From: lhlee@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Lesfeena Lee)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga
Subject: Shojo mangas
Date: 27 Aug 92 05:00:01 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, San Diego


Gee, all these "talks" about shojo mangas while I was away.....
Being a long-time shojo manga reader, I think that it's only natural
that I should say something about the subject....  If people are
still interested in reading this, that is....  (Hey, where is
Patrick Yip????!!!  Gee, he is missing his favorite topic as well
8-P )

Now, where should I start????

BTW, before I start, I'd like to say that I was really really REALLY
surprised to see someone here (in the US, that is) is actually
interested in "From Eroica With Love", for it seems that only really
Shojo Otakus would know the manga and enjoy it.  So, I am really
glad that someone other than myself actually liked the stuff......

Anyway, back to shojo stuff.  

(All the following are personally opinions, so take it anyway you
like, just don't come and kill me.  I still want to finish reading
Ushio and Tora, Patlabor, and Bastard!! ..... Hmmm, wait a min, I
didn't mention any Shojo titles... O.K. here they are : Genji,
Earthian, X, Tokyo Babylon, RG Veda, Tenshi and Diamond....... just
to name a few here)

As for characters' outer appearances, I don't think I ever had any
problems trying to tell their genders.  I mean once you get used to
them, telling gender is a piece of cake.  There are always features
in each artist's style that tells the gender of her/his creation.
There are some "rules" to it, people do follow formulas, you know.
I don't think I can really tell what the rules are, since I have 
never thought about them before; but if you really want to know,
e-mail me and I will think about it really hard and get back to you
once I have been enlighted.

Now, the homosexuality part.....  Well, like I said, I read a lot of
Shojo manga, which means I have read a lot of mangas containing (or
deal with) the subject.  I like reading them.. I think they are fun
to read. I read them for the same reason I read any other manga (shonen or
adult). I read them for the story.  Some of the so-call "homo" shojo
manga contains one of the best love stories, I've ever read.  Some
of them are funny, depends on how the artist want to deal with the
subject.  As for Koko wa Greenwood, I don't think it qualifies as a
"homo" shojo manga, since the love between Fujii-kun and his roommate
was a real minor part of the whole series.  Nope, there weren't that
much at all between Mitsuru and Shinobu, although a lot of readers
wanted them to.... (Kore mo hentai kashira?????) 

For those who are interested in the subject (but I doubt it) I can
recommand some manga for you read, but I don't think I will list
them here, so e-mail me O.K.

There are a lot of good shojo manga out there.  It's unfortunate
that some guys are too ashamed to buy them.  Whenever I thought
about that I am glad that I am a girl.  I can buy anything, Shojo,
shonen and H stuff.  Well, O.K. not all H stuff.  Some of them are
so horrible that they aren't not worth reading at all.
(NO commands on Sailor Moon (itself and its fans) or other magical
girls stuff. For those who don't know wht they are, so see them for
yourself.....) 

Last thing I want to say has nothing to do with Shojo manga.  I just
got to get it out of my system after reading Shonen Sunday #35/36
today (as a mega "Slam Dunk" fan). The new manga called "Jodan Jaa
nai", or "Not Jordan," on Sunday is very bad.  I can't believe that
Sunday is actually publishing it.  It is a cheap clone of "S.D."
I am not saying this because they are both basketball manga and "S.D"
published way before "Not Jordan".  I am saying it 'cuz "Not Jordan"
actually used the same "joke", reproduced it 95% exactly, which was
created in "S.D" by Inoue sensei.  I just thought that was pretty
low.  And I don't like the title and the suppose-be drawing of
Jordan in it as well.....

Well, that's all I've got to say for now.
Mata nee.

Yuki..
Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga