What is Josei?

What is Josei? A type of anime or manga directed at a particular demographic! More info here.

Josei (女性) is a Japanese term used to categorize anime or manga commonly aimed at women 15 and up who can read a large variety of Kanji (for Manga). In fact, the word Josei means woman or feminine.

This type of anime and manga generally features romance stories with a much more realistic or mature tone not seen in the glamorized Shoujo counterpart. However, like in Shoujo anime and manga, Josei may feature a lot of homoerotic content; Although, in recent years Josei stories have become much more diverse. Notable examples of Josei anime and manga include: Nana, Loveless, Honey and Clover, and 07-Ghost.

This is just one of five different types of Anime and Manga directed at certain demographics. For more demographic groups, see my articles on KodomomukeShounen, Shoujo, and Seinen. And don’t forget, you can find more information on subculture terms just like this in my growing Otaku Encyclopedia.