shoujo manga

This episode covers volumes 1–6 of Shorkcake Cake by Suu Morishita (that's the first half).

The duo that makes up Suu Morishita burst onto the English manga scene in recent years with Shorkcake Cake and A Sigh of Affection. In this episode, Shojo & Tell host Ashley and manga reviewer Olive discuss what makes SCC a breath of fresh air, from Ten's kind frankness, to Chiaki's dorkiness, to Riku's fumbling sincerity. Then again, there's also Rei, who's been going Goblin Mode since before it was cool. Why??

REFERENCES

• Shortcake Cake is available from Viz Media's Shojo Beat line
• A Sign of Affection, Morishita's current work, is being published by Kodansha
• Other manga mentioned:
  • Ao Haru Ride
  • Daytime Shooting Star
  • Dengeki Daisy
  • Princess Jellyfish
  • Fruits Basket
  • Snow White with the Red Hair
  • My Love Mix-Up!
  • Bleach
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Olive on Twitter: @allofthemanga
• Olive writes for But Why Tho?
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

It's Love Month!  We're gonna cover stuff about love!  Well, mostly just couples or romances that we think are noteworthy.  We begin the month with Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story!!)  I'm pretty sure all those exclamation points are totally necessary.

What do you think?  Do you have something to say?  Wanna tell us what you think of our current topic?  Have other things to say about other topics?  Wanna tell us some sweet recipes for cookies (please)?  Let us know!  We have social medias!  If you see the deranged pencil, you're in the right place!  I also check my email now!  I promise!  You could also give us a rating and comment on your favorite podcast aggregator!  Talk to us!
 
 Website:  https://pencilusinpodcast.buzzsprout.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PencilUsInPodcast
Twitter: @pencilusin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pencilusinpodcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pencilusin
email: PencilUsInPodcast@gmail.com

Phil here:  This is another episode mostly guided by our resident non-American expert: Su!  This one was out of my wheelhouse so I'm mostly just along for the ride!

So, what sources did we use?  Check em!

https://natalie.mu/comic/artist/1832

https://natalie-mu.translate.goog/comic/pp/oremonogatari/page/2?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

https://emorywheel.com/ore-monogatari-redefining-sincerity-in-anime/

https://the-artifice.com/takeo-broke-mold-ore-monogatari/

https://heroineproblem.com/2015/11/23/ore-monogatari-their-love-story/

 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-10-20/animax-asia-to-air-hello-kinmoza-cute-high-earth-defense-club-love-my-love-story-anime/.107882

So, what comics were we reading this week?  Find out!

 Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story!!)
You can find this one on the Viz website for an English translation.  Su highly recommends!  Don't pirate!

Covers all 10 volumes plus the 10th anniversary side stories of The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda (that's the five omnibus volumes released by Udon!)

It's hard to overstate how significant The Rose of Versailles is to the history of shojo manga and beyond. In this episode about Riyoko Ikeda's masterpiece, Erica Friedman, the editor of the English edition of the series, details the legacy of Oscar François de Jarjayes, the ultimate girl prince. Erica answers listener questions about the localization, plus she and Ashley dive into the series' queerness (despite not being about gender or sexuality), how historically accurate it is to the events of the French Revolution (immensely), and much more. We hope you're as delighted as we are to finally be able to read this iconic series legally, in gorgeous English editions.

REFERENCES

• The Rose of Versailles manga is available physically in omnibuses from Udon Entertainment
• The Rose of Versailles anime is available from Discotek. (But you have to watch the Dear Brother anime first.)
• Ikeda is part of the legendary Magnificent 49ers group of manga artists 
• Erica's book, By Your Side, will be coming out in 2022. It's about the history of yuri manga.
• Other great folks who worked on the English edition of The Rose of Versailles:
  • Erik Ko (head of Udon)
  • Mari Morimoto (translator)
  • Jocelyne Allen (translator)
• The first Girl Prince was Sapphire in Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight (available in English from Kodansha)
  • Erica's equation on manga legends: If Osamu Tezuka is the god of manga, then Riyoko Ikeda is the goddess of manga, and Go Nagai is the creepy uncle
• Now you know why Sarasa is always saying she wants to play Oscar in Kageki Shojo!!
  • The Rose of Versailles is important to the Takarazuka Revue
• Legacy of girl princes:
  • Utena in Revolutionary Girl Utena
  • Haruka Tenou from Sailor Moon
• Redacted letters between Marie-Antoinette and Axel von Fersen were recently decoded
• Historian Evelyn Farr has a great video on Marie-Antoinette and Fersen 
• One of the Lulu stories is based off Elizabeth Báthory
• Miscellaneous mentions:
  • ALA list of great graphic novels for teens
  • The Heart of Thomas
  • Flower Stories
  • Revue Starlight
  • Babylon 5 reboot
  • Other Ikeda work: Claudine
• Mangasplaining is another good manga podcast
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Erica's Yuricon site: https://okazu.yuricon.com/
• Erica on Twitter: @OkazuYuri
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers all 7 volumes of An Incurable Case of Love by Maki Enjoji.

We're back with a cute josei series! It's like Grey's Anatomy, but with a more contained cast and a lot more sexual harassment from the patients. Sakura has had a crush on Dr. Tendo since she saw him save a stranger in the streets, but when they finally start working together, he's not exactly the kindly doctor she imagined him to be. Shojo & Tell host Ashley is joined by Alex Yates of The Yona Podcast to talk about this blossoming workplace romance, boundary setting in relationships, and more. How 'bout that turn with Nice Guy Nishi??

REFERENCES

• An Incurable Case of Love is available from Viz Media
• Alex hosts The Yona Podcast, a Yona of the Dawn podcast
• Yona of the Dawn is available from Viz Media
• Other works from Maki Enjoji:
  • Happy Marriage?!
  • SP Baby
• Other series mentioned:
  • Maid-Sama!
  • Nana
• Misc. things
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • Ellen  Pompeo
  • Anime News Network: Do We Still Need Shonen/Shojo Labels?
  • Women-only passenger cars in Japan
  • Which Grey's Anatomy Character Are You? [Buzzfeed Quiz]
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• The Yona Podcast on Twitter: @theyonapod
• The Yona Podcast on Tumblr: theyonapodcast
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Host Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 16–23 of Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo.

Welcome back for the final Hana-Kimi episode! The Ashleys are back to discuss how wild this ride has been: The strange results of the final character poll, what the series says about gender, how it compares to other gender-bending series, and of course, finally, the ships. Also: Can you believe this manga kept up the premise of Mizuki's gender being a secret the ENTIRE TIME? We just don't get manga like this anymore! 

REFERENCES

• Hana-Kimi is available from Viz Media
• This series is the precursor to Ouran
• Other manga mentioned:
  • Tokyo Babylon
  • Girl Got Game
  • Basara
  • Not Your Idol
  • Princess Jellyfish
  • Fruits Basket
  • Kimi ni Todoke
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Ashley Hawkins' website: Manga Librarian
• Ashley Hawkins' Twitter:  @manga_librarian
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Host Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Welcome back to Osaka High and the middle third of Hana-Kimi. Shojo and Tell host Ashley is joined by Manga Librarian Ashley to talk about all the hijinks that ensued here. What’s the tone? Gil’s still here?! How can Mizuki assume Sano doesn’t know she’s a girl when she sleeps with him in the same bed half the nights and she’s got her boobs pressed up against him? Mizuki grew up in Berkeley, California? You know what, that makes a lot of sense, actually...

REFERENCES

• Hana-Kimi is available from Viz Media
• This series is the precursor to Ouran
• Everyone should watch The Vision of Escaflowne
• Tatsuki from Fushigi Yugi is like Nakatsu
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Ashley Hawkins' website: Manga Librarian
• Ashley Hawkins' Twitter:  @manga_librarian
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Host Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 1–8 of Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo.

We're throwing back and throwing down with a big-time, gender-bending shojo classic: Hana-Kimi, aka, the precursor to Ouran High School Host Club. Mizuki Ashiya moves all the way from America to Japan, in high school, without express permission from her parents, just to be with her favorite high-jumper, Izumi Sano, a boy she's never met. Even better: She has to disguise that she's a girl so she can attend Sano's all-boys school. Who approved this premise? We don't know, but we do know it is full of good boys. Come listen if you love hijinks and dogs and stereotypes about gender (and America, too).

REFERENCES

• Hana-Kimi is available from Viz Media
• This series is the precursor to Ouran
• Other series referenced:
  • Naruto
  • My Hero Academia
  • Fruits Basket
  • Boys Run the Riot
• It would be nice if Hana-Kimi was retranslated by transgender translators like Rachel Thorn
• “Queering” Heteronormativity: Biological essentialism in genderbending manga discusses Hana-Kimi a lot [Anime Feminist article]
• Back when Titanic premiered, people in Tokyo were meh about it
• Free Online Gender Quiz
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Ashley Hawkins' website: Manga Librarian
• Ashley Hawkins' Twitter:  @manga_librarian
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Host Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers all of RG Veda by CLAMP.

This hyper-violent fantasy series was CLAMP's first traditionally published work — and it shows. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher talk about the highs and lows of this high-concept series about destiny and the power of love (what else is new?). All good boys are praised, and Yasha is not on the list.

REFERENCES

• RG Veda is available from Dark Horse
• Listen to Clampcast's more in-depth RG Veda episodes!
• Religious texts mentioned:
  • Rig Veda
  • Mahabharata
  • Ramayana
• Other CLAMP series mentioned:
  • Magic Knight Rayearth
  • Cardcaptor Sakura
  • X
  • Tokyo Babylon
  • Tsubasa
  • xxxHolic
• Other media mentioned:
  • Digimon
  • Noragami
  • Air Gear
  • Ranma 1/2
  • The Vision of Escaflowne
  • Hana-Kimi
  • Octopath Traveler
  • Final Fantasy XV
  • Haven
  • Homestuck
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Asher on Archive of Our Own: @dashery
• Asher on Twitter:  @asherdashery
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers all of Earthian by Yun Kouga.

Anime Feminist writer Vrai Kaiser joins Shojo & Tell host Ashley to discuss this late 1980s boys' love hot mess of a manga. Earthian starts off as a sort of mashup between Pet Shop of Horrors and The Good Place and ends somewhere way, way off from that. Vrai and Ashley discuss all the religion that is (and isn't) happening with the Catholicsploitation, how sweet Chihaya and Kagetsuya's relationship actually is, how many of the ideas the series presents (but doesn't follow through with) are actually still startlingly relevant, and tons more (probably problematic) topics. The journey is surprising and delightful and horrifying all at the same time.

REFERENCES

• You can buy Earthian digitally from DMP (Yeah..... Yeah)
• Other Yun Kouga series mentioned:
  • Loveless
  • Riddle Story of Devil (Akuma no Riddle)
• Other manga series / creators mentioned:
  • Pet Shop of Horrors
  • Tokyo Babylon
  • Fake
  • Banana Fish
  • Angel Sanctuary // Kaori Yuki
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion
  • Mars
  • Tramps Like Us
  • Vatican Miracle Examiner
  • Mobile Suit Gundam 00
  • Fushigi Yugi // Yuu Watase
  • Heart of Thomas // Moto Hagio
  • Kaze to Ki no Uta
  • Gravitation
  • The Tyrant Falls in Love
  • Devilman
  • Wish
  • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
  • Land of the Lustrous
  • Mari Okada
  • Kentaro Miura
  • Jun Mochizuki
• Misc.  references:
  • The Good Place
  • Bechdel Test
  • Metatron
  • Seifuku
  • Shinzo Abe
  • Beard (slang)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • Tower of Babel
  • The Three Laws of Robotics
  • Smallville
• Caitlin, Mercedez, and Vrai are all writers at Anime Feminist
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Vrai on Twitter: @WriterVrai
• Vrai on Anime Feminist
• Vrai's podcast,  Trash and Treasures
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 8–14 of Waiting for Spring by Anashin.

We’re back to talk about the second half of Waiting for Spring, aka, Girly Kuroko's Basketball. Kelly and Ashley discuss how Towa and Aya are in a philosophical fight over what strength is, how well-handled Ryuji and Nana's relationship is, and just what about Waiting for Spring makes it so special. Also a lot of complaining about Aya. He's 17. He doesn't know anything!

• Waiting for Spring is available from Kodansha.
• Kelly used to have a podcast called One Panel Later and was on for the House of the Sun episodes
• Other series mentioned:
  • Naruto
  • One Piece
  • Blue Period
  • Kuroko's Basketball
  • Ouran High School Host Club
  • Skip Beat
  • Daytime Shooting Star
  • Ao Haru Ride
  • Kimi ni Todoke
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Kelly on Twitter: @kellyqute
• Kelly’s work on the defunct Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 1–7 of Waiting for Spring by Anashin.

The wait is finally over! We're FINALLY talking about the basketball boys! Waiting for Spring is one of the most wholesome shojo series around and will have you smiling like a fool. Librarian Kelly and Shojo & Tell host Ashley discuss why Towa is the best, why Aya does not deserve to be in second place in the character poll (rude to Mitsuki and Ryuji), how you shouldn't write real-people fanfiction, and much more. It's basically Kuroko's Basketball, but shojo. What more could you want? Seiryo, fight!

REFERENCES

• Waiting for Spring is available from Kodansha.
• Sara Linsley is the letterer of the series and a previous podcast guest!
• Kelly used to have a podcast called One Panel Later and was on for the House of the Sun episodes
• Other series mentioned:
  • Kimi ni Todoke
  • My Hero Academia
  • Demon Slayer
  • Natsume's Book of Friends
  • Haikyu!!
  • Princess Jellyfish
  • A Silent Voice
• Japanese terms mentioned:
  • Fujoshi
  • Megane
• After by  Anna Todd  is Harry Styles real-people fanfic that was turned into a movie. We say HELL NO to this.
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Kelly on Twitter: @kellyqute
• Kelly’s work on the defunct Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 8–13 of Ao Haru Ride by Io Sakisaka.

One year after recording about the first half of Ao Haru Ride, we’re back on the bandwagon to talk about the ending. Shojo Beat Senior Editor Nancy and Shojo & Tell host Ashley talk about every single confession and rejection scene, consistently compare the series to WE WERE THERE, bring up one too many times that [SPOILERS] it’s annoying that Kou was hit by a car, and so much more. Like, get out of here, Kikuchi. Kou and Futaba forever.

REFERENCES

• You can find our first Ao Haru Ride episode here
• Ao Haru Ride is available from Viz Media's Shojo Beat line
• Other works Nancy has edited:
  • Vampire Knight
  • Idol Dreams
  • Maison Ikkoku Collector's Edition
  • My Love Mix-Up!
• Other Io Sakisaka works: Strobe Edge, Love Me, Love Me Not
• Ao Haru Ride pays homage to We Were There
• Other manga mentioned:
  • Horimiya
  • CLAMP
  • My Love Story!!
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Nancy runs the Shojo Beat Twitter: @shojobeat
• You can ask questions and make licensing requests on Shojo Beat's Tumblr: officialshojobeat
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

The next episode will be about volumes 1 –7 of Waiting for Spring by Anashin.

Covers all 10 volumes of the original Pet Shop of Horrors series by Matsuri Akino.

Welcome to Count D's pet shop, where you can find the rarest pets that will make your dreams come true — and might just murder you, too. Horror fan, Yen Press employee, and Manga Machination's co-host Morgana Santilli explains why this wish shop fantasyland appealed to her so much growing up, and what makes Akino's work so special. Morgana and Shojo & Tell host Ashley also discuss: What is Count D? Is he good, is he bad, is he amoral? What exactly is going down with him and Leon, anyway? There's a lot to unpack here, but the answer to all questions about favorites (characters, stories, pets) is Leon's brother, Chris. He's such a good boy!

REFERENCES

• Unfortunately, Pet Shop of Horrors is out of print. You can find used copies on Thriftbooks and eBay (though they can be pricey).
• Series similar to Pet Shop of Horrors:
  • Nightmare Inspector
  • Yokai Rental Shop
  • Phantom Tales of Night
  • xxxHolic
• Other media mentioned:
  • Tomie by Junji Ito
  • Fruits Basket
  • Bleach
  • Sailor Moon
  • After School Nightmare
  • Yu Yu Hakusho
  • Claudine
  • Rose of Versailles
  • Banana Fish
  • Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time
  • Legal Drug
  • Gravitation
  • Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden
  • Devilman Crybaby
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Morgana on Twitter: @MorganaRhalina
• Morgana's website: Manga Maven
• Morgana's manga podcast: Manga Machinations
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers all of Tokyo Mew Mew and Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi.

In the early 2000s, this series about a team of five young girls infused with the DNA of rare animals fighting aliens bent on reclaiming the Earth became a phenomenon. Tokyo Mew Mew is supposed to get a new anime adaptation in the year 2021, so we decided to read the original magical girl series and its sequel.  Mew Mew superfan Mercedez Clewis expounds on why the series left such a lasting impact on her and the magical girl genre in general. Mercedez and Shojo & Tell host Ashley also discuss their favorite Mews, what is and isn't a magical girl series, how the aliens were kinda right though, how they prefer to eat strawberries, and so much more in this jam-packed episode.

REFERENCES

• Tokyo Mew Mew and Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode  are available from Kodansha Comics.
• There are two new sequel series to Tokyo Mew Mew: 2020 Re-Turn and Tokyo Mew Mew Au Lait (not Óle!!!)
• Other series/creators/characters mentioned:
  • The Vision of Escaflowne
  • Cardcaptor Sakura
  • Sailor Moon
  • Madoka Magica
  • Phantom Thief Jeanne
  • Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden
  • Revolutionary Girl Utena
  • Kill la Kill
  • Air Gear
  • Yuu Watase
  • Gen Urobuchi
  • Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)
• Indigenous peoples of Japan:
  • Ainu
  • Okinawan
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Mercedez on Twitter: @pixelatedlenses
• Mercedez's work on: Anime Feminist, But Why Tho?
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga

This one-volume manga about three generations of women in a family is masterfully told and extremely relatable. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and boytoy Asher discuss their favorite stories from this collection of five, dwell on the theme of love being a form of discrimination, and fret about how to avoid some of these parenting pitfalls when raising children.

A content warning for the second story: There's an age-gap romance between a teacher and a student, and it escalates immediately.

REFERENCES

• All My Darling Daughters is available from Viz Media
• Fumi Yoshinaga is known for Ooku: The Inner Chambers
• Other media mentions:
  • The Legend of Korra
  • Claudine
  • The Rose of Versailles
  • Princess Tutu
  • Utena: After the Revolution
  • Ao Haru Ride
• Thermostat theory of politics
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Asher on Twitter: @asherdashery
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 1–6 of Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden by Yuu Watase

Genbu Kaiden is Shojo & Tell host Ashley's second-favorite manga (behind only the illustrious Maid-Sama!), and so, this episode has several special guests. Caitlin (OG Fushigi Yugi superfan), Sara Linsley (manga letterer extraordinaire), and Zahra Ymer (manga scholar in training), and Ashley discuss how the series compares to its predecessor, pick apart Watase's sidebar notes (she thinks she'd be Tomite if she were a boy?!), fawn over Uruki / Limdo and Takiko (okay, that's mostly Ashley), and discover that all the good guys in this manga are basically serial killers.

REFERENCES

• Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden is available from Viz Media's Shojo Beat line
• Excellent series Sara has lettered:
  • Waiting for Spring
  • Sweat and Soap
  • Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki
• A Genbu character gets compared to Walter White from Breaking Bad
• Hatsui is inspired by Moomins
• Things that are most definitely shojo (note: sarcasm):
  • Your Lie in April
  • Toradora!
• Random mentions:
  • Code Geass
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • Kuranosuke from Princess Jellyfish
  • Tubbs from Neko Atsume
  • Swan
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Caitlin on Twitter, her personal blog, Anime Feminist, and Anime News Network
• Sara on Twitter and her personal website
• Zahra on Twitter and Anime Feminist
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter @AshMcD00

Next episode will be about volumes 7-12 of Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden by Yuu Watase

This is a review of Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki volume 1, a new series by Yuu Watase that's going to be released by Viz.

Whether you've read the original Fushigi Yugi and Genbu Kaiden or not, you should be hype for the latest (and last) installment in Yuu Watase's beloved series. Byakko Senki is set slightly after Genbu Kaiden and follows Suzuno as she struggles with the sudden loss of her parents and being the destined priestess inside The Universe of the Four Gods. Fushigi Yugi has always been dark, but this first volume is the heaviest of the series yet. Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher run through all the heavy events of this volume and about what they're excited to see in the future. (Which brother is Tatara?!?!)

REFERENCES

• Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki volume 1 is being released  by Viz Media's Shojo Beat line in August 2020. Please note that at this time, the series is on hiatus and no other volumes exist.
• Watase has come out as x-gender, which is a nonbinary gender. The Shojo Beat Tumblr says Watase's pronouns are still she/hers. (We sometimes used "they" in the podcast.)
• It's interesting to read this after having just covered Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time
• Mentions:
  • Previous Fushigi Yugi series (obviously; beware of spoilers!)
  • Arata: The Legend, Watase's shonen series
  • Redwall
  • The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
  • The Chronicles of Narnia
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Asher on Archive of Our Own: dashery
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

Covers volumes 10–17 of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno.

We’re back to discuss the second half of Haruka, a manga series based on one of the earliest otome game franchises. Suddenly, the story remembers it’s a romance, and all eight of the guardians realize they're vying for the priestess Akane’s heart. And she starts to see all of them as the sexy menfolk they are. (Except Yasuaki, who is still the best. But he's a golem (or is he a homunculus?), so we get it.) Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher discuss Yorihisa and Akane’s relationship and the representation of the Demon Clan and gush about their favorite characters. Thanks to the two people who listen to this episode! You know who you are.

REFERENCES

• The Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time manga is out of print (published in English by Viz Media's Shojo Beat line), and the games were never brought over for English audiences. You can watch the anime legally on Tubi, though. (Watch at least the opening theme song! It's really dope.)
• Haruka is essentially an inferior Fushigi Yugi
• Haruka is mainly an otome game franchise.  Read Anime Feminist's article that's a beginner's guide to otome games.
• Ashley watched the Haruka anime back in the day because Tenma and Yorihisa shared voice actors with Van and Allen from The Vision of Escaflowne
• Sometimes you get the animation quality of Fruits Basket  remake, but most of the time in shojo anime, you.... just don't...
• For some reason Yu-Gi-Oh! came up a lot
• Oni v Yokai v shikigami
• Yorihisa's brother looks like Dark from DNAngel
• Homunculus v golem
• Read The Golem and the Jinni
• Asher will not be the guest for the eventual Takane & Hana episodes
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Asher on Archive of Our Own: dashery
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

The next episode will be about Paradise Kiss  by Ai Yazawa.

Covers volumes 1–9 of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno.

Haruka (perhaps more widely known as Harukanaru Toki no Naka de) was one of the first-ever otome games, and it launched a franchise that spun off into manga and anime adaptations as well. Though the series didn’t gain popularity in the United States, we thought HARUKA was important to cover for its historical context. In this episode, Shojo & Tell host Ashley and her boytoy Asher journey back to the Heian era with Akane (a normal high school girl who’s a priestess in this alternate timeline), Tenma, and Shimon (two of Akane’s classmates that end up being her guardians) to meet even more hot men vying for Akane’s heart. (And fighting a war against a clan of demons.) It’s basically a much worse Fushigi Yugi. But Yasuaki and Eisen make it all worth it. Well… almost.

REFERENCES

• The Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time manga is out of print (published in English by Viz Media's Shojo Beat line), and the games were never brought over for English audiences. You can watch the anime legally on Tubi, though. (Watch at least the opening theme song! It's really dope.)
• Haruka is essentially an inferior Fushigi Yugi
• Haruka is mainly an otome game franchise.  Read Anime Feminist's article that's a beginner's guide to otome games.
• Comparisons made to elements of Haruka and better franchises:
  • Tenma = inferior!Kyo Sohma
  • Shimon = inferior!Peeta Mellark
  • Eisen = inferior!Nuriko
  • Akane = inferior!Kagome
    • We could keep going but you get the point
• Who's the 8th Digidestined?
• The Four Gods in Digimon
• Just War Theory
• Ashley hates Ignis from Final Fantasy XV, while Asher loves Ignis
• Okay there's also inferior!Clow Reed
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT US

• Asher on Archive of Our Own: dashery
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

The next episode will be about the second half of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time (volumes 10–17).

Covers all three volumes of Fruits Basket another by Natsuki Takaya

Would you like to have another basket of fruit? Natsuki Takaya shows us what the kids of everyone from the original Fruits Basket cast are like in this sequel to the blockbuster series. Another centers around Sawa Mitoma, aka NegaTohru, as she suffers abuse from her single mother and meets the Sohma kids in high school. In this podcast, Fruits Basket fanatic Jacob and Shojo & Tell host Ashley get into whether this sequel series stands on its own, whether it's worth reading, how Takaya handles the same themes but with different power dynamics between the characters, and of course, and who the best Sohma kid is. (They may all love each other, but remember: The curse is family.)

REFERENCES

• Fruits Basket another is available from Yen Press
• You can listen to our podcasts about the original Fruits Basket series here
• We assume that Hatsuharu and Isuzu's kids are named after Riku and Sora from Kingdom Hearts
• Outro song: "The Streatham Hill Gods" by Danosongs

CONTACT

• Jacob on Twitter: @weebservations
• Support Jacob on Patreon or through Ko-fi
• Shojo & Tell on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter: @AshMcD00

NOTE: We recorded this episode before the passing of Anime News Network's Zac Bertschy, who was Jacob's former partner.

The next episode will cover volumes 1-9 of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno, with guest Asher Sofman.