Taboo romances in shojo manga: analyzing age gaps

It’s pretty widely known that many couple dynamics commonly found in shojo manga would be extremely problematic in real life. Whether it’s step-siblings who fall in love, or guys who blackmail girls into being their girlfriend/slave, shojo manga fans are used to having to stretch or suspend their personal boundaries regarding what is acceptable in relationships. But where does the line get crossed?

The 10-year age gap between Takane & Hana may bother some readers, but plenty of fans have fallen for the couple’s antics.

The answer to that question is up to the individual reader. While some fans don’t bat an eye at step-sibling romances because the couple in question isn’t related by blood (well, usually), and typically meet as teenagers so they weren’t raised as siblings, others are completely icked out by the idea and won’t bother reading series featuring such couples. Another risqué trope that’s pervasive in romance shojo manga is age gaps. Many shojo manga feature romances between teenage girls and men in their 20s, sometimes in the form of student-teacher pairings. And while some readers run away from series featuring even slight age gaps, others love such dynamics and consider the trope to be their guilty pleasure.

My first manga that featured an age gap was Dengeki Daisy. Teru, the series’ main female character, is 16, while her protector and love interest Kurosaki is 24. One of my main impressions of this series, which I read over a decade ago, was my surprise that I wasn’t significantly bothered by the main couple’s age difference. In real life, I am adamantly against age gaps of even a few years when the younger partner is at or even slightly above the age of consent, because I fear that the older individual might exploit their younger partner.

But the reason I’ve been okay with age gap romances in shojo manga is precisely because I’m in the safety of fiction. I know that no one in the real world is being exploited or manipulated if two fictional characters who have an eight-year age difference end up dating, even though such an outcome would unfortunately be likely in reality. And while that may be my reasoning, I completely respect and understand why age-gap romances may be completely off-putting for other fans.

One major reason I’ve been okay with many of the age gap romances I’ve encountered is because several of them feature male leads who essentially act like teenagers despite being in their 20s. Take Takane from Takane & Hana: although he is 26 at the start of the series, Takane is haughty and stubborn, and clearly has very little experience with women or romance, which makes his awkward attempts to pursue Hana hilarious. But it also makes him a ‘safer’ love interest for 16-year-old Hana, who in many ways is more sensible and mature than Takane is.

A factor that makes these age-gap shojo manga palatable is that they tend to be chaste. The main couple generally never sleeps together (or if they do, it’s only after a time jump, allowing the main female lead to age a few years). The manga present a female fantasy in which an older man is just looking to protect his female love interest or lavish her with flowers rather than aggressively trying to bed her.

Another factor in some of the manga with age-gaps I’ve read that has allowed me to accept and enjoy them is that the female lead often falls for the older man first. For example, in Living-Room Matsunaga-san, main female character Meeko, who is 17, realizes she’s in love with Matsunaga, the 27-year-old tenant living in her uncle’s boarding house, pretty early on in the series. I would have a problem if, say, Matsunaga set out to pursue Meeko as soon as he found out he was going to be sharing a space with a 17-year-old girl. But he gets to know Meeko organically because they end up spending a lot of time together since he works from home, and worries for her since she’s away from her parents. It takes several volumes for Matsunaga to even realize he’s fallen for Meeko, and by that point, I was already invested in the potential couple.

Then there’s Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, which is about the romance between 16-year-old student Hinana and Kaede, a 24-year-old idol-turned-actor. The series is a Cinderella fantasy about dating a celebrity, yet is relatively realistic about the fact that Hinana and Kaede live in completely different worlds, both because of his fame and a crazy schedule that makes it hard for him to meet up with Hinana at times when she can easily leave the house. Hinana and Kaede have some of the best communication I’ve come across reading shojo manga: misunderstandings that most other series would drag out for drama are instead quickly resolved, making their relationship feel more mature than most, regardless of their age difference.

But I recently came across a series that made me realize exactly where my boundary lies when it comes to age gap romances. In A Girl & Her Guard Dog, 16-year-old Isaku, whose family are yakuza members, has a 26-year-old bodyguard who works for her family named Keiya. I only made it about a dozen pages into the first chapter of the manga: as soon as I realized that Keiya has known Isaku since she was six-years-old and has watched her grow up, I was immensely grossed out. I ended up deciding not to continue the series, because the thought of reading raunchy scenes between an older male lead and a teenage girl he in some ways helped raise did not appeal to me at all.

But of course, there are plenty of readers who are enjoying A Girl & Her Guard Dog, and who don’t mind the main couple’s relationship. Some people may not be fazed by the fact that Keiya has known Isaku since she was a child, just as I’m not fazed by step-sibling pairings. I think it’s important as fans to discuss why so many problematic tropes are ubiquitous in romance shojo manga. But I also think it’s possible for shojo manga readers to further dissect tropes that are troublesome while still enjoying them at the same time, even if as a guilty pleasure.

I only made it a few pages into the first volume of A Girl and Her Guard Dog before dropping the series, because I was bothered by the fact that the significantly-older male love interest has known the female lead since she was a child.

How to make a best friend, shojo manga-style

In a throwback to an early tongue-in-cheek blog entry listing some of the best romantic tips shojo manga has to offer, I thought I’d write a similar post on the nuggets of wisdom found in shojo series on friendship. Making friends is hard, and with the wide variety of female friendships in shojo manga — from childhood best friends to frenemies — there’s tons of great advice to help you snag a lifelong gal pal!

After Suzume finds out that Yuyuka purposely told her to meet at the wrong location for a class outing, the two become close friends.

Torment them: One of the things that never ceases to amaze me in shojo manga is how many friendships are forged by attempted battery. Too many times in shojo manga, the main female character’s bitchy popular female classmate attacks her out of jealousy because she has a crush on the main male lead. The most extreme example I can think of is Harumi from Mars, who threatens to smash the main female character and artist Kira’s fingers with a dumbbell unless she gives up on the school’s mysterious playboy Rei. Shortly after the incident, Kira quickly forgives Harumi and the two become best friends. Guys horse around all of the time: so why can’t girls make lifelong friendships by punching each other’s lights out too?

Isolate them: If shojo manga teaches readers anything about female friendships in high school, it’s that being more two-faced than Regina George complimenting your sweater is a surefire way to make best friends. Just look at Yuyuka in Daytime Shooting Star, who makes sure transfer student Suzume is the only one left out of a class outing by telling her the wrong meeting place. Once Suzume realizes Yuyuka is jealous of her and is far from the sweet girl she pretends to be, instead of avoiding Yuyuka by any means necessary like most people would, instead, she makes her a confidante. But the best mean girls know that you don’t have to be a direct bully: you can enlist other people to help you! Probably the best example is Maho is Kare Kano, who gets all of the girls in her class to turn against model student Yukino, who has stolen her spotlight. But when her plan backfires and the class starts ostracizing her, Yukino and Maho decide to start living true to themselves instead of trying to be perfect, developing a fast friendship.

Move far, far away: Seeing a friend frequently can often deepen the bonds between people, making them extremely close in a short period of time. But sometimes, getting far the hell away from someone solidifies that bond even faster! Just look at Hotaru and Mikan’s friendship in Gakuen Alice: after Hotaru moves away from her hometown and friend Mikan to the dorms at Alice Academy, Mikan follows her and manages to get accepted at the school. While the stoic Hotaru sometimes treated Mikan as a nuisance, joining Alice Academy gets Mikan to realize how important she actually is to Hotaru, strengthening their friendship.

Steal their crush: Nothing says “let’s be besties” better than making out with your friend’s object of desire. After all, why talk about music, fashion or hobbies when you can obsess over how hot your mutual crush is? Take for example Kimi ni Todoke‘s Sawako, who becomes friends with Kurumi after she finds out that her pretty schoolmate has feelings for her crush Kazehaya. Oh sure, Kurumi sees Sawako as a rival at first and may have spread rumors about her — but once Sawako perseveres in the love triangle and she and Kazehaya become an official couple, Kurumi becomes her close friend. After all, stealing a girl’s man earns respect.

These are just some wonderful examples that show that beneath every female rivalry lies true friendship! If someone tries to attack you or gets 50 girls to bully you, then suddenly decides to be your friend, why bother having a conversation about their previous misbehavior or the trauma you endured at their hands? If you just accept them for who they are, they’ll likely prove to be unwaveringly loyal and an asset to you. After all, a best friend is called a “partner in crime” for a reason.

Kurumi makes up rumors about Sawako after she realizes her crush Kazehaya has taken an interest in the gloomy girl. They become close friends after Sawako and Kazehaya start dating.

Daytime Shooting Star: why I didn’t root for Mamura

[Note: there are many spoilers for the series ahead] Whenever I read romance manga, I always wonder if there are any scenarios where the main couple could have possibly not ended up together. Often in shojo manga, timing is everything when it comes to the main couple confessing their feelings or actually being ready for a relationship. In Daytime Shooting Star, one moment that could have easily prevented Mamura and Suzume from working out or entering a relationship in the first place immediately comes to mind: when Shishio, Suzume’s high school teacher and first love, tells her he never loved her.

I genuinely believe that if this scene, which happens in volume 7, had played out even slightly differently, Mamura would have never stood a chance. If Shishio, who called off his budding relationship with Suzume after her uncle found out about their romance, had instead told her the truth that they had been caught — or if he had at least not lied about never loving her — I believe that Suzume would have continued to hold onto her feelings for him. But it was only because he crushed her hopes that she was able to let go of him and move onto Mamura.

As far as male love interests in shojo manga go, there were several strikes against me ever rooting for Mamura. I typically dislike quiet love interests who treat the main female character coldly — I often find them boring. And I usually have a problem with male shojo manga characters who hate women, so Mamura really didn’t stand a chance with me.

Then there’s the fact that Shishio is a much more interesting character. Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Shishio’s struggle between loving Suzume and not wanting to hurt her makes him fascinating. Even though he’s 24-years-old, Shishio is in no way mature and is far from having figured out his life: he was unable to say what needed to be said at the right moment with his ex, Tsubomi, and once again makes the same mistake with Suzume. And it’s because of his indecisiveness that he ends up losing her.

Even though I logically knew that Shishio was a completely inappropriate love interest for Suzume because of his age and his status as her teacher, I found myself struggling with whether I wanted to root for him because of how strong Suzume’s feelings for him were for much of the series. I wanted Suzume to be happy, and for much of the series the source of her happiness is Shishio. I think the problem is that although Daytime‘s author, Mika Yamamori, clearly shows that Suzume and Shishio’s romance is unhealthy because they have to keep it a secret, she created so much chemistry and tension between the pair that Mamura simply feels like a third wheel. It doesn’t help that Mamura’s romantic interactions with Suzume are timid and awkward.

The other problem is that Suzume spends quite literally two-thirds of the series in love with Shishio. Mamura feels like a background character for much of the series, stepping into the limelight to confess his feelings for Suzume in volume 3 after she is rejected by Shishio and then as her fake-boyfriend after she and Shishio are over.

In volume 2, Suzume’s enemy-turned-friend Yuyuka, who initially has a crush on Mamura, tells Suzume that love “isn’t something you can reason out…It’s something you realize when that person is right next to you.” It’s this conversation that leads to Suzume realizing her feelings for Shishio, but what’s interesting is that I feel as though it can be applied later on in the series, when Suzume is trying to discern whether her feelings for new-boyfriend Mamura are actually love.

It may seem as though I disliked Daytime Shooting Star, but that’s not true at all. I sympathized with Suzume as she struggled to overcome her first love, and enjoyed watching her friendship with Yuyuka deepen. I even felt sorry for Mamura, who for much of the series fears he may be a placeholder in Suzume’s heart.

If anything, Daytime Shooting Star is actually the most refreshing shojo manga I’ve read in years; in many ways it surprised me. Despite student-teacher romances being a staple of shojo manga, not many series with this type of plot get licensed in the U.S. So when I first began reading the series, I wasn’t sure how the love triangle would be resolved. To be honest, I think I expected for the series to skip ahead past high school, which would have provided Shishio an opportunity to pursue Suzume without the obstacle of being her teacher.

Because Suzume spends much of the later volumes running away from her feelings for Mamura, afraid that she may still be in love with Shishio, I wasn’t convinced that Suzume’s love for Mamura runs deep or that their relationship was built on a solid foundation. But in a way, that’s part of the beauty of it. Daytime Shooting Star tells the story of two fragile loves: one between Shishio and Suzume that ended before it could begin, and one between Suzume and Mamura that starts on the sand, shifting and unsure, but glimmering with hope.

A fresh female lead: exploring Akari in Love Me, Love Me Not

Most main female characters in shojo manga have little-to-no experience with romance. They’ve never had a boyfriend, have never been kissed, and often have never even had a crush before they fall for the story’s main male lead.

Then there’s Love Me, Love Me Not‘s Akari.

When reading Love Me, Love Me Not, which follows the love square among fast-friends Akari and Yuna — the heroines of this manga — and Kazu and Rio, Akari’s character stood out to me immediately. I found her to be refreshing: she’s not shy about talking to guys or dating, and points out Yuna’s naiveté that one day she’ll meet the person she’s destined to fall in love with without being proactive.

When her long-distance relationship with boyfriend Ryosuke comes to an end in volume 1 of the series, Yuna judges Akari for seemingly not being upset about the break-up, and she assumes that Akari has never seriously been in love. But there’s more than meets the eye: it turns out Akari is indeed hurt, and Yuna’s childhood friend Kazu is the first person to realize this.

After Kazu catches Akari crying over the break-up, the two develop a rapport where they become each other’s confidante about their troubles at home. Akari finds herself quickly falling for Kazu, who acts very casual and familiar around her simply because he’s never looked at girls romantically before.

I have to say I love the Akari-Kazu pairing because there’s no other couple quite like them in any other manga I’ve read. While many other manga feature pairings like Yuna and Rio (the shy, innocent girl and the playboy), there aren’t many dynamics like Akari’s and Kazu’s, where the female character has more romantic experience. A major reason why I wanted to cast attention to this pairing is because while I often see praise for Yuna and Rio, or Yuna’s character development, I rarely see Akari and Kazu’s romance highlighted in the same way.

At first glance, Kazu seems like any other childhood best friend character (although he plays that role for Yuna rather than Akari). He’s not especially cool or popular, his grades are average, and of course, he’s never had a girlfriend. But as it turns out, Kazu is pretending to be average because of his older brother, who ended up pursuing a career that their parents disapproved of, which caused conflict at home. By being “middle of the road,” he won’t create any high expectations, nor will he disappoint his family.

Although Kazu is shown to love movies, for much of the series he refuses to admit that he wants to become a film director not only because he knows his family will disapprove, but because he’s afraid to fail. And therein is the real conflict for this character: deep down, Kazu has many insecurities, and falling for Akari brings them to light. Similarly, Akari also faces insecurities that she’s a shallow person who hasn’t grown as much as her friends, and fears she is unworthy of Kazu while she harbors seemingly unrequited feelings.

A major reason I love Akari and Kazu together is because Kazu is the first person Akari chose for herself. In her previous relationships, Akari was certain that a guy was interested in her before she would start falling for him or confess her feelings. But when Kazu earnestly listens to her after she explains why she doesn’t feel comfortable at home — a result of her mom being twice-divorced and later, her parents arguing — she falls for him not only because of his kindness, but because he’s not shallow, unlike many of the playboys who go after Akari simply because she’s pretty. Kazu becomes the first person Akari is willing to take risks and go “all in” for.

Their unhappiness with their home lives and the fact that they both feel as though they must play roles in their families connect the characters in a deeper way, bonding them as they cheer each other on. Although it was frustrating as a reader to see Kazu stall on confessing his feelings to Akari, completely unaware that she felt the same way, I understood why Kazu felt he needed to stand up to his family before pursuing her.

The scene in volume eight where Kazu and Akari play tag on Christmas is probably my favorite in the manga. Akari and Kazu reveal their career dreams to each other while Akari fails miserably at catching Kazu: until he lets her catch him. It’s sweet, slightly flirty, but has an undercurrent of melancholy because it’s obvious they each want more than friendship.

There are many things I love about Love Me, Love Me Not, which ranks neck-and-neck with Ao Haru Ride as my favorite Io Sakisaka series. But one unique element that I appreciate about this series is that it gives us two female leads to root for, and I often found myself relating to both Yuna and Akari even though the characters are so different. Which pairing or characters were your favorite in this series? Share your thoughts, guys!

Yes, I still love shojo manga

So it’s been awhile. Actually, it’s been more than nine years. I had to stop blogging because of some difficulties in my living situation, which took a long time to sort out. By the time I felt stable enough to start blogging again, I no longer had the energy to do so.

But throughout the years, I’ve continued reading shojo manga, falling in love with series such as Love Me, Love Me Not, Daytime Shooting Star, and A Sign of Affection. Lately, I’ve been more active on the shoujo subreddit on Reddit, and I’ve also recently come across YouTubers creating content about their favorite shojo anime and manga including Colleen’s Manga Recs.

It was because of the plethora of content created by others that I started to think more often about topics, characters and couples I wanted to dissect a little bit more deeply. So I’ve decided to revive this blog. Many of my previous readers have probably moved on, but I hope to meet and have great conversations about all of the wonderful shojo manga coming out with blog visitors new and old.

Here’s a picture of my bookshelf, which I also posted recently on Reddit. And in every single one of the series on my shelves, there are multifaceted characters or bittersweet romances I can’t wait to write about.

In case you were wondering…

Sorry I haven’t been posting recently, guys! I have to take a bit of a break from blogging for now, but I hope to get back to posting sooner rather than later. I can’t give an exact time frame, but in the meanwhile I’ll be reading some new shojo manga, of course.

Strobe Edge, which I’ve just started reading. I have to say, it’s addictive!

Happily ever after for everyone! – beta couples in shojo manga

One of the most common elements of shojo romantic-comedies is the presence of beta couples. Beta couples are secondary romantic relationships, which often serve as a contrast to the series’ main couple. Whether they’re the main character’s best friends or rival love interests who hook up after being rejected, the beta couple’s relationship is rarely developed or highlighted over the course of the series. I’ve found that the beta couple often is well established at the beginning of the series – they’re typically childhood sweethearts or they might get together right at the start of the manga – but either way, the fact that they’ve been together for so long make them great go-tos for relationship advice. They typically have little drama, and their presence in the series is typically used to contrast the main couple who struggles to get (or stay) together. And while beta couples may feel cliché (since the characters are often flat their relationships end up feeling just as boring, which was how I felt about the inclusion of Harumi and Tatsuya’s relationship in Mars), there are certainly interesting ones to be found. So I thought I’d take a look at a few examples.

When I think of beta couples, the first series that comes to mind is Marmalade Boy. Alongside Miki and Yuu, the series highlights the progressing romance between Miki’s best friend Meiko and her teacher/secret boyfriend Namura, as well as losing love interests Ginta and Arimi. Unlike many series, however, when Marmalade Boy begins focusing on Ginta’s new feelings for Arimi or Meiko’s heartache over her and Namura’s breakup, it doesn’t feel forced. This is because while most series will only start focusing on the protagonist’s best friends after the main couple has gotten together officially (such as Love*Com), Marmalade Boy does a great job of balancing all of it’s romantic storylines at the same time. I think another reason I like Marmalade Boy‘s beta couples better than most series is because I wasn’t particularly moved by Miki and Yuu’s romance. I didn’t care much for main character Miki, which would normally prevent me from getting extremely attached to a series. But because there were so many other characters and romantic pairings for me to choose from, the series stands out, and Ginta and Arimi became my favorite romance in the series.

Other series have tried to balance the main couple’s romance while developing their friends’ romantic entanglements. One example is Special A, which not long after establishing Kei’s romantic feelings for protagonist Hikari also begins to develop Akira’s relationship with her longtime friend Tadashi, by showing that behind her constant punching of the goofy SA member lies romantic affection. Later, when Akira and Tadashi get together, fellow SA member Megumi asks out Yahiro, who is also in love with Akira, in order to prevent him from interfering with the new couple. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Megumi’s feelings to turn into real affection. But after finishing Special A, I was bothered a bit by the series falling into the trap of pairing almost all of it’s main cast with someone else. It’s extremely cliché, suggests that the only way a person can be happy is if they are in a romantic relationship, and is highly unrealistic. After all, how often does it happen that your entire group of friends happens to have a significant other?

Then there are the series that present their beta couples so uniquely it’s difficult to label them as such. The josei manga Paradise Kiss immediately presents childhood sweethearts Miwako and Arashi. At first, the two seem mismatched – he looks like a tough rocker and she’s a sweet lolita – but Yukari sees that the two go well together. However, over the course of the series the couple is shown facing their own problems when their former friend Hiroyuki Tokumori, who once had a crush on Miwako, comes back into the picture. But rather than being played for empty drama, the series shows that the couple’s problem isn’t rival love interests but rather Arashi’s jealousy, which was strong enough that it caused him to ask Miwako to cut off her friendship with Hiro. And unlike many other beta couples, whose relationships are stable enough that other characters constantly ask them for romantic advice, Miwako is often the one who turns to Yukari for advice or comfort when things get shaky between her and Arashi. Unlike so many beta couples, there are genuine emotions behind Arashi and Miwako’s relationship, which makes the inclusion of their story feel worthwhile.

Hana Yori Dango has two examples: Rui and his childhood crush Shizuka, and Tsukushi’s best friend Yuki’s crush on F4 member Sojiro. When Rui chose to follow Shizuka to France after she decided to become a lawyer, I thought she’d fall for him and their relationship would work out. But when Rui returns to Japan it’s clear that things weren’t working between the two of them, and I was somewhat surprised that the two of them never got back together. Even more surprising was that Yuki’s feelings for Sojiro also remain unrequited. Usually in manga when a girl has unrequited feelings for a guy but decides to pursue him anyway he will end up falling for her, even if he can’t stand her in the beginning of the series (like Naoki in Itazura na Kiss. Note also that there is a double standard: if a girl in shojo manga has a creepy suitor she will never give him the time of day). But Sojiro doesn’t change his mind about good-girl Yuki nor will he change his philandering ways – yet rather than feeling discouraged Yuki decides to appreciate her feelings for him, and the two become better friends. I liked that not all of the romantic pairings in Hana Yori Dango had happy endings, and that most of the cast remained single up to the series’ finale. And because there are so many manga that will take the same combination of characters (like pairing a cheerful girl with a grumpy guy) and develop several couples with those exact same archetypes, I really love when each of the couples presented in a series feel distinctly different from one another. It makes sense that beta couples work best when they’re presence isn’t forced into the storyline and include interesting characters – because rather than detracting from a story they add to it.

From Far Away volumes 1-14

There are many spoilers in this review, so please read with caution!

One of my favorite types of shojo series tell stories about girls who get sucked into other worlds. From Fushigi Yugi to Red River, these stories combine action, drama, fantasy, and romance into multilayered epics that are hard to forget. One of the more popular series of this type is decidely less known here in the U.S: Kanata Kara, also known as From Far Away. Noriko Tachiki is a 14-year-old girl who is transported to another world after a terrorist bombing. She immediately is discovered by Izark, a handsome man who possesses extreme physical strength, which he uses to fight monsters that are about to attack Noriko. Inevitably, he becomes the young girl’s protector. Noriko, who can’t speak or understand the language of the world and stands out like a sore thumb because of her clothing, finds herself helpless, slowly becoming more competent over the course of the series. But as Noriko learns the language and makes new friends, she soon learns that her meeting with Izark may have been more than just a mere coincidence.

One thing I really like about From Far Away is that it’s very clear Kyoko Hikawa knew exactly where she wanted to go over the course of the 14-volume series. Very early on in the manga, it becomes known that Noriko is “The Awakening,” a being thought to be an ill-omen because it portends the arrival of the all-powerful sky demon. She learns that many of the highest political figures have gone missing or have been removed from office and replaced with corrupt officials, all who would love to capture Noriko so they can use the power of the sky demon to their benefit. But as it turns out, Izark is the sky demon, and the reason he was where Noriko was upon her arrival in his world is because he knew the Awakening would come on that fateful day. One of my favorite scenes in the series is when Izark recollects their first encounter – he had planned to kill the Awakening, but when he found a tiny, helpless girl he couldn’t help but want to save her.  Rather than in many of these types of series, where it feels as though the girl who gets sucked into a strange land could have been practically anyone, it’s almost as if Noriko had to be the Awakening in order for Izark’s destiny to change shape. While I’ve heard people dismiss Noriko because she is physically weak, I was actually quite impressed with her character. She’s not only kindhearted but extremely logical – realizing that she needs to improve her situation as quickly as possible so she can be less of a burden on Izark, she takes it upon herself to learn the language and culture, and she rarely whines or falls into bouts of self-pity. And she’s extremely adorable.

Inevitably, a romance develops between the two, and rather than being played for melodrama their relationship grows quite tenderly. At one point Izark leaves Noriko with Gaya, a trusted friend of his who is sort of a mother figure, as well as a warrior from a rebel clan known as the Grey Bird tribe. Both realize they miss one another, and Izark finds that he can’t part with Noriko as he’d planned to. Being with Noriko both reminds him and heals him of his wounds as an outsider;living on his own and ostracized by his family because he is the sky demon. Izark is afraid that the more he uses his powers the less he will be able to control them, until he finally turns into the sky demon for good. In volume five, Noriko sees his transformed self for the first time in battle, yet instead of being afraid she tells him she doesn’t care who he is and that she loves him. He’s touched by her acceptance of him, and although he is initially reluctant to admit his love for her he eventually becomes very affectionate, teasing her and hugging her when he once could barely even laugh or smile. It is Noriko’s positive spirit that eventually helps Izark discover that there is something else inside him alongside the sky demon – a source of hope and strength which he can use to defeat the sky demon within him.

The side characters in From Far Away are fun, too, even if they aren’t all that memorable. Gaya has a tough attitude yet is kind, while hot-headed warrior Banadam has an unrequited crush on Noriko. Later in the series the couple encounter a mother and daughter, who along with the other townspeople try to figure out their true identities (the funnest guess is that Noriko is a princess who ran away to be with Izark, her knight). Izark and Noriko gain plenty of enemies as well, from Keimos, a warrior who is obsessed with defeating Izark because he is the first person to ever defeat him in battle, and Rachef, whose desire for anarchy stems from the very human fear of wanting to be accepted. However, I had a bit of a difficult time keeping straight all of the characters, who weave in and out of the story, and I had a hard time getting attached to anyone besides Izark and Noriko. And because the author had clearly planned the ending of the manga from the beginning, the story can be a bit difficult to follow. Characters have cryptic conversations, mentioning chimos (creatures used for teleportation) and moonstones (which are used to keep evil spirits out and amplify one’s power) without describing what these things are – and it isn’t until much later that they are explained.

Whether From Far Away is the best ‘girl falls into another world’ story really depends on what the reader is looking for in such a story. From Far Away has many strengths, including great action sequences and a fantastical setting filled with exotic creatures. But for those looking for a grand drama or a sweeping love story, I would suggest Red River over this series because it’s so based on character interaction. Yet From Far Away is not without the human touch. The ideal of the series is encompassed wonderfully in one scene, when enemy Doros decides to help Noriko out simply because she says thank you to him. From Far Away sends such positive messages – such as how powerful kindness is or that even little actions can result in big changes – without ever feeling saccharine. So while From Far Away may not be my favorite series in the genre, I still enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it because it does so many things so right.

All I want for Christmas is you

In the world of shojo manga, Christmas can only mean one thing: romance! Whether a couple goes on a special Christmas Eve date, or the heroine gets a glimpse of her crush at a Christmas party, high emotions are a given during the holiday season. Let’s see how Christmas is celebrated…

Kimi ni Todoke style!

Our introverted heroine Sawako is invited to a Christmas party with her friends Yano and Chizu, as well as her crush Kazehaya. Yet just as Sawako tries to tell her parents about the party, they become emotional because Sawako was supposed to be born on Christmas, and she decides not to go. On Christmas Eve, Sawako’s dad mistakes a hat she knitted for Kazehaya as his Christmas gift. Yet not all hope is lost: when Kazehaya calls her from the party, Sawako’s parents realize she wants to be with her friends and give her their Christmas present: a cellphone. Sawako makes it to the party just as it’s ending, where she and Kazehaya exchange gifts.

Gifts exchanged: Kazehaya gives Sawako a pretty cellphone strap, a perfect present for her new phone. Sawako ends up giving Kazehaya her dad’s gift – a belly warmer! Even though Sawako is embarassed, Kazehaya is elated. After all, it’s the thought that counts.

• Lovely Complex style!

Otani, in a mad rush to cram for his college entrance exams, begins seeing his girlfriend Risa less and less. When Risa’s coworker starts developing feelings for her, a jealous Otani breaks things off with Risa, who is left heartbroken. At a Christmas party with her coworkers, Risa realizes she can’t enjoy herself without Otani, and she decides to go to his house. But before she can get there she bumps into Otani, who also ran to see her because he can’t concentrate on his studies. The two make up, and celebrate with a Christmas kiss.

Gifts exchanged: Neither had time to shop for gifts, but Risa receives the best present she could have ever asked for – Otani tells her he loves her more than he could have ever realized. All together now: awwww.

• Itazura na Kiss style!

Even though the Irie family is going to a fancy Christmas party at a hotel, Kotoko decides to spend Christmas with her two best friends, whose boyfriends are both busy on the day. But at the last minute both her friends cancel, and Kotoko is all alone on Christmas Eve. However, Kotoko’s crush Naoki happens to see Kotoko’s friend and realizes she must be home alone, and he returns to spend the holiday alone with her (with fried chicken and a cake).

Gifts exchanged: Kotoko gives Naoki a watch, but he doesn’t get her anything. That’s alright with her though – she got to spend Christmas with her beloved Naoki!

• High School Debut style!

In her typical gung-ho attitude, Haruna decides to plan the perfect Christmas date with her new boyfriend Yoh. They go to Santa-land (which is full of kids) then to a Christmas fair (which is full of old people), but they still have fun all the same. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when they go to dinner: the staff, who are pissed about having to work on Christmas Eve, play a game with the customers to show whether they have kissed anyone or not. Haruna’s answer shows she hasn’t but Yoh’s shows that he has, and Haruna runs away, embarassed. But when Yoh catches up to her they kiss, and he promises never to kiss another girl again.

Gifts exchanged: Haruna gives Yoh a wallet she spotted him eyeing, while Yoh gives Haruna a scarf because she’s always running around in the cold with clothes that are too thin. Both gifts are extremely considerate, but I have to say Haruna was probably happier with the kiss, considering the fact that she could barely look at or speak to Yoh without freaking out and blushing afterwards.

Gakuen Alice style!

As in many other shojo manga, Alice Academy hosts a Christmas party where the girls where cute Santa costumes. Mikan tries to make Yoichi, a little boy close to class-troublemaker Natsume, happy by having Bear (who can walk and gets quite grumpy) play with him. Luka, Natsume’s best friend, thanks Mikan for making Yoichi happy by kissing her on the cheek. At first Mikan is shocked but that doesn’t last for long: when she and Natsume dance they end up falling and accidentally kissing each other in front of the whole school! Mikan freaks out and leaves the party, only to end up arguing with Natsume that it wasn’t a ‘real kiss’ by saying their lips barely touched. Natsume puts an end to the argument by kissing her for real, and the Christmas party comes to an end.

Gifts exchanged: Three kisses. I’m starting to sense a theme here…

Christmas in Japan may be more about romance than the typically family-oriented holiday is here in the west, but the true spirit of Christmas is still retained. As these shojo Christmas stories show, it’s not what you get for Christmas that matters most – it’s who you spend it with.

One hit wonders…in America (take two)

When I wrote my last list of great shojo manga authors who have only had one work brought to North America, I knew the list was incomplete. So many of my favorite authors have been largely ignored here that I trimmed my list, and thus I’ve decided to take a look at a few other artists whose catalogues remain mostly in Japan.

Yoko Kamio

I didn’t think it was possible for me to love any series more than Kodocha or Nana until I read Boys Over Flowers. Kamio knows better than anyone how to create melodrama that’s not annoying to read, and most importantly, how to write a damn good love triangle. Many fans of hers would love to see 2004’s Cat Street licensed, a series about an actress who freezes up on stage and ends up enrolling in a school for “stray cats” – people who haven’t found their place or purpose yet. Like Boys Over Flowers before it, Cat Street was adapted into a live-action drama in 2008, proving that Kamio’s popularity is more than just a fad. As for me, I’m personally interested in Kamio’s later series Tora to Ookami, which is about a girl who ends up in a love triangle with two college boys, all while trying to save her family restaurant from ending up in the hands of a rich corporation!  I doubt I’ll find any other couple in manga who I adore as much as Tsukushi and Tsukasa, but if anyone can do it, Kamio can.

Odds of it being licensed: 30 percent. I’ve seen numerous requests for Cat Street to be licensed, but sadly Viz seems to sitting on licenses of shojo series that aren’t fantasies or straight up romantic comedies.

Chie Shinohara

Shinohara’s 28 volume series Red River is a wonderful epic in which a 15-year-old girl gets transported to ancient Anatolia. But so far, Red River is the only work out of Shinohara’s long manga career to make it to American shores. Shinohara is one of few shojo artists to have won the Shogakukan Manga Award more than once – her first win was in 1987 for Yami no Purple Eye, a series about a girl who begins turning into a leopard. Of all her series, however, I’m most interested in Ao no Fuin, a series about a high school girl who finds out she is the reincarnation of the demon queens Seiryu, and is falling in love with reincarnation of Byakko, the white tiger destined to kill her. I’ve really liked the legend of the Four Gods ever since I first encountered it in Fushigi Yugi, and I’m sure a tale of starcrossed lovers would be nothing but heartracing in Shinohara’s very capable hands.

Odds it’ll be licensed: 20 percent. At 11 volumes, Ao no Fuin‘s not ridiculously long, but it is considerably older than the majority of the manga being licensed today (the series started in 1991). And most importantly, Shinohara’s more mature approach to storytelling seems to be largely ignored by North American licensors, which is really a shame.

Kazune Kawahara

I consider High School Debut much better than it really should be. It’s an average romantic-comedy, yet it feels refreshing thanks to fun lead characters and decidely avoiding common shojo tropes. But what surprised me most about High School Debut was finding out that it’s author had been in the manga industry for quite some time. Along with Sensei!, a 20 volume shojo series featuring a student-teacher romance, I’ve heard good things about Aozora Yell, which features a girl who wants to join the baseball team’s band and play bass in the championships despite the fact that she’s no good at music. Kawahara has a way with comedy, and she’s good at writing determined, cheerful girls, which is enough to make me want to read more of her works.

Odds it’ll be licensed: 50 percent. Kawahara’s works are contemporary enough that I’d say they still have a chance at being licensed, especially since High School Debut is a fairly prominent title within the Shojo Beat lineup.

Wataru Yoshizumi

She’s technically a two-hit wonder since both Marmalade Boy and Ultramanic have been licensed in the States, but I still would love to read some of Yoshizumi’s many works that haven’t been brought here. I’ve always been curious about her older series Handsome na Kanojo, which is about a young girl who is aspiring to be an actress meeting and falling for a boy who wants to be a director. But upon researching her works, even her more recent series such as Chitose, Etc., seem very interesting. Chitose follows a girl from Okinawa who meets a boy from Tokyo. They hit it off and he even kisses her, but when she visits him in Tokyo she finds out he has a girlfriend! Yoshizumi is great at creating quintessential shojo drama and intriguing romance even out of clichéd situations, so I know that if more of her works were brought here I’d be in for a good time.

Odds it’ll be licensed: 35 percent. Yoshizumi’s been out of the limelight in America for awhile now, and while the chances of her older series being licensed are fairly slim, I’d still say her contemporary series like the still-running Chitose, Etc. have a shot of being picked up.

I’m sure there are even more authors whose works being unavailable in English makes me (among many others) groan. If there are any works you’d love to see licensed by authors you’re already familiar with, share your thoughts guys!