Catering to the female gaze, shoujo is an anime variety where the storylines often feature themes of self-discovery, coming-of-age and the navigation of interpersonal relationships with romance as the driving force. Captivating and emotional when done well, each series is crafted to tug at the heart strings of its viewers. Pretty pink feelings and butterflies were inevitable. 

The female protagonists were just as pensive, complex and sensitive as I was, often navigating rich, interior lives. I began to feel seen the moment that I began to identify with them. I was often criticized in my youth for possessing such qualities, but I started to awaken to the possibility through watching my favorite anime that actually, at another time or in another place, that they could be recognized as my greatest strengths. Love gave these young women the courage to be and to evolve into their true selves. Keeping an open heart served as a gift that they were soon able to provide to their communities around them, as well as the objects of their affections, and this seemed to always win them over. Sometimes, their compassion knew no bounds in manners that seemed almost Christlike in nature: from loving their enemies and treating them like family, sacrificing their own self-interest for the greater good of those around them, and accepting the objects of their affection unconditionally with relentless pursuit. 

As I grow older, and my perceptions of romantic and platonic love evolves, I cannot help but to become curious of how the beauty of shoujo anime could serve as a profound sense of inspiration to Black women by-and-large. What comes to mind is romance writer Kennedy Ryan’s quote of wanting to depict more stories “of Black women being loved outrageously and thriving”, which is a key takeaway that I want to drive home in my own journey as a young girl into an adult consuming copious amounts of shoujo anime. I am also put in mind of the late and great bell hooks’ quote in All About Love as she writes: 

“My longing to find love did not make me lose my sense of reason or perspective; it gave me the incentive to think more, to talk about love, and to study more popular and serious writing on the subject.” 

I am in full-hearted agreement with the notion that you can definitely become the sum of what you consume. The same longing and desire that hooks’ echoes has garnered very rich results within my own friendships, community, passions and an assured sense of self. What I believed began to blossom, and provided a balm for wounds incited so early on. What grew from my viewership of the things I loved and yearned for was the act of romanticizing my own life, intentionally seeking—and finding— joy and fulfillment at every turn. 

One of my favorite series of all time would have to be Honey Lemon Soda. Uka Ishimori, the protagonist, especially stole my heart as a shy young lady entering High School for the first time with high hopes, after being bullied the entirety of her middle school years. There, she meets  and falls for laid back (yet contrastingly intense in his pursuit of Uka) and handsome classmate Kai Miura, who is immediately drawn to her. He takes on the role as a mentor of some sort, encouraging her to stand up and speak up for herself, get to know her classmates, confront her past and more. Her relationship with Kai blossoms throughout the series as Uka does, as she begins to grow more and more affirmed by her newfound confidence, friends and community rallying around her. It was also extremely sweet to see Uka’s homegirl’s Serina and Ayumi cheer her on in her pursuit of a romantic relationship with her crush; a common and endearing troupe in most shoujo anime. The slow-burning romance between her and Kai was touching, tender and sensual, always seeming to leave the ball in Uka’s court out of consideration for her comfort level at any given time. Honey Lemon Soda is just one example of how viewers can leave with a vision of the future of what could be; enjoying both romantic and platonic relationships that celebrate who they are, and that they are worthy of receiving them for who they are.