Shojo Anime History Part 2: The Seventies and Eighties

     Picking up from last post, we will be taking a look at shojo anime from the 1970s and 80s. The anime of the 60s was awash in what I've been referring to 60s chauvinism, a type of age-old sexism that one can find in a plethora of media from that period and before. The archetypes were standard; male lead, often supported by other male protagonists, male antagonists and male-driven storylines. Women and girls were confined to playing minor, inconsequential roles, or served as waifish supporting cast members or love interests to the male protagonist.  

    Society was undergoing rapind changes in the 1970s, and the feminist movement was exploding in both influence and popularity. This was the Age of Aquarius, and the Pill. Japan was experiencing a wave of feminist thought, and this was reflected in anime. This quote from Gender, Race and Class in Media sums up the zeitgeist of feminism in the 70s pretty perfectly, "Female scholars and writers embraced this agenda (feminist media critcism), and feminist media studies was born. It was driven by the conviction that sexism and discrimination against girls and women in employmeny, education, in their relationships- in all aspects of everyday life were driven and legitimated by dismissive stereotypes of women on the pages and screens of the country." 

   An explosion of different shojo subgenres emerged. Besides "magical girl" content like Princess Knight and Magical Witch Sally, shojo dramas, sports shows, slice-of-life, yuri and others emerged.   

    Contrast 1973's Aim for the Ace with the anime shown from the previous post. The animation quality is better, for one. Content-wise, Aim for the Ace is a sports drama, and not for little girls, instead it was aimed at older girls and teens. This show also has the distinction of being one of the first anime created by women, for girls and women. As discussed previously, early anime shows were almost completely male-dominated. The 70s were a period of women breaking the Japanese animated glass ceiling, so to speak. 

    The above clip from 1979's Rose of Versailles was also another watershed moment for anime and Japanese culture in the 70s. It is a yuri, which means "girl love" or "lesbian"-themed anime. It features lesbian romance, cross-dressing, upending gender conventions, all set against the backdrop pf the French Revolution. Visually stunning, with a unique plot and its challenging of heteronormative society was groundbreaking.  

    The explosion of creativity and different genres of anime continued in the 1980s. Sexuality and female nudity was depicted in the 70s for the first time in anime. The doors to those taboos were blown wide open in the 80s, with the arrival of hentai, or anime that is pornographic, fanservice, where female and male characters are shown in light-hearted or heavier, sexually-charged scenes, and the rise of the direct anime market, where those things were popular. 

    Female creators, and feminist-allied male creators rose in prominence. Rumiko Takahashi's works are internationally known and beloved. All of her works feature strong female leads, coupled with female-driven plotlines. Studio Ghibli, mostly run by men, features girls and women as strong protagonists in most of their works. These anime films have gone on to international acclaim popularity. 

    The 80s was a period of mecha, tentacles, adult content, and strong female leads, a rise in female creators, and intelligent works marketed directly for girls and women.   

    Above clip is from 1981's Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi. Female sexuality is not exploited in this, rather it is celebrated. It is a slice-of-life comedy with sci fi elements, with strong female characters and a celebration of female beauty and sexuality. 

    1989's Kiki's Delivery Service is an all-ages film from Studio Ghibli that features a teenage witch going through puberty and facing the challenges of young adulthood as a strong, independent young woman. The setting takes place in a magical-realistic pseudo-European city. It features both drama and comedy, and despite its setting and magical elements, is very much a slice-of-life, realistic film. This is not disposable entertainment, but solid, feminist-leaning film.  

    In closing, this period was one of transition into works that are were becoming harder to classify. If the 70s felt more tentative and experimental, the 80s was definitely a period of appealing to fans and continuing the experimentation.