TCJ Shoujo Issue
Just finished up the Shoujo Issue of The Comics Journal (for those who don’t know, shoujo is the word for Japanese comics made for girls mostly by women). It’s quite the educational read. I learned probably more than I needed to know about the history of shoujo. Tons of reviews of translated works (shoujo is huge these days in the US), none of which in the end I would want to read with the possible exception of Swan, a shoujo from the 70’s (in translation from DC’s CMX line, not, as the TCJ review says, from Tokyopop). Shaenon Garrity’s review focused a lot on the innovative use of page layouts and calls it a “tour de force of complex comic book technique” (73). I’ve ordered volume one to check out those techniques and layouts (if not necessarily a storyline about dance).
A lot of the praise for the works come in the form of the layouts, the beauty of the artwork, the expressiveness of the artwork in relating character’s emotions. Much of the criticism is related to content, cliche, stereotyping, etc.
The issue ends with a long interview between Matt Thorne (shoujo authority) and Moto Hagio a highly-respected longtime shoujo creator. Some of her works sound quite interesting, of course, none of them are available in translation (aside from two short out of print collections).
Tags: Manga
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