What is Josei Anime? Definition, Meaning, and Example
What is Josei Anime? Josei is a genre of anime and manga for adult women, addressing real-life issues, complex relationships, and emotional depth. Josei actually means woman (女性) in Japanese. It targets female viewers aged 18 to 40 and explores themes such as personal growth, romance, sexuality, workplace issues, mental health, family dynamics, domestic abuse, addiction, and death. Its realistic and mature storylines make it a popular choice for mature audiences.
Table of Contents
What is Josei Manga?
Josei manga generally means women’s comics, aka ladies’ comics. The Josei manga came into existence in the 1980s in the category of Japanese comics.
Josei manga is meant for adult women, while Shōjo/Shoujo manga is for girls and young adult women. However, in reality, the line between these two categories is often blurry. Many manga works have elements of both Shoujo and Josei manga. There is also a third category called “young ladies” that emerged in the late 1980s, which falls between Shoujo and Josei.
Josei manga typically caters to drama, romance, or pornography. As a result of its association with pornographic manga, the category gained stigma in the late 1980s, but as it began to focus more on social issues in the 1990s, it gained greater artistic legitimacy. The Josei manga has been regularly adapted into anime since the 2000s.
Where Did Josei Anime Come From, and Who Was The Creator?
Josei anime emerged from Josei manga in the late 1960s, when the first comic was released for female audiences. The women’s magazine Josei Seven published the first gekiga manga called Mashūko Banka by Miyako Maki. Maki, who made her debut in the late 1950s, was originally known for creating manga for young girls but switched to gekiga as her readers grew older.
After that, the first Josei manga magazine emerged in 1987, named Young You, published by Shueisha.
The first anime Josei movie was Paradise Kiss in 2006, written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa and published by Shodensha. The movie is about a student who is studying in high school and seeks some purpose in life. She receives an invitation from a group of fashion design students to serve as the face of their clothing line, “Paradise Kiss.” She finds them strange, but she accepts them and quickly grows as a person. Watch this on Netflix.
Difference between Josei Anime and Shoujo Anime
| Josei | Shoujo |
|---|---|
| Josei anime addresses the concerns, relationships, and life experiences of adult women. | Shoujo anime primarily targets teenage girls, focusing on themes like first love, friendship, and personal growth. |
| Focuses on more mature and realistic themes such as career, complex relationships, life challenges, and personal fulfillment. | It often revolves around themes of first love, friendships, and personal growth. |
| Characters are more complex, dealing with adult issues. | Characters frequently deal with coming-of-age situations. |
| Reflects real-life situations and challenges faced by adults. | Tends to have a more optimistic and romanticized view of life. |
| Addresses mature and sometimes darker content. | Contains lighter and age-appropriate content. |
What is Josei Anime Romance?
Josei Anime Romance is a common topic in Josei anime, characterized by its depth, nuance, and often more mature approach to relationships. These series often explore the complexity of love, heartbreak, and the challenges associated with human connections in a more realistic and relatable manner.
Josei romances are written with both younger and older readers in mind. Teenage girls are the target audience for many of the stories, as seen by the common use of furigana to serve as a reading aid. Variant sexual identities, such as gay and transgender characters, also appear in these narratives. Hence, Josei anime romance is the best for people who want to watch relationship lifestyle, adult anime, and personal life challenges.
Related: 21 Top IMDb-Rated Josei Series From Top To Bottom You Should Watch In 2024
Top 5 Best Josei Anime to Watch in 2024 and These are the Josei Anime Examples
1. Nana – Watch at Hulu, Amazon Prime IMDb (8.5) Release in 2006
On March 5, 2001, Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu moved to Tokyo. Nana O. pursues a music career with her band, Black Stones. Nana K. joins her friends and moves in with her boyfriend. Despite their differences, they become roommates and friends. Nana K.’s boyfriend cheats on her, while Nana O. reunites with her ex-boyfriend Ren from the band Trapnest. Nana O.’s relationship with Ren faces challenges because he is addicted to drugs and gets jealous easily. Near the end of the story, there are rumors that Nana O has died, but she actually leaves for England instead.
2. Honey and Clover – Watch at Amazon Prime, IMDb (7.8) Released Year: 2005
Yuta, Takumi, and Shinobu are students who live in the same apartment complex in Tokyo. They meet Hagu, a new art student who lives with their professor. Yuta and Shinobu develop feelings for Hagu, but Yuta keeps his emotions hidden while Shinobu scares her with his actions. Over time, Hagu becomes more comfortable with all three of them. Another person in their group is Ayumi, who is a talented potter and works at her family’s liquor store. She falls in love with Takumi, but he only sees her as a friend and pursues an older woman named Rika instead. The story follows their complicated romantic relationships, graduation from college, finding jobs, and personal growth.
3. Princess Jellyfish – Watch at Funimation, and Amazon Prime, IMDb (7.7), Released Year: 2008
Princess Jellyfish is a story set in Tokyo about otaku women living in an apartment called Amamizukan. Only women are allowed to live there. The main character, Tsukimi Kurashita, loves jellyfish because of her memories of her mother and wants to become an illustrator. Tsukimi meets Kuranosuke Koibuchi, a fashionable man who dresses as a woman to avoid his political responsibilities. She keeps his secret from her roommates while dealing with the threat of their neighborhood being redeveloped. With Kuranosuke’s help, they protect Amamizukan from being destroyed.
4. Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope) – Watch at Amazon, IMDb (8.2), Released Year: 2007
Kaoru Nishimi is a smart and quiet student in high school. He moves a lot because of his father’s job, so he hasn’t had long-lasting friendships before. In 1966, he moves to Sasebo and meets Sentarō Kawabuchi, who is known for being a troublemaker. Sentarō’s love for jazz music motivates Kaoru to learn more about it, and this brings them closer as friends. They spend time together listening to jazz at Ritsuko Mukae’s family-owned record shop. The story follows their three years in high school and the relationships that develop between them.
5. Nodame Cantabile – Watch at Amazon Prime, IMDb (8.1), Released Year: 2009
Shinichi Chiaki is a talented music student who wants to become a conductor. He can’t travel outside of Japan because he’s scared of airplanes and the ocean. Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame, is a messy and quirky piano student who likes playing by ear instead of reading sheet music. Nodame falls in love with Chiaki quickly, but Chiaki takes longer to appreciate her unique qualities. Their relationship helps them grow, and they make lasting friendships. After graduating, Nodame helps Chiaki overcome his fears, and they both go to Paris for their musical careers.
Conclusion
Josei anime continues to attract viewers with its mature storytelling, relatable themes, and realistic representations of adult life and relationships. Whether you’re looking for emotionally rich narratives or a deeper exploration of human connections, Josei anime offers a compelling watching experience for adult audiences.
As the anime genre evolves and gains more recognition, exploring the wide range of Josei anime promises an enriching and engaging journey through complex and powerful narratives.
Comment to share your favorite Josei anime and tell me about your experiences with this genre.
