Shojo Beat news

[jinian]

I may be the only one who reads Shojo Beat at the moment, since I know rushthatspeaks is a little busy. So you may not care.

But I must whine: they're getting rid of Nana, the reason I subscribed! Noooo! (There are hypotheses that the very popular Nana is being ditched for getting a little too sexy for the teen-plus magazine rating, hmm. Someone also said that Nana art up til now has been edited, maybe just in the magazine? Not happy with that idea.)

On the other hand, they're replacing it with... Honey and Clover! Eeeee! I was hoping for the magazine-love quotient to go up rather than remaining constant, but I console myself that Nana collections will be coming out twice as fast.

Also, the cutesy XXXholic ripoff Yume Kira Dream Shoppe is over as of July, to be replaced with Sand Chronicles, which has pretty covers and sounds like the sort of quiet, relationshippy thing I might like very much. With H&C, though, that would make two of a very different kind of manga than, posters in this AnimeonDVD forum point out, a lot of SB's dopey articles would seem to match. There was a recent change of editor that might mean less juvenile content, boding well for my enjoyment of the magazine.

And they're finally dumping Baby and Me, which hardly anyone likes. Hurrah! I can't find much English-language information on its replacement, Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de), which is apparently adapted from a popular Fushigi-Yuugi-like dating sim.

Remaining unchanged so far: Crimson Hero, which is a little slow but has a great focus on self-realization, even if through volleyball; Watase-fluff Absolute Boyfriend, which will probably appear in its entirety because it's 2/3 done already; and Vampire Knight, which despite its prettiness I have not gotten into at all.

Comments

[oyceter]

H&C JOY!!!!!

I don't subscribe, so I am selfishly happy about Nana, since it means the collections will come out faster. Also, ooo, Sand Chronicles sounds interesting!

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I stopped subscribing after 6 months, so I am likewise selfishly glad Nana volumes will come out faster! The volumes do not have the pretty color art, but I think I have them all in my Nana artbook anyway.

The art on The Sand Chronicles looks pretty, but I am "eh" on the plot description.

I wish Vampire Knight would also get dropped, because it would not distress Jinian and would make me happy by coming out faster

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

And then it wouldn't be in pink ink every other month! Seconded.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

The pink and blue ink have prevented me from resubscribing. It messes up my default b&w->color perceptions and I also find it hard to read.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you, I am one issue behind.

SO glad Aka-chan to Boku is finally going. I kept being startled to see it lasting, because I kept not being able to find anyone who liked it. And I have been counting the issues till Yume Kira Dream Shoppe goes away.

Sad of NANA, though, especially since I really do think it has been one of the major supports of the magazine. But H&C will be awesome.

Unfortunately Harukanaru Toki no naka de hasn't got a brain in its pretty little head. I tried to watch the anime when it came out in fansub, and despite having gorgeous art and a very fine voice cast it was just not watchable. Bishounen harem Mary Sue fantasy. The bishounen are color-coded For Your Convenience.

The manga might be a tad better, mind-- I am told the original dating sim is highly thought of, and that they're doing the thing where each adaptation (drama CD, novel, anime, manga) is an alternate universe-- but if it's the same writing team working on it, or if they're keeping the same characters and/or plot elements, I am not hopeful. It will however have absolutely spectacular art. All versions so far have been famous for that.