Dr Shojo: Manga PHD

Welcome to the blog of Dr Enor Shojo. I read any and all shojo manga! Its a problem!

[drshojo]

Hey! I just finished reading Toilet Bound Hanako-kun after reading your post about the same! I loved it! The art, the story, the subtle romance.. ahh my kokoro >.<. I feel like I have found a really good manga after a really looong time. I'm not saying that the current mangas aren't good... well, some of them were! But there was something intriguing about this manga.. could you please, please, please recommend mangas which are similar to it? Thanks a ton! <3

Hey Anon!

I am overjoyed that I was able to share Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun with you!!! Its so awesome Hanako has more fans now, When I wrote that post I had absolutely no one to talk about it with and I'm glad the words that I ranted into the void of the internet reached you!

Now as for recommendations, Its a hard one because Toilet Bound Hanako Kun Is unique in many ways, there is nothing quite like it! But I believe I have found a few manga that could also be enjoyable to you.

If were going to look at supernatural school stories with subtle romances we really have to turn to none other then the OG shojo mangaka goddesses- CLAMP!

XXXHolic is a series that has a lot of the same themes as Hanako, with supernatural mystery, ghosts, a sense of tragedy and some really soft but heartfelt romances. I will warn you it is QUITE A BIT MORE SCARY then hana and friends and when I was a kid it gave me nightmares. I still can’t clip my toenails at night and it is all CLAMPS FAULT. THAT SAID~! I think its really worth the read if you haven't already discovered this classic.

I also must recommend the ultimate classic Card Captor Sakura ESPECIALLY the second series with Eriol because it really does have some of the same vibes with a strong female protagonist who gets embroiled constantly in magical troubles and weird cryptic dudes.

Also read Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicle if you like the above two series cause like, its the ultimate clamp fan fiction written by clamp themselves. Also It is my absolute favorite manga of all time. I know Ive said that about a lot of manga. But like Tsubasa has lived in my head rent free for over a decade now and that's how you know a series is good. Even if the ending needs a spreadsheet to understand. I love it UNCONDITIONALLY.

Now if you are already a CLAMP fan OR cant stand them because you are STILL MAD OVER THEM NOT FINISHING SOME OF THEIR GREATEST WORK COUGH COUGH X COUGH COUGH GATE 7 WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A PERFECT REC IF THEY DIDN'T DISCONTINUE IT COUGH COUGH HOLIC REI I have some non clamp recommendations

The Ancient Magus Bride has some amazing looks at Scottish folklore and has a story that is both sad and magical. The romance is kind of take it or leave it though. I really don't expect everyone to be able to ship a skeleton demon guy and a teen girl but if that dosn’t turn you off there's a really amazing story about coming to terms with depression and the demons of your past.

AND MY DEAR FRIEND DIA TELLS ME I WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY REMISS TO NOT RECOMMEND TO YOU Natsume Yuujinchou AKA Natsume’s Book of Friends!! It is her favorite manga of ALL TIME. And I trust her recommendation wholeheartedly!

Anyways I hope amidst these titles you are able to find something to love, If not I recommend you do what I do, Scroll thru titles randomly and pick out ones that have art that grab you, You’ll find a lot of crap, but I have found all my favorite manga that way, often years before anyone else talked to me about them! Its how I first found hanako kun before it had a physical release or an anime!

May the manga gods smile upon you!

And above all thanks for reading with me <3

~Dr Shojo

[drshojo]

The World, My Childhood And My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Hello friends!  

Its Dr. Shojo coming at you with a post that will be divided into three parts!

Part One: The world as we know it! 

The world has changed a lot since we last connected. For starters, TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN HAS NOT ONLY A PHYSICAL RELEASE BUT A GORGEOUS ANIME! And not only that, but MY NEXT LIFE AS A VILLAINESS: ALL ROUTES LEAD TO DOOM! IS GETTING AN ANIME AS WELL! The last time I wrote about Katerina there wasn’t even an official English translation of that long-ass light-novel-title. And now?

A WHOLE ANIME. A BISEXUAL HAREM AWAITS! I am JAZZED!

Do you think it’s my fault? No matter, I’ll take all the credit. All the manga I talk about are getting anime adaptations. I’LL DO MY DUTY AND TALK ABOUT SOME MORE!

But first. Let us address the Covid-19 shaped elephant in the room

I deeply regret that it took a whole-ass pandemic to get me back to writing. In my defense, I bought an iPad and started drawing like 900 kokichi oumas. I was really busy with that. And then I started reading fanfiction. Then that got me thinking about how fanfiction such an interesting look into how people interpret fandom, use it for wish fulfillment and escapism, and good god is everyone OK cause that bulimia fan fic was super detailed....and I am officially on a tangent. Off track. Ahem.

We are all staying inside a whole lot more which means y’all probably need some reading material and Dr. Shojo has your back! Go read “Horimiya”! It’s amazing! Ahhhh, my work here is done! I'm serious, if you’re here for a Shojo rec, that’s it! There's also like 8 million more Otome Isekais to check out now. It’s like they’re multiplying like rabbits..............

As a Doctor, I must advise you to stay inside and read some manga and practice social distancing. Embrace your inner hikikomori. 

Allright? All good? Okay now one final disclaimer:

This post is going to be talking about something a little different than usual and I want to start by giving you some context about who Dr. Shojo is in real life. 

Part Two: Dr. Shojo Exposed 

You see, when I was little I was obsessed with Japanese media. This doesn't surprise you at all I can tell. Probably because I walk around calling myself Dr. Shojo and shout about manga that you should read.

Anyways, the reason why I was obsessed wasn’t because of the big eyes or the spikey hair or the interesting new culture. It was because it tended to have more character development and overarching plotlines than the media I was used to in Canada. Dexter’s Lab, Magic School Bus, pretty much everything I saw on TV was episodic in nature, so imagine how much my mind was blown when I saw Naruto and Card Captor Sakura, heck, even Pokémon had the Indigo Plateau! Here were kids that were learning more and more each day and got to see enemies become friends and vice versa. They lived and grew older just like me. Except they were cooler than me. And had more interesting lives than me. I gotta tell you, I was so sad when I was 12 and Kero didn’t tell me I had latent magical powers. But there was magic in my life and it was the magic of a complex narrative story. And not only that, it had a sense of movement and had cool costumes. I was hooked immediately.

Also, fun fact, at that age I happened to be a complete and utter tomboy! I loved pretending to fight my friends in the playground and was really worried that puberty would ruin my life because being a girl sounded so CUMBERSOME.

Which leads me up to my confession. Before I became Dr. Shojo, I was in fact......Dr. Shonen.

Bleach? Naruto? One Piece? I've read every single chapter there is.  

Hundreds of hours of watching fight sequences. Another fun fact, I only got into shojo because my aunt bought me volume 7 and 8 of Fruits Basket thinking “all mangas like the same right? Kids love comics?” It’s a tribute to how episodic western media was back then that she thought buying volume SEVEN and EIGHT was a REASONABLE PLACE TO START READING.

Now you might also say, Hey! Dr Shojo! Cardcaptors was a shojo! And you are right! but back then the anime was marketed to boys over here in the west and they actualy like, edited out episodes that they thought wouldn't interest boys?! Second fun fact, Once when I was in Grade 3 I was told I was not allowed to join a club under the stairs cause I was a girl and it was BOYS ONLY. The point of the club? To talk about how great Cardcaptors was! I Kid you not!

So anyways, your pall Dr. Shojo loves Shonen manga to this day!

The only reason I made this Dr. Shojo blog specifically about shojo is because, being a tomboy with no female friends, reading shojo manga was the first time I really thought about what it meant to be a girl and fall in love. And y i k e s. Shojo manga, like most media, fails miserably most of the time in displaying real world relationships. Or at least, it  doesn't prepare you for how disappointing everything can be. When I had my first kiss, I was thinking about how it didn’t feel at all like how I felt reading Zen and Shirayukis kiss in Akagame No Shirayuki Hime. Those were formative years, and shojo was one of the only places I saw romance being talked about for younger audiences. I liked reading romances where no one had any sexual experiences and were figuring out what love meant to them. But let’s shelve this topic for now.

The point is that gender roles are dumb and if you have an open mind there's a world of stories out there for you. Take this time inside to read something you wouldn’t normally. Critically think about the ways that the worlds you see in stories and how you experience the world differ. What are the messages a story is trying to tell you? And why do you like the stories you do? Reflect on how the stories you tell yourself color your view of the world. Even mindless entertainment leaves an impression on us. Anyways.

Whilst you're doing that, I'm going to absolutely lose my hecking mind over the Shonen Jump series MY HERO ACADEMIA: Vigilantes!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Part Three: I downloaded the one month free trial of the Shonen Jump app and made you read all that, so I can tell you that today Dr. Shojo is going to rant about a spin-off of a shonen manga

THAT’S RIGHT, OF COURSE I READ HERO ACA AND YES I DID PICK UP THE SPIN OFF SERIES. SHONEN JUMP LETS YOU READ ALL THE NEW CHAPTERS FOR FREE ON THEIR APP. KIDS, IF YOU LIKE SHONEN AND YOU’RE PIRATING ON A SCANLATION SITE STILL GET OUT BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE THOSE WEIRD PLASTIC SURGERY AND DENTISTRY ADDS ANY MORE.

SHONEN IS HERE AND ITS LEGAL AND ITS FREE FOR YOU. GET OFF MANGA FOX OR MANGA ROCK OR WHATEVER THE KIDS ARE USING THESE DAYS.

OK, so by this point in the article you have learned two very important things about me: 1) I love Shonen manga and 2) I read a lot of fanfiction.

Specifically, I read an absolutely biblical amount of My Hero Academia fan fiction and let me tell you, A solid chunk of it is vigilante/ Deadpool / criminal with a heart of gold themed.

So when I saw Hero Aca had a spin off, and it was about vigilantes, I was NOT SURPRISED IN THE SLIGHTEST. Ao3 sure is powerful.

Now, if you will permit me a tangent in a post full of tangents—HOLY CRAP, THERE ARE TOO MANY VIGILANTE AUS. I CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF EM. IT’S THE ISEKAI PROBLEM ALL OVER AGAIN. I GET AN EMAIL A FIC HAS UPDATED AND I’M LIKE IS THIS THE FIC WHERE DEKU HAS AN ABUSIVE MOM OR THE ONE WHERE HE HAS SPLIT PERSONALITY DISORDER OR THE ONE WHERE HE’S VIGILANTES WITH HITOSHI. OH WAIT, nvm, it’s the one where deku has a healing quirk.

OH WAIT WHICH OF THE 6 DEKU WITH HEALING QUIRK VIGILATE AU FICS IS THIS ONE?! ARGH WHY DIDN’T I WRITE A DESCRIPTION IN THE BOOKMARK FOR THIS!

My gripes aside, there's a reason why there's such an abundance of vigilante story telling—

Deadpool made like an absolute buttload of money and people love sass and memes.

People have a desire for a story in which they see themselves. Or, how they think of themselves.They like a story about someone who maybe came from nothing. Someone who has less money, maybe someone who is unlucky and had some bad breaks. Someone who never learned they had magic, never got their Hogwarts letter, never saw Kero, someone who never got that God-level quirk from All Might. And if your on Ao3 They want someone who also has seen a lot of memes and kind of wants taco bell and is also questioning their sexuality a bit?

Enter our new hero VIGILANTE DEKU.  

But the cannon can't do this, cause hey, Deku is the chosen one. Albeit, chosen by All Might, He’s got his own thing to do. But how can we still cash in on a vigilante story?

And thus enter our New-New hero KOICHI HAIMAWARI—code name Nice Guy and then later The Crawler. True to his relatable roots. He’s just a dude in an hoodie who can go about as fast as a bike.

First off, I love Koichi. He wants to be a hero and fight crime, but most of the time he has to run away because at the end of the day he's just a dude.

He’s cute but not wildly good-looking, A bit of a nerd but not like an extreme okaku. He’s got a part time job and hates violence.

And this is where Koichi really shines—in every day stuff. He helps out wherever he can. Often, that just means listening to people complain and maybe helping his friends out with whatever they’re going through. He’s the kind of guy who smiles, not because he's especially brave, but because he just takes things one at a time and doesn't sweat the past. I think it’s really telling that he missed getting into hero high-school because he skipped the entrance exam to help someone. He’s the kind of person who lets us experience the superpower of human decency and empathy. And you know what? That’s something the world need desperately.  

This theme of human decency is really the driving force of Vigilantes—it’s a manga about how the laws are there for a reason but sometimes they unfairly impact the poor and vulnerable. It's about how a lot of criminals are just people who fell into bad social circles or on bad times. People have the capacity for cruelty and violence but that’s never all they are.  

Now, speaking of crime, the entirety of Hero Aca falls into some murky water when it comes to its evil doers. Much of the fandom has a huuuuuge problem with how much the franchise is willing to sweep under the rug in the name of redeeming their baddies. RE: people getting mad about forgiving Endeavor’s child abuse, or Bakugo’s suicide baiting. Or Mineta’s blatant sexual harassment.

But this theme is in Vigilantes even more than it ever was in the main series. To start off with, there’s this guy who tries to rape Pop Step early on, and the later he later winds up befriending everybody. It becomes a running gag that each new villain winds up befriending the other villain guys and then they all open a cat café together.

Using jobs as a way to lift people out of lives of crime is great and all but in the story there is no nuance or consequences for past wrong and well.....it feels very weird.  It's like Vigilantes plays at having an opinion about moral ambiguity and the complexity of human existence and then just.......lets everyone get along because who has time to get into all that. Make of that what you will but it sits weird for me personally.

Anyway, let's move on and talk about POP STEP our main girl!

I love pop stars and I love vigilantes and a guerrilla performer is defiantly a character I could get behind. And I think they do a good job with Pop. She is actually kind of shy, but has this secret edgy persona she puts on when she performs. She is every girl on tumbler in the early 2000s. I also looooove that they make her not that great a singer. SHE’S GOT PASSION AND CHARISMA and maybe not born talent but like why should that stop you! Talent can be earned through practice and this is a great lesson to show people.

Unfortunately, Pop is also a great example of everything wrong with romance in Shonen.

It’s established early on that Pop loves Koichi because she is the girl he rescued all those years ago and yada yada yikes we’ve heard this one before. Many times before.

Sure, it's fine that they’ve met before, but gosh am I sick of damsels in distress. It's like she can't love him just because she respects what a great guy he is in her life and in the community at large, no no, she just needs to be rescued on top of that. And LOLOLOL isn't it funny he never noticed she was a girl because she was a child with short hair?! Once he realizes she has boobs now they will for sure fall in love! That’s how love works!

She's just with him all the time—nothing romantic ever happens she just gets a little tsundere.

I am never ever going to believe Koichi likes Pop because he spends like sooooo much time with her and they never have like, a moment. The first time he considers her is when Makoto is like, ‘hey I would love to get together with you, but have you thought about if you are crushing on Pop’. (Also this entire plot point is suspect—she's arbitrarily falling for Koichi cause he.......is the protagonist?)  

Say what you will about shojo, they give you the emotional conversations, the moments where you think.....ahhh I can see why she is falling for him. They give you context! Shonen likes to just say HERE’S A GIRL YOUR AGE. YOU CAN DATE LATER WHEN THE ADVENTURE IS DONE.

Just when they might get together, Pop suddenly turns evilllllll. The evilllll beeeees made her eeeevilllll (and more sexy).

*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

Because why on earth would they get together if Koichi didn’t get to rescue Pop one more time?

I’m tired. These troupes are tired. I’m sure you are too. HOWEVER! If your still with me, Let’s move into why I'm really writing this post. Let’s get to the part that got me screaming to my friends, who by the way, don’t even care bout Hero Aca….but listened anyways. May you all find nakama like these my friends.

Anyways,

HOLY FUCK ERASERHEAD’S ENTIRE BACK STORY IS IN THIS AROUND CHAPTER 60 AND IT IS WONDERFUL AND ABSOLUTLY HEARTBREAKING AND IS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTER BACKSTORIES I HAVE EVER SEEN AND IS THE REASON WHY THIS SERIES IS A MUST-READ FOR MAIN SERIES FANS.

AND BY ALMIGHT.  

WHY. IS. IT HERE.  

I present to you my late night text messages to my friends

ALSO, AIZAWAS TEACHER IS PRINCE?!?!?!

AHEM, so as you can see, I kinda lost my shit.

And now, I would like to formally defend my claim that DESPITE HOW AMAZING IT WAS, ERASERHEAD’S BACKSTORY HAD NO BUISSNESS BEING IN THE VIGILANTES SPIN-OFF MANGA.

Eraserhead, aka Aizawa Shouta, is a side character who is working with the police on some crime stuff. He is not a main cast member in this spin off. He’s a guest character that fans of the main series will be like OH COOL. GRUMPY CAT MAN LIKES CATS ON HIS OFF HOURS TOO. LOVE THAT FOR HIM.

So, my imagine my absolute surprise when Aizawa runs into Koichi and the following happens:

It starts to rain, so, like in any good manga, this means some great FORCED BONDING TIME

Except no. It doesn't because rather than start talking, Aizawa JUST STARTS REMEMBERING—ABSOLUTLY SILENTLY TO HIS OWN PRIVETE SELF—HIS ENTIRE TRAGIC BACKSTORY.

AND THIS GOES ON FOR CHAPTERS.

THIS GOES ON LONGER THEN ARC ONE IT FEELS LIKE.

I LOVE IT, BUT KOICHI IS ABOUT TO JOIN ATSUSHI NAKAJIMA IN THE DUBIOUS CATEGORY OF “PROTAGONISTS THE SERIES FORGOT ABOUT IN LIEU OF COOLER SIDE CHARACTERS”.

AND LO IT HAS NO BEARING ON THE REST OF THE PLOT, CHARACTERS, OR STORY

What the ever-loving-just WHY?

WHY?

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

SURE, IT’S A COOL TIE-IN.

YES, OF COURSE I LOVED IT. I SHIP ERASER MIC, I DREW THIS FOR HECK’S SAKE:

AND YET I AM ANGRY.

I AM ANGRY BECAUSE MY FRIDAY WAS RUINED BECAUSE VIGILATES SUCKER PUNCHED ME WITH AN AMAZING STORY THAT REALLY WASN’T PLOT RELEVANT AND PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE.  

IS THIS WHY THEY TOOK LIKE NEXT-TO-NO CARE WITH POPS ARC?!?

I mean its ongoing, so it’s too early to say but—

In conclusion—

Excuse me one more,

AIZAWA WAS TAUGHT BY PRINCE!?!??!?!?!?!? PURPLE RAIN PRINCE!?!??!?!?!? WHAT!??!?!?!

It’s so ABSURD that I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I HAD TO WRITE PARAGRAPHS TO JUSTIFY YELLING ABOUT THIS ONE THING. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE—

Ahem,

Anyways, I hope you liked this weird rant/personal-story/random-diatribe in three parts.

If you’re reading this, thank you, stay safe, and I’ll be back with more shojo manga next time.  

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

(aka Dr. Shonen)

[drshojo]

Hi! I love your blog! We should talk abt manga sometime cuz I'm dying for more isekai manga and ALSO, have you read "Waiting for Spring"? (a great, fantastic shoujo-basketball manga. srsly the best.)

Hey! Thanks for reading! And yes! Always down for talking manga :D

I have indeed read waiting for spring, it was a long time ago but I remember likeing it quite a bit! The heroine had some depth of character and I liked how they put alot of importance on developing friendships too. How rude the guys are in the first few chapters made me laugh a lot too ahaha

Anyways it's been so long since I read this series I'll have to catch up in the new chapters sometime ahahaha

Ciao!

DR SHOJO

[drshojo]

The Case Study for Having the Hottest Character in a Vampire Story be a Self-Proclaimed Average Human.

You ever tell yourself you ought to marry a nice doctor?

Did you spend your tween-aged years day dreaming about some hot goth vampire boy?  

Do you like your characters with manic smiles and unhinged personalities?  

If you answered NO to any or all three of these points you should STILL read The Case Study of Vanitas by Jun Mochizuki. It's really quite Good.  

If you answered YES to any of these, you then you probably saw the hot unhinged vampire doctor and aren’t even reading this anymore. For you that’s enough information to dive head first into this Kool-Aid. I'm not judging. But I see you there. 

Okay, okay so backing up a bit, it was recently my birthday so I decided to Treat Myself. I picked up a manga that I had never heard of, though I liked the cover. When I flipped through the pages I caught sight of this panel:

AND YOU KNOW I CAN STAN A BASIC BINCH. NO POWERS ONLY SASS. And then I flipped a bit more and I saw this gem:

DAMMMMMMMN SON YOUR WORDS SAY YOU’RE GOING TO SAVE LIVES BUT YOUR EYES AND THESE BLOOD SPLATTERS SAY YOU’RE GOING TO MURDER SOMEONE. It’s the Gap Moe I never knew I wanted.

And then I saw this face:

And that’s when the money left my wallet.  

SO, what on earth did I buy? Wat is this story even? Well we’re about to get into my plot overview and review! Spoilers ahead! ALTHOUGH it’s worth noting that I'm only reviewing volume one AND only summarizing chapter one so you’re probably fine.

Our story begins with a vampire called Noe. Noe lives in a world where vampires and humans coexist, so him being a vampire is Not a Big Deal. More important to his character is that he's looking for this book called the Book of Vanitas.

A side note about Noe—

I bought this story for Vanitas but Noe is Best Boi.

HE IS A PURE CINNAMON ROLL. Noe is at heart a country bumpkin who can see beauty and wonder in everything. He’s polite, a tad blunt, and he loves his cat Murr.  He also has a backbone and a strong sense of justice. Bless him.  

Anyways Noe goes with his cat to look for this book. He’s having a good time too; he has never been on an airship before so he’s super excited. He also has never been to Paris so he’s thrilled at the thought of traveling. He’s just very wide eyed and ready for adventure to happen to him and it’s incredibly endearing.

And lo! Adventure happens!

He meets a young woman named Amelia who turns out to be a Sick Vampire, and then she has a bit of a psychotic breakdown because it turns out there's some evil force infecting vampires that makes them go feral and corrupt their True Names (which seems to work via fae logic in this universe—so think of a vampire’s name as their soul?)

Anyways, sick vampire! What do you do if there's a sick vampire? Do you need a vampire doctor?

Yes! Yes, you do! That’s where Vanitas comes in. He crashes through the ceiling because why the fuck not

--and because he looks like such a ruffian that we pretty much assume he is here to kill Amelia. But nope.

He’s a vampire doctor and wants to save all the vampires even though he himself is a human. So, he rescues Amelia and turns her back from a raging demon to just regular undead citizen and all’s well that ends well.

And then Vanitas is like, “OH HEY Noe! You're our protagonist and audience viewpoint! Why don’t you join me in saving the vampires! AND guess what! I also own this book you were looking for! It’s the source of all my power!”

And Noe tells him “NO. I DON’T LIKE YOU.”

And so, the series ends and they go their separate ways.

Lol. As if.  Poor Noe, he’s got a case of unwilling protagonist syndrome. But Joseph Campbell and the rest of us know that the heroic quest cycle will soon dictate his call to action!

Like it or not, Noe and Vanitas are going to be glued together from now on. Let the vampire adventure hijinks ensue!

Anyways, now for the review portion of our post.

Obviously, the immediate appeal for this manga is the art. Jun Mochizuki is a veteran of the industry and it really shows. Each panel is beautifully laid out; the art and expressions are detailed and clear. Even small throw-away panels are given their due, and they even went so far as to hire some designers to draw some of the more complicated stuff, like the airship. They did not cheap out on the background details AT ALL.

The other big draw for this manga is the banter. Noe and Vanitas are so incredibly likable yet distinct in their personalities—Noe being the naïve but earnest straight man and Vanitas being the hyper yet cynical jokester. They really complement each other and any scenes they have together are a treat.

The only thing I’m not sure of is the plot. I’ve only read volume one but so far it’s already foreshadowing a ton of mysteries so I really hope the author knows where they are going. Nothing’s worse than a story that hints at a lot but doesn't pay off (COUGH COUGH GAME OF THRONES COUGH GOUGH)  

What I can attest to is that the action sequences are excellent. They are clear, well-staged and engaging. Manga has so much trouble staging action sometimes but it’s done well here, which is good because this manga looks like there will be a ton of fights with vamps gone wild.

Anyways, if any of this at all piques your interest, give it a read! Heck, it even has an endorsement from Hiromu Arakawa (the mangaka of Full Metal Alchemist fame) so if you don’t believe me, believe one of the gods of the industry!

Anyways, let me know if you have read this and what you think, or if you have any series you want me to look at next!

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

[drshojo]

*DEEP BREATH* ONE LAST TIME, ARE WE SURE THEIR NOT GAY?!

LOOK AT THAT SQUEEZE, THATS AN OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU AND WILL PROTECT YOU SQUEEZE

[drshojo]

I Made A Thing

Play it with YOUR favorite shojo manga 😂😂

[drshojo]

I Am A Shill For The Manga Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun

Hello! Dr. Shojo here! It has been a long time since I've posted anything!

Is it because I stopped reading manga? Haha nope it's because I have carpel tunnel AND tendonitis. You should see my physiotherapy bill! It's depressing! But you know what cheers me up? All the love you guys showed my Katarina Class post!

In thanks for the love you’ve shown I’m back! And today were talking about one of my favorite manga's of all time – Short Cake Cake! Oh, wait we already covered that! Change of plans! Time to cover my OTHER favorite manga of all time!

That’s right! Today we are taking a look at the supernatural shojo TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN!!

First of all, can we talk about these colors?! I would sell my right lung for these colors. The gorgeous character designs combined with these washed out neon is what got me to check out the series. It's just incredibly appealing. Also, the fact that Hanako looks like a sassy ass trouble maker.

mean look at this kid. I'm weak to sass. Don’t ask me how many doodles I have of Kokichi Ouma in my sketchbook ok? It’s embarrassing.

Now Toilet Bound Hanako Kun is super easy to get into because the first chapter reads like a one shot. You can read it and be satisfied in only 60 pages. What are you waiting for? GO! READ IT NOW!

IF YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CHARACTERS AND ART LIKE ME THERE ARE 9 MORE VOLUMES BUT IF YOU DON’T YOU CAN BE DONE AFTER 60 PAGES.

*cough* I'm calm I swear.

Now let's delve into it shall we?

The story starts out with our adorable Protagonist Nene. She's our typical heroine. Adorable, Dense and hopelessly in love with some boy! The twist this time is that she has the bright idea to use the local school ghost Hanako of the Toilet to try and get said man.

Hoh boy. This sounds like a poorly thought out plan.

Thankfully Hanako is like GIRL WHAT ARE YOU DOING USING THE SUPERNATURAL FOR THIS EVERYDAY SHIZ. DID YOU NOT SEE HOW THIS WORKED OUT IN SABRINA?  

Ok so Ima level with you, this premise instantly won me over to Hanako. He’s a nice kid! He really wants Nene to be ok! He warns her totally un cryptically that she's making bad life decisions! Hey Nene, Maybe date this dead kid! I know it sounds weird but this is manga so your probably fine!

Anyways after these cute hijinks ensue with Nene trying to win over her love with Hanako’s help.  

What sets this story apart is the writing of the characters. Hanako and Nene seem really genuine when they are trying to figure out the best way to win over someone's heart. What makes someone appealing? Do you really know what love is when you're that young? Never trust a love self-help book!

Anyways I really recommend reading the first chapter to get the whole story, the art is super cute. Did you see Nenes uniform?! To die for! This manga is low key less horny soul eater and Its fun!  

But for those that want to know more about where the story is going, spoiler alert!  

Predictably Nene eventually tries to use the magic route out of desperation and winds up cursed to turn into a fish/mermaid and the only to be human again is to be bound together with Hanako instead of her true love. Yup it’s a life of cleaning toilets for Nene. 

And so our story begins!

This is also the part where we find out that Hanako is way more of a little shit then we thought.

Nene isn't a pushover though so were going to get some really cute back and forth for the rest of the series. Hanako’s obvious crush on Nene is going to be a slow burn. Ganbatte Hanako Kun!

So, if you're wondering where the series goes from here, Hanako and Nene investigate the 7 supernatural school mysteries as they pop up and start to cause trouble in the school. We slowly learn more about Hanako and his past, Nene has more misadventures in love, and because this is a shojo we get our LOVE TRIANGLE!

Now let us pause so I can gush about this love triangle.

IT’S A LITTLE GAY YOU GUYS. ITS GOT THAT SHORT CAKE CAKE VIBE OF BEING A LITTLE BIT GAY. I’M WEAK

OK. This time our light-haired Boy B is Kou, And he is an exorcist! What a perfect rival for Hanako!

Hanas like bitch Nene is mine tho. What a little sh*t.

Don’t let their first meeting fool you though. Kou and Hana get their own friendship arc in the series and soon Kou is saying misleading things like KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY MAN!

He like also stresses out that Hanako is falling out of a building this one time but like, Hanas a ghost so calm down?

look out Nene, Kou is being a real stud around Hana. He might steal his heart!

Anyways I don’t want to spoil to much so I'll just wrap this up now. But I'm not going to lie if I didn’t ship HanaNene so much I would ship Hanakou in a hot second.

HANA GETS SO MANY TENDER MOMENTS WITH NENE IN BETWEEN HIS TROLLING THOUGH I CANT NOT ROOT FOR THEM OK

Jokes aside the three form a mystery hunting trio so adorable I had to spend 120$ of fillings for the cavity's i just got.

My only complaint about this series.......is that the only way to buy Toilet bound hanako kun...... is via EBOOK. There is NO PHYSICAL ENGLISH RELEASE. So, if it is in your means PLEASE CONSIDER BUYING THE EBOOK SO WE MIGHT ONE DAY GET A PHYSICAL COPY. HECK IF I GO TO JAPAN IM TRAKING THESE DOWN I NEED TO HOLD THEM IN MY HANDS.

*cough* I'm calm I swear.

Honestly, I love Hanako, Kou and Nene with all of my otaku heart. The art is gorgeous and detailed, the water color title pages are to die for, and the story has that supernatural vibe I've been missing from gravity falls.

READ IT READ IT READ IT LOOK HOW MUCH LOVE WENT IN TO INKING HANAKOS BLACK HAIR AND UNIFORM. MY POOR WRISTS HURT THINKING ABOUT IT! SUPPORT THIS EFFORT!

Xoxo

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

[drshojo]

Hunky Dory Should be a Yuri I'm Serious

Okay okay ARE WE 100% SURE HUNKY DORY ISNT A YURI

So, I know I came out with my first impressions jokeing that Hunky Dory has Yuri undertones.

Now I've read more all I can say is this

SO FAR YUKARI HAS WAY MORE CHARACTER INTERECTIONS WITH HER BEAUTIFUL FEMALE FRIEND THEN THIS OU KUN SHES SUPPOSED TO BE IN LOVE WITH. HER CHEMISTRY IS SO MUCH BETTER WITH HER FIRST EVER FEMALE FRIEND THEN BOTH HER TWIN GUY FRIENDS.

and don't get me wrong, I'm totally fine with her finding the boy of her dreams instead but I just wish her and Ou kun had some chemistry or something. Or even with the other brother. Some boy chemistry is needed if this wants to be a shojo about a straight girl. Yukari says over and over in this chapter she's in love with ou. But.... does she ever, I dunno..... think about what he's doing right now or, notice a quality about him she likes? NO. SHES BUSY WORRYING ABOUT HER GIRLFRIEND. WHOS JUST A FRIEND. REALLY. Her girlfriend seems to not care at all about this boy she was going to confess to either an is instead MOVED TO TEARS AT THE THOUGHT OF NOT BEING CLOSE ENOUGH WITH YUKARI.

Before it was a joke. Now Its got me dreaming of the romance that could have been.

Wake up Hunky Dory. You're a Yuri thats in the closet!

[drshojo]

Confessions of a Shortcake Cake Lover

Hiya everybody! Its been awhile huh? Sorry about that, I had a ton of commissions this month- For those that don’t know I work freelance as an artist on top of my regular 9-5 job so things can get craaaaazy!

BUT WE’RE BACK! Back to talk about Shortcake Cake! Which is, in fact, at this very moment at least, my favorite shojo of all time! Shortcake cake has the best protagonist. Shortcake cake has the perfect will they won't they love triangle. Shortcake cake has well developed male leads. Shortcake cake reminds me I'm not straight

And viz media published a review and it sucked and you can tell the person isn't a shojo enthusiast and BY THE NINE DIVINES IM HERE TO SHOUT THE PRAISE SHORTCAKE CAKE DESERVES!

BECAUSE THAT’S RIGHT IT GOT AN OFFICIAL ENGLISH TANKOBON SO ITS TIME TO CELEBRATE BEING ABLE TO HOLD THIS MANGA IN MY HANDS!

For Talos’s sake all the art on this blog is just pictures of Ten, the protagonist from this series!

Now lets talk about me being gay for Ten

AH-HEM

MOVEING ALONG, I’m not ashamed to admit I picked up this series solely because I like Tens design. She's cute, cat-like and kind of looks like Hatsune Miku in my favorite Pinocchio-P song Nobody Makes Sense.

(Right?!)

As far as personality goes, Ten does not disappoint. She's thoughtful, practical, inexperienced in love but by no means does that obliviousness come off as stupid.

AND MARA’S SAKE TOO MANY TIMES WE HAVE THE DIZY PROTAGONIST AS A DEVICE TO ARBITRARILY DRAW OUT THE PLOT WHEN EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED IF SHE THOUGHT HUH THIS GUY KISSED ME AND WE ALWAYS HANG OUT MABY I SHOULD ASK “CHUNTS UP WITH THAT?”

Ten says what she means all the time. She's the smart best friend character that you always wish was the main. I can pinpoint the exact moment Ten became my shojo protagonist hero.

Its right here at the end of volume one

(This outfit ten is wearing does +100 damage and leaves your Pokémon infatuated)

Your average clueless inexperienced heroine would pretend to be asleep. She would ponder the meaning of one dudes' words for days and come up with no answer at all! But not our ten. Our Ten gets right to the point. Now that doesn’t mean Ten is infallible. She gets confused and worries about love later in the series but only when it makes sense to do so because the actual situations call for it. Shortcake cake masterfully depicts the feelings many shojos fail to capture realistically. At what moment does one fall in love? Why do we like the people we do? How should we act around that person? It’s the realism of the characters that really draws you in to Shortcake Cakes lack of plot.

Oh ya the plot! There's not a whole lot to it. Cliffnotes version is - A girl lives into a boarding house with two cute guys and some other people whom you can immediately tell the author does not care about.

The long version is that Ten has a long commute to school so she moves into a boarding house that is closer to school with two cute guys and some other people whom you can immediately tell the author does not care about.

You might think I'm being harsh on the other housemates BUT LOOK AT HER BEST FRIENDS/HOUSEMATES EYES

HELLO EXPOSITION SALLY. COULD YOU REALLY NOT GIVE HER PROPER EYES THAT CAN EXPRESS PROPER EMOTIONS. I IMMEDIATELY KNOW YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE PLOT RELEVANT. THIS IS MY ONE CRITICISM OF SHORTCAKE CAKE. It really doesn't value anyone other than the main three.

Now let's get to the meat of what makes Shortcake cake not just good but fantastic.

It’s a little something that shojos almost never do for some reason

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR MALE CHARACTERS

A LOVE TRIANGLE THAT DEVELOPS ORGANICALLY AND BELIEVABLY.

For black haired boy A there's the “too friendly with girls” Riku. Riku is the type of male lead that I normally hate. He’s too flirty, and all that happiness is just gonna be a façade for some major hangups. But this is where shortcake cake works its magic. We get to hear a lot of Rikus thoughts outside of what he says to Ten. We get to see when he feels awkward, when he second guesses what he says to cute girl. (like us all hahah) He’s believable! We know what he worries about! And thus, we know he's a good guy even as Ten is trying to figure him out. Shortcake cake gives Riku a chance to shine so we can care about him just as much as we care about Ten.

And for not black haired boy b there is the gorgeous book loving Chiaki!

Chiaki is the secret ditzy heroine of Shortcake Cake. He’s confused about his feelings a lot of the time I feel. Sometimes says quotes from books when he's not sure what to say because he's a cute dork like that. And he has a Shonen-esque pre-occupation with friendship.

Chiaki knows he's falling for Ten but he also knows Riku is his friend. Dare I say it? Riku is his nakama. There's an alternate universe script of shortcake cake that’s a yaoi I stg. Riku is so devoted to supporting Rikus love that’s its hilarious. He is the Kaoru to Rikus Hikaru (we still remember ouran high-school host club right?). But this boy is also a natural smooth talker. He has some genuinely great moments with ten that really leave you guessing who she might go for. He’s gorgeous and he cares so much about the people around him that you can’t help but really like him. 10/10 shojo boy. Might be bisexual. In a perfect world this series would be about an OT3 instead of an OTP This is why I love this series. It gives you a love triangle where they guys have a strong relationship that gets developed outside the girl- and all three stand as such strong characters the love triangle tension actually works.

The other thing about shortcake cake is that I like Ten so much that I would be perfectly happy with whatever ending because she's the one I'm rooting for- but the author had to go and make both boys so damn likeable that I can't pick a side! The characters carry the story and I don’t want to spoil it because there are some truly wonderful romantic moments and love triangle hilarity. It makes me want to be at that damn boarding house.  

Also this doesn't need to be said because ya’ll have eyes but the art is GEORGEIOUS.  The use of pretty designs, contrast and geometric shapes is stunning.

Anyways in conclusion Shortcake cake is everything a shojo should be. It makes you want to be in love. It's funny and gives you that heart squeezing feeling. It treats its characters as real people and lets us see how people could fall for one another.  Despite some trope bending It is a shojo through and though. If That’s not your thing, shortcake cake isn't going to change your mind. But, if a good shojo is what you live for, JOIN ME ON THIS JOURNEY THAT STILL DOSNT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CAKE!

Until next time,

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

[drshojo]

I Reincarnated into an Otome game as a Villaness!

BAM! I'm back with another FIRST IMPRESSIONS for a series I discovered this morning that was so charming I was almost late to work! A manga known as Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shite shimatta. And with a title like that you just know it started out as a light novel! Yes that’s right, I want to talk about a new Isekai manga!

Now I know this genre is done to death what with SAO, Re Zero, Overlord, my personal favorite ½ Prince, .//Hack ect ect the list goes on BUT! Stay with me okay? This is a manga with a ton of charm and a pretty good twist!

This time around the story is about an otaku girl who dies and wakes up in her otome game as the villain character, A nasty spoiled baroness. Funny enough isn't the first time I've read this plot. There's another manga called Koushaku reijou no tashinami, Which I heartily recommend to any fans of Spice and Wolf. It follows the story of a girl who also winds up in the body of the games Villain character at the end of a bad route in an otome game BUT IN THIS ONE SHE GETS SUPER INTO FIXING THE ECONOMY. WHO NEEDS A MAN WHEN YOU NEED TO MANAGE YOUR TAXES AND IMPORTS AMIRIGHT.  Anyways, Back to the actual manga we are reading.

This manga follows the adventures of our MC, Trying to avoid all the bad endings in the game at all costs as well as preparing for her possible exile. However, when trying avoid the bad endings this she has a bad habit of making everyone she comes into contact with fall in love with her.   

Her Ernest mentality really steals the show. Also did I mention this series gets super gay in later chapters?

Every woman in this series is Bisexual. AND I STAN. MEN AND WOMEN ALIKE FALL BEFORE OUR OBLIVIOUS HERONIE.  

Where will love take these characters in this unconventional romance? Will there be an OTP? or an OT3? or maybe even an OT7? Or maybe Katarina is Aro or ace and no one wins?! Either way, if you need a light-hearted palate cleanser about a girl who steals more hearts then the phantom thieves, Look no further! Also let me know who is best girl / boy because ALL THE DESIGNS ARE PRETTY AND I CAN'T CHOOSE.  

Ciao!

Dr Shojo

[drshojo]

BATTLE OF THE BASKETBALL SHOJO

SPOILER WARNING OK

And here we are! As promised, I'm going to talk about some sports shojo that have nothing to do with sports and everything to-do with teen girls. Teen girls who don’t play sports. Teen girls who for some reason become basketball managers even though they have no athletic ability.  

Now, the first thing you will notice about these kinds of shojos is that despite the premise they really have nothing to-do with sports.  

And you know what? I don’t care all that much, I’m not into sports. You do you manga.  

The point of basketball in these series isn't basketball. The point is that THAT ONE HOT BOY HAS A DREAM AND THIS COMBIND WITH A SWEATY TANK TOP IS CRYPTONITE FOR OUR PROTAGONIST-CHAN.  

Now the first series I want to talk about won me over not with the sweaty boys but with THE PURE POWER OF THE PROTAGONISTS STONE COLD RESTING BITCH FACE.

MASHIDA IS OUR QUEEN

Seriously she takes some notes out of the Misaki maid sama book of not taking no shit from nobody! However, unlike maid sama, Machida isn't a tsundere! Her face is just like that! She works out her feelings super honestly from day one and I respect that. But she's not the only one with a resting bitch face in this series.

Naruse (the male lead) has a face that never changes either. They are, quite possibly, the worlds most non expressive couple.

But that makes it so much more funny when one of them snaps!

And here's why Namaikizakari  works. Naruse is written as a typical highschool asshole, but over the course of the series he grows. Machida rejects him time and time again but slowly they grow to know each other better, understand each others flaws. Break through their one expression faces! Except Naruse. The mangaka only has one expression for him and honestly if she changed it, I'm not sure I would recognize him at this point?

You do you boo.

Anyways they are so awkward at times it will make you laugh out loud and cheer for them

Yes Namaikizakari is a basketball shoujo that might just be worth your time. BUT

It has a small problem. Otherwise It would not relate to this post

Halfway through the series Naruse and Machida date, graduate bla bla bla you know what's going to happen.....

ANOTHER LOVE TRIANGE

BUT ITS HALFWAY THROUGH THE SERIES GIRL U GETTING MARRIED TO NARUSE NO MATTER WHAT THIS GUY HAS TO OFFER.  

THERE IS NO TENSION HERE.  

JUST NARUSE BEING POSESIVE

Which I will give a pass. Naruse’s character has issues with toxic masculinity. And Machida always calls him out on his shit. It's not played off as romantic Unlike some shojos I could name......

BUT THAT’S BESIDES THE POINT. GOOD CHARACTERIZATION ASIDE IT’S A BORING THIRD ACT!

Which leads us to Basketball shoujo #2

Tsubasa to Hotaru!

Now this series has so little basketball it's pretty comical.

 Ahhh look at this art! So Bubbly! So cute! You can tell no one in this series is going to kiss anyone they like for a long time! 

Now Tsubasa to Hotaru sets up its love triangles pretty early which means we might have some actual will  they wont they tension. 

  ..

Just kidding. Look how much sparkles and shading are on his face. He’s definitely the lead.  

Now I'm going to zoom by the rest of the plot to get to what I wanted to talk about. Just insert any plot points you want-A Summer festival, The Christmas party secret Santa gift exchange, perhaps a basketball trip? you're probably not far off!  

The plot is predictable but by no means a bad read if you're in the mood. The main is a bit of a doormat, but the male lead Akki is so clueless it's kind of amazing.

I want to talk about this:

Finally, an interesting character has arrived. An underclassman who becomes junior basketball club manager. And she's super cute! Anyways the girls are having an honest heart to hear about their feelings for Akki when this girl gets a BRIGHT IDEA

SHE LIES AND SAYS SHES ALREADY DATEING AKKI. SO OUR LIL SONOKAWA WONT CONFESS.

What an idiot! This is totally going to backfire right?! All it would take would be one FB or LINE message being all

“yo akki my friend why u no tell me u dateing”

“wut im single what drugs u smokeing”

BAM. PLAN FALLS APART.

EXCEPT IT DOES NOT

Did I mention the MC is a doormat?

Now Akki loves Sonokawa. He told as much to dr second lead (who is kind of a predatory asshole so I’m kinda 100% checked out of this triangle)

And of course AKKI IS ALL SONOKAWA THINKS ABOUT

SO NOW FOR THE PAST SEVERAL CHAPTERS SHES BEEN AVOIDING HIM.  

Now this is a little device to drag out the plot. We know second lead isn't going to win. We know this cute devious freshman won't get her man. Neither of them have nearly enough cell shading and sparkles on their panels.  

And I could forgive all that if Akki and Sonokawa had some more genuine moments, something to make me root for them.  

But they miss all of each other's cues.

COMMON WHERES THE LOVE PEOPLE. I DON’T BELIEVE THEY CAN OVERCOME THIS HURDLE. THEIR COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE SO BAD EVEN IF THEY DO GET TOGETHER I GIVE THEM 2 WEEKS BEFORE THEY SPLIT.

I CANT SHIP THEM AND IF I CANT SHIP IT- WHAT IS THE POINT?

IS THE POINT THE BASKETBALL? GOD I HOPE NOT.

But my biggest question is: why are girls managing they boys team?

Honestly throughout reading all of this, why isn't this job given to a boy on the team? Team captain? A male gym teacher?

Honestly these series might be better if they dropped the basketball thing all together. The characters never meet anywhere cause they always at the gym.  

At least they are staying healthy and fit.

Anyways that it for my examination of two basketball Shojos! I'm getting real sick of shojos that have shitty love triangles. Which is why next time were going to talk about my all time fave: Short cake cake!

And by the by, Any sports manga you love? Any manga you want me to talk about? Ask away in the new ask section!

Xoxo

Dr Shojo

[drshojo]

Hunky Dory

Hunky Dory First Impressions

OKAY OKAY OKAY SO I WILL TALK ABOUT BASKETBALL SHOJO BUT THIS MORNING I READ HUNKY DORY AND I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME IMPRESSIONS. Now from the cover its really obvious what hunky dory is about. These two boys/twin brothers want date their childhood friend but bla bla bla does it really matter? It’s a love triangle. 

From the start I already like these kids. They’re unabashedly rude and sassy.

I'm not sure I would call them heroes though. Raise your standards kiddo!

The designs for this series are super cute! Look at this throwaway character girl, I want a whole series just on her! She looks sassy and her mom looks like an aged animal crossing character. They boys seem fine too. 

I was delighted to find that the main character is a total weirdo. To many protagonists' lack personality. And hi-jinks are way more believable if the protagonist is a total weirdo or a little stupid.  And I totally buy this character trait because I had a friend like this, loud around friends and deathly shy around others. Plus, he design is so scraggly- You really buy that all her friends are boys with that tomboy appearance. Anyways, so far, the plot is pretty predictable. Black hair dude likes girl. Girl crushing on white hair dude.

AND I BET THIS GIRL IS GOING TO BE THE ROMANTIC RIVAL. BUT HONESTLY LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL. FORGET THE MEN AND DATE THIS WOMAN HIKARI CHAN

I swear to got there's a version of this manga that’s a really good Yuri. 

Are we sure this isn't a manga about a cute girl who always hung out with boys discovering she's gay?!

I have never been so disappointed for a man to show up.

BAHAHAA THESE FACES ARE GOOD THOUGH. And why does this guy not want to be friends with 50% of the population what a looser. 

But this next part is what really sold me

DID SHE JUST FALL FOR A GUY WHO CALLED HER STUPID?! SHE MUST BE STUPID WHAT IS THIS LOGIC. I LAUGHED OUT LOUD. (also I called that plot point DAMN I WISH SHE WAS GAY THAT WOULD BE A TWIST SON)

Anyways that’s chapter one of Hunky Dory. So far I don’t know a lot about these guys but I'm rooting for this new girl. She's totally weird. She also seems like she has a soul so I wont be mad if they wind up being rivals. Right now, I really don’t care about these dudes. They seem generic. But the female cast is on point and art is really soft and beautiful. I just hope they don’t settle in to who's gonna date who too soon because it ruins any sense of tension. Look at Fruits Basket! That was a slow burn and it was so satisfying! Anyways

Ciao!

Dr Shojo

[drshojo]

An Introduction

Hello everyone!

My Name is Dr Shojo and I would describe myself as utter shojo trash. Now to be clear, I'm not saying the genre is trash.  I am saying that I WILL READ ANY SHOJO NO MATTER HOW TERRIBLE BECAUSE IT IS MY DRUG.  

How many series have I read? Too many to count! I spent years checking manga sites every day, picking series out at random by the cover, not even glancing at the title and then devouring them. In search of that FEELING. You know the one. That perfect, laugh out loud moment. That Squee moment that leaves you kicking your legs in the air rolling around your bed in delight. That moment when you believe LOVE IS REAL. (Disclaimer- real relationships are not like shojo, but that doesn’t stop mangakas from suspending my twenty something cynicism for just long enough to feel some real joy)

Anyways I'm writing this here today because I started my manga addiction as a bright eyed 12 year and now I'm 24, have a full time job and (gasp) have even achieved any shojo protags dream and DATED SOME PEOPLE. BROKEN UP. FELT THE THINGS. AND NOW I HAVE MORE OPINONS THEN I DID WHEN I WAS TWELVE AND WAS WONDERING WHAT KISSING WAS LIKE.

I have over a decade of OPINIONS on so many series. Ones that never were really main stream enough to talk about. I have second lead syndrome that I never got to yell about. I HAVE SOME OPINIONS ON TOXIC TROPES THAT REALLY KINDA MESSED UP MY IDEAS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS WHEN I STARTED DATEING LOL.

And I want to talk about it! What makes a good character? What makes the perfect squee moment? What can two shojos have the exact same plot points but one makes me feel light and excited for love and the other make me........Not.

I’m here to bash, gush, rant and analyze some of the series that I've read over the past decade or so.

Im not a writer so it may be shit LOL

But if you’re here stick around!

Next up: Mediocre Basketball shojos that I read this month that have nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with the teen girl manager falling in love: Tsubasa to Hotaru and Namaikizakari