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Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) (2005-2008) is often credited with popularizing anime elements in Western animation (mainly telling a continuous narrative over the course of a series), but it didn’t change the way most American children’s cartoons are made — that is, largely episodic stories.
Even when a cartoon wants to tell a concise story (as with Over the Garden Wall (2014), it often tells it with episodic segments; ATLA, with its predominantly shonen anime roots, doesn’t offer a flexible blueprint to any creators who want to tell stories on a smaller scale. It may have, however, inspired animators to take influence from other anime — shoujo anime — and that’s what revolutionized American cartoons in the following decade.
What Is Shoujo Anime
Strictly speaking, shoujo anime and shonen anime are merely two sides of the same coin, being descriptions of the demographic a manga is targeting — roughly third grade (age eight) through high school, with shonen being for boys and shoujo being for girls.
Naturally, the division of manga magazines by gender also gave rise to other distinctions. Generally, shoujo is more focused on relationships, primarily romance, though there are also platonic relationships — mainly friendships between girls — and occasional focus on familial relationships. While there are shonen romances, too, they tend to be more plot-focused (as in The Ancient Magus Bride (2017–2023), whereas shoujo romances are often more comfortable letting the relationship drama stand on its own.
For many shoujo series, the characters themselves are the main draw, as opposed to shonen’s focus on an overarching plot. For instance, Fruits Basket (1998-2006), one of the most successful shoujo manga internationally, never bothers to fully explain what the Curse (the source of the central conflict in the story) really even is, because it’s not as important as how the characters are affected by it. Another feature that distinguishes shoujo from shonen is its tendency toward queerness.
Again, there are shonen with queer elements as well, but it’s not nearly as prevalent as in shoujo. One of the first shoujo anime, Princess Knight (1967-68), tells the story of a princess born with both the heart of a boy and the heart of a girl. To save her kingdom, she pretends to be a prince, though she ultimately ends up with a prince of her own.
Such play with gender and sexuality continues in shoujo manga, even in very mainstream stories (Fruits Basket, for instance, includes several canonically queer characters, despite all the characters ending up in heterosexual relationships). Now that we have established what distinguishes shoujo from shonen, we can discuss the impact shoujo anime had on animation, beginning with Sailor Moon (1992-97).
Sailor Moon (1992-97)
Sailor Moon (1992-97) introduced the world to shoujo anime in the nineties, and more specifically, to the magical girl genre. Again, the magical girl genre is not the exclusive domain of shoujo, but in general, the shonen and seinen variations are either deconstructions or spoofs. The premise of your average magical show (like Sailor Moon) is that ordinary girls are given magic, transform into a different outfit (the Sailor Guardians here have magical girl outfits inspired by sailor fuku, a popular type of Japanese school uniform for girls), and fight the minions of some villain with varying levels of camp and levity.
This sums up its magical girl successor, Pretty Cure (2004-Present), although variations exist. These often involve the size of the team, as early magical girl shows typically featured only one magical girl. Some magical girl shows don’t even have villains — they just try to solve problems with magic. These shows feature a hefty dose of girl power, but they’re still shoujo, and as such, relationships tend to get a lot of focus…even if Usagi’s romance is the only one to get much screen time in Sailor Moon, the others typically being relegated to comedic subplots.
There is one notable exception to the usual lack of romantic subplots — the romance between Uranus and Neptune. The characters do not appear until the third season, and we do not get much background on their relationship, but it sadly remains the only magical girl couple in an anime aimed at children, as Madoka Magica and its derivatives are not made for little girls. Uranus and Neptune are more ruthless than most of the other guardians but still sympathetic and compelling.
There are a few queer villains as well, but queer villains (or at least queer-coded villains) aren’t a foreign concept to American children. Speaking of villains, that is another area where magical girl shows tend to distinguish themselves from Western cartoons: they show compassion to the bad guys.
Or at least some of the bad guys — in Sailor Moon (and many others), there is a Big Bad, and then there are minibosses who work for them for various reasons. The Big Bad is usually irredeemable, but sometimes the underlings can be swayed by the heroines (and if they’re female, they might even join the team!). The villains can be characters in their own right, with varying levels of sympathy from both the protagonists and the audience.
And Sailor Moon leads nicely into another shoujo anime that was an inspiration to many creators: Revolutionary Girl Utena. While not a magical girl show itself, its creator, Kunihiko Ikuhara, made a name for himself directing Sailor Moon and was therefore well-versed in themes that magical girl shows often touched on, but rarely delved into. He successfully explores the darker side of shoujo, using fairy tale motifs as entry points into discussing gender, sexuality, and just what it means for a girl to grow up in a patriarchal society.
It is difficult to describe what this show is beyond that, but to start, many of the characters in this show are portrayed as queer. The character writing in this show is excellent, so none of the central characters come off as stereotypes (maybe some of the side characters, but you have to cut corners somewhere). Utena herself has been read (validly) in all sorts of ways, including trans; the one thing everyone agrees on is that Utena is not cishet.
All this to say, this is a story that can change lives, so it is little wonder that a few creators included nods to it, even in children’s cartoons. In conclusion, shoujo anime often emphasizes relationships over plot, demonstrates compassion even toward antagonists, and embraces diverse expressions of gender and sexuality.
A New Golden Age Of Children’s Cartoons
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-19; hereafter FiM) was a cultural phenomenon, and it set the stage for the predominance of shoujo influences in American cartoons. Lauren Faust transformed a property long dismissed as a baby show for little girls into a compelling world and narrative, primarily by drawing from shoujo influences.
She was clearly inspired by Sailor Moon, essentially making the “Mane Six” magical girls (with one character revealed to be a secret princess, much like Sailor Moon), using magic to fight agents of chaos when need be, but always with the desire for peace and harmony (which often extended to the antagonists).
While the hype for that show remained surprisingly resilient, it took more than one show to create a trend
Steven Universe (2013–2019)
The next groundbreaking show was Steven Universe (2013–2019), created by Rebecca Sugar. Sugar and their team included references to many anime, bridging anime and cartoon fandoms1, with two key influences standing out: Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Steven embodies the quintessential shoujo protagonist: romantic, endlessly kind, and driven by a desire to befriend everyone, even enemies. He’s also a magical girl in all but gender (he even has the pink color scheme common for many). The Sailor Moon influences culminate in Steven’s peaceful resolution to a cosmic conflict, reminiscent of the conclusion of Sailor Moon, Sailor Stars, the last season of the original anime.
But Utena arguably had a greater influence (beyond some visual references), as Steven Universe adopted a similar attitude toward gender and sexuality.
Steven himself leans into some of his feminine traits (and is very comfortable in a skirt). While the show never openly discusses sexuality beyond acknowledging the existence of queer people, it does interrogate it via the metaphor of “fusion,” essentially a manifestation of the relationship between two (or more) people.
On the surface, fusion appears to represent intimacy, but the show expands it to explore themes of consent and bodily autonomy. Over time, the narrative reveals that such ‘queer’ fusions aren’t inherently wrong but are stigmatized for challenging societal norms.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power (2018-20)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-20) by ND Stevenson is a more anime-esque show, and it has a much stronger plot than the last two, but make no mistake: This show owes just as much to shoujo as Steven Universe. The most obvious element is the added transformation sequence for She-ra, but similarly to Steven Universe (a show that heavily influenced the making of this one, according to Stevenson2), it also works to humanize the villains. While plot plays a central role, it unfolds primarily through character development, particularly Catra’s complex, evolving relationship with Adora.
Beyond the space magic and iconic transformation sequence, reminiscent of Sailor Moon, the show’s deeper thematic elements are rooted in Revolutionary Girl Utena, if from a different angle than Steven Universe.
Steven Universe leaned into the queer themes of Utena; there is no shortage of queerness in She-Ra, either, this show focuses on Utena‘s revolutionary message, emphasizing the dismantling of oppressive systems — a theme that remains increasingly relevant today.
The Owl House (2020-23)
The Owl House (2020-23) by Dana Terrace is a show built more on the impact of Steven Universe and She-Ra than directly from shoujo anime, but from that foundation, it managed to queer up Harry Potter. The show focuses more on familial relationships than most shoujo (or even the aforementioned cartoons), but Luz shares a desire to befriend everyone she meets with Steven (including the villains, even if it doesn’t always turn out as well as in the previous shows).
The Owl House most likely draws inspiration from Little Witch Academia (2017), which itself borrowed elements from Harry Potter. The character of Diana, a green-haired witch who becomes a rival to the non-magical protagonist, seems to have influenced certain character dynamics.
While heavily plot-driven — particularly in the second and third seasons — The Owl House ensures that its characters remain central to the narrative. The show does incorporate elements from shonen anime like Soul Eater, My Hero Academia, and Fullmetal Alchemist, which aligns with its focus on action and plot progression.
Dissolving The Divide: Gender-Neutral Storytelling In Contemporary Cartoons
When Rebecca Sugar created Steven Universe, she wanted to make it a show that their younger self would have loved.3
“I wanted little boys to experience girl show things. I wanted little girls to experience boy show things that they felt like they weren’t supposed to like,” she recalled.
Nowadays, a divide between girls’ shows and boys’ shows may sound silly, but this was a revolutionary idea at the time. After all, FiM was side-eyed for being a “girl’s show” that had a vocal male fandom. The show’s success across all genders hinged on Steven’s balance between epic world-saving battles and relatable, mundane adventures, such as being grounded from TV or visiting a library for the first time.
Because he was confident in himself, it didn’t matter much what gender he was. Steven Universe started a trend of shows for all genders, and many cartoons followed Sugar’s example by creating more androgynous protagonists.
While few creators matched Steven Universe in featuring a boy with strong feminine traits, the concept of the tomboy was already well-established in Western media, with characters like Jo March from Little Women or Anne from Anne of Green Gables. Contemporary examples include Luz from The Owl House, Anne from Amphibia (2019-2022), and Lunella of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023-25).
Alex Hirsch‘s Gravity Falls (2012-16) introduced a new mode of storytelling that paired a boy and a girl—twins Dipper and Mabel — on wild adventures through their mysterious town. This co-protagonist model, though less common than the androgynous lead, became a hallmark of shows like Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2015-19), which leaned heavily into romantic subplots, and Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022), where Barney and Norma formed a purely platonic partnership.
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir (2015-Present) embraced audience interest in romantic pairings, centering much of its narrative around the evolving relationship between its titular heroes. In contrast, shows like Dead End consciously rejected these conventions, prioritizing strong friendships over romance.
From The Margins To The Spotlight: Women And Queer Creators In Animation
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the success of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, because up until that point, women and AFAB people were usually relegated to creating preschool and/or edutainment shows. Faust was likely hired specifically for that reason — after all, at that point in the My Little Pony franchise, it was essentially a preschool show. She proved that a woman could successfully run a ‘girl’s show,’ paving the way for more AFAB directors to create their own shows.
Rebecca Sugar cut their teeth working on Adventure Time (2010-18) under Pendleton Ward, where she (also they/them) was an early proponent of the Marceline-Princess Bubblegum romance (as proven when they wrote the song “I’m Just Your Problem” for Season 3, episode 10). They were only the second AFAB person to develop a show for Cartoon Network.
Star vs. the Forces of Evil by Daron Nefcy was the third original cartoon to be created by a woman for Disney Channel, and naturally, Dana Terrace was the fifth (two out of the five cartoons were for preschoolers). Terrace, much like Sugar, worked under Alex Hirsch to help make Gravity Falls, but she wasn’t credited for any story elements. ND Stevenson made the jump to “creator” mostly after writing for Wander Over Yonder (2013-16), but he was also busy writing his webcomic Nimona from 2012-14 (yes, that Nimona).
Even ten years ago, it was hard to find any queer representation in children’s shows. After the series finale of The Legend of Korra (2012-14), the creators had to clarify that yes, the title character did get together with another girl…partly because the two of them didn’t get to do so much as say “I love you,” but also partly because the last season of the show didn’t even air on television due to poor its ratings (and back before everything was streaming, that was a bad sign).
So when Steven Universe came along and prominently debuted a lesbian (rock) couple in 2015 (and went on to explain to the kids that they were, in fact, in a loving and committed relationship), it was a major step forward for the gays.
In 2018, they actually got married…and it might not have been a coincidence that 2018 was the same year She-Ra released its first season. Stevenson credits2 Sugar for setting the stage for his show, which culminated in the protagonist ending up in a gay relationship. Steven Universe started a veritable avalanche of queer representation in children’s cartoons, from She-Ra to The Owl House (featuring not one, but two protagonists in queer relationships).
Magical Girls and Emotional Resonance
Shoujo not only inspired many AFAB creators to make their own cartoons but also set the stage for a queer renaissance. The magical girls of yesteryear truly managed to empower a generation, directly or indirectly. Meanwhile, the French creator Thomas Astruc introduced his take on the magical girl genre, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.
It was intended as more of a combination of superhero stories and magical girl stories, but it has been embraced as a magical girl show due to its clear debt not only to Sailor Moon,4 but to Pretty Cure. Miraculous Ladybug is actually a co-production with Toei Animation, and Precure is one of Toei’s more successful franchises. What’s more, the first Precure series (and a few afterward) featured a team of two magical girls, when previously, magical girl shows would typically feature either one or a team of four or more.
So Astruc seemingly borrowed the formula of a team of two but switched out one of the magical girls for a magical boy (to more conveniently foster a love polygon).
The cartoon is an obvious throwback to the cheesy old Sailor Moon series but with a shiny new coat of paint. The “superhero” aspect adds a little flavor (the main difference is that there’s a premium on maintaining their secret identities). Unlike its American counterparts, there weren’t many women involved with the development of this cartoon, so it mostly just reiterates stories we’ve seen before.
It managed to gain traction on Netflix amidst the waning relevance (and at long last, the end) of FiM. Once it had built enough of a following in America, Disney acquired the show’s distribution and merchandising rights. It currently has five seasons, with three more on the way.
“From Representation To Regression” — What’s Next For American Cartoons?
After a boom of queer representation (mostly championed by AFAB people), it seems as if many producers have gotten bearish in the face of another Trump presidency. Animation was one of the only entertainment industries that could make the jump to being fully remote (as alluded to in this ongoing petition by The Animation Guild)5. As such, there was a boom in animated shows being greenlit for a few years in the midst of the pandemic.
Despite the fact that queer cartoons managed to flourish during Trump’s first term, the backlash from conservative groups (including the Heritage Foundation, which deemed any depictions of queer identities “pornographic”6) has finally caught up with the people that sign off on which cartoons are made. The Owl House was the first sign.
Despite being released during the pandemic, the first season built significant hype. When the second season premiered, viewers eagerly anticipated the conclusion after a massive cliffhanger, only to learn that Disney had declined to greenlight a third season. Upon the general outcry from fans, Terrace was permitted to make a third season, but a severely abridged one: only three episodes.
Even if they could be as long as they wanted (and they seemingly took advantage of that, the resulting “season” being two and a half hours without commercials), it clearly wasn’t what they envisioned. The most obvious reason for the cancellation was homophobia (as the second season ended with the protagonist dating another girl, culminating with a kiss in the second-to-last episode), but Terrace staunchly defended the people at Disney on that front, and I’m inclined to agree.
It was never JUST the queerness — it was the queerness combined with its cutting critique of American imperialism, and even of Christian fundamentalism. But it ended nonetheless. Next, there was Moon Girl. While Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is technically a Marvel property, the cartoon doesn’t seem to be included in the MCU proper, just something in the wider multiverse, and Disney did the bare minimum effort to promote what is really a very unique show.
It was poorly advertised, but still managed to find an audience. Then along came season 2, episode 6, ironically named “The Gatekeeper,” which Disney declined to air because it was about a trans girl on a girl’s sports team.7 They claim it’s only been postponed temporarily, but as of this writing, there’s no date set for its release, and as such, someone who worked on the episode leaked the whole episode, because it was an amazing episode that people clearly poured their hearts and souls into!
Currently, the last six episodes of the second season are streaming on Disney+ (and set to air on TV at some undisclosed date), but that’s it. They wanted a third season, but unless the fans riot like they did with The Owl House, that’s the end. And lest you think Disney’s the only one cancelling queer cartoons, let me tell you what Netflix has been up to after She-Ra.
Netflix & The Cliffhanger Curse
First, there’s Dead End: Paranormal Park, a cartoon by Hamish Steele, a trans man, which also stars a trans man, and his friend Norma who is autistic and bisexual.
It is an openly queer show that involves Heaven and Hell in the proceedings, so it should not have been a surprise that it got canceled after two seasons, but if you thought the cliffhanger for the second season of Owl House was bad…well, let’s say that they both had terrible cliffhangers and leave it at that.
Centaurworld (2021), created by Megan Dong, is a visually striking and imaginative series. Although explicit queer relationships emerge only in the final episodes, the show exhibits strong queer coding throughout.
It’s all about the family you find along the way, and worrying about changing and growing distant from the family you always had before. It was rather popular on the platform,8 but only got two seasons for a grand total of 18 episodes. It is painfully obvious that they wanted another season to flesh out the conflict, but as they did not get one, they introduced “backstory magic” a few episodes from the end in order to tell the whole story in a condensed fashion.
Shoujo anime inspired women and queer creators, but once those creators pushed for “too much” queer rep or started critiquing conservative values, the producers pulled the plug on them. In contrast, Miraculous Ladybug has ONE confirmed queer kid, despite also having two pairs of obviously gay kids that the creators refuse to make canon, and it gets eight seasons.
Basically, the established franchises are getting bigger, and queer shows are getting two seasons.
The Lasting Legacy Of Shoujo Anime On American Cartoons
In the end, shoujo anime helped shape a golden age for American cartoons, leaving an indelible mark on storytelling, even if its influence was relatively short-lived. Its focus on emotional depth, complex characters, and gender-neutral narratives has redefined what audiences expect from an animated series. It gave people (particularly women and AFAB people) modes of storytelling that had never been seen in American children’s cartoons before, allowing them to tell their own stories in the medium.
Today, it is difficult to imagine a return to the simplistic formulas of Saturday Morning Cartoons, with their one-dimensional villains and flawless heroes (Zuko walked so that Catra could pounce adorably). But where might the industry go in the next few years? Most of the creators discussed here either went on to work for big(ger) franchises (like Faust) or are threatened with obscurity, and obscurity is all the more likely for the queer creators.
These creators made successful shows for big companies, but that does not guarantee their futures. Disney, at least, proved long ago that they would gladly exploit the labor of queer creators by their relationship with the legendary Howard Ashman, whose songs they were happy to accept, but not his sexuality.
Nowadays, women and AFAB people are prominent in the industry, so they are the ones being exploited (or discarded). As audiences, it’s essential to champion their work — whether by supporting independent projects, engaging with their stories, or amplifying their voices. The legacy of shoujo anime lives on, but it’s up to all of us to ensure that the creators and their contributions are not forgotten.
Footnotes
- Chapman, J. (2015, July 31). Why Are Anime Fans Obsessed with Steven Universe? Anime News Network. ↩︎
- Moen, M. (2020, August 5) In Conversation: Rebecca Sugar and [ND] Stevenson. Papermag. ↩︎
- Whitley-Berry, V. (2021, June 30). After Decades In The Background, Queer Characters Step To The Front In Kids’ Media. NPR.
↩︎ - Horakova, E. (2021, April 19). Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Strange Horizons. ↩︎
- The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 (2025). Give Animation Guild members a fair contract! Action Network. ↩︎
- Roberts, K. (2023). Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. Project 2025: Presidential Transition Project, Page One. The Heritage Foundation. ↩︎
- Season 2b: “The Gatekeeper” : r/television. “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Unaired Episode.” Accessed February 27, 2025. ↩︎
- Bishop, R. (2021, December 28). Centaurworld Creator Megan Nicole Dong Talks Season 2, That Finale, and Comfortable Doug. Comicbook.com ↩︎