Best New Shojo of 2009

One more "best of" list that focuses only on the shojo genre of 2009.

1. Kimi ni Todoke - Adorable and heartwarming, Kimi ni Todoke is a high school slice of life love story between Sawako, a shy, socially inept girl and Kazehaya, a kind, popular boy. Art style and paneling combine to accent the poignant moments in this story.




2. Black Bird - Spicy and naughty, Black Bird is the newest shojo guilty pleasure. The target of demons due to the power she holds, Misao can only accept the protection of her perverted childhood friend, Kyo, leader of a tengu clan and a demon himself. Does Kyo only want Misao for the power he can gain, or is there more behind his desire to possess her?

3. Rasetsu - Supernatural romance with beautiful artwork, Rasetsu continues the story of Yako Hoshino from Yurara. Cursed to find love before her 20th birthday or be taken away by a demon, Rasetsu works as an exorcist while looking for the right guy. Yako Hoshino with spiritual powers of his own, works as part of Rasetsu's team while pining for his lost love. Will he become the one who saves Rasetsu from her horrible fate?

4. Honey Hunt - Another girl becoming a celebrity title, Honey Hunt provides a love triangle between brothers. Yura's parents are both famous celebrities. When her parents divorce, Yura finds her first love with her mother. Furious, she decides to destroy her mother's image by becoming an actress. With the support of two brothers, she determines to make her way as a success.


5. Otomen - Otomen is the teen girl's fantasy male character that could be your best friend. Captain of the kendo team with excellent judo and karate skills, Asuka Masamune is considered the manliest guy on campus. He has worked hard to preserve his darkest secret. He loves cooking, sewing, the color pink, shojo manga, and plushies. However, once he meets outgoing Ryō Miyakozuka who has just transferred to Ginyuri Academy, his hobbies become more difficult to hide.

6. Venus Capriccio - Playing with the idea of role reversal, Venus Capriccio tells the story of tall and athletic Takami Habara who has a bluntly honest and outgoing personality. This is far from her ideal girly personality of a beautiful and demure princess. Her long time childhood friend, Akira Sasaki, has served that role in her mind; a talented pianist whose blond hair and blue eyes project a delicate beauty rivaled by any princess - except that Akira is a boy. Now teens, Akira decides to enlighten Takami about his own masculinity and sets out to prove which of them is really the "princess".

7. Name of the Flower - Serious and sentimental, Name of the Flower tells the story of a young girl Chouko, taken in by a distant relative when her parents suddenly pass away. The relative Kei, a young novelist, relates to the girl's grief and watches her as she begins to live again. In his latest novel "Hana", his deepest feelings are expressed. Will Chouko reach Kei and help him find happiness?

8. Maid-Sama! - A fun romp, Maid-Sama! centers around Misaki Ayuzaka, president of the student council at her recently all boys turned co-ed high school. Working hard to keep the school in high reputation to increase the girl population, she is considered a tyrant by the boys. Since her father left her family Misaki must work part time after school at a maid cafe. When one boy finds out her secret she expects to be belittled at school. Instead he keeps the secret. What could his motive be?

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The following titles I would have included except the first book was released in November 2008.

Shinobi Life - A time-traveling romance, Shinobi Life brings together an orphaned ninja from history and a modern day rich girl. Kagetora believes himself to be protecting his princess Beni-Hime, and modern day Beni, who has already been the subject of numerous kidnappings, thinks he's a bodyguard hired by her rich father. When both realize the time difference, Kagetora's feelings get confused, because he realizes he is now developing emotions for the new Beni, and poor Beni just wants Kagetora to love her for herself and not think of her as Beni-Hime.

We Were There - Serious and depressing, We Were There focuses on a boy's grief and angst at his first love who dies in an accident, and the girl who tries to love him. Yano cares for Takahashi Nanami but has numerous issues with jealousy and trust. Takahashi loves Yano, but until he can heal himself, there is only so much she can give him to provide happiness. A realistic look at a relationship and how emotions linger in one's heart.

Back to School Shojo Manga

It's that time of year again here in the states. With summer time escapades come and gone, students are back to classes and learning new subjects at schools all over the country. In recognition of this annual ritual, I'd like to highlight some of our reader's favorite school mangas.

Last month I ran a poll asking for everyone's favorite shojo/josei manga in a school setting. Excited with the amount of response, I'd like to thank everyone who voted. Unquestionably, the most favored title is Bisco Hatori's Ouran High School Host Club. Not surprising considering the amount of bishies covering the pages of this elaborate private high school story. I personally haven't read the entire series, just a few volumes, but it's in my to be read pile to be reviewed at a later date. With that confessed, I can still say that it's understandable why fans are so drawn to this series. Hatori's characters are memorable at the very least, and fans readily have their favorites. The school itself is such a posh environment that it doesn't even compare to an average high school experience. Then you have the heroine, who is so unconcerned with her appearance that she doesn't care if others mistake her as a boy. That goes against the stereotype of all the affluent girls that do attend the school. Which leads us to the host club which, really, what high school in Japan would even allow that as an extra-curricular club? The fantasy of Ouran High School is such a buy in for fans that girls just eat it up. Who wouldn't want to be Haruhi, surrounded by cute or hot guys all the time that secretly adore you? The humor in the series is often gut busting, and then there's the more serious ongoing storyline of Haruhi and her relationships with and among the boys. If you haven't given this series a read yet, then you may want to give it a try. Underneath all the laughter and frills is a simple story that warms the heart.

Another read you might want to pick up if you haven't already is After School Nightmare. This also was a fan favorite for a school manga. I have done a formal review of this title and highly recommend it. An interesting cast of characters along with a mind boggling premise, After School Nightmare keeps readers guessing down to the last few pages. The high school that Ichijo attends along with his classmates has an interesting after school class. There the students sleep, and in their dreams they must compete to find a key that will open the door and allow them to graduate. Only the dreams are more like nightmares, since everyone's true personae are revealed and many of their forms are terrifyingly distorted. Add the fact that you must destroy your classmate in order to find the key inside them, and you have a very disturbed group of teenagers vengefully trying to graduate this class. Then what happens once you graduate? Well, that's the whole secret of the story my friends, and I'm not one for spoilers. So go grab the first volume and get started. You'll be so absorbed by the art and the story, you'll have to read this series twice!

If comedy and horror are not your thing, then you might enjoy a more typical, slice of life shojo like Kimi ni Todoke. With it's recent popular release, it has captured the hearts of many devout shojo fans, including myself. Although we only have the first volume here in the states, the second one will be released next month in October 2009. Most fans are eagerly waiting to see just what happens next between Sawako and Kazehaya. In the same class their first year of high school, Sawako respects Kazehaya for always being friendly and pleasant to her. That's despite the rest of her classmate's fears that Sawako has the power to curse them or see ghosts. Stigmatized with the name "Sadako" from Ringu, quiet, shy Sawako has a hard time making friends. That is, until sweet, popular Kazehaya takes notice and extends her his friendship. With Kazehaya's encouragement, Sawako endeavors to make more friends and eventually succeeds. Truly thankful and honored by Kazehaya's help, Sawako expresses her deepest respect. Though Kazehaya is touched, he obviously yearns for more than Sawako's respect. To see this endearing relationship blossom, you'll have to pick up the latest copies from Viz.

Other titles that were voted highly include CLAMP's Cardcaptor Sakura, Umino's Honey and Clover (coming out in anime this month!), Minami's Special A, Kanno's Otomen, and Kawahara's High School Debut. So now that it's time to be hitting the books again, be sure that you've picked up some enjoyable reads as well. There's no setting like school that can bring so many memorable or lovable characters together in one place.

Manga of the Month: Kimi ni Todoke vol. 1 - Karuho Shiina

Kimi ni Todoke is currently serialized in Bessatsu Margaret since 2006. In 2008 it won the Kodansha Manga Award for best shojo manga. With such an accolade, it's no surprise that this series has been highly anticipated here in the states. After reading the first chapter preview before the end of Shojo Beat, I know myself and others were eagerly awaiting volume 1. That's why this book was voted "Manga of the Month" for August 2009.

Synopsis: Sawako Kuronuma is a shy, socially inept girl who since elementary school has been called "Sadako" after the character from the Japanese movie Ringu (The Ring in English). With long black hair and a quiet nature, she has been stigmatized as being able to see ghosts and cause curses, making her peers wary of her. Only one classmate seems immune to the rumors. Shota Kazehaya remembers meeting Sawako the first day of high school. Lost on his way to school, Sawako points him in the right direction and leaves a lasting impression upon Kazehaya. Kazehaya is part of the popular crowd, well liked by his classmates. When he extends his friendship to Sawako despite the fears of their classmates, it encourages Sawako's efforts to overcome the class's misconceptions of her and form other friendships. Though Sawako admires Kazehaya's kindness and expresses her deepest respect for him, he on the other hand has a genuine romantic interest in Sawako. As Sawako acclimates to her new social world, a sweet affection has blossomed between Kazehaya and Sawako that hints at a deeper love to come.

Review: Honestly, I haven't enjoyed a high school manga this much since I first read High School Debut over a year ago. That makes this difficult to review, seeing as I am so partial to it. I'll do my best to be objective, but no promises.

The strength of this story lies within the character development. The amount of growth in Sawako's character in just the first volume speaks of a story enriched by the characters themselves, in addition to the events of the plot. Sawako's struggles are not too far from what many teens actually experience in regards to peers' perceptions and rumors. That makes her character easy to relate to and empathize with, since most have endured the role of social outcast in some form at one point or another. Kazehaya's character seems too good to be true. The popular boy falling for the social outcast? A female teen fantasy come to life if I've ever seen one. Yet Shiina reveals his faults to the audience, making him less of a fantasy and more realistic, if not very believable. Still, his actions are endearing the way he stands up for Sawako, and it's hard as a girl to not like him. A gentlemanly protector - heck yes, we all want him to exist! - even if it's not the norm. As well as the personalities, it's the shared moments between the two characters of Sawako and Kazehaya that show Shiina's talent as a writer and artist. From chosen panels to portraying the character expressions, the art reinforces the wealth of development in both plot and characters. The contrast in styles from Sawako's chibi form, to the standard character designs, to the detailed feathery textures in the more emotional scenes, provides a sense of balance and really gives more depth to the story. I'm really looking forward to reading this series as a whole. From what I've read it only gets better, and it will be a delight to see where the journey of these two characters takes them.

Romance Rating: Cuddly - Sweet affection and friendship start off this relationship.

Media Status: Kimi ni Todoke is available in English in one volume from Viz Media. Volume 2 will be in stores October 6, 2009. As of November 2008, there are 8 volumes in Japanese. An anime adaptation is currently underway by Production I.G. and is announced to be out this fall 2009 in Japan.

Memorable Manga Moments - M³: Kimi ni Todoke

This week's is from Karuho Shiina's Kimi ni Todoke

Volume 1 Chapter 3

In this scene Kazehaya is attempting to send Sawako a note during class. Having never received a note in class before, she doesn't consider it's for her and tries to pass it on to one of the gang around her. Kazehaya already embarrassed, retrieves the note with some commotion and this time writes her name on it. Even when she sees it, she is surprised and still verifies with him that the note is for her. He smiles and confirms that it is. I think it's moments like the one pictured above that have drawn so many shojo fans into this story. It's the little things between shy Sawako and sweet Kazehaya that make them so endearing.