FEATURE: Japanese comics and animation enjoy growing female audience in U.S

Avid shojo reader Selene Herrera, 14, a high school student, from Carson, California, is such a fan of English-translated titles that she is willing to learn Japanese to expand her personal manga library.

''For me, it's the expressions and the looks of the characters, and the love that they show for one another, it's so intense,'' said Herrera, who dressed as her favorite character from the hit series ''Sailor Moon'' at the recent Anime Expo in Anaheim, California.

Other female fans enjoy a range of Japanese comics and animation, not just titles aimed at girls.

''I read and watch series targeted toward audiences of various ages, both male and female,'' said Julie Saracino, a technical editor in New York City.

Some of the 22-year-old's favorite Japanese comic titles are those aimed at male readers, or shonen manga, including the much-hyped ninja adventure ''Naruto.''

Robyn Mukai, 23, marketing manager of the Los Angeles-based anime distribution company Urban Vision, said one of the company's most popular titles, the violent gothic thriller ''Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust,'' has a huge female fan base.

''Females aren't really limited anymore to liking the cute, bright titles, they just like things that are well done,'' she said.

Distributors are noting the growing number of female fans contributing to America's sizeable anime market, which generated an estimated $500 million in DVD and video sales in 2004, according to the ''ICv2 Retailers Guide to Anime.''

Keith Burgess, 32, fan relations manager of Manga Entertainment Inc., a Chicago-based anime distribution and production company, has in recent years seen a substantial increase in the number of older professional female anime fans.

''We've had women who are doctors and lawyers pick up the 'Street Fighter' and Jet Li-style titles, but then they'll pick up 'Ghost in the Shell,' or 'Perfect Blue,' because they're almost like the thinking person's anime,'' said Burgess, citing some of Manga Entertainment's most popular action, science-fiction and mystery titles.

For many female fans, watching anime, like the popular series ''Sailor Moon,'' has served as an introduction to reading manga.

Like much of the televised anime in Japan, the series about a team of brightly uniformed, space-age girl heroines began as a serialized comic.

''I discovered 'Sailor Moon' the animated series and I fell in love. Then I discovered manga and started reading more of it than American comics,'' said Baltimore, Maryland-based manga creator Christy Lijewski, 24, who began watching the series at age 11.

Cartoon Network first broadcast ''Sailor Moon'' to American cable audiences in the mid-90s. Since then, the Atlanta-based network has expanded their distribution of animated programming to 160 countries, including Japan, through Cartoon Network Japan.

Jason DeMarco, 33, is associate creative director for Toonami, Cartoon Network's action-oriented program block and top franchise for anime, which featured ''Sailor Moon'' and the influential shonen-style series, ''Dragon Ball Z.''