anime that look like Code Geass, except with good stories. ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ YoshiKiller01 said: I really like Akazukin Chacha's artstyle, which basically had many of the common tropes we see from shoujo artstyles, but with an added cartoony and chibified look to it, which made it extra appealing to me. Gallop's other Ribon adaptations weren't too shabby, either. And then there's Cardcaptor Sakura looking like the prettiest anime of all time. Lucifrost said: I too like the look of Gallop's magical girls, and Madhouse really went all out with Cardcaptor Sakura. After thinking about it some more, I realize I heavily prefer the 90s over other decades of shoujo art. _-_Sally_-_ said: Gallop's magical girl shows do indeed look really cute and uniquely charming!I agree with this person. I'm a big fan of "Akazukin Chacha" and "Nurse Angel Ririka SOS," and I would love to see more anime with that 90s Gallop style. A return to something that looks like these magical girls, whether it's by Gallop again or not, would be pretty sweet. I wonder what the studio's doing these days, now that the Yu-Gi-Oh baton has been passed on to Bridge... Wanted to mention Cardcaptor Sakura, but I also really wanted to showcase some lesser-known shoujo too without spamming too many images lol ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ exorin said: Those were some other anime I thought about featuring here, actually!I love the soft colours and cute character designs (and maybe a transformation sequence) from shoujou anime. The one which has captured both the cuteness and some really lovely designs the best is: Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo. I particularly love the backgrounds, because some of the backgrounds are amazing. The style is super cute and so are the transformations and character designs. Second place goes to Kaitou Saint Tail, because I have a really soft spot for anime with that art style. I believe a lot of shoujou anime from that time have a bit of a similar art-style (it definitely has the same vibe as Sailor Moon as far as art style is considered), but I really like it. And Kaitou Saint Tail just has a particularly pleasing colour scheme going on. Maybe I just love that it looks so typical for my favourite genre? Also, Princess Tutu is not a shoujou? I never realised before until I was looking for it in the list and couldn't find it. How surprising. And yeah, Princess Tutu had the shoujo tag on MAL for a long time until somewhat recently. ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ Catalano said: I realized I talked about character designs and not about backgrounds, Tokimeki Tonight looks super pretty in regards to that. I love the painting-like imagery that we get from the episodes and also the style, almost all are gothic or guess gothic-like for I am not an expert, anyways, just see for yourself, it's almost like we're not in japan but in afantasy world where everything is chic and cool YoshiKiller01 said: Oh wow... those are indeed some nice painterly-looking backgrounds... thanks for giving the background artists some love here!^ I totally forgot about Tokimeki Tonight’s background art, oh wow. The actual series’ artstyle isn’t anything special, but the background artwork is probably some of the best I’ve seen in any anime ever. It’s a very abstract style that you really don’t see and the color palette just makes the whole thing look gorgeous. Very fitting towards the show’s semi-vampiristic theming too. I’d love to see more anime with similar stylized background art. ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ Once again, I'll reply some more soon, so please be patient~ ✩ |
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SleepySera said: Oh hell yeah, I love that effect a lot and is just what I had in mind while making the thread!I have to admit I'm a total sucker for abundant pastel sparkles and glittery colorful geometrical shapes!😊 Yes I know that sounds weirdly specific xD Some people consider them annoying, but I always loved that particular effect, and it's pretty much only really common in shoujo manga and anime. Triangles, circles, hearts, stars, etc. fluttering across the screen or forming a soft, pastel-colored background. To give some examples of the effect I mean: ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ Lucifrost said: That really does look glorious! How'd you discover this?I almost forgot to acknowledge the effort that went into drawing Unico, the only full color shoujo manga I've read. It looks glorious. ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ -FALSE said: Honestly yeah... the 90s Sailor Moon anime's aesthetic is very popular on sites like Tumblr rnThe only shoujo anime I think I've watched is Fruits Basket, but Sailor Moon's art-style is aesthetically pleasing and it very much embodies that cute 90s charm. The newer releases don't lose the essence of that aesthetic too.  |
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Fario-P said: Lucifrost said: That really does look glorious! How'd you discover this?I almost forgot to acknowledge the effort that went into drawing Unico, the only full color shoujo manga I've read. It looks glorious. What do you mean how? I read it... I read it after watching the movies that are available through multiple streaming services. I learned about the movies through this page. |
| その目だれの目？ |
Lucifrost said: Sorry for late reply, but no, I meant how'd you find out about this manga in the first place?What do you mean how? I read it... I read it after watching the movies that are available through multiple streaming services. I learned about the movies through this page. I think I saw people sharing pictures of those unicorn characters before, but otherwise I don't think I've ever heard of this before. |
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Fario-P said: Lucifrost said: Sorry for late reply, but no, I meant how'd you find out about this manga in the first place?I read it after watching the movies that are available through multiple streaming services. I learned about the movies through this page. I see. I answered that question too with my previous reply. The manga was made into a pair of movies I like. |
| その目だれの目？ |
| Shoujo is not my genre, but from what I watched and read Sailor Moon is my favorite shojo. Also magical girls are there too! |
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| The shoujo idol aesthetic, because Aikatsu and Pripara need competition (I also want something in that specific subgenre with no live action in the mix). |
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| I would love to see a full adaptation of Aria made by a studio like KyoAni. I feel like a newer animation will do justice to the manga (which is just perfect) and KyoAni knows how to make the old artsyle from shojo. Besides Aria, maybe Petshop of Horrors. |
| Cardcaptor Sakura (original anime) Sugar Sugar Rune (anime) Shugo Chara (manga) Orange (manga) Donten ni Warau (manga) Natsume Yuujinchou (manga) Shoujo aesthetic wise, I like big glossy eyes, but if I were to watch for the feels, I actually prefer Natsume Yuujinchou's simplistic art style. Or maybe Donten ni Warau's sleek style |
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alshu said: Considering those are all josei instead of shoujo, it sounds like you like josei's realistic yet charming approach to visuals more... interesting!Fario-P said: What did you like about the art direction for these anime? Do you like casual, but still cleanly presented art styles perhaps? It's weird to describe visuals with words...especially for a person with such poor english like mine. - I guess part of Nodame's charm is looking like a shoujo and its characters reacting like in a shoujo show...but at a drop of a hat can switch to look elegant. Kind of romanticizes and makes the hard work which is being a musician look like an adventure. - Yes, the art in Hachimitsu to Clover looks casual and taken from everyday life...but almost every character has certain quirk in their design...some look more quirky...and everyone can pull exaggerate expression if the situation requires it. If I am not mistaken, balancing between dreams an reality is the core idea in the story too, so it fits. And answering to why I chose those two...not because I am big fan of their respective styles, it has more to do with the fact that those visuals propery used. Another example could be Usagi Drop. In my original post I mentioned disliking PreCure. Its style (well collection of very different styles) is cutesy and bubbly and all...but its stories and twists are so empty, cliche and soulless. Watching at those characters and pretty backgrounds makes you feel somehow baited - nice colorful wrapper but no candy inside. I've yet to see a single entry to completion, but I quite like PreCure's kind of general art direction. I also heard the same thing about their stories from an old friend, but I made this thread primarily to talk about shoujo aesthetic/art direction rather than the stories themselves... but I did ask if there were any shoujo you disliked but still like the art styles, so I guess it still works for the thread :PA counter example would be Maoujou de Oyasumi which has nice exterior and interior (sort of speak) not a shoujo tho. PS And yeah, I like ascetics in Princess Tutu but I see them more as one off thing. Mass produces shows with those would be boring to watch. I guess Princess Tutu's style really is meant to be more of a one-off thing...  Why am I always into really niche things, huh...? And usually at the worst possible timing, too... ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ samashi20 said: I'm so sorry I took so long to get to your reply, because seeing your presence and passion for Shugo Chara here was exciting!I have been summoned. @Fario-P Nostalgia is hitting me so hard right now because of Amu's outfits/designs picture you posted. I think Shugo-Chara's art style is the ultimate art style for me. I like to think that it's so similar to Kaichou-wa Maid-sama art style, but better. The author and the studio put so much effort into coming up with the different outfit ideas and worked so hard on the color coordination as well. I still think that Amu's outfits look so badass and complimented her personality so much. The entire effort of trying to give characters different styles that suited/matched their personality was very appealing. The attention to detail was also impressive and made me a bigger fan of the show. I also liked the change in tone? When Amu was sad for example, she wore darker colors. The contrast also in the outfits and environments of the protagonists and the antagonists was very clever. This can all be summarized in one sentence: expression of the characters and their surroundings through art. I'm a sucker for that. I think I also really enjoy and want to see more like Peach-Pit's style along with Ikuko Itoh, honestly. One thing I love about Shugo Chara's aesthetic along with some of what you already said is the emblematic pattern along the edge of the manga covers!  ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ ⋆ ✶ petran79 said: Never heard of Igano Kabamaru before, interesting...I love the design that if you had no idea, about the genre prior to watching, you 'd have no idea the Anime was shojo. One reason the series Igano Kabamaru became a cult classic despite the manga being published in a shojo magazine. Yet no one knows about this even today. But he is even more popular and recognisable than Goku in my country, due to the bad dub and the funny scenes |
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| My favorite was always Ouran, it was a big inspiration for me the art style. So distinctly anime but so lively. I think that's a big problem I have with shoujo when they try and do it nowadays, shoujo has always been in my eyes the type of series you could really give a super unique look and artwork to. It's a very artisticly open genre, when I think of some shots I saw in something like Rose of Versailles, Akatsuki no Yona, Ashita no Nadja I feel like, wow, this was made by an artist! Shows full of color, interesting designs, and life and handsome men lol The other reason is because, not to be mean but a lot of shoujo manga have a very similar artstyle and it's always been interesting to see how individual directors adapt the characters however they want. Now though anime styles are all pretty similar so they just don't really do that as much for some reason. If they adapted more shoujo from the 2000s and kept the 2000s aesthetic though I'd be especisally happy lmao. I also love the style of 60s/70s shoujo manga, it's even the type of art I make myself, adapting those series and giving the style a SLIGHT tweak comparable to like say Cutie Honey, the opening of Dororo, or Terra e would be really wonderful and would be my ideal tbh |
No watch list sig cuz "You watch anime in 3 days or 3 months! Such is the proper way!" |
| Honestly one thing i considered more for shoujo stuff that i wanted to see more in anime (non shoujo) is the expressive facial emotion. Lots of modern anime nowdays has none of that since they art style are much focused on the body shape. |
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| Natsume Yuujinchou and Furuba have a really calming and pretty art style. I also have a soft spot for Rose of Versailles, I love the aesthetic of palaces and nobles it uses. But if you count Utena as shoujo, even though the anime came first, then I have to say that. It’s aesthetic gives off an otherworldly vibe that’s addicting. |
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Crow_Black said: oh really? That’s some exciting news!Monochrosanity said: Natsume Yuujinchou and Furuba have a really calming and pretty art style. I also have a soft spot for Rose of Versailles, I love the aesthetic of palaces and nobles it uses. But if you count Utena as shoujo, even though the anime came first, then I have to say that. It’s aesthetic gives off an otherworldly vibe that’s addicting. Utena i've seen not long ago is indeed really great and i really like the artstyle and its fairy tale influences as well too and how they handle gender bending themes as well too. Love the color schemes of the art as well too especially. Kunihiko Ikuhara has said to be working on something new but hasn't really mentioned on any further details as of yet but penguindrum's movie i need to watch soon and yeah rambling aside his works are so pretty eyecandy. I also need to get around to watching the penguidrum movie, especially as I love the original anime. If you haven’t seen sarazanmai, which is his latest work, then you should definitely check it out as well. |
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