Manga Madness

Shojo Beat

April 2009,volume 5, issue 4

VIZ Media, LLC

Genre: Magazine

Read if: You want to get into Manga or you already love it. If you like comics in lots of genres (sci fi, historical fiction) that focus on romance, this magazine is for you.

Best for: Middle school girls (12 -15) who want to follow several manga series in one go, and get some art and fashion tips too!

If you like it try:

Apple by Udon Entertainment

Rating: 4/5

I picked this magazine up not really knowing what to expect. It turns out this is a great resource for teens who love manga (japanese for comic), or for teens who want an introduction into manga. 

The magazine contains six different comics from ongoing series. Series in this issue included the new "Tail of the Moon" by Rinko Ueda ("can a lowly caretaker with amnesia find love with the dreamy castle guard?"); Crimson Hero by Mitsuba Takanashi ("Nobara and Yushin fight off a host of admirers. Must be nice"); Honey and Clover by Chica Umino ("Takemoto goes on a search for himself, and Morita sort of does the same"); and more! Each comic starts with a synopsis of the entire series, what happened last episode, a list of characters, and an author bio.

Besides the comics, the Shojo Beat also has a "Manga Update" with recent Manga news, a fashion and beauty section, culture and trends (the issue I read had a great article on how to create attractive food presentations), and how to draw manga. All the articles in the magazine have a clear artistic bent to them, and focus on aesthetics. The layout and subject matter of the magazine is clearly aimed at teen girls (Shojo is Japanese for "young girl"). 

I really enjoyed reading Shojo Beat. This magazine would be a great way to get into manga, as it allows you to follow several short comics in one go, from month to month. The other articles were also well written and fun, and would appeal to girls who are interested in art, aesthetics, and Japanese culture. This is a well made magazine that's well worth a look.

Get in line for the new issue of Shojo Beat

Interested? Check out their website where you can preview new issues, read about creators and download online manga.